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starkva's review
4.0
I really like Sabina Khan's writing style, and I really like her characterisation. I also loved that the queer characters in this book were just there, without facing problems due to their queerness. I always feel captured when I read one of Khan's stories, and I finish a book just a little more culturally aware, which is wonderful.
bookishkitkat's review against another edition
This book just consistently failed to keep my attention. I wasn’t attached to the characters like I usually am with Sabina Khan books. I didn’t get to the daughters POV, so that probably influenced my decision, but I honestly don’t feel like putting in the effort to get there.
smalltownbookmom's review
4.0
I REALLY enjoyed this YA mother-daughter story! Told in two parts, the first part features Ayesha, a Muslim teen from Mumbai who is finishing up high school in the States so she has a better chance to get into an American university. Feeling lonely missing her family and home, she befriends a Hindi boy from her country who is also living in the same town. Ayesha ends up pregnant and has to decide whether to keep the baby or not.
Fast forward 18 years and the second half of the story features Mira, the daughter Ayesha gave up for adoption. Though Mira has been raised by two loving moms, she's always felt there was some missing connection to her cultural heritage. When she discovers letters written to her by her birth mother, she fights for a chance to visit Mumbai in the hopes of meeting Ayesha.
Moving and incredibly heart felt, this was great on audio and recommended for fans of authors like Sajni Patel or SK Ali.
Fast forward 18 years and the second half of the story features Mira, the daughter Ayesha gave up for adoption. Though Mira has been raised by two loving moms, she's always felt there was some missing connection to her cultural heritage. When she discovers letters written to her by her birth mother, she fights for a chance to visit Mumbai in the hopes of meeting Ayesha.
Moving and incredibly heart felt, this was great on audio and recommended for fans of authors like Sajni Patel or SK Ali.
abookwanderer's review
4.0
So very compelling and informative, a good portrayal of adoption from both sides. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the author's choice to tell Ayesha's and Mira's stories separately within the two halves of the book instead of alternating them in chapters. It was a great way to focus the story on each of their emotional journeys. The ending was a little too dramatic for me, but overall I enjoyed this one very much.
#popsugarreadingchallenge2023 (advanced prompt #10 - A book with alliteration in the title)
#popsugarreadingchallenge2023 (advanced prompt #10 - A book with alliteration in the title)
charvi_not_just_fiction's review
4.0
Meet Me in Mumbai is such a heartwarming and emotional journey of two young women trying to find their way in life. I found the writing style to be very smooth and gripping. The pace that the author set was perfect and as a result I couldn't stop reading this book. It's quite easy to find yourself reading page after page even though the content can often be heavy and emotional.
Since we're looking at two timelines I had assumed that they would be interwoven and we would get narrations from both of them in a back and forth manner, but that was not the case. Instead we first follow Ayesha, Mira's mother and then get to see Mira's journey going forward. While the choice threw me for a few chapters I think it was the best way to write the book and the author truly did justice to both our main characters.
Ayesha's story starts off as what seems like the perfect love story and then turns into something much more daunting and filled with hardship. The romance was very well written and I was quickly swept away in Ayesha's life and thoroughly invested, despite having an idea of where things go. While I haven't been in any of the situations that Ayesha has been, I could connect with her because of her desi identity and it was really heartbreaking to see everything she had to go through. I connected a little less with Mira who I found a little immature. I didn't agree with a lot of her choices but looking back I realise she has been written as a messy teenager who's still trying to find herself and I really can't fault her character on that. In both timelines I thought we had an amazing and mostly supportive cast of side-characters who were surprisingly well fleshed out despite the little time they appeared in the story.
The course of the story was rather predictable for me and I think the ending was wrapped up as a happily ever after where everything gets sorted out. While that's not very realistic and I had some issues with how Ayesha's romantic arc ended I do get the appeal of the ending for many people, especially if we're looking at teens. And I would say this book would appeal more to younger YA readers.
In the end, I really liked this book. I think Meet Me in Mumbai is a great example of a short YA book. I keep saying you don't need to have dragged out 500 page long contemporary YA books. The author packed so much emotion and what-not in such few pages and I really admire her for that. Would definitely recommend that you all pick this one up if it seems like your cup of tea!
Since we're looking at two timelines I had assumed that they would be interwoven and we would get narrations from both of them in a back and forth manner, but that was not the case. Instead we first follow Ayesha, Mira's mother and then get to see Mira's journey going forward. While the choice threw me for a few chapters I think it was the best way to write the book and the author truly did justice to both our main characters.
Ayesha's story starts off as what seems like the perfect love story and then turns into something much more daunting and filled with hardship. The romance was very well written and I was quickly swept away in Ayesha's life and thoroughly invested, despite having an idea of where things go. While I haven't been in any of the situations that Ayesha has been, I could connect with her because of her desi identity and it was really heartbreaking to see everything she had to go through. I connected a little less with Mira who I found a little immature. I didn't agree with a lot of her choices but looking back I realise she has been written as a messy teenager who's still trying to find herself and I really can't fault her character on that. In both timelines I thought we had an amazing and mostly supportive cast of side-characters who were surprisingly well fleshed out despite the little time they appeared in the story.
The course of the story was rather predictable for me and I think the ending was wrapped up as a happily ever after where everything gets sorted out. While that's not very realistic and I had some issues with how Ayesha's romantic arc ended I do get the appeal of the ending for many people, especially if we're looking at teens. And I would say this book would appeal more to younger YA readers.
In the end, I really liked this book. I think Meet Me in Mumbai is a great example of a short YA book. I keep saying you don't need to have dragged out 500 page long contemporary YA books. The author packed so much emotion and what-not in such few pages and I really admire her for that. Would definitely recommend that you all pick this one up if it seems like your cup of tea!
suzydemric's review
3.0
The first half of this book was great. The 2nd half was intriguing and had a worthy start, but lots of missing details. Much of it didn't hold true to me either, in terms of how open Mira's adoptive parents seemed, to how much info wasn't shared in the long run. The box being discovered just before she turns 18 felt way too contrived.
misha_ali's review
3.0
Good but far too long.
I appreciated the in-depth look into the lives of both Mira and Ayesha, but honestly, the pacing was really slow and I genuinely did not need the kind of detail in Ayesha's part that we ended up getting because it dragged down the story without contributing much to the context.
I appreciated the in-depth look into the lives of both Mira and Ayesha, but honestly, the pacing was really slow and I genuinely did not need the kind of detail in Ayesha's part that we ended up getting because it dragged down the story without contributing much to the context.
minniemoon's review
4.0
really enjoyed this book!!! the desi references in the beginning really hit home
esmathteacher's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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
4.0
This was the first book I’ve stayed up to finish in about 15 years. Although not the best book I’ve read or the most well written, there was something about it that connected to my inner child. An Indian girl who feels disconnected from her Indianness. Although my circumstances are nothing like either character. I felt a part of my inner child heal while reading this book. Tears and dreams of my home that is so deeply mine but still feeling so lost in it. I’m very grateful that I started my new year with this book.
unsaidwish's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0