These Impossible Things: A Novel
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-13 11:22:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Salma El-Wardany
- ISBN：1668615614
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Summary
A razor‑sharp debut novel of three Muslim best friends navigating love， sex， and the contradictions of being a woman of faith in today's world， for readers of Normal People and Queenie。
It’s always been Malak， Kees， and Jenna against the world。 Under the watchful eyes of their parents， and countless aunties and uncles， they have learned how to live their own lives alongside faith， tradition， and expectations。 Staying over at a boyfriend's is disguised as a sleepover with girlfriends， hangovers can easily look like the flu， and tiredness can be blamed on studying， not partying。
Malak has always wanted the whole package: for her partner， family， and faith to coexist happily， and she wants this dream so much she's willing to break her own heart to get it。 Kees is in love with Harry， a white Catholic man who her family can never know about。 When he proposes， she has to decide if her future happiness is worth leaving the life she knows and family she loves。 Jenna is popular and smart but plagued by a sense of loneliness she doesn't know how to shake。 At least these three women always have each other。
But as their university years come to a close， one night changes everything。 When harsh truths are revealed， their lives begin to take different paths。 As they learn to navigate the dreams and disappointments of adulthood alone， nothing seems to be going right。 Malak feels adrift in her new life in Cairo， while Kees's life and family implodes， and Jenna has suddenly decided to settle for a man she doesn't love。
Written with pitch‑perfect precision， and a sharp millennial voice， These Impossible Things is a paean to female friendship， a shared love that is as messy as it is affirming。 Malak， Kees， and Jenna—now on the precipice of true adulthood—must find a way back to each other as they reconcile faith， family， and tradition with their own needs and desires。
It’s always been Malak， Kees， and Jenna against the world。 Under the watchful eyes of their parents， and countless aunties and uncles， they have learned how to live their own lives alongside faith， tradition， and expectations。 Staying over at a boyfriend's is disguised as a sleepover with girlfriends， hangovers can easily look like the flu， and tiredness can be blamed on studying， not partying。
Malak has always wanted the whole package: for her partner， family， and faith to coexist happily， and she wants this dream so much she's willing to break her own heart to get it。 Kees is in love with Harry， a white Catholic man who her family can never know about。 When he proposes， she has to decide if her future happiness is worth leaving the life she knows and family she loves。 Jenna is popular and smart but plagued by a sense of loneliness she doesn't know how to shake。 At least these three women always have each other。
But as their university years come to a close， one night changes everything。 When harsh truths are revealed， their lives begin to take different paths。 As they learn to navigate the dreams and disappointments of adulthood alone， nothing seems to be going right。 Malak feels adrift in her new life in Cairo， while Kees's life and family implodes， and Jenna has suddenly decided to settle for a man she doesn't love。
Written with pitch‑perfect precision， and a sharp millennial voice， These Impossible Things is a paean to female friendship， a shared love that is as messy as it is affirming。 Malak， Kees， and Jenna—now on the precipice of true adulthood—must find a way back to each other as they reconcile faith， family， and tradition with their own needs and desires。
Reviews
Mrs Berihan Donald
，
I couldn’t put this down and I’m now re reading it。 That’s how much I loved it。 Wonderful story with interesting characters （who you’ve never before seen in literature）。 Just loved it。
Cookie
，
This was a gripping story about three young Muslim women who are best friends。 Kees and Malak are dating men even though they are expected to marry Muslim men。 Jenna is going to find the perfect Muslim man to marry eventually， but after she has had some fun playing the field in the dating world。 They each struggle with reconciling their own beliefs and what they are expected to do。The first few chapters of this book read a bit like a new adult book and I didn't like the immature vibes that Kees， This was a gripping story about three young Muslim women who are best friends。 Kees and Malak are dating men even though they are expected to marry Muslim men。 Jenna is going to find the perfect Muslim man to marry eventually， but after she has had some fun playing the field in the dating world。 They each struggle with reconciling their own beliefs and what they are expected to do。The first few chapters of this book read a bit like a new adult book and I didn't like the immature vibes that Kees， Malak， and Jenna were had at the beginning。 As the story progressed， I became more and more engrossed in the story and I found it hard to put down。 They each had a heart breaking journey with common themes in their struggles。 I liked how their stories showed the complexity of their feelings about love， religion， and family。I didn't love how this book ended up panning out but it was still a very good story。 ⚠️: rape， domestic violenceI received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher。 。。。more
Shelli Young
