Reviews with content warning for Outing - The Henna Wars

Reviews tagging 'Outing'

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

254 reviews

tinyjude's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really liked the tension between the characters and the social commentary (white privilege, racism, homophobia, etc), although it didnt make me giggle as hard as her other book (i am still in love with the sapphic couple in that book). I loved the sibling dynamics and the support they showed to each other, it was beautiful. Also, I liked how most of the characters come around, admit their mistakes and become better people.

My only complains are: WE NEEDED MORE SCENES OF THEM BEING SO CUTE, SO AWKWARDLY IN LOVE THROUGH THE BOOK, THE YEARNING and all the HP references, which hurt a lot my non binary heart, bc JKR is a massive TERF and I hate when people make any reference to her work, something that could easily be replaced by another kids story whose author doesnt literally threatens the lives of trans people ever day. But this last complain is more general, to the whole book community and writers.

Please, your nostalgia of a fictional work written by a TERF is not as important as literal trans lives.

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penandpages's review against another edition

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lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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bussdownmacbeth's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Good romance. I love lesbians

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auteaandtales's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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onebook_more's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

“The choice she wants me to make isn’t between being gay and straight, it’s between them and me. Who do I choose?

Nishat is a Bengali teenager living in Dublin, where she doesn’t always feel like she belongs. When she comes out as a lesbian to her parents, her sense of belonging is shaken even more as they struggle to come to terms with an identity they never imagined for their daughter. Nishat starts to develop feelings for a new student, Flávia. When Nishat decides to utilize her talent in designing henna for a school project, she never expected to face steep competition for Flávia and her popular cousin, which complicates their feelings towards each other even more.

This story explores the complexities of race, appropriation and family dynamics with vulnerability through an extremely well-thought-out and strong-voiced protagonist in Nishat. The writing is funny, sharp and easy to engage with and the discussions of the isolation felt by people of colour in overwhelmingly white communities will be relatable for many BIPOC readers. I found it particularly interesting to see how the types of issues faced by all teenagers can be compounded by being part of a minority group. Flávia and Nishat’s relationship is filled with both chemistry and tension, making it an extremely satisfying element of the book. There are some quite serious themes explored, specifically related to lesbophobia, racism and outing; these are handled delicately but could be difficult for some readers who have faced similar challenges.

NOTE: I read this book as the “enemies to lovers” prompt in my Sapphic September reading challenge but if you are looking for a true enemies to lovers arc, you may be disappointed. I don’t feel like Nishat and Flávia are ever really enemies, the closest they get is being on opposing teams for the competition. Still, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to someone looking for a good YA romance novel that is more pining than explicit romance and deals with hard-hitting topics in a sensitive way.

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josefinemartensson's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This might be my favorite ya book!

The henna wars surprised me. I went into it thinking it would just be a cute sapphic love story, but it was so much more than that. I wouldn’t even say that romance was the main plot; instead the life of our main character and her trying to navigate life through sexuality, religion, culture, friendships, and family relations.

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