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s_smiadak's review
5.0
This book was way heavier than I anticipated and even though I have never had the added burden coming out to my family, I completely related to the cultural expectations desi families hoist onto their children.
charms1976's review
3.0
*ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review*
First of all, kudos to the author for writing about some touchy subjects in society still today.
That said, I didn't really know how to rate this book. I did like it - the writing being good. I think my problem is all the different subjects that was touched on in this book. It left me feeling 'heavy'. I am not sure it was my reading funk I have been in, but it isn't a book I will reread.
First of all, kudos to the author for writing about some touchy subjects in society still today.
That said, I didn't really know how to rate this book. I did like it - the writing being good. I think my problem is all the different subjects that was touched on in this book. It left me feeling 'heavy'. I am not sure it was my reading funk I have been in, but it isn't a book I will reread.
demoluver's review
emotional
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
3.75
polkadotgirl's review
3.0
3/5 stars:
I was compelled to read this story as soon as I stumbled upon the sinopsis of the book because of the intersectionality of it: Rukhsana's family is from Bangladesh but they live in America, they are Muslim and Rukhsana is a lesbian. I thought the exploration of all those aspects together could be really interested and I was right, though the book still felt a little dissatisfying to me.
I'm aware that I'm not the biggest fan of YA contemporaries so maybe the fault doesn't lay in the book but in me. I tend to prefer either really hard-hitting contemporaries or lyrical ones where the writing is very poetic and even better if a contemporary can do both things at the same time. This book had neither of those things, although it did try to accomplish the first thing.
In the writing aspect I found the book too simple at times. I don't mean to say there's anything wrong with "simpler" writing it's just not what I like. Things were too blunt and a too "to the point" in the story. The narration was straight-forward and almost schematic: "We cooked and then we did the dishes. I went up to my room. I did my homework. I went to sleep because I had school the next day." This is typical of YA contemporaries but it doesn't speak to me at all.
Story-wise this book was somehow both lighter and heavier than I expected it to be considering its main theme. The book follows Rukhsana's struggles after her parents find out she is lesbian and don't approve of it. They take her to Bangladesh to try and arrange a marriage for her while she opposes this. After Rukhsana arrives in Bangladesh we meet her extended family and we get to know a bit more of some of the character's backgrounds and life stories. When this happens the book starts mentioning heavier topics like domestic abuse, rape, child sexual abuse, etc; without ever delving into it, which I found to be a mistake. I feel like the book would have benefited from deeper analysis and heavier conversations about most of the topics it mentioned, including Rukhsana's sexuality and how her family dealt with it.
I think the book went very quickly from one part of the story to another without real discussions or conversations had about important things so it never felt like there was real character development or even story development. It felt like there were plot points that had to happen because the author knew we had to go through those landmarks before the end of the book but there was no narrative sense to it, no connection between actions, to at least there was a lack of explanation and connections between certain things. For example, All these things happened and it's not like they didn't make sense at all it was just that they felt pretty incomplete. It felt like there was a need for a deeper exploration of all of them.
I feel bad though because all I've talked about are the things I didn't particularly like or the things that disappointed me, but there were things I liked about this book. I mean, a 3 star rating is not a terrible one.
I think Rukhsana was a good and likable main character, if at times a little under-developed. She felt like a teenager but it also felt like she was maturing because of the things she had to go through during the book.
I really, really liked Rukhsana's relationship with her brother. It was great to read the support he always gave her and how much Rukhsana trusted him throughout the whole book. Another relationship is really liked was Rukhsana's and her best friend's friendship. They were a very supportive group of friends while they also had real and important struggles. I really appreciated how at the end of the book there was a short discussion about how their friendship could improve if they tried to understand Rukhsana and her culture a little better.
While I cannot say I shipped them passionately, I think Ariana's and Rukhsana's relationship was cute and very much needed in a YA book.
Overall, this book was okay, it wasn't amazing -in my opinion- but it's a needed YA story that can do a lot of good for teenagers that might see themselves reflected in the story.
