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A review by mariettula
Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin
3.0
So...I'm conflicted as to how I should rate this book.
It's a very good portrayal of a modern Muslim South-Asian young adult woman, it really is. Hana is sweet and intelligent and has faith and loves her family. In terms of representation this book is 5 stars. The characters are cool, especially Hana's Machiavellian cousin Rashid. However, I don't feel you get to know all of them well and this is mostly evident with Aydin. You understand his motivations, his feelings, but not particularly in-depth.
It doesn't live up story-wise for me, that's why I am giving 3 stars. It's more of a day-to-day portrayal (which, again, is the highlight of the book) but if you're looking for a love story (and maybe that's my fault, I went in expecting that), you're not getting exactly that. Don't get me wrong, Aydin and Hana do have an ongoing narrative and develop feelings for each other but the focus is so off the romance , it's more on the themes of family/business/future/society/prejudice.
It's a cool book, an enjoyable read and very well written. I can't comment on whether or not the portrayal of Hana's experiences were accurate or not, but it felt genuine and well-told.
It's a very good portrayal of a modern Muslim South-Asian young adult woman, it really is. Hana is sweet and intelligent and has faith and loves her family. In terms of representation this book is 5 stars. The characters are cool, especially Hana's Machiavellian cousin Rashid. However, I don't feel you get to know all of them well and this is mostly evident with Aydin. You understand his motivations, his feelings, but not particularly in-depth.
It doesn't live up story-wise for me, that's why I am giving 3 stars. It's more of a day-to-day portrayal (which, again, is the highlight of the book) but if you're looking for a love story (and maybe that's my fault, I went in expecting that), you're not getting exactly that. Don't get me wrong, Aydin and Hana do have an ongoing narrative and develop feelings for each other but the focus is so off the romance , it's more on the themes of family/business/future/society/prejudice.
It's a cool book, an enjoyable read and very well written. I can't comment on whether or not the portrayal of Hana's experiences were accurate or not, but it felt genuine and well-told.