An Emotion of Great Delight
- Downloads：8387
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-28 11:51:05
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Tahereh Mafi
- ISBN：0062972413
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
From bestselling and National Book Award-nominated author Tahereh Mafi comes a stunning novel about love and loneliness， navigating the hyphen of dual identity， and reclaiming your right to joy--even when you're trapped in the amber of sorrow。
It's 2003， several months since the US officially declared war on Iraq， and the American political world has evolved。 Tensions are high， hate crimes are on the rise， FBI agents are infiltrating local mosques， and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever。 Shadi， who wears hijab， keeps her head down。
She's too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots。
Shadi is named for joy， but she's haunted by sorrow。 Her brother is dead， her father is dying， her mother is falling apart， and her best friend has mysteriously dropped out of her life。 And then， of course， there's the small matter of her heart--
It's broken。
Shadi tries to navigate her crumbling world by soldiering through， saying nothing。 She devours her own pain， each day retreating farther and farther inside herself until finally， one day， everything changes。
She explodes。
An Emotion of Great Delight is a searing look into the world of a single Muslim family in the wake of 9/11。 It's about a child of immigrants forging a blurry identity， falling in love， and finding hope--in the midst of a modern war。
It's 2003， several months since the US officially declared war on Iraq， and the American political world has evolved。 Tensions are high， hate crimes are on the rise， FBI agents are infiltrating local mosques， and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever。 Shadi， who wears hijab， keeps her head down。
She's too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots。
Shadi is named for joy， but she's haunted by sorrow。 Her brother is dead， her father is dying， her mother is falling apart， and her best friend has mysteriously dropped out of her life。 And then， of course， there's the small matter of her heart--
It's broken。
Shadi tries to navigate her crumbling world by soldiering through， saying nothing。 She devours her own pain， each day retreating farther and farther inside herself until finally， one day， everything changes。
She explodes。
An Emotion of Great Delight is a searing look into the world of a single Muslim family in the wake of 9/11。 It's about a child of immigrants forging a blurry identity， falling in love， and finding hope--in the midst of a modern war。
Reviews
Amanda Greco
，
Thank you， as always， to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC。There's something that differentiates Tahereh Mafi's writing from everyone else and it's her ability to make her words sound like music， covering the page like lyrics， drawing you in and holding you there。 This was something we could see in the Shatter Me series， but it's something that stands out even more in her realistic fiction。 Her realistic fiction conveys the events that have occurred in her life， albeit it fictionalized; a Thank you， as always， to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC。There's something that differentiates Tahereh Mafi's writing from everyone else and it's her ability to make her words sound like music， covering the page like lyrics， drawing you in and holding you there。 This was something we could see in the Shatter Me series， but it's something that stands out even more in her realistic fiction。 Her realistic fiction conveys the events that have occurred in her life， albeit it fictionalized; and， in every single one she's written， she relays the struggles of being a Muslim woman in a post 9/11 world。 Much of humanity only sees the narrative the media portrays which has been highly negative since 9/11。 We don't often get to hear a first person perspective and let me tell you， it HURTS。But in a good way。 Shadi's story， which Mafi says is more personal than anything she's written before， relays how Shadi experienced one of the greatest moments of her life， despite every single horrible thing she believes she committed and the sadness coming from tragedy within her family。 She's determined to thrive and survive at all costs， no matter how hard some days are and how much her brain tries to tell her it isn't worth it。 An Emotion of Great Delight contains everything you love about a Tahereh Mafi novel and it's fantastic。The reviews mentioning how it wasn't much of anything and didn't give a successful commentary on the life of a Muslim teenager。 And to those reviews， I disagree。 There comes a time when a novel is so personal， so authentic， it feels nearly improbable。 However， it's Mafi being at her most raw and vulnerable and it hurts。 I've fallen in love with Mafi's realistic fiction solely because of how real it is and， as always， how lyrical her writing is。 If you love Mafi， you'll continue to do so through this and appreciate the chance to learn more of the events that fueled her writing。 。。。more
h i n d
，
I NEED this book and I don't think you understand the urgency I NEED this book and I don't think you understand the urgency 。。。more
Elise
，
