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aseel_reads's review against another edition
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
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Pregnancy
booksandprosecco's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.75
Book Review • Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin • 4.75 stars
~
Thank you HarperCollins Canada for sending me this to read/review.
~
Hana Khan works at her family’s restaurant, is an intern at a radio station, and runs an anonymous podcast. Difficulties ensue when a competing restaurant pops up nearby and her coworkers’ racism becomes less subtle. The one good thing is the guy Hana’s been talking to, even though she doesn’t even know his real name. Then her aunt and cousin visit from India and shake things up even more.
~
The best characters were definitely Kawkab Khala and Rashid! Kawkab Khala is Hana’s aunt and she’s the fiery, loyal, feminist aunt everyone needs in their life. I love the wisdom she gives and the reminder that you never know what someone has been through.
~
Rashid is Hana’s cousin and he’s such a genuine and entertaining person. One of my favourite things about him is the way he challenges the “foreigner” stereotype. Someone treats Rashid like he is “less than” because he’s from India, but Rashid shows he is kind, understanding and smart.
~
Hana was a good character, as was Aydin, but I didn’t love the relationship between them. It was certainly not the only focus of the book though.
~
There are many big themes, but one of my favourites is learning to let go of things even if it’s been in your life a long time. It’s a good reminder that we can make big changes at any time, we just have to be brave enough to do it.
~
This may just be one of my favourite books of the year. Highly recommend!
~
TW/CW: Islamophobia, hate crime, brief mention of attempted suicide.
~
Thank you HarperCollins Canada for sending me this to read/review.
~
Hana Khan works at her family’s restaurant, is an intern at a radio station, and runs an anonymous podcast. Difficulties ensue when a competing restaurant pops up nearby and her coworkers’ racism becomes less subtle. The one good thing is the guy Hana’s been talking to, even though she doesn’t even know his real name. Then her aunt and cousin visit from India and shake things up even more.
~
The best characters were definitely Kawkab Khala and Rashid! Kawkab Khala is Hana’s aunt and she’s the fiery, loyal, feminist aunt everyone needs in their life. I love the wisdom she gives and the reminder that you never know what someone has been through.
~
Rashid is Hana’s cousin and he’s such a genuine and entertaining person. One of my favourite things about him is the way he challenges the “foreigner” stereotype. Someone treats Rashid like he is “less than” because he’s from India, but Rashid shows he is kind, understanding and smart.
~
Hana was a good character, as was Aydin, but I didn’t love the relationship between them. It was certainly not the only focus of the book though.
~
There are many big themes, but one of my favourites is learning to let go of things even if it’s been in your life a long time. It’s a good reminder that we can make big changes at any time, we just have to be brave enough to do it.
~
This may just be one of my favourite books of the year. Highly recommend!
~
TW/CW: Islamophobia, hate crime, brief mention of attempted suicide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide attempt
emfass's review against another edition
I picked this one up because it is the most recent Fated Mates podcast read along, and I will say that I LOVE the Muslim and family and community representation, but I just canNOT bring myself to care about this story right now, it is moving SO slowly. There are also tons of characters to keep track of, and I'm having a bit of difficulty doing so via the audiobook.
I think also because it was on Fated Mates I was expecting it to be more of a romance, but honestly it is way more about Hana and her life than about her budding relationship, so my experience with it is also suffering from unmet expectations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Islamophobia
Moderate: Pregnancy
stonebm's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
sidbookreviews's review against another edition
hopeful
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
4.0
Hana Khan Carries On was everything I was hoping for and more! I love You've Got Mail, and Ayesha at Last, so I knew this would be a great read, but nonetheless, it still surprised me! Family drama, secrets, romance, and of course delicious food, are all combined to make for an amazing book about family, finding your voice and being who you are. I loved Hana as a main character, and her relationships and ponderings were so well done. All the characters have rich and well-fleshed-out conflicts and storylines, which was amazing and made the themes of family, relationships and community stand out. The twists and secrets revealed at the ending totally surprised me as well, and I could not put this book down in the second half. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I especially loved all the characters (my favourites are Hana, Rashid and Kawkab Khala). Also I really, really want to try biryani poutine. Would it be good? I'm skeptical, but I am more than willing to give it a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Car accident
ananko's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infertility, Grief, and Death of parent
fromjuliereads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
**Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an advanced copy of this book**
I really enjoyed this book! This is such a unique, fun, and enticing retelling of You've Got Mail.
