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ryanbada's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lornareads_'s review against another edition
funny
inspiring
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
4.5
nickel_books's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
This book was an absolute delight! A friends to enemies to lovers structured by Said and Tiwa's POVs and a third, third person narrative. It's funny, full of heart, and second changes - for the characters and their community.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Grief, Child death, Racism, and Car accident
Moderate: Cancer and Islamophobia
girlreading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Following two teens as they navigate their grief for the people, relationships and places they've lost, Four Eids and a Funeral is an emotional, witty and warmhearted rom-com that highlights familial, platonic and romantic love in equal measures. This is a gift for all the slow burn, friends-to-enemies-to lovers fans out there (myself included). Faridah and Adiba are truly a dream YA writing team and their fabulous humour and ability to approach 'tough' topics with nuance and care shined throughout this book. I devoured this in one day and cannot wait to read whatever this brilliant pair write next.
aromanticreadsromance's review
emotional
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? No
Okay. Loved this book as a contemporary young adult coming-of-age. Didn't like it so much as a romance, just because the romance part seemed to come out of nowhere toward the very, very end (imo, it shouldn't be classified as a romance book). Like the title says, it takes place over four Eids and a funeral. The main characters, Said and Tiwa, are former best friends who had a falling out three Eids ago, after Said transferred to boarding school in Virginia. They're initially brought back together at the funeral of their hometown librarian, with whom they both had a special relationship. The same day, there is a fire at the Islamic Center. The two reluctantly team up to save that year's Eid festivities, and the Islamic Center from demolition after they learn of the crooked mayor's nefarious plans to use the land for condos (because of course).
This book is full of Muslim joy and pride! Said and Tiwa are both Muslims from different ethnic backgrounds (like the authors!). Said is Bangladeshi-American, and Tiwa is Nigerian-American. Ironically, Tiwa is much more involved in their faith but gets treated as an outsider by the aunties in their community because she's Black. They don't recognize her as Muslim (it's weird that some of the aunties don't even recognize her from the mosque, considering the Muslim community in their town is small and tight-knit). As a South Asian, Said's Muslim identity is never questioned (which is ironic since he's less involved than Tiwa). I wish the book hadn't glossed over the commentary on anti-Black racism in Muslim communities. Since the issue was raised, I feel it shouldn't have been brushed off or rushed through and should have gone beyond the surface level.
I almost feel like this book suffered from trying to do TOO much that some of the threads were lost. I wanted MORE on so many topics, like Ms. Barnes (the librarian), Timi (Tiwa's little brother), and Tiwa's dad, to name a few. But especially Timi.
My favorite character was Tiwa's best friend/Said's sister Safiyah (we support women's rights AND wrongs). She's so funny AND gay (and you can't tell me those two things aren't related, LOL).
Overall, I liked this book, but I didn't LOVE it. It kinda reminded me of Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender (ex-best friends explore their feelings for each other, plus a sprinkle of activism), so if you liked that, you'll probably also like this!
A big thanks to Macmillan for the advanced copy of this book! All thoughts are my own.
This book is full of Muslim joy and pride! Said and Tiwa are both Muslims from different ethnic backgrounds (like the authors!). Said is Bangladeshi-American, and Tiwa is Nigerian-American. Ironically, Tiwa is much more involved in their faith but gets treated as an outsider by the aunties in their community because she's Black. They don't recognize her as Muslim (it's weird that some of the aunties don't even recognize her from the mosque, considering the Muslim community in their town is small and tight-knit). As a South Asian, Said's Muslim identity is never questioned (which is ironic since he's less involved than Tiwa). I wish the book hadn't glossed over the commentary on anti-Black racism in Muslim communities. Since the issue was raised, I feel it shouldn't have been brushed off or rushed through and should have gone beyond the surface level.
I almost feel like this book suffered from trying to do TOO much that some of the threads were lost. I wanted MORE on so many topics, like Ms. Barnes (the librarian), Timi (Tiwa's little brother), and Tiwa's dad, to name a few. But especially Timi.
My favorite character was Tiwa's best friend/Said's sister Safiyah (we support women's rights AND wrongs). She's so funny AND gay (and you can't tell me those two things aren't related, LOL).
Overall, I liked this book, but I didn't LOVE it. It kinda reminded me of Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender (ex-best friends explore their feelings for each other, plus a sprinkle of activism), so if you liked that, you'll probably also like this!
A big thanks to Macmillan for the advanced copy of this book! All thoughts are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Grief, and Child death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
lokiisreading's review
challenging
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
What an amazing collaboration between these two authors!
This book had so many valuable aspects jammed into it. From parental expectations to cultural burdens. And with that we are getting immersed in this tight knit Muslim community and their culture along with Said and Tiwa rebuilding their fallen friendship.
