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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't exceptional but it was a quick really enjoyable read. The book could be taken lightly and be enjoyed as a romantic comedy but there is also a more serious tone to it with the (very) small analysis of the communities both girls belong to. I especially liked to have every character point of view about the events :)
I thought the movie wasn't so good in the more serious tone, but was still a nice watch. I saw it the day after reading the book or something like that and I liked it a lot to find the dialogue of the book in the movie ^^
I thought the movie wasn't so good in the more serious tone, but was still a nice watch. I saw it the day after reading the book or something like that and I liked it a lot to find the dialogue of the book in the movie ^^
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
(I hate coffee but I will take a milkshake)
✔️ Forbidden Romance (affair)
❌ Too many POV's
❌ Reema (one whole bundle
✔️ LGBTQ
✔️Happy Ending
This book was interesting and my first LGBTQ book that I read. I forget the reason it ended up on my list but it did. I read it but it was hard and was fighting the urge to mark it DNF...
Mainly it comes down to the too many point of views. I get lost easily when there is way too much happening and this book was very scattered and good.
Like the characters ✔️ awesome.
storyline ✔️
the different religions ✔️
But overall the interference from Reema and the multiple point of views had me screaming. ❌
Great story though!
Edit: To add there is a movie and I hope to watch that as some people mentioned it being exactly like the book. Maybe my slow brain will LOVE the movie more...
You know - I thought this book would be a literal script of the movie- but it is something much deeper than that.
I really enjoyed this book- I thought it would hurry through the plot and be superficial but it is quite the opposite - in-depth and very carefully written. I don’t know - I’m just so pleasantly surprised I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would- more than the movie even. Of course it’s hard to picture Tala and Leyla as anyone but Lisa Ray and Sheetal Seth and the supporting characters are also very painstakingly made with love.
In conclusion: Shoutout to Shamim Sharif, Lisa Ray and Sheetal Seth- they really don’t get enough credit for a story & movie combo that even about 12 years later - is a fine gay piece of art that holds up spectacularly.
I really enjoyed this book- I thought it would hurry through the plot and be superficial but it is quite the opposite - in-depth and very carefully written. I don’t know - I’m just so pleasantly surprised I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would- more than the movie even. Of course it’s hard to picture Tala and Leyla as anyone but Lisa Ray and Sheetal Seth and the supporting characters are also very painstakingly made with love.
In conclusion: Shoutout to Shamim Sharif, Lisa Ray and Sheetal Seth- they really don’t get enough credit for a story & movie combo that even about 12 years later - is a fine gay piece of art that holds up spectacularly.
Didn’t like the writing. Is this a bad translation?
While I really wanted to enjoy this book, my biggest problem with it was the way it was written. The story switches back and forth between different POVs every few paragraphs without warning which really took me out of the book. That being said though, I did like that it allowed us to see their relationship as seen through other people. I additionally wish that we got more information on each of the main characters. I loved their relationship and the conflict they felt within themselves due to outside forces, but unfortunately I feel that it was also a bit rushed since the building of their relationship was due more through telling rather than showing (like how we were told they went on a walk in the park and talked about their lives, their dreams, etc., but we didn't really hear any of those conversations). I think that if it stuck to one or two POVs I would have enjoyed it so much more and I definitely enjoyed it more than I would have if I had not seen the movie first, since I think that the jarring writing would have confused me without having seen the story play out through the film.
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
I did find this book enjoyable. There's too much tragedy in film and literature about lesbian romance that I rejoice positive narratives such as this. HOWEVER, I also find the writing sappy and corny. Reading Sarah Waters now, Sarif's lackluster style of writing becomes stark. I also wonder about Sarif's political views with regards to Arab politics. I am, by no means, an expert in the area, but I've read a few about the subject - and Sarif's views seem to be misguided given the stuff I've read. Tala's and Hani's views, for example, are portrayed as progressive, when in fact they misrepresent the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Tala seems to have missed reading Talal Asad's On Suicide, which shows when she remarks that suicide bombing is a function of a distorted religious belief, in which people are simply promised paradise in exchange for their lives. She and Hani can also benefit from reading Kundnani's The Muslims Are Coming to understand the politics involving Muslims in Israel, as well as in her own London. I think Kareem makes the most political sense, but he is outright dismissed. Characters in the book reek of privilege they seem to not notice or, otherwise, ignore vehemently. But I have to remind myself that this is not a book about politics. It's a happy chappy romance book with a narrative that satisfied me when I needed something that is exactly what it's about - a romance book.
2.5/3*
I listened to this on audiobook and while I liked the narrator, all the POV shifts made it really hard to follow along and I constantly found myself wondering whose POV it was now because it changed so suddenly. That really lessened my enjoyment of the book because I spent so much time just being confused.
Overall it’s a decent read. I was looking for a cute romance and while there is a romance at the center of the book, you also get the POV of lots of different side characters (family members, partners, etc) and while those were also interesting at times, it wasn’t what I was looking for with this book. Mostly I’d say this is a look into the lives of two families and their dynamics and histories, and then there’s a romance that ties it all together. That’s a good premise but it wasn’t what I wanted, so I felt underwhelmed a lot of the time. And again the different POVs confused me and I had a hard time keeping everyone separated, especially the two families and all the family members.
It’s a decent book but nothing I couldn’t live without.
I listened to this on audiobook and while I liked the narrator, all the POV shifts made it really hard to follow along and I constantly found myself wondering whose POV it was now because it changed so suddenly. That really lessened my enjoyment of the book because I spent so much time just being confused.
Overall it’s a decent read. I was looking for a cute romance and while there is a romance at the center of the book, you also get the POV of lots of different side characters (family members, partners, etc) and while those were also interesting at times, it wasn’t what I was looking for with this book. Mostly I’d say this is a look into the lives of two families and their dynamics and histories, and then there’s a romance that ties it all together. That’s a good premise but it wasn’t what I wanted, so I felt underwhelmed a lot of the time. And again the different POVs confused me and I had a hard time keeping everyone separated, especially the two families and all the family members.
It’s a decent book but nothing I couldn’t live without.