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jme_neutron's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
4.5
zeinebdrr's review
4.0
3.5⭐
Honestly the only reason this book got an almost 4 star rating is because of Danyals renaissance man speech.
I was so close to dnfing this book because I found the first half of the book to be pretty boring
Honestly the only reason this book got an almost 4 star rating is because of Danyals renaissance man speech.
I was so close to dnfing this book because I found the first half of the book to be pretty boring
breannehakey's review
5.0
Danyal Jilani’s new goal in life is to show people that he is more than just a pretty face. Yes, he is a 19 year old senior and yes, he did get held back, but there is more to him than just his pretty looks.
Danyal is not very good at school and everybody knows it. Everyone except Danyal’s teacher, who chose him to be in the Renaissance Man--a school-wide academic championship. Danyal’s long time crush, Kaval offers to help Danyal with his thesis, stating that if he does a good job with the Renaissance Man, maybe he could ask for her hand in marriage. Another unlikely companion comes along in Danyal’s life with a completely opposing view to Kaval’s. As Danyal gets closer and closer to the Renaissance Man competition, he realizes he has a lot of important decisions to make about his future.
I found this book to be a really cute YA novel about finding yourself and love. However, there were also deeper issues intertwined throughout the book such as race, religion, family, history, and so on.
This book constantly made me hungry. Since Danyal is working toward being a chef, there was constant mention of food. Yummy food. I loved the way the dishes were described, almost if I was watching Danyal make them myself.
I did feel a little sorry for Danyal who was constantly getting talked down to throughout the book. Imagine having that many people not have faith in you. Including your mother and father. I am surprised he was so happy.
I can’t personally say anything about the Muslim aspect of the book as I do not know much about the religion. However, I have seen many other reviewers give opinions based on their own knowledge.
Thank you Syed M. Masood Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC and DRC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Danyal is not very good at school and everybody knows it. Everyone except Danyal’s teacher, who chose him to be in the Renaissance Man--a school-wide academic championship. Danyal’s long time crush, Kaval offers to help Danyal with his thesis, stating that if he does a good job with the Renaissance Man, maybe he could ask for her hand in marriage. Another unlikely companion comes along in Danyal’s life with a completely opposing view to Kaval’s. As Danyal gets closer and closer to the Renaissance Man competition, he realizes he has a lot of important decisions to make about his future.
I found this book to be a really cute YA novel about finding yourself and love. However, there were also deeper issues intertwined throughout the book such as race, religion, family, history, and so on.
This book constantly made me hungry. Since Danyal is working toward being a chef, there was constant mention of food. Yummy food. I loved the way the dishes were described, almost if I was watching Danyal make them myself.
I did feel a little sorry for Danyal who was constantly getting talked down to throughout the book. Imagine having that many people not have faith in you. Including your mother and father. I am surprised he was so happy.
I can’t personally say anything about the Muslim aspect of the book as I do not know much about the religion. However, I have seen many other reviewers give opinions based on their own knowledge.
Thank you Syed M. Masood Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC and DRC in exchange for my honest opinion.
kimbongiorno's review
4.0
I liked this book because of Danyal's growth in it.
He's a high school senior who has been relying on his good looks and charm, accepting that people don't give him much credit, see him as the dumb kid in class, and don't expect much from him.
Then he's assigned one of 8 slots in the Renaissance Man competition at school, which requires a lot of research, writing, a presentation in front of the school, and will greatly affect his grade (ie, whether or not he stays back again).
He's assigned a subject that he discovers has a very bad past with his ancestors, despite being someone the assigning teacher appears to deeply respect. So does he skip over the ugly side of that person to get the good grade and graduate, or write--and speak--the truth?
While he goes through this decision process, he also has other issues to untangle on top of this particularly difficult schoolwork assignment, including the messiness coming up between his two best friends who are drifting apart; what to do about the girl he wants to be with vs the girl he just met who could really use a friend right now; and how his love and gift point him to a career as a chef, but his parents (and those of his potential romantic matches) disagree.
The book was funny and moving and interesting for me, but what I liked most was watching his growth as he works through the process of deciding what to do about each of the issues he's facing.
He's a high school senior who has been relying on his good looks and charm, accepting that people don't give him much credit, see him as the dumb kid in class, and don't expect much from him.
Then he's assigned one of 8 slots in the Renaissance Man competition at school, which requires a lot of research, writing, a presentation in front of the school, and will greatly affect his grade (ie, whether or not he stays back again).
He's assigned a subject that he discovers has a very bad past with his ancestors, despite being someone the assigning teacher appears to deeply respect. So does he skip over the ugly side of that person to get the good grade and graduate, or write--and speak--the truth?
While he goes through this decision process, he also has other issues to untangle on top of this particularly difficult schoolwork assignment, including the messiness coming up between his two best friends who are drifting apart; what to do about the girl he wants to be with vs the girl he just met who could really use a friend right now; and how his love and gift point him to a career as a chef, but his parents (and those of his potential romantic matches) disagree.