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review。 This book just did not work for me。 I LOVED Mafi's previous realistic fiction novel， "A Very Large Expanse of Sea，" so I expected to also enjoy this one。 Unfortunately， the two books don't have much in common except the time period and that they're stories about Muslim teens。 "An Emotion of Great Delight" is desperately sad。 The main character Shadi is dealing with a ton of terrible hardships: her fathe I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review。 This book just did not work for me。 I LOVED Mafi's previous realistic fiction novel， "A Very Large Expanse of Sea，" so I expected to also enjoy this one。 Unfortunately， the two books don't have much in common except the time period and that they're stories about Muslim teens。 "An Emotion of Great Delight" is desperately sad。 The main character Shadi is dealing with a ton of terrible hardships: her father is in the hospital， her brother has died， her best friend has stopped speaking to her， her mother is struggling with her mental health， and Shadi has a bad relationship with her older sister。 As the bad things kept piling on， it began to feel cruel， like the author wanted this character to really suffer。 The entire tone of this book is dark。 It's constantly raining so Shadi is always wet and cold， walking around with a rain cloud above her like a terrible metaphor for her life circumstances。 She had almost nothing to look forward to during this story and it just made me sad。 Then there's the structure: this book takes place over 2-3 days （honestly it was a little unclear） but it's filled with flashbacks to the previous year。 Sometimes these flashbacks would be contained within their own chapter， but other times Shadi would just tell the story of something that happened in the past for context of what was happening in the present。 It felt disjointed and was difficult to follow。 This book doesn't have much of a plot。 Almost none of Shadi's problems get resolved。 There is a strange romance happening throughout the story that is extremely unsatisfying。 I had so many questions about Shadi's friendship that fell apart。 We never really find out why and are only left to make assumptions that Shadi's friend is selfish and mean。 I'm so disappointed that I didn't love this book as I loved AVLEOS。 But I don't think I'll recommend this book to many readers。 。。。more
Tilly
，
3。5 StarsTW: Self harm， depression An Emotion of Great Delight is about a 17 year old American and Muslim girl named Shadi。 The book switches between the present day and a year before and looks at the struggles her family are facing in the aftermath of 9/11。The storyline was relatively simple， looking at the problems in Shadi's life and the struggles her family face。 The vast majority of these are problems any family could have and not specific to post 9/11 or a Muslim family in the USA。 in fact 3。5 StarsTW: Self harm， depression An Emotion of Great Delight is about a 17 year old American and Muslim girl named Shadi。 The book switches between the present day and a year before and looks at the struggles her family are facing in the aftermath of 9/11。The storyline was relatively simple， looking at the problems in Shadi's life and the struggles her family face。 The vast majority of these are problems any family could have and not specific to post 9/11 or a Muslim family in the USA。 in fact， very little of this was touched upon at all as there are only a few instances where the post 9/11 issues were shown。 I wish this has been more at the forefront of the story。 I also found the story to be very bitty and not seamless。 I wish longer had been spent on each of the issues。 I was really surprised by the rather abrupt ending as I felt the book had just found its stride and that another 100 pages or so would have been great to continue looking into the issues in Shadi's life and to get a more rounded ending as so much was left unanswered。I enjoyed the characters and felt connected to Shadi even though I can't begin to know what life for an American Muslim post 9/11 was like。 I wanted to get to know her although due to her rather sporadic emotions， this was hard at times。 The side characters all played really great roles and I wish we had had more time with each of them as well。 Tahereh Mafi is an incredible writer and this book highlights her beautiful lyrical writing。 In this case， I feel the storyline really let down the writing and characters。 If this was the first in a series it would make more sense but as a standalone I felt there was a lot missing and with so much left unanswered。 Please note that I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sofi Claros
，
HERE COMES TAHEREH MAFI WITH ANOTHER SAD BOOK AND IM HERE FOR IT
m。
，
Could've easily been a 5-star read had Tahereh not been as stupid as to call the burqa a 'gross tent'， I would've given it even less for that dumbassery but decided to hope the line isn't included in the final version。 Here's to hoping。 Could've easily been a 5-star read had Tahereh not been as stupid as to call the burqa a 'gross tent'， I would've given it even less for that dumbassery but decided to hope the line isn't included in the final version。 Here's to hoping。 。。。more
Jennifer Willoughby
，
