Hana Khan Carries On is part epistolary, part coming of age story, and all heart. Hana, aka AnaBGR, an aspiring broadcast producer, podcaster, and storyteller, is struggling on several fronts. There’s the difficulty in breaking into broadcast in general, there’s her racist boss who presumes to be #woke, her family’s struggling restaurant, plus her sister’s risky pregnancy. What she definitely did NOT need on this list was Mr. Silver Shades to come sauntering in with … Continue reading Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin →
I was initially skeptical of the newest installment in Rai’s Modern Love series. The main character, Jia, is a social media influencer who creates videos about make-up. I tend to avoid novels about models, and wasn’t sure that I was millennial enough to appreciate this romance. But First Comes Like might be my perfect pandemic read. It has a more lighthearted, fluffier tone than Girl Gone Viral, with a heroine whose thirstiness made me smile, … Continue reading First Comes Like by Alisha Rai →
Now THIS is how it’s done! Ayesha At Last is a lovely loose retelling of Pride and Prejudice, with a perfect mix of humor, heartbreak, misunderstandings, and humor. It’s a contemporary set in Canada and the characters are described with empathy and with plenty of surprises. Upon somber reflection it has some flaws, but the reason the flaws are so glaring is that most of the book is so perfect. The Darcy of the book is … Continue reading Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin →
This book was pitched to me as “Muslim Nancy Drew” and I couldn’t move my fingers fast enough to add it to the TBR-I (To Be Read IMMEDIATELY) list. While the mystery elements sometimes make abrupt turns and some of the secondary characters are a little awkwardly obvious, the core characters of Asiya Haque, her best friend, and her family are just delightful. Asiya Haque is a Muslim high school senior in Canada who is very … Continue reading God Smites and Other Muslim Girl Problems by Ishara Deen →
I totally enjoyed Sofia Khan is Not Obliged. It’s a little bit Bridget Jones (given that it has a tribute to Pride and Prejudice and a journal format and opens with some resolutions) and a little bit My Big Fat Greek Wedding (several weddings take place during the course of the story and they all involve huge immigrant families) but mostly it has its own unique charm. Sofia Khan is told as a series of … Continue reading Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik →
