A review by tagrace
Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

dark hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I had high hopes for this book but ultimately found it a bit of a slog. The main character struck me as both a little pretentious and self-centered. By itself that's not a problem -- many teenagers and people of all ages can be both -- but the narrative itself seemed a little blind to this fact too. Attempts to frame events from other people's perspectives seem half-hearted. Everything revolves around Maya and its affect on her: the two love interests, her parents' interior lives, etc. Even a terrorist attack is mostly discussed in terms of its affect on Maya (will she still be able to go to her dream school??) I found it off-putting.
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