Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin

116 reviews

happy2behere's review against another edition

lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I quite enjoyed this book - and going into this, having read Ayesha at last last week, I lowered my halal-radar/ halal-expectations a lot which made this book far more enjoyable. 

It was predictable but sweet, and I really appreciate the emphasis on family and familial values. 

This was a cute read, I did enjoy it! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia

bibliomania_express's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin confronts racism, family secrets, and what it takes to be true to yourself. 

I really liked Hana. She's young and trying to reach her goals while being there for her family. She faces a lot of racism in this book, from microaggressions at her internship to straight up physical violence, hate speech, and harrassment by Islamophobes. It was interesting to see how Jalaluddin shows the different reactions of Hana's family members to these events.

On the romance front, this is a secret penpals, enemies-to-lovers, sweet romance. Aydin is dealing with his own pressures and family secrets, and both he and Hana are trying to find their voices and carve out their places in the world. I liked that a lot of their interactions showed how compatible they were even when they were at cross purposes.

I've read one other book by Jalaluddin, and in both I've really liked how important the family relationships are to the story. I do wish there had been a bit more with Hana's sister, and the friend storyline with Lily and Yusuf felt like a background plot that didn't do much.

Overall, I do recommend this romance. It had lots of fun moments and cute moments. Do take care though - there are on-page acts of racism and Hana's experience as the victim of those attacks.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer, Self harm, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Suicide attempt

zombiezami's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Pregnancy, Outing, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

daniellekat's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.5

This is hard to rate. While I enjoyed the fluffiness and the representation, the plot was meh and there were a lot of eye-roll inducing conveniences. And don’t get me started on the ridiculousness of the whole

long lost mother thing 🙄

I’m notoriously picky on how authors write about Toronto, but this was fair and only a little over done. Honestly, I think I’m probably rating this more generously since I read it on vacation and it certainly fits as a light beach read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia

Moderate: Car accident and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

sarahbythebook's review against another edition

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia

Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicide attempt

mamaofperfectpayton's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book fell flat for me. I love reading books about Muslim experiences, but I didn’t really love this one. I don’t know if there were too many storylines, or that I didn’t love the characters (except Rashid!), or if the Muslim/immigrant/racist tropes were too much. It was a good read, but there were parts I didn’t care for at all. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Islamophobia

mariamj's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

This book was so good!!! I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook once I got started. I would be constantly looking forward to what happens next the more I listened to the story.

Most of the characters are loveable in their own ways Her Aunt Kawkub Khala is a badass! Something I loved because, as a member of the Muslim community, the type of woman she does not bode well. Her cousin Rashid was hilarious! His naivety was charming and made me burst out laughing so many times. Most importantly, I loved Hanan! She was very relatable in so many ways and it was amazing to see how much she grew as a character

10/10! Loved every moment!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime and Islamophobia

Moderate: Death

Minor: Chronic illness

evelikesbooks's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring

• 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death

wanderlust_romance's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

3.75

Expectation: if you want to get ahead, you have to play by “their” rules. Hana Khan wants to catch a break in the competitive (and very white) world of radio. But she also wants to support her family: with a disabled father, overworked mother, pregnant (and on bed rest) sister, and facing the closure of the family restaurant. At the heart of this story is having the courage to tell your own story on your own terms, even in the face of violent threats and Islamophobia. This story takes on the challenge of combating harmful Islamophobic narratives in media (vis a vis a “well intentioned” YT woman who is Hana’s boss) and acts of physical violence against both individuals and communities. Hana makes mistakes, she tries to take on too much, she learns to ask for help, and ultimately to trust in her own moral judgment. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia

Moderate: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Gaslighting

Minor: Violence

iridescentkila's review against another edition

dark funny informative 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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Islamophobia