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This is a book about a sisterhood that is needed right now。 We all need a story to remind us just how important a woman’s rights are。 This is a a beautiful emotionally written story about friendship between three young Muslim women Makek， Kees， and Jenna。 This trio have known each other since childhood。 They are helping each other with navigating first loves， breaking rules， and college。 They are inseparable until a big fight causes them to take a different path in life。 This novel truly documen This is a book about a sisterhood that is needed right now。 We all need a story to remind us just how important a woman’s rights are。 This is a a beautiful emotionally written story about friendship between three young Muslim women Makek， Kees， and Jenna。 This trio have known each other since childhood。 They are helping each other with navigating first loves， breaking rules， and college。 They are inseparable until a big fight causes them to take a different path in life。 This novel truly documents the Muslim life。 As a American woman， I had the privilege to date American Muslim man。 I could see how hard it was for the man。 So I can only imagine what life is like for a woman。 This novel provided me a outlook， I was never given since he passed suddenly。 All around amazing book。 。。。more
waverly dickason
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bruh this book was so beautiful。 like it ripped my heart out but put it back mostly-kinda-halfway fixed。 so good。
bibliophoenix
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This is Salma’s debut and it’s well written with a plot that resonated with me， despite it being fiction。 We’re following 3 Muslim best friends who juggle love， life， heartbreak and being in two completely different cultures at once。 This is my life！ In my opinion it isn’t a beach read but it still had lighthearted humour。 Salma covers some sensitive subjects like rape and domestic violence which were very hard for me to read。 However， it’s a brilliant book！ Well done， Salma， for writing These I This is Salma’s debut and it’s well written with a plot that resonated with me， despite it being fiction。 We’re following 3 Muslim best friends who juggle love， life， heartbreak and being in two completely different cultures at once。 This is my life！ In my opinion it isn’t a beach read but it still had lighthearted humour。 Salma covers some sensitive subjects like rape and domestic violence which were very hard for me to read。 However， it’s a brilliant book！ Well done， Salma， for writing These Impossible Things which I’m sure will get some backlash - but then what doesn’t？Love it！ 。。。more
Reads by W
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I am always eager to find stories by Arab writers who are seeking to change the prevailing Western narrative around our culture and religion。 I think Salma was successful in her efforts to challenge many of these wrongly-held assumptions， writing her characters in a way that pushes readers to perhaps reexamine their stereotypes about Islam in general and Muslim women in particular。 For that alone， Bravo。The friendship between Malak， Balqis and Jenna is the heart and soul of the book。 The three g I am always eager to find stories by Arab writers who are seeking to change the prevailing Western narrative around our culture and religion。 I think Salma was successful in her efforts to challenge many of these wrongly-held assumptions， writing her characters in a way that pushes readers to perhaps reexamine their stereotypes about Islam in general and Muslim women in particular。 For that alone， Bravo。The friendship between Malak， Balqis and Jenna is the heart and soul of the book。 The three girls are childhood friends， a bond that was formed in the religious classes they were enrolled in， and that continued unabated throughout university。 After one terrible night， the friendship is severed and each of them goes her own way。 And with the loss of this friendship， the girls simply unravel， losing their sense of self utterly and completely。 While I appreciated the overarching theme and the author’s intention behind writing the book， I felt like there was some nuance missing。 I’m the type of reader to whom details matter， so it irks me when for instance the response to the standard greeting - Assalamualaikum - is wrong， or when athan is misspelled athen。 I’m just a stickler for these things and I know they won’t matter to readers that don’t know the difference， but for those of us that are Muslim or Arab， it does。 As do sudden transformations where the protagonist suddenly sees the light between one chapter and the next in a way that just feels too rapid to be believable。 I also found myself questioning some of the background details。 For instance， the book assumes one community consisting of Pakistanis， Palestinians， Egyptians etc。 This came as a surprise to me because what I’ve seen of immigrant communities in the US and UK isn’t reflective of this。 Typically， people are drawn to others of their nationality of origin （or region） rather than their faith。 So this was an interesting twist and it made me curious to learn more about these integrated communities in the UK。 Do they exist in reality or was this just the world the author wanted to create for this story？ While the book did do a good job in dispelling some of the stereotypes about Muslim women， it sadly did not do the same for Muslim men。 The narrow-minded， jealous， controlling， obsessive， and even violent Arab man was on full display。 Contrast that with the angelic white men （all bar one minor character） and it didn’t sit well with me。 As a whole， the book also got me thinking about how much harder it is for immigrant families to reconcile their faith and culture with their surroundings when they move to the other side of the world。 