bookishbena's reviews
101 reviews

Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

funny lighthearted fast-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

Temple Folk by Aaliyah Bilal

medium-paced

3.5

Something More by Jackie Khalilieh

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-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? No

4.0

An adorable coming of age story about an autistic Palestinian girl navigating her first year of high school: making new friends, figuring out her love life, and ultimately becoming more comfortable and confident in who she is.  

Between Two Moons by Aisha Abdel Gawad

3.0

A multi-layered, well-depicted look into what it is to be young and Muslim in America. But it’s not in its representation or prose that it fails. It’s incredibly slow paced with threads that were left unfinished. The whole book builds up to the ending, but the payoff is not nearly there, especially as predictable as it is. Ultimately, it’s a book that goes nowhere, and while those are sometimes my favorite kind of books, this book is not one that quite works. 

Northranger by Rey Terciero

emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

A heartwarming, adorable read. The dialogue was a little awkward at times, but enjoyable nonetheless. 

The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon

3.0

My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

emotional hopeful 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? No

4.75

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5