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A review by anagrace18
Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Adiba Jaigirdar
3.0
I went into this book with high expectations, having loved previous works from both of these authors. However, this story didn’t end up completely working for me for a number of reasons. Most notably, many parts of the plot felt forced or underdeveloped. For instance, the funeral that sets the story into action doesn’t really come up again, and the characters barely exhibit any grief about the death of their mentor. Both Tiwa and Said have an aspect of their lives that they explore and deal with throughout the story, with Tiwa grappling with the loss of her brother and Said considering a future in the arts. While compelling in theory, neither of these backstories generate any poignancy and they both feel so dry. Even the plotline with saving the Islamic center felt so one note after a while, ending in a truly unsatisfying resolution. Also, the situation keeping Said and Tiwa apart over the years turned out to be quite bizarre and not something that made sense from any of the involved characters given their personalities. However, I did appreciate the book’s portrayal of the growth that Said and Tiwa exhibited, both with each other and in their relationships with friends and family. The frequent presence of a cat in the story was another bonus. Overall, this story wasn’t as strong as I hoped it would be, but I would still recommend it to YA readers and fans of both authors.