In fact， it sometimes feels like those that leave their home countries behind become even more militant and fanatic about their culture and faith。 Maybe this is a last ditch effort to hold on to home。 It’s understandable， but it does make assimilation impossible for themselves or their children。 While I’ve always thought this was true， the book depicted this dilemma very well。 Finally， I will end this on a positive note by saying that for me， I really enjoyed Balqis’ story the most。 It felt the most relatable to me and her transformation was the one that made sense in my mind。 I shed a few tears for her towards the end and may I say that her father was probably my favorite character in the whole book。 Who might enjoy this book？ I would say young readers and perhaps those who are unfamiliar with Arabs and Islam。 I can see myself devouring this book as a teenager and talking about it for days on end with all of my friends。 。。。more
April
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Kind an intense read。 3 Muslim women who are girlhood friends go very different paths in their lives。 They are all pressured to marry Muslim men with the threat of banishment from their families if they don’t。 Will they succumb to this immense pressure to give up the love of their lives or their best friends or will they hold fast。 What will they do if the ideal they were promised by their families turns out to be a painful sham？ When their lives are not what they dreamed of， will turning to eac Kind an intense read。 3 Muslim women who are girlhood friends go very different paths in their lives。 They are all pressured to marry Muslim men with the threat of banishment from their families if they don’t。 Will they succumb to this immense pressure to give up the love of their lives or their best friends or will they hold fast。 What will they do if the ideal they were promised by their families turns out to be a painful sham？ When their lives are not what they dreamed of， will turning to each other and their beliefs be enough？+ intimate view of international Muslim families and relationships， wedding customs 。。。more
Tracy
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Lots of serious topics in this book， but honestly this was t what I was expecting at all。
Will Singleton
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9th DNF in a row 😭
ShanKL （ShopCoffeeKids - Instagram）
，
These Impossible Things centers around female friendship and religion。 Malek， Kees and Jenna have spent their formidable years bonding only to see their friendship deteriorate once they leave High School。 We learn of life， love and sacrifices each makes in the name of love and faith。 These Impossible Things gives a snapshot of what it is like growing-up Muslim and the expectations within the culture。 This novel is incredibly raw in its telling of heartbreak， tradition and in the end happiness。 A These Impossible Things centers around female friendship and religion。 Malek， Kees and Jenna have spent their formidable years bonding only to see their friendship deteriorate once they leave High School。 We learn of life， love and sacrifices each makes in the name of love and faith。 These Impossible Things gives a snapshot of what it is like growing-up Muslim and the expectations within the culture。 This novel is incredibly raw in its telling of heartbreak， tradition and in the end happiness。 A book hangover - YEAH that's exactly where this novel has left me！ Thank you Grand Central Publishing for the advance reader copy。 。。。more
Maren’s Reads
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Summary: This is a coming of age story following the lives of three Muslim women， Malak， Kees， and Jenna， as they navigate their way through adulthood， romantic entanglements and familial obligations while staying true to their deeply held faith。 It is a beautiful story of friendship and family， those we are born into， and those we choose。 Thoughts: Somewhere， someone is picking up this book to read it for the first time， and I envy them immensely。 This book was not at all what I was expecting。 Summary: This is a coming of age story following the lives of three Muslim women， Malak， Kees， and Jenna， as they navigate their way through adulthood， romantic entanglements and familial obligations while staying true to their deeply held faith。 It is a beautiful story of friendship and family， those we are born into， and those we choose。 Thoughts: Somewhere， someone is picking up this book to read it for the first time， and I envy them immensely。 This book was not at all what I was expecting。 As soon as I saw Read with Jenna picked it for June， I decided to give it a go。 And two days later， I was incredibly sad to reach the end。 I all but devoured this book and it touched my heart in a way no other book has since reading Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale。 Going in， I had a vague understanding of the Muslim faith and traditions， but seeing it through the eyes of these three women， how they live their lives around and through their faith， I began to understand just how important these long held traditions and cultural/religious rules are。 My heart broke for these three women as they struggled with how to figure out who they are， who they want to be， and who they want to love under the vast familial and societal pressures placed on them。 I often talk about emotional investment being the sign of a well written book。 My investment in the lives and futures of not only the three main characters， but their families and the men they loved， all ran very deep。 Although I have so much more I want to say about this book， I think it is best to go into it without any preconceived notions or ideas。 I will leave it at this - read this book。 And listen to the incredible audio narrated by Shazia Nicholls。 She did an amazing job bringing all of these characters to life and I could listen to her gorgeous accent all day long。 Thank you so much Grand Central Pub for my physical arc in exchange for my honest review。 This is a book I will treasure。 。。。more
