Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Hana Khan Carries On

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin

11 reviews

kollieollie's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.75

I’m a sucker for a good rom com and You’ve Got Mail is one of my favorites. This book does a great job telling a similar story from the view of a Canadian Muslim woman. It has loveable characters while not shying away from difficult topics like Islamophobia. At points that part of the story feels almost too stereotypical - it’s a lot easier to hate people when they are as awful as the individuals written in this book. Either way, it’s an important story to tell and I really enjoyed the read.

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wildsalmons_reading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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michelle_my_belle's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

3.75

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

3.75

Title: Hana Khan Carries On
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: April 13, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Joyous • Refreshing • Cluttered

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Hana grew up helping at her family's halal restaurant, which is looking to be on its last leg. When it's announced that another halal restaurant will be opening nearby, the closure seems inevitable. With a passion for sharing meaningful stories on the radio, Hana turns to her anonymously-hosted podcast and one longtime listener for advice.

When a hate-motivated attack on their neighbourhood occurs it complicates matters even more. As does Hana's growing attraction for Aydin, owner of the rival restaurant. Now more than ever, Hana will need to use her voice.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I went into Hana Khan Carries On with quite high expectations after reading this author's debut, Ayesha At Last. This one is a modern retelling of you've got You've Got Mail, and I didn't enjoy it as much.

It must be said that Uzma Jalaluddin writes family dynamics so incredibly well. I thought this part of the book was one of the best. The vibrant characters brought the joy and life to the plot, as did the the irresistible banter. I also appreciated all of the delicious references to good, and of course the shout out to Kawartha Diary ice cream (I could easily go for some Black Raspberry Thunder right about now) was a nice little bonus. Their ice cream is so good!

I also think the exploration of micro aggressions and Islamophobia was a strength of this book. It was so hard and sad to read, but is the reality of what people go through on a daily basis while simply trying to live their lives.

While I enjoyed each of the storylines, unfortunately, this one tried to do too much. The competing storylines made it difficult for me to become fully invested. And I think the author would have been better off sticking to one storyline or the other. While I liked the idea of competing restaurants/ enemies-to-lover, the romance aspect just didn't seem like it fit.

At the end of the day, Hana Khan Carries On tackles serious topics, yet it's done in way as to still make the narrative light and fast-paced. It was an enjoyable read, it just didn't live up to my expectations.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of You've Got Mail
• readers looking for a diverse rom-com

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Books are like people, you have to give them room to breathe."

"If the people are changing, that means we're still alive. Only living changes things."

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