I loved this book from the very beginning; I loved Nishat, I loved Priti, I loved their sisterly bond, I loved that this book started off with a wedding, I loved that Nishat knew Flávia from before and that she was maybe her first crush, I really loved how from the very first chapters the author really managed to lay down so much in such a short amount of time. Writing for NPR, Caitlyn Paxon recommended the book specifically to "teens who are navigating their own tightrope of identities and assure them that it's okay to be messy." [11] Molly Saunders from School Library Journal echoed the sentiment, writing that the book was"[d]eeply satisfying" and "[h]ighly recommended for fans of school stories that celebrate intersectional experiences." [16] Eid al-Adha is the commemoration of the Quranic tale of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God.

This was really, really nice and I adored this book so much. It’s always good to be reading some YA, especially YA contemporary as I do tend to spend a lot of time reading fantasy, and more often than not adult fantasy, which can often be dense, slow and complex. This was just a really easy read and I flew right through it and that was great. The writing was sort of simple(which can be good or bad depending on your taste), which made it easy to read and I suppose it just doesn’t require that much thought and I can be entirely engaged in this book. Adiba Jaigirdar is a Bangladeshi-Irish writer. Her debut novel, The Henna Wars, is listed as one of Time magazine's 100 Best YA Books of All Time, alongside novels such as Little Women, Lord of the Flies, and The Catcher in the Rye. [1] Personal life [ edit ]Please note: This book has content warnings for racism, homophobia, bullying, a character being outed. There’s a full list of warnings in the front of the book. Priti was another character that stood out to me. She is Nishat's supportive sister and ohh to have her as my sister and sell the one currently sleeping on the couch to circus bears. NGILBERT (14 January 2021). "2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) . Retrieved 30 January 2022. Clarendon, Dan (9 June 2020). "20 LGBTQ+ Books for Teens Coming Out in 2020". Teen Vogue . Retrieved 30 January 2022. This story contains scenes of bullying and blatant racism. There is also a very painful scene with someone being outed and these scenarios can be triggers for some readers. The Conclusion

So many unlikeable characters. Wish there were some good adult characters around. Adult characters without a proper role other than being strict and ashamed made the story less and less appealing or realistic. Not every adult in our lives are the same and alike. This book had so many different important conversations in it, such as: Bullying, cultural appropriation, homophobia, and racism. These are such important topics to be discussed especially in a young adult novel and I absolutely loved that aspect of the book. The characters were so well written too and felt fully developed to me and even their dialogue was so accurate to a 16 year old. It really made them feel like such real characters for me. I also love how although this book can be seen as just a competition between rival businesses, it actually is more about Nishat’s journey to loving herself and being happy with everything that makes her who she is. It was such a beautiful growth story and the contrast between the start of the book and the ending was just amazing to read. Definitely brought some tears to my eyes and I just loved it so much. Would highly recommend, such a beautiful book. This book is also set in Ireland, so I absolutely loved understanding all of the locations and references.Nishat’s parents migrated to Ireland from Bangladesh so they could give their children better opportunities but the whole family is very fond of their culture. Their love for it clearly shows through the book and it was so nice to watch. sapphic representation How can you feel fully loved and accepted when there’s a part of you that’s different and unwanted in both your homes? How can you feel whole when the separate parts of your identity are supposed to somehow cancel each other out? How can you be Bengali, and lesbian, and Muslim, and not feel like all those things are tearing at you? These are the questions Nishat has to find the answers to, and exactly why ownvoices stories are needed—I’m not sure a queer author or author of color may have captured the nuances of the QPOC experience as well as this. Will Nishat keep her sexuality a secret for her family’s sake or will she be brave enough to take a chance on love and open her heart to Flávia? The Characters