Reviews with content warning for Car accident - Hana Khan Carries On

Title: Hana Khan Carries On
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: April 13, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Joyous • Refreshing • Cluttered

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Hana grew up helping at her family's halal restaurant, which is looking to be on its last leg. When it's announced that another halal restaurant will be opening nearby, the closure seems inevitable. With a passion for sharing meaningful stories on the radio, Hana turns to her anonymously-hosted podcast and one longtime listener for advice.

When a hate-motivated attack on their neighbourhood occurs it complicates matters even more. As does Hana's growing attraction for Aydin, owner of the rival restaurant. Now more than ever, Hana will need to use her voice.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I went into Hana Khan Carries On with quite high expectations after reading this author's debut, Ayesha At Last. This one is a modern retelling of you've got You've Got Mail, and I didn't enjoy it as much.

It must be said that Uzma Jalaluddin writes family dynamics so incredibly well. I thought this part of the book was one of the best. The vibrant characters brought the joy and life to the plot, as did the the irresistible banter. I also appreciated all of the delicious references to good, and of course the shout out to Kawartha Diary ice cream (I could easily go for some Black Raspberry Thunder right about now) was a nice little bonus. Their ice cream is so good!

I also think the exploration of micro aggressions and Islamophobia was a strength of this book. It was so hard and sad to read, but is the reality of what people go through on a daily basis while simply trying to live their lives.

While I enjoyed each of the storylines, unfortunately, this one tried to do too much. The competing storylines made it difficult for me to become fully invested. And I think the author would have been better off sticking to one storyline or the other. While I liked the idea of competing restaurants/ enemies-to-lover, the romance aspect just didn't seem like it fit.

At the end of the day, Hana Khan Carries On tackles serious topics, yet it's done in way as to still make the narrative light and fast-paced. It was an enjoyable read, it just didn't live up to my expectations.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of You've Got Mail
• readers looking for a diverse rom-com

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Books are like people, you have to give them room to breathe."

"If the people are changing, that means we're still alive. Only living changes things."

Content Warnings

2freads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

Content Warnings

booksjessreads's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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

4.0

I really enjoyed reading the audiobook and listening along was such a great experience. The character development is really great, and I loved the subplot of Hana's family history.

Content Warnings

emilineopines's review against another edition

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hopeful informative lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed Jalaluddin's debut, Ayesha at Last, but I was seriously impressed by the growth she showed as an author in her sophomore outing. Where Ayesha gave me exactly what I wanted, Hana Khan kept surprising me with its nuanced characters and relationships. I loved the idea of a reimagined You've Got Mail, but while Hana Khan wears its Ephron-inspiration proudly (with some nice little on-the-nose references, especially near its denouement), it updates the story to better reflect the culture of its characters as well as 21st century mores writ large. (Beloved though they may be, 90s rom-coms leave much to be desired in the way it handles gender and just full-on criminal behavior.) While I agree with classifying this novel as a lighthearted rom-com, I was surprised at how deeply the novel digs into tackling Islamaphobia. (To be clear, I thought the topic was appropriate and handled with both great candor and great sensitivity, but in a world where readers have bemoaned the lack of content warnings around Beach Read, which I took to be a frothy delight of a novel, I feel it worthwhile to note that this novel looks hate squarely in the face in many of its various forms, from internet trolling to workplace microaggressions to literal assault.) Nonetheless, this novel reads like a warm cup of chai and a hug from a loved one. I'm excited to read whatever novel comes from Jalaluddin next.

Content Warnings

buttermellow's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

aseel_reads's review against another edition

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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

4.0

this was so freaking cute!! honestly I loved the whole thing except for one small mc/friend interaction at the end, which seemed a little out of place but everything else was great, so many aw and laugh aloud moments

Content Warnings

hannahkiwi's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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