Take a photo of a barcode or cover
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:
Yes
Hana Khan Carries On was everything I was hoping for and more! I love You've Got Mail, and Ayesha at Last, so I knew this would be a great read, but nonetheless, it still surprised me! Family drama, secrets, romance, and of course delicious food, are all combined to make for an amazing book about family, finding your voice and being who you are. I loved Hana as a main character, and her relationships and ponderings were so well done. All the characters have rich and well-fleshed-out conflicts and storylines, which was amazing and made the themes of family, relationships and community stand out. The twists and secrets revealed at the ending totally surprised me as well, and I could not put this book down in the second half. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I especially loved all the characters (my favourites are Hana, Rashid and Kawkab Khala). Also I really, really want to try biryani poutine. Would it be good? I'm skeptical, but I am more than willing to give it a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Gaslighting
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Pregnancy
Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Car accident
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Islamophobia
Moderate: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Pregnancy
Minor: Infertility, Grief, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
**Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an advanced copy of this book**
I really enjoyed this book! This is such a unique, fun, and enticing retelling of You've Got Mail.
I adored the characters. Kawkab Khala is by far the best character in this book - she is such a feminist badass and when we get to hear her whole story, it is such a defining moment in the book! Closely followed by Rashid, who is such a fun character and honestly you just want to know more about him. He continually steals scenes with his witty lines and subtle hints at his parents jobs...! So much fun. I also really liked Aydin and Zulfa, and basically all of Hana's family. Uzma Jalaluddin writes family dynamics to incredibly well. I liked Hana's character, but some of the actions that she took just read far younger than the age she is written as. I struggled a couple of times with her character. BUT the portrayal of amazing woman in this book was so well done and I absolutely loved it.
Also, side note, I LOVED the scenes and conversations with the DJ that Hana had. He was such a great addition to the cast of characters.
This book deals with so many serious topics, but is somehow still a light and fast paced read. It touches on very difficult scenes and experiences but not in an overwhelming way. The microaggressions and the explicit Islamophobia were difficult to read. It's a reminder that people are experiencing these things every single day. I would highly recommend looking to own voices reviewers for speaking on this piece.
I loved the kind of competition and animosity that starts out between Aydin and Hana. It's so well done for how people would react in these situations. However, this is where I struggled with Hana's actions. Kathleen Kelly would NEVER had spread malicious rumours, and it honestly made Hana seem so incredibly childish... I really struggled with her character and decisions that she would immediately decide to go after the other person maliciously instead of trying to help or even speak to her family - specifically her mom. There were so many fantastic scenes between them. And the few twists - I actually didn't see them coming! They were so wonderfully done.
I really loved this novel. I think I still liked Ayesha at Last more - although I loved the little mention and that the Imam was central to this story as well - but Jalaluddin does retellings so well! I cannot wait to see what she delivers next.
I really enjoyed this book! This is such a unique, fun, and enticing retelling of You've Got Mail.
I adored the characters. Kawkab Khala is by far the best character in this book - she is such a feminist badass and when we get to hear her whole story, it is such a defining moment in the book! Closely followed by Rashid, who is such a fun character and honestly you just want to know more about him. He continually steals scenes with his witty lines and subtle hints at his parents jobs...! So much fun. I also really liked Aydin and Zulfa, and basically all of Hana's family. Uzma Jalaluddin writes family dynamics to incredibly well. I liked Hana's character, but some of the actions that she took just read far younger than the age she is written as. I struggled a couple of times with her character. BUT the portrayal of amazing woman in this book was so well done and I absolutely loved it.
Also, side note, I LOVED the scenes and conversations with the DJ that Hana had. He was such a great addition to the cast of characters.
This book deals with so many serious topics, but is somehow still a light and fast paced read. It touches on very difficult scenes and experiences but not in an overwhelming way. The microaggressions and the explicit Islamophobia were difficult to read. It's a reminder that people are experiencing these things every single day. I would highly recommend looking to own voices reviewers for speaking on this piece.
I loved the kind of competition and animosity that starts out between Aydin and Hana. It's so well done for how people would react in these situations. However, this is where I struggled with Hana's actions.
I really loved this novel. I think I still liked Ayesha at Last more - although I loved the little mention and that the Imam was central to this story as well - but Jalaluddin does retellings so well! I cannot wait to see what she delivers next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Islamophobia
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Sexism
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Islamophobia
Minor: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Violence, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy