Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - Hana Khan Carries On

An enemies to lovers story that felt a little like the movie You’ve Got Mail but follows a delightful young Muslim woman Hana as not just a love story but also as Hana discovers who she is and what she wants. Some good side characters I felt needed a little more development so they didn’t just feel like they were there

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sometimes_samantha_reads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective tense 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? It's complicated

2.75

If I'm being honest, I was disappointed by this book because it had a lot of potential! I think there were many "small" details that were glossed over and as they accumulated, there was a lot of emerging plot holes and instances where the flow felt choppy and disconnected. I thought Hana was incredibly naive and short-sighted a lot of the time. She was also extremely wishy-washy. She was rightfully angered and on edge about the possibility of losing her family's restaurant to gentrification and she became so soft once she started having a crush on the owner. That's all it took was a little crush to forgive possibly losing her family's SOLE livelihood. Not only that, but her "best friends" were not well developed and seemed shallow. I didn't like them and I wasn't rooting for them at all. I wasn't rooting for anyone at all, except for Hana's family to save the restaurant.

There was a lot of potential with this story but the writing to me just seemed rushed and disjoineted.

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deidrelj's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.25

The storyline is one of the most original I’ve come across but somehow I wasn’t as engaged by the material as I expected. I made it through but it should have been way more enjoyable. Not sure what the disconnect is!

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bmkodak's review against another edition

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funny informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-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

4.0

If your looking for a light romcom read that doesn't extrictly depict white people, this one is for you. This book as everything a romcom needs and more. The characters are highly relatable as well as belonging to minority groups. The plot can be a little predictable at times, but at the same time not all. Only reason I can give it five stars is because is a little to long, but despite that I still couldn't put it down.
Do yourself a favor a pick this one up, you will enjoy it for sure.

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emilydinhtea's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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islanderscaper's review

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

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msennflinn's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

3.75

Title: Hana Khan Carries On
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: April 13, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Joyous • Refreshing • Cluttered

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Hana grew up helping at her family's halal restaurant, which is looking to be on its last leg. When it's announced that another halal restaurant will be opening nearby, the closure seems inevitable. With a passion for sharing meaningful stories on the radio, Hana turns to her anonymously-hosted podcast and one longtime listener for advice.

When a hate-motivated attack on their neighbourhood occurs it complicates matters even more. As does Hana's growing attraction for Aydin, owner of the rival restaurant. Now more than ever, Hana will need to use her voice.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I went into Hana Khan Carries On with quite high expectations after reading this author's debut, Ayesha At Last. This one is a modern retelling of you've got You've Got Mail, and I didn't enjoy it as much.

It must be said that Uzma Jalaluddin writes family dynamics so incredibly well. I thought this part of the book was one of the best. The vibrant characters brought the joy and life to the plot, as did the the irresistible banter. I also appreciated all of the delicious references to good, and of course the shout out to Kawartha Diary ice cream (I could easily go for some Black Raspberry Thunder right about now) was a nice little bonus. Their ice cream is so good!

I also think the exploration of micro aggressions and Islamophobia was a strength of this book. It was so hard and sad to read, but is the reality of what people go through on a daily basis while simply trying to live their lives.

While I enjoyed each of the storylines, unfortunately, this one tried to do too much. The competing storylines made it difficult for me to become fully invested. And I think the author would have been better off sticking to one storyline or the other. While I liked the idea of competing restaurants/ enemies-to-lover, the romance aspect just didn't seem like it fit.

At the end of the day, Hana Khan Carries On tackles serious topics, yet it's done in way as to still make the narrative light and fast-paced. It was an enjoyable read, it just didn't live up to my expectations.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of You've Got Mail
• readers looking for a diverse rom-com

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Books are like people, you have to give them room to breathe."

"If the people are changing, that means we're still alive. Only living changes things."

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