A review by shoni
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Honestly this book was adorable.

The understanding of being a queer brown girl and all the concern and worry is always a key thing. Because it's never about what the family thinks but what society thinks. It's such a burden and sometimes it is an us or them but not always. I think seeing how Nishat's journey was so rotted around her family as well made such an important point because it isn't always just you, it affects everyone, and seeing how it affects others affects you. It's just a giant circle, and not always pleasant.

Also as someone who loves some good mendhi, it made me so excited to see where it came from, and the descriptions of the different design. I do love how you could easily tell who does it. Because every desi person I know never says what they want, they just sit and let the artist decide, and seeing that with her family made it so much better.
 

I have just warm feelings about it. I think I'm just not a big romance reader of itself so I send to be a bit more hesitant but this story hit all the right marks and made me all happy. 
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