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augie_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Islamophobia, Grief, Death, Drug abuse, and Hate crime
Moderate: Pregnancy and Miscarriage
acorny's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Beautiful, heartbreaking, and felt so real. This one hit a nerve for sure, I cried for all the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Addiction, Miscarriage, Car accident, and Child death
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
rubybooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A Place for Us is a book I had seen featured on social media a bit, but I didn't really know what it was about. However, I recognised the title so when I saw the audiobook available I downloaded it straight away. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook - I was sucked into the story easily, and I liked listening to both the narrators.
The story begins at the wedding of Hadia, who is part of an Indian-American Muslim family. At her wedding, her younger brother Amar returns and sees his family members for the first time in years. After they are introduced, the narration switches to earlier in time, when siblings Hadia, Huda and Amar are children. There are multiple points of view, so the reader really gets to know the characters' motivations. We don't really hear from Huda, but Hadia and Amar's experiences are at the heart of the story. I also enjoyed hearing from their parents, Rafiq and Layla, especially actions by both of them resulted in Amar's estrangement.
Amar had long felt disconnected within his family - he was a stubborn child and always pushed back against his father. He had a hard time dealing with love and its consequences, which only intensified the downward spiral he was in. Hadia, on the other hand, was not a rebellious child at all. She struggled with working hard and getting little recognition compared to what she would get if she was a boy. She definitely wasn't perfect, but I related a lot to Hadia in so many different ways, so I loved her sections of the book. Their mother, Layla, wanted so much for her children but was not always successful when she thought she was doing the right thing. Her husband Rafiq was often angry and did not know how to deal with his children, but realisations do come later.
This novel is so focused on family, culture, religion and identity. I loved the writing in this book - it was so beautiful and really helped me get to know the characters. The characters are all flawed and so compelling to read about - every single relationship has a different dynamic. The ending of this book was just amazing, and it made me very emotional. A Place for Us was such a great exploration of feelings and it is so full of emotion. I loved all these characters, and seeing how they developed over the years worked so well with the structure of the book.
I'd definitely recommend this book, especially if you like multi-generational character-driven stories! If you're looking for a book full of action, this probably isn't for you, but the story is so well done and I was invested throughout. Because of the different points of view, there was a bit of repetition and overlap of ideas, but aside from that I loved reading this book. Content warnings for discussions of racism, Islamophobia, terrorism, grief, death, alcohol and drug abuse.
The story begins at the wedding of Hadia, who is part of an Indian-American Muslim family. At her wedding, her younger brother Amar returns and sees his family members for the first time in years. After they are introduced, the narration switches to earlier in time, when siblings Hadia, Huda and Amar are children. There are multiple points of view, so the reader really gets to know the characters' motivations. We don't really hear from Huda, but Hadia and Amar's experiences are at the heart of the story. I also enjoyed hearing from their parents, Rafiq and Layla, especially actions by both of them resulted in Amar's estrangement.
Amar had long felt disconnected within his family - he was a stubborn child and always pushed back against his father. He had a hard time dealing with love and its consequences, which only intensified the downward spiral he was in. Hadia, on the other hand, was not a rebellious child at all. She struggled with working hard and getting little recognition compared to what she would get if she was a boy. She definitely wasn't perfect, but I related a lot to Hadia in so many different ways, so I loved her sections of the book. Their mother, Layla, wanted so much for her children but was not always successful when she thought she was doing the right thing. Her husband Rafiq was often angry and did not know how to deal with his children, but realisations do come later.
This novel is so focused on family, culture, religion and identity. I loved the writing in this book - it was so beautiful and really helped me get to know the characters. The characters are all flawed and so compelling to read about - every single relationship has a different dynamic. The ending of this book was just amazing, and it made me very emotional. A Place for Us was such a great exploration of feelings and it is so full of emotion. I loved all these characters, and seeing how they developed over the years worked so well with the structure of the book.
I'd definitely recommend this book, especially if you like multi-generational character-driven stories! If you're looking for a book full of action, this probably isn't for you, but the story is so well done and I was invested throughout. Because of the different points of view, there was a bit of repetition and overlap of ideas, but aside from that I loved reading this book. Content warnings for discussions of racism, Islamophobia, terrorism, grief, death, alcohol and drug abuse.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Islamophobia, Grief, Miscarriage, Death, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
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