The book was funny and moving and interesting for me, but what I liked most was watching his growth as he works through the process of deciding what to do about each of the issues he's facing.
fi_johnston's review
5.0
Love to read a book where I can completely fall for both main characters, chat with them in my head about the bengal famine and colonialism, AND finish the book feeling hungry from all the food discussed. Come for the extremely charming romance, stay for everything else.
melbsreads's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content warnings: slut shaming, Islamophobia, colonialism, shitty teaching practices, shaming of non-academic career paths??? IDK how else to word that.
This is an odd story, in that it doesn't entirely feel like YA - it's dealing extensively with parental pressure to get married and with arranged marriages specifically - but it also VERY much feels like YA.
So there were a lot of elements of this that I enjoyed - the internal debate of "do I humanise a monster because my history teacher loves him or do I tell the truth?", the way that Danyal just...accepts things about Bisma that others have shamed her for, that he's so determined to pursue a career outside of academics. But there were also elements that just...didn't quite feel like they belonged in the story that was being told.
So ultimately, this was FINE but not what I expected it would be.
This is an odd story, in that it doesn't entirely feel like YA - it's dealing extensively with parental pressure to get married and with arranged marriages specifically - but it also VERY much feels like YA.
So there were a lot of elements of this that I enjoyed - the internal debate of "do I humanise a monster because my history teacher loves him or do I tell the truth?", the way that Danyal just...accepts things about Bisma that others have shamed her for, that he's so determined to pursue a career outside of academics. But there were also elements that just...didn't quite feel like they belonged in the story that was being told.
So ultimately, this was FINE but not what I expected it would be.
lavendermarch's review
5.0
This is quite possibly the best contemporary YA book I've read this year. Part coming of age, part romance, it immediately swept me up into the story of Danyal, the handsome, culinarily talented, earnest protagonist, and didn't let me go. This book will stay with me for a long time, for both the fabulous protagonist and the powerful story.
Danyal's narrative voice felt very clear, poignant, and intensely lovable. In a lot of ways, he's just a young adult trying to find his way in the world, navigating societal, parental, and cultural expectations along with his own hopes and dreams. I was immediately charmed by him, but grew to truly love him by the end of the book. He felt very real, as if he could walk off the page, smile at me, and start cooking up something delicious. (I was very hungry the entire time I read this. Bring snacks, and get ready to order biryani if your culinary skills are - like mine - woefully lacking no matter the cuisine.)
I also adored Bisma, and also enjoyed reading about Danyal's two best friends and their personal journeys. Watching all three of their struggles with sadness, despair, anger, and other emotions made it all the sweeter when they began to move in more positive, healthy directions by the end. I was particularly happy for Bisma.
I think that the title captures the spirit of the book quite well, although I have to say: I expected the book to be a light rom-com with coming of age elements. Instead, it was a coming of age story with romantic elements which often touched on darker topics and emotions (although this was excellently balanced thanks to Danyal's amusing, charming narration and the overall smooth, easy to read writing.)
Overall, I'm incredibly glad that I picked this book from my stack of library reads for the summer. It was powerful, charming, and felt like both a punch to the gut and a warm hug. I adored Danyal, the protagonist, and felt proud and honored to watch him grow and change the world around him. I will absolutely be on the lookout for other books by Masood. 5 stars.
Danyal's narrative voice felt very clear, poignant, and intensely lovable. In a lot of ways, he's just a young adult trying to find his way in the world, navigating societal, parental, and cultural expectations along with his own hopes and dreams. I was immediately charmed by him, but grew to truly love him by the end of the book. He felt very real, as if he could walk off the page, smile at me, and start cooking up something delicious. (I was very hungry the entire time I read this. Bring snacks, and get ready to order biryani if your culinary skills are - like mine - woefully lacking no matter the cuisine.)
I also adored Bisma, and also enjoyed reading about Danyal's two best friends and their personal journeys. Watching all three of their struggles with sadness, despair, anger, and other emotions made it all the sweeter when they began to move in more positive, healthy directions by the end. I was particularly happy for Bisma.
I think that the title captures the spirit of the book quite well, although I have to say: I expected the book to be a light rom-com with coming of age elements. Instead, it was a coming of age story with romantic elements which often touched on darker topics and emotions (although this was excellently balanced thanks to Danyal's amusing, charming narration and the overall smooth, easy to read writing.)
Overall, I'm incredibly glad that I picked this book from my stack of library reads for the summer. It was powerful, charming, and felt like both a punch to the gut and a warm hug. I adored Danyal, the protagonist, and felt proud and honored to watch him grow and change the world around him. I will absolutely be on the lookout for other books by Masood. 5 stars.
arayofreading's review
3.0
*3 Stars*
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this e-arc for review!
I have had such a hard time rating this. I noticed many flaws while reading but I won't lie and say I didn't enjoy it. I think it came down to I loved many of the ideas that the author was going for but wasn't completely sold on the execution.