I wish we got more of that Romance aspect, and that it wasn’t resolved so close to the end.
kelsea_'s review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
I've read books by both of these authors before and this collab blew away my expectations! The story of Tiwa and Said was one that I think many people could relate to: a feeling of disconnection when away from community, dealing with discrimination when you don't look the same as the rest of your community, family expectations and pressure. "Four Eids and a Funeral" does an incredible job addressing each of these issues, while still making for an enjoyable story. A common thread throughout the story is making assumptions about people and their wants/motivations and how that can be harmful to yourself and others. Each character has to learn this lesson, but it doesn't feel contrived or repetitive.
leahjanespeare's review against another edition
4.0
A solid rom com for YA. It was definitely lighter than I was expecting which was a nice surprise!
telltalelakej's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
JazakhAllah Khair to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing Group for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Can I rate this over five stars? Because it deserves a million stars. WOW. I already knew a book written by my two favorite muslim authors (aka my two favorite authors of all time) was going to be one of my top reads of the year and I was RIGHT.
First of all, the characters? Incredible. Amazing. Showstopping. Never been seen before. 10/10. I loved Tiwa and Said so much and I hold them so near and dear to my heart. And everyone else too! Like Safiyah and Julian and of course we can’t forget habibi Laddoo.
I also loved that we got a lot of friendship and family dynamics and that the relationship aspect of the book wasn’t solely focused on romance!! That being said, let’s ABSOLUTELY talk about the romance because the second I saw that Much Ado About Nothing quote in the opening I was like “oh this is gonna be a GREAT annoyances to lovers arc” and I was absolutely correct. Tiwa and Said are also just so jennajulien core and you know I will be hooked on any relationship that reminds me of jennajulien.
As a muslim, I really appreciate some of the little details about practices in the faith! Like performing ablution and how we start and end our prayers. I also just love the casual ‘inshallah’s and ‘mashallah’s AND the talk of how important community is in Islam and how much it can aid our imaan.
I couldn’t recommend this book more, for both muslims and non-muslims. And inshallah we’ll see more book co-written Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar in the future!
Can I rate this over five stars? Because it deserves a million stars. WOW. I already knew a book written by my two favorite muslim authors (aka my two favorite authors of all time) was going to be one of my top reads of the year and I was RIGHT.
First of all, the characters? Incredible. Amazing. Showstopping. Never been seen before. 10/10. I loved Tiwa and Said so much and I hold them so near and dear to my heart. And everyone else too! Like Safiyah and Julian and of course we can’t forget habibi Laddoo.
I also loved that we got a lot of friendship and family dynamics and that the relationship aspect of the book wasn’t solely focused on romance!! That being said, let’s ABSOLUTELY talk about the romance because the second I saw that Much Ado About Nothing quote in the opening I was like “oh this is gonna be a GREAT annoyances to lovers arc” and I was absolutely correct. Tiwa and Said are also just so jennajulien core and you know I will be hooked on any relationship that reminds me of jennajulien.
As a muslim, I really appreciate some of the little details about practices in the faith! Like performing ablution and how we start and end our prayers. I also just love the casual ‘inshallah’s and ‘mashallah’s AND the talk of how important community is in Islam and how much it can aid our imaan.
I couldn’t recommend this book more, for both muslims and non-muslims. And inshallah we’ll see more book co-written Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar in the future!
sovonreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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
3.75
This was my first time reading a YA book as an adult and was surprised just how much I liked it. This definitely gave me hope that all YA books aren’t childish.
The amount of culture immersed in this book was just so incredible to read. I loved that part the most! It taught and showed why the center was more than just a building but a haven for Muslim community in the state.
The romance happened in a blink of an eye towards the end of the book and came out of nowhere. In my opinion it was so glazed over this shouldn’t have been a romance. The main characters felt like they had more of a sibling relationship than anything.
I also felt the relationship they had with the librarian that brought them closer was just quickly rushed aside even at the funeral it was another blink and you missed it.
This kept my attention and I was completely into the story. I also loved that unlike most books the parents in this book supported their children no matter what. It wasn’t questioned it was just automatic which was so refreshing to see.
The amount of culture immersed in this book was just so incredible to read. I loved that part the most! It taught and showed why the center was more than just a building but a haven for Muslim community in the state.
The romance happened in a blink of an eye towards the end of the book and came out of nowhere. In my opinion it was so glazed over this shouldn’t have been a romance. The main characters felt like they had more of a sibling relationship than anything.
I also felt the relationship they had with the librarian that brought them closer was just quickly rushed aside even at the funeral it was another blink and you missed it.
This kept my attention and I was completely into the story. I also loved that unlike most books the parents in this book supported their children no matter what. It wasn’t questioned it was just automatic which was so refreshing to see.