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onegalonelife27's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
I do have to warn that there are some HP references-mainly to the houses and using them for personality traits, like the Meyers Briggs deal. It's sprinkled throughout the book, so just be advised.
By fate, happen-stance, two young teenagers come across upon the same art-the Marvels of Creations and the Oddities of Existence and decide to create their own journals to record marvels and oddities in their lives. Adam focusing on the marvel and Zayneb focusing on the oddities-and in the same vein-they meet once at airport, the next while she’s on vacation in his hometown.
I really love the opposite attract going on between these two Adams like to keep the peace-keep a quiet life going while keeping his diagnosis from his dad. Zayneb is all fury, fighting the wrongs of the world which does loudly and gets her in trouble.
And what I love about this trope is have characters learn from one another, Adams learns to speak up for himself despite the changes it may brings. Zayneb learns not to give up her fury but focus it not just using anger but other emotions to help her cause. There’s a poignant moment when Zayneb tells her Mom about what’s happened to her, but focusing on her sorrow rather than her anger which is so moving and touching.
So I recommend this for anyone that feels like they need to keep the peace or feel unheard in their fights for justice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Grief, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: War, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, and Murder
notsobinaryart's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Grief, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Car accident, War, Gaslighting, Murder, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcohol, Violence, Torture, Cultural appropriation, Blood, Genocide, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, and War
Additional content warning: heavy usage of Harry Potter references, especially Hogwarts Houses. Written in 2019, so before JK Rowling was out as a known TERF, but please know there are at least a dozen references to Harry Potter throughout the bookmina2299's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Grief, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: War, Panic attacks/disorders, Cultural appropriation, and Murder
kefowler's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
Moderate: War, Murder, and Medical content
fiwwa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
i. love. this. book. SO. much.
i love the fact that i can swoon over a fictional men who my mom would approve if he was real. i love that us muslim girls get a right representation because yes, we do think about guys; holding his hands, hugging him when he's sad even though we know we can't. i love how passionate zayneb is with all the things she did for justice. i love respectful adam is despite the fact that he wants zayneb so bad, and you don't understand how happy i am when adam said he's praying fajr outside (giggling and kicking my feet cs the other fictional men i know would never).
i love how zayneb is 'water' to adam because that's what she is; she's what made adam whole and being near her brings him life. ♡
i love the fact that i can swoon over a fictional men who my mom would approve if he was real. i love that us muslim girls get a right representation because yes, we do think about guys; holding his hands, hugging him when he's sad even though we know we can't. i love how passionate zayneb is with all the things she did for justice. i love respectful adam is despite the fact that he wants zayneb so bad, and you don't understand how happy i am when adam said he's praying fajr outside (giggling and kicking my feet cs the other fictional men i know would never).
i love how zayneb is 'water' to adam because that's what she is; she's what made adam whole and being near her brings him life. ♡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Islamophobia, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Murder
kingrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
“This is a love story. You’ve been warned.”
Fantastic, brilliant, beautiful, effortless YA contemporary romance that is also a drama and somewhat of a coming-of-age.
I’m not even going to go into depth about what the book was about. You just need to know that two very beautiful souls serendipitously meet and they fall in love while going through the hardest things a person can go through.
This book was beautiful from start to finish. It is unapologetically Muslim and I friggin loved every second of it! I love Zayneb’s passion and Adam’s ability to see the beauty in the world. At first I didn’t see the chemistry between them and aside from them both keeping this journal based off an ancient manuscript, I didn’t think they had much in common since they’re SO different. But the book just unfolds in this amazing way, where you fall in love with Zayneb and Adam as individuals then watch them come together and fall in love with them as a couple.
Zayneb is dealing with Islamophobia throughout the book (at school, on a plane, at the pool, etc) and the injustices in the world make her righteously angry. And she tries to “tone down” her anger, but she learns she doesn’t have to hold back, she just learns how to be smarter than the bigots. Then there’s Adam and he is this peaceful soul that I just adored and is more behind-the-scenes in his support. He’s such a family guy and I loved his softer way of caring. They both deal with loss and grief in their own ways that make you want to tear your heart out.
I think this book does a fantastic job depicting a traditional Muslim relationship, grief, anger, prejudice, and dealing with a chronic medical diagnosis. I can’t speak for its accuracy but it seems authentic and raw. I loved that these two opposites started meeting in the middle on their own in a natural way (they weren’t forcing themselves to change to fit with the other). The book had me grinning like a fool, crying like a baby, and it even had me laughing a few times. Just a gorgeous, well written story.
Fantastic, brilliant, beautiful, effortless YA contemporary romance that is also a drama and somewhat of a coming-of-age.
I’m not even going to go into depth about what the book was about. You just need to know that two very beautiful souls serendipitously meet and they fall in love while going through the hardest things a person can go through.
This book was beautiful from start to finish. It is unapologetically Muslim and I friggin loved every second of it! I love Zayneb’s passion and Adam’s ability to see the beauty in the world. At first I didn’t see the chemistry between them and aside from them both keeping this journal based off an ancient manuscript, I didn’t think they had much in common since they’re SO different. But the book just unfolds in this amazing way, where you fall in love with Zayneb and Adam as individuals then watch them come together and fall in love with them as a couple.
Zayneb is dealing with Islamophobia throughout the book (at school, on a plane, at the pool, etc) and the injustices in the world make her righteously angry. And she tries to “tone down” her anger, but she learns she doesn’t have to hold back, she just learns how to be smarter than the bigots. Then there’s Adam and he is this peaceful soul that I just adored and is more behind-the-scenes in his support. He’s such a family guy and I loved his softer way of caring. They both deal with loss and grief in their own ways that make you want to tear your heart out.
I think this book does a fantastic job depicting a traditional Muslim relationship, grief, anger, prejudice, and dealing with a chronic medical diagnosis. I can’t speak for its accuracy but it seems authentic and raw. I loved that these two opposites started meeting in the middle on their own in a natural way (they weren’t forcing themselves to change to fit with the other). The book had me grinning like a fool, crying like a baby, and it even had me laughing a few times. Just a gorgeous, well written story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Hate crime, Xenophobia, Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, War, and Murder
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Hate crime, Medical content, Murder, War, and Cultural appropriation
momentum262's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Racism, Death, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
Minor: Murder and War
courtneyfalling's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
3.5
I liked how this YA romance tackled Adam's MS and Zayneb's anger at the Islamophobia she faced, especially from her teacher, but I found the meta framing annoying and unneeded, and both Adam and Zayneb felt so aggressively and naively young, which I think bothered me so much because the plot essentially hinges on ongoing non-communication . It also seemed like the ending with Zayneb's teacher resolved way too quickly compared to the hurdle he had been built up to be. And did Zayneb's suspension record get scrubbed? How did her activism grow during college? Way too much substance just... left too easily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: War, Murder, and Death of parent
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