The emotional intensity of this book had my chest tight the entire read。 I read this in one day， I could not put it down。 The elegant， ethereal， and emotional writing style made me feel like I was floating along inside the narrator， Shadi， a senior in high school。 Shadi has normal teen problems， but she has so much more to manage。 Her brother died a year ago， she blames her father， but is conflicted when his health takes a serious dive。 her mother is reeling from the loss of her son and her husb The emotional intensity of this book had my chest tight the entire read。 I read this in one day， I could not put it down。 The elegant， ethereal， and emotional writing style made me feel like I was floating along inside the narrator， Shadi， a senior in high school。 Shadi has normal teen problems， but she has so much more to manage。 Her brother died a year ago， she blames her father， but is conflicted when his health takes a serious dive。 her mother is reeling from the loss of her son and her husband's sudden decline， and her sister and best friend hate her。 This is the story of Shadi's spiral into the darkness of pain and sadness。 The gut-wrenching moments that break your heart eventually lead Shadi back to the light。 CW: suicidal ideation， anti-muslim rhetoric/bullying。 。。。more
Cameryn
，
Another masterpiece by Mrs。 Tahereh Mafi。
Carli
，
Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollins for the advance Kindle copy of this book。 All opinions are my own。•⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 for this messy， sad story of identity， mental illness， and family struggle。 In 2003， Muslim American Shadi wears her hijab but keeps her head down。 She has enough to worry about- her brother was killed by a drunk driver， her father is in the hospital following two heart attacks， her mother is mentally ill， and her best friend has cut her out of her life。 One day it all comes to Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollins for the advance Kindle copy of this book。 All opinions are my own。•⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 for this messy， sad story of identity， mental illness， and family struggle。 In 2003， Muslim American Shadi wears her hijab but keeps her head down。 She has enough to worry about- her brother was killed by a drunk driver， her father is in the hospital following two heart attacks， her mother is mentally ill， and her best friend has cut her out of her life。 One day it all comes to a head， leaving Shadi feeling utterly alone。 Readers looking for a beautifully written， crushingly sad story - pick this up。 Recommended for grades 7+。 。。。more
Leah （LeahsLittlePleasures）
，
4。5 ⭐️
kat
，
so this is probably going to make me cry， and i'm totally okay with it。 so this is probably going to make me cry， and i'm totally okay with it。 。。。more
Alice Woodland （alicethroughthebookstore）
，
*This book was sent to me for review by HarperCollins， but all thoughts and opinions are my own。*An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi takes place in 2003， several months since the US officially declared war on Irag， and the American political world has evolved。 Tensions are high， hate crimes are on the rise， FBI agents are infiltrating local mosques， and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever。 Shadi， who wears hijab， keeps her head down。 She's too busy drowning in he *This book was sent to me for review by HarperCollins， but all thoughts and opinions are my own。*An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi takes place in 2003， several months since the US officially declared war on Irag， and the American political world has evolved。 Tensions are high， hate crimes are on the rise， FBI agents are infiltrating local mosques， and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever。 Shadi， who wears hijab， keeps her head down。 She's too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots。 Shadi is named for joy， but she's haunted by sorrow。 Her brother is dead， her father is dying， her mother is falling apart， and her best friend has mysteriously dropped out of her life。 And then， of course， there's the small matter of her heart - it's broken。 Shadi tries to navigate her crumbling world by soldiering through， saying nothing。 She devours her own pain， each day retreating farther and farther inside herself until finally， one day， everything changes。 She explodes。Tahereh Mafi's writing is absolutely beautiful and lyrical。 This book was also absolutely heartbreatking。 It broke my heart reading this book and just recognizing even more the terrible racism that Shadi goes through and all the other hardships in her life。 I hate thinking about how terrible some people are treated because they wear hijab or are different than others。 This book was definitely an emotional roller coaster and it was wrriten in an interesting way too， going between two different time lines， which added something extra to the story。Overall， I gave this book four out of five stars。 I really liked it and now I'm thinking of picking up A Very Large Expanse of Sea next time I do some book shopping。 。。。more
Ally Watkins
，
Wow， this book was heavy。 I knew it was going to be sad but I felt like it had a very different energy from AVLEOS。 I did feel that the narrator had a very authentic voice， but sometimes I felt that she was SO guarded that even we， as the reader， weren’t being given the full view of her emotions。
Jess
，
