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A review by alongreader
Fatima Tate Takes The Cake by Khadijah VanBrakle
4.0
In one of those mini coincidences I've noticed since I started blogging seriously, this is the second book I've read recently where the protagonist wants to be a baker. The first one was a lovely teen romcom; while this is still a teen read, it's much more serious, touching on religious obligations, family pressure and coercive behaviour in relationships.
Because we know from the blurb that Raheem is a Bad Guy, it's easy to see how he's manipulating Fatima well before she catches on; but it's also really easy to see how clever and smooth he is and how easy it would be to be taken in in that situation. Familial pressure is also a huge contributor to Fatima's problems. As a decandent Westerner, it's hard for me to understand parents trying to exert that much control, but I can understand their reasoning; Raheem is very charming, and their daughter would want for nothing, and I think most parents want that for their children. I think they went about it the wrong way, but their intentions were right. I don't want to spoil anything, but I was happy with the ending!
This is a topic that we need teens to be talking about and reading about and learning to recognise, as far too many still fall for it, and we need books like this leading the charge. A fantastic read.
Because we know from the blurb that Raheem is a Bad Guy, it's easy to see how he's manipulating Fatima well before she catches on; but it's also really easy to see how clever and smooth he is and how easy it would be to be taken in in that situation. Familial pressure is also a huge contributor to Fatima's problems. As a decandent Westerner, it's hard for me to understand parents trying to exert that much control, but I can understand their reasoning; Raheem is very charming, and their daughter would want for nothing, and I think most parents want that for their children. I think they went about it the wrong way, but their intentions were right. I don't want to spoil anything, but I was happy with the ending!
This is a topic that we need teens to be talking about and reading about and learning to recognise, as far too many still fall for it, and we need books like this leading the charge. A fantastic read.