I was compelled to read this story as soon as I stumbled upon the sinopsis of the book because of the intersectionality of it: Rukhsana's family is from Bangladesh but they live in America, they are Muslim and Rukhsana is a lesbian. I thought the exploration of all those aspects together could be really interested and I was right, though the book still felt a little dissatisfying to me.
I'm aware that I'm not the biggest fan of YA contemporaries so maybe the fault doesn't lay in the book but in me. I tend to prefer either really hard-hitting contemporaries or lyrical ones where the writing is very poetic and even better if a contemporary can do both things at the same time. This book had neither of those things, although it did try to accomplish the first thing.
In the writing aspect I found the book too simple at times. I don't mean to say there's anything wrong with "simpler" writing it's just not what I like. Things were too blunt and a too "to the point" in the story. The narration was straight-forward and almost schematic: "We cooked and then we did the dishes. I went up to my room. I did my homework. I went to sleep because I had school the next day." This is typical of YA contemporaries but it doesn't speak to me at all.
Story-wise this book was somehow both lighter and heavier than I expected it to be considering its main theme. The book follows Rukhsana's struggles after her parents find out she is lesbian and don't approve of it. They take her to Bangladesh to try and arrange a marriage for her while she opposes this. After Rukhsana arrives in Bangladesh we meet her extended family and we get to know a bit more of some of the character's backgrounds and life stories. When this happens the book starts mentioning heavier topics like domestic abuse, rape, child sexual abuse, etc; without ever delving into it, which I found to be a mistake. I feel like the book would have benefited from deeper analysis and heavier conversations about most of the topics it mentioned, including Rukhsana's sexuality and how her family dealt with it.
I think the book went very quickly from one part of the story to another without real discussions or conversations had about important things so it never felt like there was real character development or even story development. It felt like there were plot points that had to happen because the author knew we had to go through those landmarks before the end of the book but there was no narrative sense to it, no connection between actions, to at least there was a lack of explanation and connections between certain things. For example,
Spoiler
the change between Rukhsana's parents rejection of her sexual orientation and their final embracing of it, or Rukhsana's grandmother's story, or Ariana and Rukhsana's relationship milestones like their break up and their getting back together.I feel bad though because all I've talked about are the things I didn't particularly like or the things that disappointed me, but there were things I liked about this book. I mean, a 3 star rating is not a terrible one.
I think Rukhsana was a good and likable main character, if at times a little under-developed. She felt like a teenager but it also felt like she was maturing because of the things she had to go through during the book.
I really, really liked Rukhsana's relationship with her brother. It was great to read the support he always gave her and how much Rukhsana trusted him throughout the whole book. Another relationship is really liked was Rukhsana's and her best friend's friendship. They were a very supportive group of friends while they also had real and important struggles. I really appreciated how at the end of the book there was a short discussion about how their friendship could improve if they tried to understand Rukhsana and her culture a little better.
While I cannot say I shipped them passionately, I think Ariana's and Rukhsana's relationship was cute and very much needed in a YA book.
Overall, this book was okay, it wasn't amazing -in my opinion- but it's a needed YA story that can do a lot of good for teenagers that might see themselves reflected in the story.
lilianachristina's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Homophobia
kitzihen's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
ranjanireviewsreads's review against another edition
The writing was too immature for me. Also, the talk of girls being fit only for marriage, the mother doting on the son etc hit too close to home.
chemwizard22's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
4.25
dctalks's review
3.0
As a fellow queer desi, I absolutely loved the representation in this story. Some of the storylines and relationships were really strong, and I liked the depiction of a Bengali family and community. Ultimately, though, it fell a little flat for me. The romance felt very generic and didn't really land. The writing and characterization were mostly fine, but not strong enough to properly handle the darker elements of the plot. As a result, the heavy moments felt a little sensational and didn't carry the weight that they should have. I'm glad this book exists, and I know it would have made a huge difference to me when I was a teenager - but as an adult, it was just okay.
nabiis's review
5.0
do you know how hard it is to read a book while crying the whole time??? this was just i have no words. but i do want to say that this book was needed and i hope everyone reads it.