*ARC provided by the publisher*This is one of my most anticipated reads for this year。 I have read and loved all of Tahereh Mafi’s books and I also really loved A Very Large Expanse of Sea。 I was super hopeful that An Emotion of Great Delight would be similar to AVLEOS。 Unfortunately， that wasn’t the case and I was quite disappointed by it。 I did connect to Shadi in certain parts of the story， but overall it felt pretty disjointed。 The ending was also super abrupt and I felt like there needed to *ARC provided by the publisher*This is one of my most anticipated reads for this year。 I have read and loved all of Tahereh Mafi’s books and I also really loved A Very Large Expanse of Sea。 I was super hopeful that An Emotion of Great Delight would be similar to AVLEOS。 Unfortunately， that wasn’t the case and I was quite disappointed by it。 I did connect to Shadi in certain parts of the story， but overall it felt pretty disjointed。 The ending was also super abrupt and I felt like there needed to be more to the story。 I just don’t feel like I got enough time with these characters。 Maybe the finished copy will be different， as this is an advanced edition。Rating: 2。75* 。。。more
Lisa Welch
，
3。5 stars。 I think that Mafi writes emotions so beautifully， and the emotions of our main character Shadi are palpable。 My heart was breaking for Shadi throughout the novel， and the development of her character was excellent。 Although Shadi's relationship with Ali was well developed， I do wish that Shadi's relationships with Shayda as well as Zahra were developed more。。。。。I just felt like I didn't have as strong of a sense of Zahra and Shayda and what has happened between them。 I also wished tha 3。5 stars。 I think that Mafi writes emotions so beautifully， and the emotions of our main character Shadi are palpable。 My heart was breaking for Shadi throughout the novel， and the development of her character was excellent。 Although Shadi's relationship with Ali was well developed， I do wish that Shadi's relationships with Shayda as well as Zahra were developed more。。。。。I just felt like I didn't have as strong of a sense of Zahra and Shayda and what has happened between them。 I also wished that the ending was a little more fleshed out。 I feel like the book ended suddenly， and there was so much more I wanted to know。 I liked this one， but A Very Large Expanse of the Sea is still my favorite Mafi book！ 。。。more
Amanda Shepard （Between-the-Shelves）
，
3。5/5 starsThanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review！ I loved Tahereh Mafi's last foray into contemporary， and I was super excited for this one。 As expected， it was a very emotional journey with a lot to unpack。Every time I read a book by Mafi， I'm always in awe of her prose。 It feels so poetic， and that shines in this book。 Her prose lends itself to the emotions in this book， bringing them to life。 Shadi is hurting， and you can feel it through the pages of thi 3。5/5 starsThanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review！ I loved Tahereh Mafi's last foray into contemporary， and I was super excited for this one。 As expected， it was a very emotional journey with a lot to unpack。Every time I read a book by Mafi， I'm always in awe of her prose。 It feels so poetic， and that shines in this book。 Her prose lends itself to the emotions in this book， bringing them to life。 Shadi is hurting， and you can feel it through the pages of this book。 She misses her brother， she misses her friends， and she's angry with her father。 An Emotion of Great Delight is such a fitting title for this book， and definitely the strength of the story。This book is also a great study in character。 We learn a lot about Shadi throughout the book， as it flips between before and after her brother's death。 The landscape for Muslim people right after 9/11 is so realistic in this book。 Mafi's books definitely stand out in this regard， as I don't think I can think of any other books that deal specifically with that time period。 You feel Shadi's desire to hide， to blend in。 This is definitely an emotional， character driven book。The only complaint I really have is the ending。 Overall， the book is on the shorter side for YA， and the ending comes kind of abruptly。 At least， it felt abrupt for me。 There's a little resolution in Shadi's situation， but I never really felt like Shadi herself had a resolution。 While I normally don't mind open endings， I just wanted a little more from the ending in this book that was so incredibly emotional。All in all， if you're looking for an emotion driven book with poetic prose， this is the book for you！ Plus， that cover is just gorgeous。 。。。more
Cassidy
，
Arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 Actual rating = 4。5 stars。I will never get over how beautiful Mafi’s writing is。 I’m obsessed with everything she writes， but especially her contemporaries。 A Very Large Expanse of Sea is one of my favourite books of all time， so I was very highly anticipating this this one and it did not disappoint！ So heartbreaking at some moments and so beautiful the next。 My actual rating is a 4。5 star， it lost the half star for me just because Arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 Actual rating = 4。5 stars。I will never get over how beautiful Mafi’s writing is。 I’m obsessed with everything she writes， but especially her contemporaries。 A Very Large Expanse of Sea is one of my favourite books of all time， so I was very highly anticipating this this one and it did not disappoint！ So heartbreaking at some moments and so beautiful the next。 My actual rating is a 4。5 star， it lost the half star for me just because I wanted MORE！ I think this would have been the perfect book if it was 50 pages longer。 。。。more