Susan
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（Before I get in to my review， please note that I gave it 4 stars。 I liked it a lot！ Don't just read that first sentence an think otherwise。） Is it possible to break up with a book？ I didn't want to DNF it but I really really wanted some of the characters to just up and leave the book。 I didn't like them。 Didn't like what they were doing to other characters and just wanted them gone！ I loved Malak， Kees， and Jenna。 The struggle these three go through made me laugh， cry， want to hug them， etc。 I （Before I get in to my review， please note that I gave it 4 stars。 I liked it a lot！ Don't just read that first sentence an think otherwise。） Is it possible to break up with a book？ I didn't want to DNF it but I really really wanted some of the characters to just up and leave the book。 I didn't like them。 Didn't like what they were doing to other characters and just wanted them gone！ I loved Malak， Kees， and Jenna。 The struggle these three go through made me laugh， cry， want to hug them， etc。 I could feel their despair and internal conflict between wanting to be modern independent women and also adhere to their faith and family obligations。 Isn't this a line we all have to traverse？ Additionally， I loved how the story sometimes transitioned from one place to another with a paragraph that offered a quick one sentence look at several of the characters at a single moment。 It was like a palate cleanser between courses of a meal。 I ate it all up！Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book。 This review is my own opinion。 。。。more
Nicole Caratas
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Thank you to the publisher for sending me a proof of this novel！ TW: sexual assault， abusive relationship， abortion These Impossible Things is an absolutely gorgeous novel。 It tells the story of three young Muslim women， Kees， Malak， and Jenna， navigating life and reconciling their faith with the lives they want to live。 It is full of references to Arab culture and tradition， and incorporates Arabic phrases that adds a richness to the text。 The writing is beautiful and lyrical and has a flow to Thank you to the publisher for sending me a proof of this novel！ TW: sexual assault， abusive relationship， abortion These Impossible Things is an absolutely gorgeous novel。 It tells the story of three young Muslim women， Kees， Malak， and Jenna， navigating life and reconciling their faith with the lives they want to live。 It is full of references to Arab culture and tradition， and incorporates Arabic phrases that adds a richness to the text。 The writing is beautiful and lyrical and has a flow to it that is very unique and makes for an interesting read。 The strength of this novel is in the bonds of female friendship and found family。 Kees's and Malak's stubbornness tears their friend group apart， and for a year and a half they have to figure out what it means to grow up on their own。 But when they need each other the most， they are there for each other。 These characters are so fully formed， so beautifully formed that I wish I could have been in their friend group。 The writing is so compelling that at times it felt like I was sitting right there with them。 They have a sense of humour to them， but there are times where they act so absolutely human that it makes you want to knock some sense into them。 The interiority that El-Wardany adds not only for the main cast but when she slips into the perspectives of other characters as well is skilfully done and adds a layer of complexity。 This is a very emotional book。 There were many chapters that made me cry， and I think I cried for the last 100 or so pages （and am still crying whenever I think about it even a day later）。 But I would 100% recommend it。 。。。more
Marta
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4。5 stars but rounding up to counter a certain other Goodreads user’s ridiculous review。 More to come！
Brenna Hogg • Really Into Reading
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BOOK REVIEWThank you to @grandcentralpub for sending me the ARC and congratulations @salmaeleardany ！ I read These Impossible Things a while back and have waited a bit to review it。 I wanted to let my feelings marinate and to look into some things before I， as a non religious white woman， wrote anything down。So here is what I liked:- I really enjoyed the dynamic between the three friends and how it emphasized the complexities and realities of life long female friendships。 I also enjoyed the cult BOOK REVIEWThank you to @grandcentralpub for sending me the ARC and congratulations @salmaeleardany ！ I read These Impossible Things a while back and have waited a bit to review it。 I wanted to let my feelings marinate and to look into some things before I， as a non religious white woman， wrote anything down。So here is what I liked:- I really enjoyed the dynamic between the three friends and how it emphasized the complexities and realities of life long female friendships。 I also enjoyed the cultural representation and the emphasis on the second generation’s struggle to live up to their immigrant parents expectations。 I really enjoyed the diversity AMONGST the women and their personal decisions within their culture。 I think it is so important to see the spectrum that makes up a religion。Here is what I disliked: - For a book so rich with Muslim culture I didn’t love that the Muslim men were portrayed so negatively and the white men were the heroes… as a white woman， it is not really my place to comment on this， but while reading the book it is something that immediately stuck out。 I then went to see what some of the Own Voice Reviewers to see if my feelings were unjust and think it would be beneficial for others to do so too if they choose to pick this one up。 This one was recently awarded a @readwithjenna pick， so I am sure it will be EVERYWHERE。 I think it is an interesting， honest and insightful read where adult female friendships are concerned， but would suggest seeking our Own Voice reviews and to read it with awareness regarding the representation ofMuslin men and muslin culture。 。。。more
