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A review by thebooknerdscorner
Love from Mecca to Medina by S.K. Ali
2.0
A new adult romance in which two lovebirds try to juggle a long-distance relationship until a chance to go on Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca arises and they are forced to deal with their relationship issues.
Adam and Zayneb may be engaged, but that doesn't mean that their relationship is going smoothly. Zayneb is overwhelmed by her studies in law school as well as by all of the shade that her school's media keeps flinging her way. Adam, on the other hand, is in between gigs and is scared that he won't be able to financially support himself, much less be able to support his future wife. The two have a few things in common though: they're both overwhelmed, unwilling to share their struggles with one another, and looking forward to the cozy vacation to England they have planned over Thanksgiving break. The plan goes awry when Adam's father offers to pay for them to go on Umrah instead. Unable to say no to the holiest city in the world and a chance to reconnect with his faith, Adam takes the opportunity despite Zayneb's obvious hesitation. Now, the two are traveling to Mecca and are forced to face their problems face to face or risk losing each other for good.
I am saddened to announce that I did not in fact, enjoy reading this book. The first one was a great balance of social issues, cute romance, and endearing characters. This book for me didn't have any of the charm that the first book did. I still enjoyed learning about Islam, especially the aspects of Umrah and all of the activities that go into a holy pilgrimage. It did feel a little weird eavesdropping on such a sacred experience, but it was also enlightening for me.
There are two things that I truly couldn't get over as I was reading this book. The first one is that ninety-nine percent of the conflicts arose due to the fact that Adam and Zayneb were unwilling to tell each other literally anything. For any relationship to work (not just romantic relations) open communication has to be at the forefront. The fact that these two have been together for over four years and are still unable to talk about basic things was incredibly frustrating to me as a reader. I know that most people struggle with communicating with others which makes this book relatable in that way, but it also made it extremely challenging to read through. I can appreciate how these two work through their issues in the end, but I wish they wouldn't have built up so much strife in the volcano before letting it blow.
The other thing being that this story is sort of narrated from the cat's point of view. This bothered me for several reasons. Firstly, if one hadn't read the short story available through SimonTeen, one would have no idea who Bertha Fatima is. Secondly, I was so distracted about WHY they story was told by the cat to stay one hundred percent focused on what was happening. I still don't think there was a great reason for this weird narrative choice. Thirdly, I love how the first book felt like reading Zayneb and Adam's personal journals. It was so cute how they had used their Marvel and Oddity journals for years and years. What I don't get is why they just completely abandoned them as soon as they "grew up" or found one another (whichever way one wants to look at this). The chapter headers in this one didn't add anything for me, and they felt rather clunky.
Overall, "Love from Mecca to Medina" was quite a disappointment for me. I was saddened that this one didn't click with me after reading the first book and enjoying it, but I still see the merit in reading this book. The lessons it conveys about keeping faith, being brave, and overcoming hardships are all super valid and it's beyond normal to struggle to tell the people you love that you are doing less than okay. However, I often found Zayneb and Adam's plight petty and I couldn't enjoy my time reading this book. Let's just say, due to this addition to Adam and Zayneb's tale, I'm now walking away from this world with very mixed feelings.
Adam and Zayneb may be engaged, but that doesn't mean that their relationship is going smoothly. Zayneb is overwhelmed by her studies in law school as well as by all of the shade that her school's media keeps flinging her way. Adam, on the other hand, is in between gigs and is scared that he won't be able to financially support himself, much less be able to support his future wife. The two have a few things in common though: they're both overwhelmed, unwilling to share their struggles with one another, and looking forward to the cozy vacation to England they have planned over Thanksgiving break. The plan goes awry when Adam's father offers to pay for them to go on Umrah instead. Unable to say no to the holiest city in the world and a chance to reconnect with his faith, Adam takes the opportunity despite Zayneb's obvious hesitation. Now, the two are traveling to Mecca and are forced to face their problems face to face or risk losing each other for good.
I am saddened to announce that I did not in fact, enjoy reading this book. The first one was a great balance of social issues, cute romance, and endearing characters. This book for me didn't have any of the charm that the first book did. I still enjoyed learning about Islam, especially the aspects of Umrah and all of the activities that go into a holy pilgrimage. It did feel a little weird eavesdropping on such a sacred experience, but it was also enlightening for me.
There are two things that I truly couldn't get over as I was reading this book. The first one is that ninety-nine percent of the conflicts arose due to the fact that Adam and Zayneb were unwilling to tell each other literally anything. For any relationship to work (not just romantic relations) open communication has to be at the forefront. The fact that these two have been together for over four years and are still unable to talk about basic things was incredibly frustrating to me as a reader. I know that most people struggle with communicating with others which makes this book relatable in that way, but it also made it extremely challenging to read through. I can appreciate how these two work through their issues in the end, but I wish they wouldn't have built up so much strife in the volcano before letting it blow.
The other thing being that this story is sort of narrated from the cat's point of view. This bothered me for several reasons. Firstly, if one hadn't read the short story available through SimonTeen, one would have no idea who Bertha Fatima is. Secondly, I was so distracted about WHY they story was told by the cat to stay one hundred percent focused on what was happening. I still don't think there was a great reason for this weird narrative choice. Thirdly, I love how the first book felt like reading Zayneb and Adam's personal journals. It was so cute how they had used their Marvel and Oddity journals for years and years. What I don't get is why they just completely abandoned them as soon as they "grew up" or found one another (whichever way one wants to look at this). The chapter headers in this one didn't add anything for me, and they felt rather clunky.
Overall, "Love from Mecca to Medina" was quite a disappointment for me. I was saddened that this one didn't click with me after reading the first book and enjoying it, but I still see the merit in reading this book. The lessons it conveys about keeping faith, being brave, and overcoming hardships are all super valid and it's beyond normal to struggle to tell the people you love that you are doing less than okay. However, I often found Zayneb and Adam's plight petty and I couldn't enjoy my time reading this book. Let's just say, due to this addition to Adam and Zayneb's tale, I'm now walking away from this world with very mixed feelings.