Nikki Sojkowski
，
**I was given an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。**An Emotion of Great Delight follows Shadi， a high school student who wears hijab， during 2002 and 2003。 The alternating timelines slowly reveal changes in her world， her family， and herself that is an eye-opening must read。 After 9/11 and a drunk driving incident， Shadi's life is turned upside down。 Strangers alienate her from her own American roots， her best friend is abandoning her， and Shadi is withdrawing **I was given an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。**An Emotion of Great Delight follows Shadi， a high school student who wears hijab， during 2002 and 2003。 The alternating timelines slowly reveal changes in her world， her family， and herself that is an eye-opening must read。 After 9/11 and a drunk driving incident， Shadi's life is turned upside down。 Strangers alienate her from her own American roots， her best friend is abandoning her， and Shadi is withdrawing from her family and classes—all culminating in situations and choices that were heart-breaking to read。 While there is no denying that this is an overwhelmingly sad book， the take away is one of healing and growth。 Tahereh Mafi has crafted a beautifully touching realistic fiction piece about finding hope and love through trauma。 。。。more
Beck
，
I’d gladly allow Tahereh Mafi to emotionally wreck me anytime。
Trigger Warning Database
，
Trigger & Content Warnings:RacismIslamophobiaDomestic violence & abuseAttempted suicideSuicidal ideationSelf-harmPanic Disorder & panic attacksDrug use
Grace W
，
（c/p from my review on TheStoryGraph） 2。5 I received an ARC of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review。 While the actual writing in this story is beautiful， maybe the best of Mafi's work， the story is。。。 lackluster。 So many threads left dangling， so much unresolved。 I'm not saying that I don't understand the almost hyper realistic nature of this story necessitates an extremely open ended story， but it just does not work for me。 I don't understand what Noah is doing in this （c/p from my review on TheStoryGraph） 2。5 I received an ARC of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review。 While the actual writing in this story is beautiful， maybe the best of Mafi's work， the story is。。。 lackluster。 So many threads left dangling， so much unresolved。 I'm not saying that I don't understand the almost hyper realistic nature of this story necessitates an extremely open ended story， but it just does not work for me。 I don't understand what Noah is doing in this story at all。 I don't understand why we never get a resolution about pretty much any of the family drama。 The only story that has any sort of wrap up is the romance which is too bad。 But again， the actual writing is stunningly beautiful。 So much so I'm willing to put this up to a three because there were times when I got lost in the words and forgot that nothing was really happening in the storyTW for this book include: Drug use， Self harm （including cutting）， Suicidal （thoughts and attempts）， Islamophobia， Panic attacks/disorders， Xenophobia， and Physical abuse （including spousal abuse） 。。。more
Alexa
，
Very slice of life， very heavy on the feels， very stream of consciousness （or at least that’s how it felt to me）， and it feels like the type of tale only Mafi could tell in this way。
Nicole
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was able to snag an arc。 I highly enjoyed the book。 I thought it was beautifully written （yeah， a bit repetitive， but it made sense given Shadi’s state of mind and the fact that’s it written in first person。 It made Shadi feel more real to me。） I loved Shadi’s conflicting emotions， her desire to repair her friendship， to keep at a distance。 I felt Mafi did a great job with grief for all the characters， particularly in the family。 I do agree with others that the ending was abrupt， but when I th I was able to snag an arc。 I highly enjoyed the book。 I thought it was beautifully written （yeah， a bit repetitive， but it made sense given Shadi’s state of mind and the fact that’s it written in first person。 It made Shadi feel more real to me。） I loved Shadi’s conflicting emotions， her desire to repair her friendship， to keep at a distance。 I felt Mafi did a great job with grief for all the characters， particularly in the family。 I do agree with others that the ending was abrupt， but when I thought about it， it made sense。 It’s a realistic story， and Shadi is young， so her story goes on off the page。 She is still healing， still fighting。 And the book ends in a way that makes you think she and Ali might be a thing。 I didn’t feel like she rejected him in the end。 She is saying “don’t stop loving me” because she hadn’t stopped loving him。 She is reaffirming how she feels。 At least， that’s how it felt to me。 I related to Shadi especially with Zahra。 I am Muslim， and while my best friend growing up was not， we had a similar relationship。 She had moments where she was cruel to me。 Sometimes， she made feel bad because she was jealous of something， or because I dared stand up for myself。 When Shadi decides to let go of her， I felt that deeply。 I was upset when my dad told me I couldn’t be friends with my friend anymore， but I let it go。 And I am so glad I did。 I’m sure she’s a different person now， but I became better without her， I made friends that I would have forever because I moved on。 Criticism: I thought she and Noah would get together， tbh。 I thought they would hang out at mosque and get to know each other， but their friendship was forgotten for a bit， then brought back up， then forgotten again。 It was disappointing。 Same thing with Yumiko。 Mentioned， but not seen。 I wanted to see Shadi heal outside of her family and Ali。I also would have liked to see more of Medhi。 All we got was that he was rebellious， but I wanted to see more of his relationship with his sisters and other people。 Anyway， I did enjoy this a lot， but it could have been fleshed out more。 。。。more
