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rhm04's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Islamophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Cultural appropriation and War
nitya's review
- 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
4.0
Content warning: Islamophobia, racism, death of a loved one, chronic illness (specifically multiple sclerosis), Harry Potter references (this was written in 2019 but I'll note it)
Graphic: Islamophobia, Racism, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Medical content, Death of parent, Grief, and Death
themoonphoenix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Minor: Death and Medical content
dalmavatai's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Basically, I enjoyed Adam's storyline because his struggle with MS was something I've never read about and his internal conflict about telling his father definitely made me feel for him. I even teared up at the end of one chapter when he recounted the french fries story about his mom, which was honestly so beautiful and touching.
Unfortunately I had a harder time connecting with Zeyneb because her main struggle was with this Islamophobic teacher at school, and I just didn't feel there was enough internal conflict or complexity involved for me to feel invested. Basically she and her friends are trying to hold this teacher accountable for his Islamophobic comments, but nothing interesting really happens, like there's no deeper conversation about why someone might be Islamophobic, or exploring the structural and systemic dimensions, etc. There were so many things I would've enjoyed reading about if the author had explored it. That said, Zeyneb's story is a very important one and I'm sure it reflects so many people's lived experience which is awesome and very needed, especially because Muslims are a marginalized and deeply stigmatized community in 'Western' countries.
The romance was very slow-burn, we don't get much dialogue between these two and we don't really understand why they're even falling for each other. For this reason, I didn't even get to enjoy Adam's chapters in the second half of the book.
Overall, I thought the concept and the emotional and social dimensions explored were super interesting, but there was so much telling without showing that made me disconnect from the characters, and I felt that there was no growth/direction in Zeyneb's storyline.
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Islamophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Death, Medical content, Racism, and War
lunagirl_alice's review
- 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
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Terminal illness
Minor: Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, and Cultural appropriation
thebankofbooks's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Islamophobia, Medical content, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Death, Gaslighting, and Grief
lilybear3's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
taliabasma's review
- 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
5.0
The Muslim Representation in this book follows most of the Islamic rules while still keeping it grounded in reality to how the "average Western Muslim" may experience and exemplify their religion.
Moderate: Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Racism, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and War
Minor: Cultural appropriation
ally_12's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Islamophobia and Chronic illness
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
alenezela99's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Islamophobia
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, and Death of parent