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bizzybee429's review against another edition
4.0
Review Trigger Warning: Rape mention
A Girl Like That starts off with the death of its main characters, Zarin and Porus (and I promise that’s not a spoiler, it literally happens on the first page). In the pages that follow, the novel goes back in time and tells their stories, as well as the stories of the people around them. This book reminded me of The Book Thief, in that even though the reader knows how the story is going to end from the first chapter, the climax still comes as a shock. I’m pretty sure I sat there with my hand over my mouth in surprise for a good five minutes when Zarin and Porus died at the end.
The pacing in this book is utterly superb. It has what, like, seven chapters? Each chapter is split into 2-4 sections, each with a different narrator, and the paragraphs in each section flow super well without any breaks in them. It makes for a well-written and quick read, and made the tough subjects covered in the book not as scary.
And this book covered a crap-ton of tough topics. It was interesting to read about rape culture, racism, colorism, and feminism in a different backdrop than Western Culture. A Girl Like That was real, and I didn’t expect it to reach the level of grittiness that it did. It was painful to read at times, and every bit of it packed a punch.
The characters were all complex and nuanced. Sometimes they weren’t likable, but they weren’t supposed to be. Zarin was a kick-butt protagonist and I loved reading her and Porus’s relationship progress. Porus was super sweet. Mishal was another character that I enjoyed reading about – and though I didn’t really like her as a person a lot of the time, I always enjoyed the chapters that were from her point of view, and it made my heart content to see at least one of the narrators of the story receive a future and some semblance of a happy ending.
The romance in this story was so freaking cute. Though I’m not sure if it can be really called a romance, it was so sweet to watch Porus and Zarin grow up and become friends and it absolutely kills me that both of their stories were cut off so abruptly. I hope they get to be buddies in the afterlife because the ending of this book ripped my heart out and beat it to death.
To conclude, definitely pick this one up next February. The heartbreak it will give you is so worth it for the beautiful characters, top-notch pacing, and sweet relationship.
Book Trigger Warnings: Rape, Rape with the aid of a Date Rape drug, sexual assault, parental abuse, spousal abuse (mentioned)
”’When people say you’re wrong so many times over so many years, when they call you a bad person, you begin to believe them…But then you realize – who are these people anyway, who make you feel ashamed of yourself? Do they even matter? Do you even care what they think or say?’”A Girl Like That is one of the most hyped releases of early 2018, and after reading it, it’s easy to see why. This story not only lived up to my expectations, it completely blew them out of the water.
A Girl Like That starts off with the death of its main characters, Zarin and Porus (and I promise that’s not a spoiler, it literally happens on the first page). In the pages that follow, the novel goes back in time and tells their stories, as well as the stories of the people around them. This book reminded me of The Book Thief, in that even though the reader knows how the story is going to end from the first chapter, the climax still comes as a shock. I’m pretty sure I sat there with my hand over my mouth in surprise for a good five minutes when Zarin and Porus died at the end.
The pacing in this book is utterly superb. It has what, like, seven chapters? Each chapter is split into 2-4 sections, each with a different narrator, and the paragraphs in each section flow super well without any breaks in them. It makes for a well-written and quick read, and made the tough subjects covered in the book not as scary.
And this book covered a crap-ton of tough topics. It was interesting to read about rape culture, racism, colorism, and feminism in a different backdrop than Western Culture. A Girl Like That was real, and I didn’t expect it to reach the level of grittiness that it did. It was painful to read at times, and every bit of it packed a punch.
The characters were all complex and nuanced. Sometimes they weren’t likable, but they weren’t supposed to be. Zarin was a kick-butt protagonist and I loved reading her and Porus’s relationship progress. Porus was super sweet. Mishal was another character that I enjoyed reading about – and though I didn’t really like her as a person a lot of the time, I always enjoyed the chapters that were from her point of view, and it made my heart content to see at least one of the narrators of the story receive a future and some semblance of a happy ending.
The romance in this story was so freaking cute. Though I’m not sure if it can be really called a romance, it was so sweet to watch Porus and Zarin grow up and become friends and it absolutely kills me that both of their stories were cut off so abruptly. I hope they get to be buddies in the afterlife because the ending of this book ripped my heart out and beat it to death.
