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rosinawrites7's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Medical trauma, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Body horror, War, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Medical content, Death, Police brutality, Mental illness, Gore, Genocide, Death of parent, Confinement, Child death, and Blood
fazington'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Sexism, Child death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Blood, Confinement, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Violence, and War
imperaitrice'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Genocide, Murder, Sexual harassment, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Suicide, Suicide attempt, War, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
madamenovelist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Genocide, War, Child death, Torture, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Confinement
kelly_e'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? It's complicated
5.0
Author: Zoulfa Katouh
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: September 13, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Heartbreaking • Haunting • Hopeful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life.
Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe.
But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all.
Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I'd seen a few people include As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow on their 'best of 2022' lists, so I instantly added it to my TBR. While YA isn't a genre I typically gravitate towards, I did have a sneaky suspicion I'd need to keep the Kleenex box handy with this one, and those suspicions were confirmed.
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is so heartbreakingly devastating, making it hard to read at times, yet I felt the rawness of Zoulfa Katouh's love, pain, sorrow, and hope in every single word. Touching on loss, grief, trauma, and finding love in the most unexpected of places/times, it's also a story of hope. Each of the characters found a way to wiggle into my heart, particularly Salama. I felt empathetic for everything she'd endured and has to go through. At various points, I found myself contemplating what I'd do in her situation.
The writing was phenomenal! I just could not believe this is a debut novel, and there's no denying this author's raw talent. While the writing is incredibly accessible, something typical of many YA novels, the emotional depth and realness makes this standout above the rest. The structure is well thought out with several twists I didn't expect. I really wish I'd had the audio to go along with the book, as I know it would have added another layer of emotion.
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is so raw and real that it shattered my heart and healed it time and time again. It opened my eyes to a better understanding of life in war-torn Syria - the reasons people flee, the reasons they choose to stay, and the things people will do for those they love. This is YA at it's absolute finest. There's no denying the incredible writer Zoulfa Katouh is and I'll be keeping an eye out for anything she writes in the future.
If you read one book this year, please let it be this one!
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• all readers!
• teens
• anyone looking for a strong female protagonist
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Might. What a word. It holds infinite possibilities of a life that could have been. So many options stacked one on top of the other, like cards waiting for a player to pick and choose."
"Survivor's skin is a remorse we are cursed to wear forever."
"Death is an excellent teacher."
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Genocide, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Medical content, Grief, Torture, Medical trauma, War, and Vomit
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, and Pregnancy
Minor: Islamophobia, Xenophobia, and Confinement
sibling death, death of partnergossameralbum's review
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Death, Grief, Blood, Child death, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
chaoticnostalgia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Body horror, Death of parent, Medical content, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Death, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Child death, Torture, Sexual assault, Confinement, Child abuse, War, Violence, Gore, Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Blood
Minor: Drug use
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
but i want to get into what i didn't enjoy first, to get it out of the way.
the book was really slow, bordering on boring, especially around the middle part. it felt like i was stuck at fifty percent for an eternity. i never once thought about dnf'ing it, because it was still interesting to read, but the longevity of it just put me off.
i also think you could just really feel that this was a young adult book. the romance was quite romantic, but somtimes so cheesy with the characters always calling each other by their names and saying 'romantic' lines that one could as well find on a teenager's instagram page.
now don't get me wrong, the romance wasn't bad, not at all! quite the opposite, actually. the ghibli references (esp. sheeta and pazu) were really adorable, but you know. cheesy.
i generally enjoyed the characters though and thought they were rather relatable. their dreams felt very real and i liked the diversity of them. i've never read anything about someone wanting to become an animator until now. their might life also left me feel very giddy and it made me root for them a lot, since they're both just such good (not flawless though, which was nice) people.
another thing i really enjoyed was the occasional banter, and khawf, whose sarcastic and sometimes 'funny' personality i liked.
but the romance and all that wasn't the point of the book.
the point was to educate people on what's happening in syria, because as the author states in the author's note, she noticed that very little people actually know what's going on. i think she did a great job combining awareness and information with great storytelling and a sweet romance.
the things that happened in this book were horrible, frightening, traumatic, because they are. this is not a product of the author's imagination. all the characters in the book are real. this is happening. it's not fiction, and katouh tries to convey exactly that.
i learned a lot through this book - about syria, and syrian culture specifically - and this review cannot capture how much impact this book had on me.
i recommend as long as the lemon trees grow to everyone, but especially to those who
... like me, didn't know a lot about syria,
... and to all of those in any situation who need something, a shimmer of hope, to cling to right now.
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Confinement, Grief, Body horror, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Gore and Vomit