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rhaase0509's review
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was a little young for me, as the characters are in high school. It is difficult at times to read the choices they are making when a better alternative seems obvious. However, this is a book about teenagers, and teenagers do not always make good decisions. At one point the main character reads a diary including some intense subject matter that I did not feel like the book did enough to address. The abuse detailed in the diary seemed to be glossed over in favour of the main character's personal development. I do not think such subjects should be handled so lightly.
Overall, the story was interesting and I enjoyed learning more about Islamic and Bengali culture.
Overall, the story was interesting and I enjoyed learning more about Islamic and Bengali culture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gaslighting, Hate crime, and Homophobia
Moderate: Death, Islamophobia, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual assault
ldandridge's review
emotional
funny
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
Great characters, wide range of emotions, and excellent depiction of family dynamics and the pull that American children of immigrants often feel (I see it frequently among my high school students). I especially liked the relationships Rukhsana had with her cousin as well as with her younger brother. It's also always fun for me to read books that take place (partially, in this case) in Seattle. My one gripe is that the audiobook reader would say "u double u" instead of the regionally accepted "udub" when referencing UW.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Death and Child abuse
Minor: Alcohol
Lots of references to arranged marriages and in general the parents of the protagonist are very controlling and react very poorly to finding out their daughter is a lesbian. But that's the whole point of the book (bridgetdeveney's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Hate crime, Death, Murder, Child abuse, and Rape
atrkula's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cursing
siyak_'s review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Murder, Death, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Violence, Torture, Misogyny, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Minor: Vomit
lilatov's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This book was a riiiide.
Honestly and truly, a lot happens in this book, and some of it was very unexpected (maybe not all needed?). However, it all is beautifully wrapped up by the end.
There were places where the writing was repetitive in distracting ways.
Lightly addresses intergenerational trauma.
Honestly and truly, a lot happens in this book, and some of it was very unexpected (maybe not all needed?). However, it all is beautifully wrapped up by the end.
There were places where the writing was repetitive in distracting ways.
Lightly addresses intergenerational trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Child abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Death
katselvocki's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The good:
- Queer South Asian rep
- Rukhsana and her brother Aamir’s relationship
- Rukhsana’s relationship with her grandmother
- Rukhsana’s friendships with Irfan and Sohail
- Rukhsana and Ariana’s relationship felt very much like a teenage love story
The less good:
- HOLY HECK this got much darker than I’d anticipated
- Pacing felt off—things dragged for a bit in the middle, but then wrapped up VERY quickly and rather tidily after the darker plot points
- Not much character development of Ariana or of Rukhsana’s best friends in Seattle
- Rukhsana and Ariana’s relationship felt very much like a teenage love story
I am very much not over Sohail’s death even though all of the characters seem to be
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Murder
tinana's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Torture, and Vomit
Minor: Stalking
fungivibes's review
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Islamophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
laurenlanz's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“We are who we are. No one can change that. Just like we cannot change whom we love.”
The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali is unlike any contemporary I’ve read before. Going in, I expected a story of a girl searching for acceptance from her close-minded family. What I never anticipated was the amount of heartache that came along with Rukhsana’s journey. I became so attached to the protagonist and the friends she met in Bangladesh; rooting for their happiness became instinct.
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
Rukhsana Ali is daughter to Muslim Bangladeshi parents; she knows they would never approve of her secret party life and beloved girlfriend Ariana. At home, Rukhsana has grown used to her parents’ blatant favouritism towards her younger brother, and can’t wait to move away with her university scholarship next year. This is all compromised when Rukhsana’s mom catches her kissing Ariana, and all of her plans come crashing down on her.
~★~
This book was a rollercoaster, that’s for sure. From the beginning, I felt a deep hatred for Rukhsana’s parents and the way they treated their daughter, especially considering how much she tried to please them. The author did an amazing job fleshing out her family in the sense that I was able to form strong opinions on each relative from the start.
I loved the representation of Bangladeshi culture; it’s not often that I come across YA queer contemporary that is focused partially in another country. It was also wonderful to see Sabina Khan’s inclusion of supportive family members for Rukhsana to lean on, and the commentary that not all Muslim’s are homophobic like stereotypes suggest.
This book isn’t a light romance, that’s for sure. The author tackles lots of important and potentially triggering topics which aren’t talked about enough in YA. The last third before the ending completely broke my heart: (view spoiler) I enjoyed the way things concluded, though I couldn’t forgive certain characters for what they did.
There were a few aspects I wasn’t the biggest fan of within this book. Rukhsana and her girlfriend didn’t seem to have much chemistry, though I do think they could be considered a pretty accurate representation of a high school relationship. It was frustrating to see Ariana undermine the severity of how strict (and homophobic) Rukhsana’s parents were; at times it felt like the two really didn’t understand each other / function well as a couple. I can also admit that the writing wasn’t the greatest, however, it didn’t hinder my overall enjoyment much. This was in my opinion a really great read!
The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali is unlike any contemporary I’ve read before. Going in, I expected a story of a girl searching for acceptance from her close-minded family. What I never anticipated was the amount of heartache that came along with Rukhsana’s journey. I became so attached to the protagonist and the friends she met in Bangladesh; rooting for their happiness became instinct.
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
Rukhsana Ali is daughter to Muslim Bangladeshi parents; she knows they would never approve of her secret party life and beloved girlfriend Ariana. At home, Rukhsana has grown used to her parents’ blatant favouritism towards her younger brother, and can’t wait to move away with her university scholarship next year. This is all compromised when Rukhsana’s mom catches her kissing Ariana, and all of her plans come crashing down on her.
~★~
This book was a rollercoaster, that’s for sure. From the beginning, I felt a deep hatred for Rukhsana’s parents and the way they treated their daughter, especially considering how much she tried to please them. The author did an amazing job fleshing out her family in the sense that I was able to form strong opinions on each relative from the start.
I loved the representation of Bangladeshi culture; it’s not often that I come across YA queer contemporary that is focused partially in another country. It was also wonderful to see Sabina Khan’s inclusion of supportive family members for Rukhsana to lean on, and the commentary that not all Muslim’s are homophobic like stereotypes suggest.
This book isn’t a light romance, that’s for sure. The author tackles lots of important and potentially triggering topics which aren’t talked about enough in YA. The last third before the ending completely broke my heart: (view spoiler) I enjoyed the way things concluded, though I couldn’t forgive certain characters for what they did.
There were a few aspects I wasn’t the biggest fan of within this book. Rukhsana and her girlfriend didn’t seem to have much chemistry, though I do think they could be considered a pretty accurate representation of a high school relationship. It was frustrating to see Ariana undermine the severity of how strict (and homophobic) Rukhsana’s parents were; at times it felt like the two really didn’t understand each other / function well as a couple. I can also admit that the writing wasn’t the greatest, however, it didn’t hinder my overall enjoyment much. This was in my opinion a really great read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual assault and Child abuse