Maya L。
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Excited to read！ While I can't comment on writing style etc yet， I always appreciate books that challenge the monolithic traditional Muslim community that likes to ignore the different lives and practices of different Muslim sects and of the Muslim diaspora - cultural and religious。 There are Muslims who drink alcohol， party， and do things that other Muslims hate！ But guess what - we're all human。 No one is perfect。 And everyone's journey is different。 There is no one way to be Muslim。 Looking f Excited to read！ While I can't comment on writing style etc yet， I always appreciate books that challenge the monolithic traditional Muslim community that likes to ignore the different lives and practices of different Muslim sects and of the Muslim diaspora - cultural and religious。 There are Muslims who drink alcohol， party， and do things that other Muslims hate！ But guess what - we're all human。 No one is perfect。 And everyone's journey is different。 There is no one way to be Muslim。 Looking forward to seeing how El-Wardany portrayed this in this book。 。。。more
Christine
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4。5* Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for sending me an advanced copy of this book and putting it on my radar。 I inhaled this book in two days！ I was blown away at how El-Wardany wrote about these three women， Malak， Kees， and Jenna， as they navigate their friendship， their loves， and their family。 This is usually difficult even in the best of times， but trying to follow their family’s and culture’s/religion’s wishes makes it even more difficult and messy。 I loved the friendship these women 4。5* Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for sending me an advanced copy of this book and putting it on my radar。 I inhaled this book in two days！ I was blown away at how El-Wardany wrote about these three women， Malak， Kees， and Jenna， as they navigate their friendship， their loves， and their family。 This is usually difficult even in the best of times， but trying to follow their family’s and culture’s/religion’s wishes makes it even more difficult and messy。 I loved the friendship these women had until it all goes wrong one night。 And I loved the writing which so clearly depicted the internal struggle each young woman was having。This is an excellent book club choice because there is so much to discuss in this beautifully written debut novel！ 。。。more
jocelyn • flooredbybooks
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Read with Jenna’s just announced bookclub pick for June！ Full review to come， thank you grand central pub for sending an arc my way！
Becca
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The writing is beautiful and I was really engaged with the story and the characters。 Would have been nice if the white guys were not the heroes？ It's not my place to comment on representation but I am curious about what people think。 The writing is beautiful and I was really engaged with the story and the characters。 Would have been nice if the white guys were not the heroes？ It's not my place to comment on representation but I am curious about what people think。 。。。more
Danielle
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Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the #gifted copy of this Read with Jenna pick。The story of three Muslim women learning to navigate life while still maintaining their faith， These Impossible Things manages to explore the universal balancing act many women are confronted with while trying to maintain agency and also hold on to their roots。 El-Wardany is a talented writer and I felt deeply connect to her prose， almost like a friend telling an epic story？ Her ability to accurately paint cl Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the #gifted copy of this Read with Jenna pick。The story of three Muslim women learning to navigate life while still maintaining their faith， These Impossible Things manages to explore the universal balancing act many women are confronted with while trying to maintain agency and also hold on to their roots。 El-Wardany is a talented writer and I felt deeply connect to her prose， almost like a friend telling an epic story？ Her ability to accurately paint close relationships， not only between partners， but friends was uncanny。 It felt like having a fly on the wall of my most intimate conversations。My only qualms （I am aware this is a debut） were the uneven chapter division and the kind of random ways El-Wardany tried to connect everyone together at the end of certain chapters。A clear， new voice， El-Wardany has a fan in me。 。。。more
shhhmommysreading
