A review by katieav
Salaam, with Love by Sara Sharaf Beg

funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick read and even having a decent knowledge of Islam and Ramadan I felt like the writing allowed such a personal account of how special the practices are.

 There were two aspects of the book I did not love, with the first being everyone’s perception of Dua at the beginning of the story. Now this may be a tad biased because I absolutely adored Dua, but it frustrated me that Mahnoor was so cold to her, my understanding was that Mahnoor was in her early 20s and I would have never treated my cousin a few years younger than me like that. I also felt her uncle was judgmental when she seemed to be a great young woman, even if not perfect. The second thing I was disappointed in was the romance aspect. While I loved how it began, the ending for
both Mahnoor and Dua seemed rushed. One of Mahnoor’s concerns was that she wasn’t sure if he cared for her prior to the proposal and it appeared that Dua was going through the same thing by the end. While it may be part of her culture, I just wished the time jump was a little further out since during the conversation with her mother they were not hoping to have her engaged so young. I loved at first when he said he wanted his parents to share his intentions with hers, but wish it had ended there.


Overall it was a quick and enjoyable read and I’m so grateful to have read it-especially during Ramadan. 
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