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frumiouslyalice's review
4.0
May do a more thorough review later - tho in the meantime I do want to say that this cover makes this book seem much more light-hearted than it is.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
shievad's review
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Terminal illness, Torture, and Toxic relationship
hanvnah's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Gun violence
Moderate: Animal death and Islamophobia
Minor: Rape and Torture
mochi21's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
This was a good book objectively. For me, it was just a little slow and heavy. I had the issue with it that I always have with books that have more than one perspective : one narrator was more interesting than the other.
Safwa's life, though traumatizing, were leaps and bounds better for reading than Anvar's. This is intentional, and is explained once their stories weave together, but it doesn't make Anvar's early chapters any easier to read.
But the characters are lovable (namely Anvar's father and Zuhra), and the dialogue is spot on. The cover is gorgeous. The writing is technically iron clad, and I feel satisfied now that I've finished it.
And kudos to Masood for writing two dynamic, fleshed out, interesting women. Zuhra and Safwa are both firecrackers (though different) and I found them both realistic and likable.
As a white american, I feel that this story was important for me to read and illuminated an issue I haven't given enough thought before, and taught me a lot. I think everyone should give it a go.
Safwa's life, though traumatizing, were leaps and bounds better for reading than Anvar's. This is intentional, and is explained once their stories weave together, but it doesn't make Anvar's early chapters any easier to read.
But the characters are lovable (namely Anvar's father and Zuhra), and the dialogue is spot on. The cover is gorgeous. The writing is technically iron clad, and I feel satisfied now that I've finished it.
And kudos to Masood for writing two dynamic, fleshed out, interesting women. Zuhra and Safwa are both firecrackers (though different) and I found them both realistic and likable.
As a white american, I feel that this story was important for me to read and illuminated an issue I haven't given enough thought before, and taught me a lot. I think everyone should give it a go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
biblio_jordyn's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
This book follows Anvar and Safwa, both separately and when their world’s collide by chance. Anvar considers and takes pride in his “bad Muslim” status, always trying to other and step away from his family’s grasp when they were in Pakistan and even more as they move to San Francisco.
Then, there’s Safwa, who we first see Baghdad, suffocating by the war torn city and by her conservative father, while trying to fill the role that has been decided for her...and then she makes the dangerous journey to the US.
This book talked about immigration (both legal and not), the complexity of one’s relationship to religion, finding yourself and your place in the world, relationships and the complexity of them when it comes to, both, familial and romantic.
I loved this book.
I loved the writing.
I loved how this author captured these characters, their relationships with people and their faith or lack thereof.
I loved how he intertwined humor and sadness and happiness and tough topics all seamlessly together.
I loved the authenticity and how much I FELT for these characters.
I loved learning more about another culture and peoples experiences without feeling like I was learning in the moment.
I loved the messages interwoven in the story of empathy, and understanding, and love, and change, and so much more.
I love how the author made my heart connect to the words on the paper and made me want to both savor every sentence but also devour the book whole.
I could talk about this book all day...but, here is ONE of my favorite quotes from the zillion I wrote down that isn’t too long:
“Remember to never take more from the world than you can give back to it.”
Thank you so much @doubledaybooks for this #gifted copy this was definitely my favorite read of January and will probably remain one of my favorites of the year.
Then, there’s Safwa, who we first see Baghdad, suffocating by the war torn city and by her conservative father, while trying to fill the role that has been decided for her...and then she makes the dangerous journey to the US.
This book talked about immigration (both legal and not), the complexity of one’s relationship to religion, finding yourself and your place in the world, relationships and the complexity of them when it comes to, both, familial and romantic.
I loved this book.
I loved the writing.
I loved how this author captured these characters, their relationships with people and their faith or lack thereof.
I loved how he intertwined humor and sadness and happiness and tough topics all seamlessly together.
I loved the authenticity and how much I FELT for these characters.
I loved learning more about another culture and peoples experiences without feeling like I was learning in the moment.
I loved the messages interwoven in the story of empathy, and understanding, and love, and change, and so much more.
I love how the author made my heart connect to the words on the paper and made me want to both savor every sentence but also devour the book whole.
I could talk about this book all day...but, here is ONE of my favorite quotes from the zillion I wrote down that isn’t too long:
“Remember to never take more from the world than you can give back to it.”
Thank you so much @doubledaybooks for this #gifted copy this was definitely my favorite read of January and will probably remain one of my favorites of the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia and Child abuse
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Torture, Animal death, and Rape
now_booking's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
First 5-star read of the year and I’m absolutely wowed! First off, I must confess that this book wasn’t what I expected. Yes, it had the dry wit and irreverent humour I anticipated given the cover and title of the book, but more than that it took me on a journey of questioning and faith and exploring your beliefs and the things you think you know, and the injustices and inevitabilities of life, and it was absolutely brilliant- from the writing to the storytelling.