A big portion of this novel deals with Danyal learning about the dark side of Winston Churchill's history (namely the Bengal Famine) and deciding whether he should paint Churchill in a positive light and appease his history teacher, or discuss the truth and risk his grade and thus upset his family. I thought this was a really interesting conflict and I loved how it related to what was going on in Danyal's personal life.
The romance in this book is so sweet, albeit it does a back seat to the other conflicts going on. I didn't mind this, and I liked how slow and subtle it developed. Bisma and Danyal were so supportive of each other and brought out the best in the other. I also liked how Danyal's long-time crush, Kaval, who is very pretty and comes from a rich family, fit into the story. I love when books deconstruct the fantasies and idealizations that come with infatuation, and I thought the story had a really good message about how compromises can only go so far until a relationship becomes toxic.
I also surprisingly liked the messiness of Danyal's friend group and the struggle that comes with trying to maintain friendships when people have grown and changed. It was very realistic but not discouraging, which I appreciated.
The flaws I have with the book mainly stem from the writing style, which I thought was pretty hit or miss. It was funny a lot of times and there were definitely scenes where I found myself smiling. However, sometimes things that were supposed to be jovial just came across as weirdly cruel, and some of the explanations for Islamic/cultural practices were trying to be funny but just didn't land for me. Perhaps this is a me problem but the dialogue also often lacked notes on intonation which made what could have been fun encounters monotonous or awkward.
I was annoyed at some of the seemingly random philosophical moments we would get from side characters that we barely knew, like the head chef of the restaurant Danyal works at. Even some moments between the main characters felt out of place, and those took me out of the story.
For the most part I liked Danyal's characterization but sometimes I think the author went a little heavy-handed with trying to show how not smart he was. I was under the impression that he was just not book smart but could excel at things he was passionate about like cooking, but he wouldn't know common words or phrases like "progress" or "break a leg" which felt a little inconsistent. (I also didn't like how many times people called him stupid in one way or another, it felt so unnecessarily cruel at times).
I was a little annoyed with the characterization of Sohrab, Danyal's friend, because it fell into this stereotype of practicing Muslims not being able to have fun and judging others. For example, at one point he questions why anyone would read for fun instead reading to learn and educate, but I mean,
you can choose to read religious texts in your free time but still understand why some people don't? The story does actually give him a little more depth later on into understanding why he acts the way he does, but it was still a little upsetting to see this stereotype.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this e-arc for review!
I have had such a hard time rating this. I noticed many flaws while reading but I won't lie and say I didn't enjoy it. I think it came down to I loved many of the ideas that the author was going for but wasn't completely sold on the execution.
A big portion of this novel deals with Danyal learning about the dark side of Winston Churchill's history (namely the Bengal Famine) and deciding whether he should paint Churchill in a positive light and appease his history teacher, or discuss the truth and risk his grade and thus upset his family. I thought this was a really interesting conflict and I loved how it related to what was going on in Danyal's personal life.
The romance in this book is so sweet, albeit it does a back seat to the other conflicts going on. I didn't mind this, and I liked how slow and subtle it developed. Bisma and Danyal were so supportive of each other and brought out the best in the other. I also liked how Danyal's long-time crush, Kaval, who is very pretty and comes from a rich family, fit into the story. I love when books deconstruct the fantasies and idealizations that come with infatuation, and I thought the story had a really good message about how compromises can only go so far until a relationship becomes toxic.
I also surprisingly liked the messiness of Danyal's friend group and the struggle that comes with trying to maintain friendships when people have grown and changed. It was very realistic but not discouraging, which I appreciated.
The flaws I have with the book mainly stem from the writing style, which I thought was pretty hit or miss. It was funny a lot of times and there were definitely scenes where I found myself smiling. However, sometimes things that were supposed to be jovial just came across as weirdly cruel, and some of the explanations for Islamic/cultural practices were trying to be funny but just didn't land for me. Perhaps this is a me problem but the dialogue also often lacked notes on intonation which made what could have been fun encounters monotonous or awkward.
I was annoyed at some of the seemingly random philosophical moments we would get from side characters that we barely knew, like the head chef of the restaurant Danyal works at. Even some moments between the main characters felt out of place, and those took me out of the story.
For the most part I liked Danyal's characterization but sometimes I think the author went a little heavy-handed with trying to show how not smart he was. I was under the impression that he was just not book smart but could excel at things he was passionate about like cooking, but he wouldn't know common words or phrases like "progress" or "break a leg" which felt a little inconsistent. (I also didn't like how many times people called him stupid in one way or another, it felt so unnecessarily cruel at times).
I was a little annoyed with the characterization of Sohrab, Danyal's friend, because it fell into this stereotype of practicing Muslims not being able to have fun and judging others. For example, at one point he questions why anyone would read for fun instead reading to learn and educate, but I mean,
you can choose to read religious texts in your free time but still understand why some people don't? The story does actually give him a little more depth later on into understanding why he acts the way he does, but it was still a little upsetting to see this stereotype.
allison_sirovy's review
5.0
Read this book. Just. Read. It. (Yep, I read it in a day. Phenomenal.) #youngadult #8thgradeandup