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gem114's review
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
This is one of the best books I have read this year.
Rukhsana is a high school senior, looking forward to heading off to college in California with her girlfriend. The problem is being gay is against her family's Muslim beliefs, and when her parents catch her with her girlfriend, all hell breaks loose.
Rukhsana's story really resonated with me, and I feel like anyone who is has experienced or is anticipating religious backlash when coming out could relate to this book.
Rukhsana is a high school senior, looking forward to heading off to college in California with her girlfriend. The problem is being gay is against her family's Muslim beliefs, and when her parents catch her with her girlfriend, all hell breaks loose.
Rukhsana's story really resonated with me, and I feel like anyone who is has experienced or is anticipating religious backlash when coming out could relate to this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Islamophobia, Confinement, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Rape, and Physical abuse
Minor: Murder and Hate crime
redbookpanda's review
challenging
emotional
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? No
So this was a pretty difficult book. It took me a while to get into it, because the friends of the MC as well as her girlfriend were just so annoying. I honestly couldn't wait for her to get to Bangladesh, because that meant that I wouldn't have to see these three girls all the time.
While I did like a lot of the other relationships in the book (the cousin, the grandma and the brother were some of my favourite characters and of course we can't forget the new friends the MC makes along the way) I really wished that the girlfriend did not exist. Their whole relationship just did not work for me.
I also kinda hated the ending because it was way too over the top?? The parents really went from calling a djinn catcher on their daughter to trying to set her up with other girls in like 20 pages and I was not here for that
While I did like a lot of the other relationships in the book (the cousin, the grandma and the brother were some of my favourite characters and of course we can't forget the new friends the MC makes along the way) I really wished that the girlfriend did not exist. Their whole relationship just did not work for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Hate crime
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
karlsmariels's review against another edition
challenging
tense
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Hate crime, Incest, Racism, Pedophilia, and Misogyny
emilyvf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, and Homophobia
Moderate: Incest, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault
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