To conclude, definitely pick this one up next February. The heartbreak it will give you is so worth it for the beautiful characters, top-notch pacing, and sweet relationship.
Book Trigger Warnings: Rape, Rape with the aid of a Date Rape drug, sexual assault, parental abuse, spousal abuse (mentioned)
missprint_'s review against another edition
4.0
At sixteen, Zarin Wadia's reputation already precedes her. She is an orphan, the daughter of a gangster, the product of a scandalous marriage. She is a smoker, she is reckless, she has left a trail of boyfriends in her wake despite the constant need to dodge the Religious Police. She is the subject of endless rumors at her school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Everyone knows that no one would want to get involved with a girl like that.
Which is why it's so shocking when Zarin dies in a car crash with eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia--her childhood friend and, by all counts, a boy with a good head on his shoulders.
Everyone thought they knew Zarin but as her story and the circumstances of the crash come together, it's very clear that Zarin was always more than the rumors would have you believe in A Girl Like That (2018) by Tanaz Bhatena.
A Girl Like That is Bhatena’s debut novel. The story unfolds from multiple viewpoints with Zarin and Porus observing the aftermath of the car crash and flashbacks from both Zarin and Porus as well as other characters in Zarin's life. Through these multiple first person viewpoints the novel explores both the events leading up to the crash and its fallout.
Zarin is a strongly feminist heroine who pushes against the limits placed on her by both her family and her surroundings in the conservative city of Jeddah. Through Zarin and her classmate Mishal's narratives, Bhatena expertly explores themes of feminism and agency as both girls find their worlds unfairly narrowed because of little more than their gender.
A Girl Like That is a poignant and bittersweet story and perception versus reality, rumors, and truth. A quiet meditation on all of the ways society as well as friends and family can fail young people trying to make their way through a world that is often far from gentle. Highly recommended.
Possible Pairings: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Saints and Misfits by S. K. Ali, Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll, Life By Committee by Corey Ann Haydu, The First Part Last by Angela Johnson, Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart, Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed, The List by Siobhan Vivian, Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Everyone knows that no one would want to get involved with a girl like that.
Which is why it's so shocking when Zarin dies in a car crash with eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia--her childhood friend and, by all counts, a boy with a good head on his shoulders.
Everyone thought they knew Zarin but as her story and the circumstances of the crash come together, it's very clear that Zarin was always more than the rumors would have you believe in A Girl Like That (2018) by Tanaz Bhatena.
A Girl Like That is Bhatena’s debut novel. The story unfolds from multiple viewpoints with Zarin and Porus observing the aftermath of the car crash and flashbacks from both Zarin and Porus as well as other characters in Zarin's life. Through these multiple first person viewpoints the novel explores both the events leading up to the crash and its fallout.
Zarin is a strongly feminist heroine who pushes against the limits placed on her by both her family and her surroundings in the conservative city of Jeddah. Through Zarin and her classmate Mishal's narratives, Bhatena expertly explores themes of feminism and agency as both girls find their worlds unfairly narrowed because of little more than their gender.
A Girl Like That is a poignant and bittersweet story and perception versus reality, rumors, and truth. A quiet meditation on all of the ways society as well as friends and family can fail young people trying to make their way through a world that is often far from gentle. Highly recommended.
Possible Pairings: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Saints and Misfits by S. K. Ali, Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll, Life By Committee by Corey Ann Haydu, The First Part Last by Angela Johnson, Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart, Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed, The List by Siobhan Vivian, Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
peachy_dreamy's review
dnf bc of animal abuse. it was literally maybe a paragraph but i had to watch an episode of bluey to calm down
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
zarrazine's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Rape
melindagallagher's review against another edition
4.0
Set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the author explores what it means to be a woman in a strict Muslim country. The religious police play a big role in the novel. The two main characters, though dead, are very likable and strong. Zarin is a complicated young lady with a very complicated past, living with her aunt who is very hard to like and understand. The main theme of being female in a Middle East country is something we need in our collections. The book should provide some great discussions for a book club.