A review by ashleyholstrom
The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

5.0

Rukhsana and Ariana have been dating for a while now, and things are great. Except for when they’re in public and have to pretend they’re not a couple. Anyone could see them—more particularly, anyone in Rukhsana’s mother’s circle could see and spread the word to the Bengali community. It’s difficult for Ariana to understand, and even more difficult for Rukhsana to explain. But then Rukhsana’s mom catches them making out, calls them horrible names, kicks Ariana out of her house, and swiftly comes up with a plan to whisk Rukhsana off to Bangladesh to find a nice boy to marry. Once there, she bonds with her grandmother, who shares her diary with her, giving her the perspective she needs to be true to herself and get through this awful season.

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali is incredible and I had every feeling imaginable while reading it. Trigger warnings (that I wish I’d had before reading): extreme homophobia, islamophobia, domestic violence, sexual assault.

From The Best Books We Read January–March 2019 at Book Riot.