Reviews with content warning for Racism - Love From A to Z

Read for MLIS elective

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)

Content Warnings

max_vampire's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective 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

4.75

Content Warnings

rkapur8's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is

Beautiful and
Pure and
Heart wrenching and
Filled with love and
Eye opening and
Angering and
Thought provoking and

EVERYTHING that should be in a good book

Content Warnings

dalmavatai's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

Ah, this book. The first half worked for me just fine, but it kind of lost me in the second half. I thought there was just way too much telling and not enough showing, which meant we didn't really get to know any of the side characters and their relationships with the main characters. It also meant that I often felt disconnected from what was happening as well as from our main characters' emotions.

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.

Content Warnings

sarahmreads's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Zayneb is suspended from her school for attempting to stand up to her Islamophobic teacher, so for her extended spring break she travels to Doha to spend time with her Aunt. However, on that trip the last thing she expects is to meet Adam, a fellow Muslim and cute boy with an interesting history. How will this spring break end? And can they help each other?

I liked this book. The plot was interesting but also kind of non-existent? The only consistent plots lines are Adam traversing his diagnosis as well as Zayneb trying to figure out how to get back at her teacher while also navigating her anger. The style of writing was also a bit hard to get into, since it's kind of in a journal format but also not? It was a bit hard to tell. Because of that, the story as a result felt rough to really get into. There was one day where I sped through the middle section of the story but the rest was a tad choppy.

I do think the representation in this book was well executed, although I cannot fully speak to the true accuracy of it as I am neither Muslim nor someone who has MS. But I did like how the story opened my eyes more to the struggles of people who are Muslim and people diagnosed with MS and the impacts is has on their lives.

In terms of characters, I felt I related a lot more to Zayneb and her struggles than Adam. Adam I kind of related to, as I had a relative diagnosed with a disease, and although we did not lose her, I understood where he was coming from. It did feel like their love story didn't really progress until 2/3 of the way through the book, so I wish there was some more buildup with that.

Overall, if you're looking for a diverse, cute romance, Love from A to Z is for you.

Content Warnings

More...