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These Impossible Things has struck a nerve with a lot of people because of the subject of faith in the book。 The author meant to push boundaries， and if you felt something， congratulations， because that's what was intended！I loved this novel that was full of family drama， tradition， love， loss， grief， and the best female friendships。 It's modern day feminism meets old traditions that is told through the multiple points of view of Bilquis， Malak， and Jenna。 From the first chapter I was interested These Impossible Things has struck a nerve with a lot of people because of the subject of faith in the book。 The author meant to push boundaries， and if you felt something， congratulations， because that's what was intended！I loved this novel that was full of family drama， tradition， love， loss， grief， and the best female friendships。 It's modern day feminism meets old traditions that is told through the multiple points of view of Bilquis， Malak， and Jenna。 From the first chapter I was interested in their stories and I loved reading of them growing together， and apart， and together again。 This was just really fantastic and it's one of my favourite books of the year。If family drama and fierce feminine friendships are something you like to read about， you need to pick this book up！Thank you to Grand Central Publishing & the author for my free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
agata
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These Impossible Things is a beautiful， emotional story of the friendship between three young Muslim women。 Malak， Kees and Jenna have known each other since childhood and have grown up together， helping each other navigate first crushes， broken rules， and college。 They’re inseparable until one fateful day， when a bad fight breaks them apart and sends them on different life paths。 What do these paths look like and will the three of them be able to find their way back to each other， or will growi These Impossible Things is a beautiful， emotional story of the friendship between three young Muslim women。 Malak， Kees and Jenna have known each other since childhood and have grown up together， helping each other navigate first crushes， broken rules， and college。 They’re inseparable until one fateful day， when a bad fight breaks them apart and sends them on different life paths。 What do these paths look like and will the three of them be able to find their way back to each other， or will growing up mean having to leave some people behind？I was instantly charmed by this novel。 Despite not really being a typical beach read， there’s just something about it that reminded me of summer - the hookups， the heartbreak， the parties， and the backdrop of busy streets of Egypt。 But this book is so much more than that - it starts with teenagers， but as the main characters grow， the issues they have to face become more and more complicated。 There are so many difficult themes that this book brings up: micro- and macro-aggressions， faith and religion， trauma， family and parental expectations。 But its most important message is that of love， hope， and the significance of making one’s own decisions。 As someone who comes from a very religious environment I found the characters and some of their struggles with religion relatable， despite the fact that my environment wasn’t Muslim。 It was interesting that the author decided to present the main characters as not adhering to every rule of their faith - something I think may raise eyebrows， but I appreciated having a chance to read a different perspective。 I’m not Muslim so there are parts of this book that I don’t feel qualified to judge， but I felt a bit uneasy with the way that most of the Muslim men in the novel were negative characters， while white men were the knights in shining armor。 Despite that， I absolutely loved reading this book and even though I tried to savor it， I simply couldn’t put it down。TLDR: These Impossible Things is an emotional， moving story about female friendships and the difficult transition into adulthood。 。。。more
Ashley
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When I read the synopsis I was really excited to read this book。 Unfortunately I just didn’t find myself connecting to the main female characters and felt it was slow。 I really struggled reading it and maybe it was also that there were so many swear words。 I don’t mind an occasional word here and there but this was just a lot for me。 Overall this book was just ok。 Thank you NetGalley and grand central publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review！
Shelby McCarty
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El-Wardany weaves together three women’s lives with razor-sharp precision。 She tackles the complexities of friendship， family， grief， and faith so vividly and candidly。 Nuances of wanting and knowing and giving and taking are scattered throughout and it comes together beautifully。 What a spectacular debut。
Colleen Myers
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This book is beautifully written - it deals with some heavy topics， but the prose pulls you in and propels the story forward。 Though the three main characters are all very different， they are united by their faith， their ties to their family and community， and their love for each other。 There are moments that are very hard to read， including scenes depicting domestic and sexual abuse。 There are several male characters who are controlling and abusive， and watching the cycle of abuse repeat itself This book is beautifully written - it deals with some heavy topics， but the prose pulls you in and propels the story forward。 Though the three main characters are all very different， they are united by their faith， their ties to their family and community， and their love for each other。 There are moments that are very hard to read， including scenes depicting domestic and sexual abuse。 There are several male characters who are controlling and abusive， and watching the cycle of abuse repeat itself was challenging at times。 Truthfully， at times the plot made me wonder if I should put the book down， but because the writing was so powerful and because I came to genuinely care for the women at the heart of the story， I stuck with it - and I'm glad I did。Definitely read the trigger warnings before diving into this book because the author doesn't pull any punches， but at no point did anything feel excessive or gratuitous， which I appreciated。 The challenging elements were critical to the plot， and only strengthened my empathy for these characters。 。。。more