I adored the characters. Kawkab Khala is by far the best character in this book - she is such a feminist badass and when we get to hear her whole story, it is such a defining moment in the book! Closely followed by Rashid, who is such a fun character and honestly you just want to know more about him. He continually steals scenes with his witty lines and subtle hints at his parents jobs...! So much fun. I also really liked Aydin and Zulfa, and basically all of Hana's family. Uzma Jalaluddin writes family dynamics to incredibly well. I liked Hana's character, but some of the actions that she took just read far younger than the age she is written as. I struggled a couple of times with her character. BUT the portrayal of amazing woman in this book was so well done and I absolutely loved it.
Also, side note, I LOVED the scenes and conversations with the DJ that Hana had. He was such a great addition to the cast of characters.
This book deals with so many serious topics, but is somehow still a light and fast paced read. It touches on very difficult scenes and experiences but not in an overwhelming way. The microaggressions and the explicit Islamophobia were difficult to read. It's a reminder that people are experiencing these things every single day. I would highly recommend looking to own voices reviewers for speaking on this piece.
I loved the kind of competition and animosity that starts out between Aydin and Hana. It's so well done for how people would react in these situations. However, this is where I struggled with Hana's actions. Kathleen Kelly would NEVER had spread malicious rumours, and it honestly made Hana seem so incredibly childish... I really struggled with her character and decisions that she would immediately decide to go after the other person maliciously instead of trying to help or even speak to her family - specifically her mom. There were so many fantastic scenes between them. And the few twists - I actually didn't see them coming! They were so wonderfully done.
I really loved this novel. I think I still liked Ayesha at Last more - although I loved the little mention and that the Imam was central to this story as well - but Jalaluddin does retellings so well! I cannot wait to see what she delivers next.
I really enjoyed this book! This is such a unique, fun, and enticing retelling of You've Got Mail.
I adored the characters. Kawkab Khala is by far the best character in this book - she is such a feminist badass and when we get to hear her whole story, it is such a defining moment in the book! Closely followed by Rashid, who is such a fun character and honestly you just want to know more about him. He continually steals scenes with his witty lines and subtle hints at his parents jobs...! So much fun. I also really liked Aydin and Zulfa, and basically all of Hana's family. Uzma Jalaluddin writes family dynamics to incredibly well. I liked Hana's character, but some of the actions that she took just read far younger than the age she is written as. I struggled a couple of times with her character. BUT the portrayal of amazing woman in this book was so well done and I absolutely loved it.
Also, side note, I LOVED the scenes and conversations with the DJ that Hana had. He was such a great addition to the cast of characters.
This book deals with so many serious topics, but is somehow still a light and fast paced read. It touches on very difficult scenes and experiences but not in an overwhelming way. The microaggressions and the explicit Islamophobia were difficult to read. It's a reminder that people are experiencing these things every single day. I would highly recommend looking to own voices reviewers for speaking on this piece.
I loved the kind of competition and animosity that starts out between Aydin and Hana. It's so well done for how people would react in these situations. However, this is where I struggled with Hana's actions.
I really loved this novel. I think I still liked Ayesha at Last more - although I loved the little mention and that the Imam was central to this story as well - but Jalaluddin does retellings so well! I cannot wait to see what she delivers next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, and Sexism
forlorn_traveller's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Islamophobia
Minor: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
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