The book tells the story of 2 central characters who are imperfect and broken in different ways. Anwar is an irreverent skeptic from a Muslim family. Born and raised in Pakistan, his clever humorous wit and irreverent questions about matters of faith were already a concern to his religious mother, long before he moved to America. Now a wise-cracking, chronically underachieving adult, he finds himself in Hafeez Bhatti’s rundown building as one of the philanthropists collection of bad Muslims a.k.a broken and imperfect people in need of help. There he meets Azza, an undocumented immigrant who shares his lack of ability to settle and find peace, and a history that is more devastatingly brutal than he can imagine.
It’s incredibly difficult to summarize this book and the intersections of the characters and their story without giving it all away. This book examines themes of love, family and friendship in a way that is beautifully relatable, but also themes of religious faith, resilience, and fear in ways that any person of faith or lack thereof would find compellingly apt. The book is divided into parts which represent different timelines- from the mid 1990s in part 1 to 2016/2017 and the election of Donald Trump into office. This isn’t an especially political book, other than the way politics intersects with life, until the end when clearly during the 2016 election which happens near the end of the book, populist ideologies become a reality for the characters in a way. But even though Islamophobia is a minor theme in this book, this is not a book about that or about us vs them. It’s a book about people. The characters felt incredibly real and that verisimilitude, whilst emotionally engaging when reading Anvar’s sections, becomes almost brutal when reading Azza’s. And yet as emotionally-charged as this novel is, it’s perfectly balanced with Anvar’s dark sense of humor and Azza’s almost fatalistic sense of reality. This book is sad and painful, but you won’t be able to put it down. The language is beyond gorgeous, the insights eminently quoteworthy- I found myself highlighting large swathes of this book and its brilliant takes on faith and brotherhood, injustice and fear. I found Anvar to be an odd mix of bold irreverence and cautious fear.
This book won’t be for everyone. I am a person of faith (Christ follower) and I get not every book that questions faith will be for everyone- we are all at different points in our acceptance that someone questioning our beliefs doesn’t have to be blasphemous or doesn’t have to mean that we question our beliefs. If you’re conservative especially conservative Muslim and you might be offended by a protagonists irreverent journey to come to terms with his faith, this might be one to avoid. For me as a Christian, even though this was clearly a book where Anvar’s (the main character’s) relationship with Islam was explored extensively as a major theme, I found this applicable and relatable as someone who also grew up in the Christian faith as a practicing Christian, having questions and still having faith but also trying to understand my own personal relationship with God not based on my family’s relationship or my Church’s relationship. And I think at its heart, for Anwar, that’s what this story is about. It’s about being a back-slidden person, about being a remedial person of faith, about trying to be better, and from Azza, it’s a book about this world draining the faith out of you but still finding the kernel of hope that perhaps all is not lost and there is still beauty.
I think one of the reasons why I’m so in love with this book is because I love characters that are broken and imperfect, characters that have no reason to believe in anything anymore and yet are on a journey to decide for themselves what they believe. I’m a huge fan of the characters in this book, in my life I’ve known Anvars and Zuhas, maybe only 1 or 2 Azzas, and for that reason it felt like they were getting their story. I didn’t necessarily LOVE any of the characters, but I enjoyed reading them and thinking about them and spending time with them. I think this is a great book for all the black sheep, the questioners, the ones on their own journeys of faith and life, the ones who have been hurt, the ones healing, the families that can’t speak of the love they have for each other.
I am so blown away by this book- I read it in less than 24 hours and literally couldn’t put it down needing to know what would happen next. I adored this but am looking forward to reading more own voices reviews to get other perspectives on this. For me, it was absolutely brilliant! Super grateful to Doubleday Books for a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley.
The book tells the story of 2 central characters who are imperfect and broken in different ways. Anwar is an irreverent skeptic from a Muslim family. Born and raised in Pakistan, his clever humorous wit and irreverent questions about matters of faith were already a concern to his religious mother, long before he moved to America. Now a wise-cracking, chronically underachieving adult, he finds himself in Hafeez Bhatti’s rundown building as one of the philanthropists collection of bad Muslims a.k.a broken and imperfect people in need of help. There he meets Azza, an undocumented immigrant who shares his lack of ability to settle and find peace, and a history that is more devastatingly brutal than he can imagine.
