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raemelle's review against another edition
4.0
This was a captivating, quick read. Frustrating - especially knowing that there are women and girls who deal with what they do in Saudi Arabia and other patriarchal societies. Sad story with a bittersweet ending.
ria_mhrj's review against another edition
4.0
There is an encroaching sense of dread that builds as the events of this book unfold. The startling prologue sets up impending doom pretty emphatically, but nevertheless it's still heartbreaking to watch everything unfold. This book had lots of interesting points to make about gender politics, and also about how women treat each other, it should make for an interesting discussion at the next book club.
ashleighbeanxo's review
2.0
A Girl Like That follows the story of Zarin, a 16-year old orphan girl living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with her aunt and uncle. Zarin has quite the reputation as a troublemaker, and as someone who likes the attention of boys. And when she is found dead in a girl on the highway, with 18-year old Porus, the rumours don't stop. This is Zarin's story, told before and after the crash, from multiple POV's.
Did not like this book. I don't quite know what it was, but I just didn't connect with it. I feel like this book was supposed to be a commentary on sexual assault, and women's rights in some cultures, but it wasn't done very well. There was a lot of things thrown in which I think were to make the reader angry and drive a point home, and it ended up just frustrating me, and making me not want to read on. The talk of who women should be prudish virgins until they're married, and they should be in pain during their first time and if they enjoy it, they're sluts and not fit for marriage, drove me mad. Obviously it was the intention of the author to bring awareness to this, but there was so much in this book, and it was so heavy-handed, that at times, it put me in a bit of a slump. Overall, maybe not the right book for me.
Did not like this book. I don't quite know what it was, but I just didn't connect with it. I feel like this book was supposed to be a commentary on sexual assault, and women's rights in some cultures, but it wasn't done very well. There was a lot of things thrown in which I think were to make the reader angry and drive a point home, and it ended up just frustrating me, and making me not want to read on. The talk of who women should be prudish virgins until they're married, and they should be in pain during their first time and if they enjoy it, they're sluts and not fit for marriage, drove me mad. Obviously it was the intention of the author to bring awareness to this, but there was so much in this book, and it was so heavy-handed, that at times, it put me in a bit of a slump. Overall, maybe not the right book for me.
kwbat12's review against another edition
4.0
I'm adding this to the Read Harder challenge as a book with a cover that I hate. It is so girly and it doesn't indicate some of the intense themes inside. I was impressed with this YA book and its themes of domestic abuse, date rape and gender stereotypes, and the other teen issues that would impact a variety of people. Even more, though, was the setting of Jeddah and a family of migrants from India. There are things that I learned about these groups that I would never have known. Very impressive.
chrissireads's review against another edition
3.0
I decided to read another 2018 debut so I picked up A Girl Like That which I had heard mixed things about. I’m glad I took the time to read it, although I didn’t find it overly memorable. At the start of the book, we find that Zarin and her friend Porus have been killed in a car crash. We, as readers, then follow Zarin’s story told through different points of views.
Zarin, who is from Mumbai, lives with relatives after the death of her parents. Zarin begins to rebel. She starts dating boys and smoking which is certainly disapproved of within her culture. At first, it’s to wind up her aunt but then it becomes a way to act to prove to others that she’s not who people expect her to be. Zarin becomes a target for bullies at school. She is slut-shamed because she doesn’t comply with her cultural norms.
I liked how through different points of views, we could find out that the girl that Zarin seemed to be wasn’t the girl she really was. Zarin was actually a traumatised girl who had experienced some horrific things in her life. Zarin’s actions were simply curious about sex and boys. Zarin didn’t understand how males were treated so differently to girls. It is interesting to read a book that so openly discusses double standards that there are in society.
I do appreciate stories that involve characters from different faiths other than my own. I can’t say if it was represented accurately, but I certainly found it interesting to follow. I wasn’t overly impressed with the ending of this story which is why I haven’t rated it four stars. However, I did think it was an intriguing read about love, religion and culture. Just beware that there is some very heavy content including rape.
Zarin, who is from Mumbai, lives with relatives after the death of her parents. Zarin begins to rebel. She starts dating boys and smoking which is certainly disapproved of within her culture. At first, it’s to wind up her aunt but then it becomes a way to act to prove to others that she’s not who people expect her to be. Zarin becomes a target for bullies at school. She is slut-shamed because she doesn’t comply with her cultural norms.
I liked how through different points of views, we could find out that the girl that Zarin seemed to be wasn’t the girl she really was. Zarin was actually a traumatised girl who had experienced some horrific things in her life. Zarin’s actions were simply curious about sex and boys. Zarin didn’t understand how males were treated so differently to girls. It is interesting to read a book that so openly discusses double standards that there are in society.
I do appreciate stories that involve characters from different faiths other than my own. I can’t say if it was represented accurately, but I certainly found it interesting to follow. I wasn’t overly impressed with the ending of this story which is why I haven’t rated it four stars. However, I did think it was an intriguing read about love, religion and culture. Just beware that there is some very heavy content including rape.
megs_s's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
krissyronan's review against another edition
4.0
A sad book, but a good one. I loved reading a contemporary story set in a country I know little about, Saudi Arabia. I also loved getting to know Zarin, beyond rumors and her reputation.
angelicasfandoms's review against another edition
3.0
~ 3/5 stars ~
Going into this book, I knew nothing about it besides the synopsis. I regret not reading any reviews or TWs beforehand because this book was darker than I expected. So here you go peeps, TW: bullying, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, death. It's not too dark -this is YA after all- but learn from me and mentally prepare yourself before reading.