Grace
，
4。5 stars。 I am absolutely blown away by this book。 I typically don't like books that feel too heavy—if it's a contemporary， I prefer for it to be a rom-com。 However， while this was definitely on the heavier side， it had such a strong undertone of hope。 The writing was incredible， as Tahereh's always is。 Pure poetry！ The use of flashbacks was exquisitely done。 Shadi's experience felt so real it was as if my heart was breaking for her on every page。 I had chills through a significant portion of t 4。5 stars。 I am absolutely blown away by this book。 I typically don't like books that feel too heavy—if it's a contemporary， I prefer for it to be a rom-com。 However， while this was definitely on the heavier side， it had such a strong undertone of hope。 The writing was incredible， as Tahereh's always is。 Pure poetry！ The use of flashbacks was exquisitely done。 Shadi's experience felt so real it was as if my heart was breaking for her on every page。 I had chills through a significant portion of the book。 This was unlike anything I've read before and I truly think it was masterfully done。 。。。more
Courtney Lavallee
，
WOW。。。。This book was beautifully done。This book had beautiful writing and a very intense story。 It had me feeling all the feelings and wanting to hug the MC。 I will put some more thoughts in once my emotions aren't so high！Just know that I highly recommend this book， especially if you need to shed a few tears。 WOW。。。。This book was beautifully done。This book had beautiful writing and a very intense story。 It had me feeling all the feelings and wanting to hug the MC。 I will put some more thoughts in once my emotions aren't so high！Just know that I highly recommend this book， especially if you need to shed a few tears。 。。。more
betta。read。books
，
Important content for young adult readers， yes。。。 butway too much “trying to bring romance into a story”， and just missing so much to it！！！！ I sooooo wish there was more。
Megan Tristao
，
Once I started this book， it flew by。 I read it in less than 24 hours。 A great YA novel with a tense romantic storyline。 The romance wasn't the central storyline， but it did remind me how heartrending YA love stories can be。 ;） I definitely want to go back and read Mafi's earlier works now。Thank you to BookSparks and the publisher for a free advance copy of this book。 Once I started this book， it flew by。 I read it in less than 24 hours。 A great YA novel with a tense romantic storyline。 The romance wasn't the central storyline， but it did remind me how heartrending YA love stories can be。 ;） I definitely want to go back and read Mafi's earlier works now。Thank you to BookSparks and the publisher for a free advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Dana Herondale
，
I started this book because it was Ramadan and I figured I could read another book with muslim rep。。。 and I hated it。 I’ve felt weird about Mafi’s muslim （hijabi？？） rep in the past with Nazeera from Shatter Me and how she regarded the hijab as an accessory without actually speaking about the religious significance of it properly。 I was hoping to see her representation the religion better in this book but I was just really disappointed。 The setting of this book is after 9/11 but honestly this boo I started this book because it was Ramadan and I figured I could read another book with muslim rep。。。 and I hated it。 I’ve felt weird about Mafi’s muslim （hijabi？？） rep in the past with Nazeera from Shatter Me and how she regarded the hijab as an accessory without actually speaking about the religious significance of it properly。 I was hoping to see her representation the religion better in this book but I was just really disappointed。 The setting of this book is after 9/11 but honestly this book could just be me living my life in 2021 so there’s nothing “historical” about it。 The conversation that the main character has with Nate about the burqa was just overall really unnecessary。 I still don’t know why it was written like that because the things Shadi said are consistent with what I have heard from islamophobes and those uneducated about the burqa。I feel like this book tried to talk about a lot of important issues。。。 but it didn’t really address any of them。 So many things happened and this book deals with so many important themes but it doesn’t really talk about them well or at all。 As a Muslim American myself， I wanted to see myself and my religion well represented and I just didn’t get that from this book。 。。。more
abby connolly
，
4。5* it was so beautiful and sad but i wish it was longer and we got to know the characters more
Bickering Book Reviews
，