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Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'
Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Adiba Jaigirdar
18 reviews
coffeekitaab's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
I adored the brown/Muslim representation in this book - within the cultural/religious references, dialogue and atmosphere and build up towards Eid celebrations and the union of the community/bringing people together to mark the occasion was wonderful - everything felt alive and really resonated with me personally as a reader. Within that, as a British woman of Indian descent, I definitely could also relate to Said's worries that his choice for pursuing/prioritising Art in his life over academics would disappoint his parents. Similarly, there were many microaggressions surrounding gender - the mention of (TW) Timi and the importance of a son over a daughter, by the aunt towards the end of the book was particularly well handled. I loved queer representation and Safiyah and Ishra's romance was cute - The banter and fun/friendships portrayed by Saf and Julian generally was fun and generally was a breath of fresh air - this was a sloooowburn in terms of Said and Tiwa's story with the strangers to friends to enemies to lovers trope, and brought together by a common objective- also miscommunication trope is BIG here so if you are not a fan, you might not enjoy this. Said is calm, controlled and generally composed all the time which is charming, he expresses more through his art/heart and it really packed an emotional punch in the gut with his quiet gestures and understanding. Put him before Tiwa who is a complete polar opposite and you have the perfect equation - Tiwa who is confident, opinionated, sarcastic and fearless - lots of oneliners/inner monologue from her had me chuckling away and I really did enjoy reading Tiwa's POV in the book, there are just so many shades to this character and so many mature emotions/situations she has to deal with - strong FMC for sure.
The plot was fast paced and the story was well developed - the gradual build up was pleasant, with some flashback scenes to show the before and after of how pivotal moments in the lives of the protagonists led them to where they are today - I was consumed by this book, there was not a single moment that dragged for me. The only points to note for me was - I wish more had been done to explore the acceptance of Tiwa as a Black Muslim (as opposed to Said who is a South Asian/Bangladeshi Muslim) I laud that this was touched on in the start of the book but it was not revisited again/with no conclusion which was a shame. Also, the situation with the letters felt abrupt - and could have been dealt with/edited into the story better. It wasn't as "shock/horror" as it was meant to be as a plot twist/and kind of felt anti climatic. Otherwise though, highly recommend this book and for the target audience it is perfect. Definitely was one of my favourite YA books this year - I have not read anything by these authors yet but I can tell that is soon to change!
Thank you Netgalley and Usborne Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest, unedited review!
Minor: Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
dhiyanah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Moderate: Racism and Grief
Minor: Car accident and Fire/Fire injury
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, and Death
Minor: Car accident and Fire/Fire injury
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- 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
Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc and Libro FM for the ALC. I am providing this review of my own accord.
Two favorites teamed up to deliver a banger of a co-written young adult romcom and coming of age story. When their favorite librarian Ms. Barnes passes away, Tiwa and Said are thrown together not only for funeral and memorial services, but are left something from Ms. Barnes' will. The catch is... they haven't talked in years really, since Said left for his boarding school, and tragedy hit Tiwa's family. This new forced proximity leaves an opening for them to finally contend with their disdain for each other, and if there's hope to rekindle their friendship ever again.
I appreciated the commentary on the anti-Blackness that Tiwa experienced by their own community, and the lateral emotional and mental violence that she experienced. I hope this opens more folks eyes that being Muslim does not have to *look* a certain way in order to be valid or "enough".
I also loved that the pain and anger that Tiwa and Said felt towards one another felt so real? Like, I can absolutely imagine being in either of their shoes at their age, and feeling the wrath just as they did. I didn't blame either of them for their frustrations, and I thought AJ & FAI illustrated this teenage angst and betrayal perfectly, as they typically do, so I am not surprised in the least.
Anyway, I loved reading about these two friends finding their way back to one another, amidst grief and pain, and holding onto the hope of a future alongside one another, and reveling in community.
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
aromanticreadsromance's review
- 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
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.
Moderate: Child death, Racism, and Grief
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
skye_era_books's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Racism and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Death, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
zluvsreading's review against another edition
- 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
Gosh, where do I even start???? I know I say this with almost every book, but
The way grief was written in this packed a punch. My heart feels so heavy for her whole family. The way she deals with the hostility and racism from others just because she is Black and Muslim made me want to give her a hug so badly. Tiwa deserves the world and I will fight anyone who doesn’t think so. Her and Said? I have words! I HAVE WORDS!!! I loved her sister/friendship bond with Safiyah. They are almost like polar opposites, but they mesh together really well. It was funny to see how Tiwa set herself up to becoming a future lawyer with everything that went down in this (no spoilers!).
Graphic: Child death and Grief
Minor: Cursing, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury
bloodmaarked's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
✧ full review on my tumblr ✧
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racism, Grief, and Car accident