BeautyntheBook
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A special thank you to my partners over at @grandcentralpub for this ARC。What a debut 👏 by Salma El-Wardany！ This was my first book of June and was officially announced yesterday as the #readwithjenna June pick 🎉 and this is one you don’t want to miss！Three Muslim college girls。 Friendship， culture， faith， love， and the pressures of being the “good Muslim women” they are expected to be。 This is a treasure of book as we follow what it means to hold on to those relationships that you form when you A special thank you to my partners over at @grandcentralpub for this ARC。What a debut 👏 by Salma El-Wardany！ This was my first book of June and was officially announced yesterday as the #readwithjenna June pick 🎉 and this is one you don’t want to miss！Three Muslim college girls。 Friendship， culture， faith， love， and the pressures of being the “good Muslim women” they are expected to be。 This is a treasure of book as we follow what it means to hold on to those relationships that you form when you’re younger， and how those friendships can be a guiding light。 。。。more
Kayla Boss
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a summer 2022 release that you are definitely going to want to add to your list 🔥🔥🔥4/5 ✨contemporary fictiondebut novela beautiful portrayal of womanhood， friendship， and fearlessly living your truth。 choosing bravery over complacency， even against all the odds。 the prose and the themes are truly stunning“not that she knew anything else。 they never teach you how to leave。 women are taught to stay。 to love unconditionally。”thank you @grandcentralpub for the ARC！ These Impossible Things will be pu a summer 2022 release that you are definitely going to want to add to your list 🔥🔥🔥4/5 ✨contemporary fictiondebut novela beautiful portrayal of womanhood， friendship， and fearlessly living your truth。 choosing bravery over complacency， even against all the odds。 the prose and the themes are truly stunning“not that she knew anything else。 they never teach you how to leave。 women are taught to stay。 to love unconditionally。”thank you @grandcentralpub for the ARC！ These Impossible Things will be published on June 7， 2022。 。。。more
Stefanie Kay
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Switching it up from my usual spicy reads because this one was really intriguing to me。This is a story of complex female friendship that follows three Muslim women—Malak， Kees， and Jenna—living in Britain and navigating their personal lives and desires while juggling the expectations of their family and faith。 The three women come from different backgrounds but they share the common struggle of wanting to lead a life of their own while also respecting their Muslim traditions。 It was a delicate b Switching it up from my usual spicy reads because this one was really intriguing to me。This is a story of complex female friendship that follows three Muslim women—Malak， Kees， and Jenna—living in Britain and navigating their personal lives and desires while juggling the expectations of their family and faith。 The three women come from different backgrounds but they share the common struggle of wanting to lead a life of their own while also respecting their Muslim traditions。 It was a delicate balance between wanting to go out drinking and also making it to mosque on time。 Malak lives by her family’s expectations in an effort to keep them happy， Kees is in love with a white Catholic man， and Jenna wants to test the waters to discover what she wants out of life。But as they each make different choices for themselves， they also cause a rift in their friendship and within their families。 As a result， they drift apart， but ultimately find their way back to each other while also discovering who they each truly are。While I’m not Muslim （let alone religious at all）， I could still relate to the complexities of female friendship， not to mention trying to live up to others’ expectations。 This book deals with a lot of heavy stuff （SA， abortion， domestic violence）， but it was ultimately a very optimistic read with a strong storyline and such well-developed characters。Releases on June 7， 2022！Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Salma El-Wardany for providing me and ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Annarella
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An emotionalli charged， riveting， and thought provoking book。 The story of three Muslim girls， their life and their struggles。It's well written and deals with serious topics like abuse。It's an excellent read， highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine An emotionalli charged， riveting， and thought provoking book。 The story of three Muslim girls， their life and their struggles。It's well written and deals with serious topics like abuse。It's an excellent read， highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Saira
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