I'm actually a huge fan of books where the end is actually revealed in the first chapter, but knowing that Zarin and Porus die (not a spoiler, it's in the synopsis), makes this book all the more heartbreaking. The multi POVs in this book really establishes each character and they all were extremely developed, even the antagonist(s). Once I got to know all these characters, I would temporarily forget that something bad happens to Zarin and Porus and I hoped for the best for them.
The pacing of this book is rather slow, but I believe it was done this way for a purpose. Throughout the book, each character is built from the ground up, including complex stories from their childhood that make up who they are. The plot wasn't too interesting, but at the same time, I wasn't expecting it either. I thought this was gonna be a murder mystery lol, I seriously didn't look up too much about this book.
I have to say that something that made me really uncomfortable was the relationships, hence the 3 stars. The relationship between Zarin and Porus was most definitely insta-love but the fact that it was borderline the "love cures abuse" trope just didn't sit right with me, especially because of the insta-love. Don't even get me started on Farhan. The anger I have towards this guy is immeasurable and frankly, he deserved the ending he got. Mishal's character development was probably the most interesting and she exceeded all my expectations.
Overall, it was an interesting book and definitely outside of my usual reads but, I have to say the plot just let me down. I would still recommend checking it out tho!
Going into this book, I knew nothing about it besides the synopsis. I regret not reading any reviews or TWs beforehand because this book was darker than I expected. So here you go peeps, TW: bullying, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, death. It's not too dark -this is YA after all- but learn from me and mentally prepare yourself before reading.
I'm actually a huge fan of books where the end is actually revealed in the first chapter, but knowing that Zarin and Porus die (not a spoiler, it's in the synopsis), makes this book all the more heartbreaking. The multi POVs in this book really establishes each character and they all were extremely developed, even the antagonist(s). Once I got to know all these characters, I would temporarily forget that something bad happens to Zarin and Porus and I hoped for the best for them.
The pacing of this book is rather slow, but I believe it was done this way for a purpose. Throughout the book, each character is built from the ground up, including complex stories from their childhood that make up who they are. The plot wasn't too interesting, but at the same time, I wasn't expecting it either. I thought this was gonna be a murder mystery lol, I seriously didn't look up too much about this book.
I have to say that something that made me really uncomfortable was the relationships, hence the 3 stars. The relationship between Zarin and Porus was most definitely insta-love but the fact that it was borderline the "love cures abuse" trope just didn't sit right with me, especially because of the insta-love. Don't even get me started on Farhan. The anger I have towards this guy is immeasurable and frankly, he deserved the ending he got. Mishal's character development was probably the most interesting and she exceeded all my expectations.
Overall, it was an interesting book and definitely outside of my usual reads but, I have to say the plot just let me down. I would still recommend checking it out tho!
roseanswers's review against another edition
4.0
“In this world, no one cares if you are starving to death. No one even looks at you. They only care when you start doing things they don't approve of - like dancing with your clothes off.”
This is everything a contemporary should be!
This is not your typical fluffy, mushy YA-contemporary romance and Zarin is not a quirky, happy-go-lucky heroine. She’s controversial, she speaks her mind and she doesn’t take anyone’s shit. Yet, still, she’s kind, she gets scared and insecure and she is so real.
Set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the story follows Zarin and Porus (but also Mishal, Farhan and many others) which is refreshing because it brings something new to the contemporary-table (if I have to read one. more. Fucking book. about quirky people set in America I will choke someone).
The book deals with a wide variety of difficult themes. Rape. Religion. Death. Abuse. Bullying. Social expectations, etc., which I think Bhathena handled very well. All in all, a great book to read if you – too- feel like the contemporary genre is lacking diversity.
thedizzyreader's review against another edition
Well that was depressing...
I'm not sure what to make of this sad story. On the one hand I really liked Zarin. She was smart and fierce and surrounded on all sides by loneliness and disapproval. The knowledge of her death hangs over the reader's head from the start, but it doesn't stop you from wanting to learn more about her.
On the other hand, I've seen reviews from many other representatives of the community who find this an inaccurate and biased portrayal. My impression is that the author did grow up in the places she was writing about, but I don't know to what extent the circumstances in this book are inspired by her own experiences. I think an author's note could have been helpful.
I'm not sure what to make of this sad story. On the one hand I really liked Zarin. She was smart and fierce and surrounded on all sides by loneliness and disapproval. The knowledge of her death hangs over the reader's head from the start, but it doesn't stop you from wanting to learn more about her.
On the other hand, I've seen reviews from many other representatives of the community who find this an inaccurate and biased portrayal. My impression is that the author did grow up in the places she was writing about, but I don't know to what extent the circumstances in this book are inspired by her own experiences. I think an author's note could have been helpful.