Reviews

This was a really cute read but I'm not a huge fan of how the love interest spent 70%+ of the book being a cultural appropriator and monetizing off of appropriating Bengali culture (and then the next 20% just letting her "close" cousin be a cultural appropriator without saying a single thing). This particular storyline was resolved as well as it could have been, I suppose, but either way, it was aggravating to watch Nishat continuously pine for Flavia. I will also add that it felt like China experienced

zero real consequences for her actions. It felt like the book continuously stressed how the school's "zero tolerance" policy is nonexistent, without anything being done to change this?

And for a book centered around a Catholic school, the academic aspect felt a bit like an afterthought sometimes.

In terms of the character development, I felt that Nishat felt like a pretty static character throughout the story, with most of the secondary and tertiary characters experiencing growth around her as a means of developing the plot; not the worst characteristic for a main character to have, but it wasn't my particular cup of tea.

On the other hand, I do think this story really pulled together a tough, yet heartwarming, coming out story in a Bengali family, with strong character relationship development between Nishat and each of the members of her family. This combined with Adiba Jaigirdar's excellent writing style really helped push this book's rating up severely for me, so overall, I have qualms about some of the themes and story choices, but I did have a good time reading.

cabeswaters's review against another edition

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emotional reflective

3.0

booksandhalohalo's review against another edition

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emotional reflective

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

dovesnook's review against another edition

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4.0

Something I can always count on is that YA books by bipoc authors are gonna leave me in shambles with the deeper topics they touch on. This was such a great example of how someone can have a deep love and understanding of their culture, break down stereotypes, and work towards being fully themselves without losing a sense of their heritage.
Full review to come!

- Lesbian Bengali Muslim x Bisexual Afro Brazilian and Irish

ilovenuggets's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

laoise_obrien's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

marisnini's review against another edition

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lighthearted 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

2.75

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