It’s incredibly difficult to summarize this book and the intersections of the characters and their story without giving it all away. This book examines themes of love, family and friendship in a way that is beautifully relatable, but also themes of religious faith, resilience, and fear in ways that any person of faith or lack thereof would find compellingly apt. The book is divided into parts which represent different timelines- from the mid 1990s in part 1 to 2016/2017 and the election of Donald Trump into office. This isn’t an especially political book, other than the way politics intersects with life, until the end when clearly during the 2016 election which happens near the end of the book, populist ideologies become a reality for the characters in a way. But even though Islamophobia is a minor theme in this book, this is not a book about that or about us vs them. It’s a book about people. The characters felt incredibly real and that verisimilitude, whilst emotionally engaging when reading Anvar’s sections, becomes almost brutal when reading Azza’s. And yet as emotionally-charged as this novel is, it’s perfectly balanced with Anvar’s dark sense of humor and Azza’s almost fatalistic sense of reality. This book is sad and painful, but you won’t be able to put it down. The language is beyond gorgeous, the insights eminently quoteworthy- I found myself highlighting large swathes of this book and its brilliant takes on faith and brotherhood, injustice and fear. I found Anvar to be an odd mix of bold irreverence and cautious fear.
This book won’t be for everyone. I am a person of faith (Christ follower) and I get not every book that questions faith will be for everyone- we are all at different points in our acceptance that someone questioning our beliefs doesn’t have to be blasphemous or doesn’t have to mean that we question our beliefs. If you’re conservative especially conservative Muslim and you might be offended by a protagonists irreverent journey to come to terms with his faith, this might be one to avoid. For me as a Christian, even though this was clearly a book where Anvar’s (the main character’s) relationship with Islam was explored extensively as a major theme, I found this applicable and relatable as someone who also grew up in the Christian faith as a practicing Christian, having questions and still having faith but also trying to understand my own personal relationship with God not based on my family’s relationship or my Church’s relationship. And I think at its heart, for Anwar, that’s what this story is about. It’s about being a back-slidden person, about being a remedial person of faith, about trying to be better, and from Azza, it’s a book about this world draining the faith out of you but still finding the kernel of hope that perhaps all is not lost and there is still beauty.
I think one of the reasons why I’m so in love with this book is because I love characters that are broken and imperfect, characters that have no reason to believe in anything anymore and yet are on a journey to decide for themselves what they believe. I’m a huge fan of the characters in this book, in my life I’ve known Anvars and Zuhas, maybe only 1 or 2 Azzas, and for that reason it felt like they were getting their story. I didn’t necessarily LOVE any of the characters, but I enjoyed reading them and thinking about them and spending time with them. I think this is a great book for all the black sheep, the questioners, the ones on their own journeys of faith and life, the ones who have been hurt, the ones healing, the families that can’t speak of the love they have for each other.
I am so blown away by this book- I read it in less than 24 hours and literally couldn’t put it down needing to know what would happen next. I adored this but am looking forward to reading more own voices reviews to get other perspectives on this. For me, it was absolutely brilliant! Super grateful to Doubleday Books for a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Islamophobia and Torture
Minor: Racism, Rape, and Xenophobia
charisma_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
To think that this book will probably be overlooked because of its cover... BUT, like they say, don’t judge a book by its cover.
This book was everything I hoped it would be, and more. Masood truly showed the difference between being Muslim from South Asia and being a Muslim American. I really learned so much from this book from verses from the Quran, to how life was demonstrated in the Middle East during the time Americans began invading there countries to how a Muslim looks at the world compared to a Muslim American and there world views.
This is not a light hearted read and it goes to show how truly talented Masood is. He has a great eye for detail and truly understands the importance of explaining his culture and religion to readers in a most pleasant way. This is not a book to try and skim through nor is it a book that you can become easily distracted with. There is some satire with one of the MCs and it does lighten the mood up a bit but it just goes to show the difference between him and devoted Muslims. I loved how it showed in the end, what the book truly is about is how even though Allah kept repeating how everyone must do the right thing, one never knows what the right thing truly is. The world is simply not black and white. Every action has an equal or opposite reaction.
This novel tore through all my emotions and truly left my heart sad but filled with hope. It is okay to read a heavy book and still fall in love with it and its purpose, its education and its message.
Thank you to double day books for this gifted copy in an exchange for an honest review.
This book was everything I hoped it would be, and more. Masood truly showed the difference between being Muslim from South Asia and being a Muslim American. I really learned so much from this book from verses from the Quran, to how life was demonstrated in the Middle East during the time Americans began invading there countries to how a Muslim looks at the world compared to a Muslim American and there world views.
This is not a light hearted read and it goes to show how truly talented Masood is. He has a great eye for detail and truly understands the importance of explaining his culture and religion to readers in a most pleasant way. This is not a book to try and skim through nor is it a book that you can become easily distracted with. There is some satire with one of the MCs and it does lighten the mood up a bit but it just goes to show the difference between him and devoted Muslims. I loved how it showed in the end, what the book truly is about is how even though Allah kept repeating how everyone must do the right thing, one never knows what the right thing truly is. The world is simply not black and white. Every action has an equal or opposite reaction.
This novel tore through all my emotions and truly left my heart sad but filled with hope. It is okay to read a heavy book and still fall in love with it and its purpose, its education and its message.
Thank you to double day books for this gifted copy in an exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder, and Domestic abuse
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