A review by stemtherapy
I Can't Think Straight by Shamim Sarif

4.0

This is a very well written and compelling read. A slightly irreverent look inside two cultures struggling to bridge the gap between the traditional and modern world. The insight provided felt fresh and engaging ... I enjoyed the author's clever sense of humour ... and carefully crafted tension. However, the relationship at the heart of this drama was quickly formed and therefore, I felt it lacked the credibility and staying power to carry it through and I felt that the momentum wane slightly towards the end of the book as a result. The love affair was too instant and too quick to realistically have the deep connection and intensity that is implied. Given Tala's well documented history fickle commitments - it was hard not to feel like this relationship happened way too quickly and would end just as fast and as dramatically as the rest. Perhaps I'm a little jaded ... still, I think that the story would have been strengthened if a bit more time was spent building a deeper connection and developing the chemistry etc. There were also some small editting errors, inexplicable jumps on POV in the middle of the narrative ... but otherwise, a really good book and one that I enjoyed.