Reviews with content warning for Death - All My Rage

This was a difficult book to rate, because I really liked many parts of this story, but others just rubbed me the wrong way. I'll start with the good. I loved the exploration of the immigrant experience, how it examined the American Dream without romanticizing it and all of the different perspectives on assimilation versus cultural independence. I also liked how the women were centered in the story, shown to hold and obtain power. Khadija was my favorite!

I think my favorite part was getting to know our two lead characters, watching them struggle and make completely believable mistakes in the face of adversity. As much as I want to armchair quarterback their bad decisions, I don't know that I would've done any better at seventeen. All three points of view — Sal, Noor, and Misbah — were equally compelling for me to read, and I appreciated the in-universe explanation at the end for why we were being given the historical chapters alongside the present day.

As for what I wasn't so much a fan of, the modern day romance put me off almost immediately. I wasn't prepared for it from the blurb on the cover, and "best friends to lovers" is a trope I loathe, especially when the romance falls apart and you just ruined a perfectly lovely platonic relationship for nothing. This is very much a me problem, but it's worth mentioning since I can't be the only one.

I was also rubbed the wrong way by how the plot where Sal seeks alternate income to avoid closing the motel was written. I was fine with his initial decision(see: realistic bad decisions), but everything from after that up until the scene in the car with Noor felt like a bad after-school special. It was a little bit too carefully-concocted to demonstrate the consequences of Sal's actions, and didn't ring as true as the rest of the book did. After the scene in the car it felt okay again, but for a while there I was rolling my eyes pretty hard.

I think in the end I'm going to have to go with four stars, because the parts that I liked were incredible. It was just a few glaring things dragging it down for me. I would certainly pick up another book by this author, especially if it didn't have a romance in it.

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marissasa's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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 touches on so many things and does them all spectacularly. Life, love, loss, coming of age, trauma, bad choices, addiction, poverty, immigration, healing, faith, friendship, trust, hope, and forgiveness all wrapped in the harsh setting of a small town in the Southern California desert where two Pakistani teens try to find their place in an America Dream that wasn't made for them. The narration switching between Noor, Salahudin, and Misbah was a brilliant writing choice. Each character has such a clear voice and it makes you feel so much more deeply for each of them and their struggles. I loved how mature this YA book was and the way it never downplayed the harm that characters caused even when they were characters you had grown to love and root for. It gave so much weight and realism to the angst and emotions, and much more meaning to the ending and the story's messages of hope and redemption.

Content Warnings