Reviews with content warning for Islamophobia - Love from Mecca to Medina

since during last ramadan i decided to read love from a to z, i thought it would be a good idea to read its second part this year!

but there's a few reasons why i did not like it as much as the first book and one of them is the pacing of the conflict. it just lasted for like 80% of the book and it could have easily been fixed if they just talked to each other... miscommunication is truly something, lmao. however, i guess i can kind of understand why they couldn't. and that's the point where i get to talk about the subplot, aka one of my favorite things in the book.

although it was sad that a and z didn't get to spend many cute moments together, i think that it is totally normal for couples and marriages to go through times where they are not at the same place, either mentally, physically and spiritually. obviously, both their struggles were equally valid and relatable.
zayneb has been under a lot of stress because of some allegations about her going on at college and bc she doesn't have a place where to live.
adam is struggling to find a job and starts wondering if he should not have dropped out of college. he feels guilty and he know zayneb's family won't accept him if he can't "stand on his two feet".

amidst these different stressful situations adam's dad intervenes and proposes they should both make umrah. adam thinks it's a great idea, a good oportunity to literally pray for a job. but zayneb is not feeling really in the mood for that journey so she basically goes to umrah for adam and not herself.

however this journey helps both of them to realize things about themselves and by the end of their umrah they feel like they have changed and maybe life is smiling at them.

not only it was interesting to read about them, their introspection and realizations but it was really nice to read about the setting. i feel like it's a great book to learn more about the umrah, even if you're muslim. for example, i am a muslim myself but i had no idea of some things such as the distance between safa and marwa or the order of the things you have to do.

going back to some things i did not really like,

Spoiler

one of them was the ending with sarina. okay maybe she was jealous of zayneb or maybe she felt she was better for being nice or whatever. but pairing her up with yasin, the haram police, after she said she wanted a religious guy was not it. i think she definitely deserved better.
then there's the resolution of the miscommunication. i feel like the conflict lasted way too long to fix it in less than one page. i get the adam and zayneb love each other. a lot. but i feel like they should have talked about the situation better and be completely open with each other. im guessing it partly happened off camera but idk, the make up stage just felt super rushed :/

but yeah, despite that, this was cute and realistic and it hit so close to my faith. i truly enjoyed reading it and i recommend it, specially if you're muslim <3

ps: i need to get this out, im sorry, lmao. i excluded it from the main review bc it's not something involving the plot or writing, but the audiobook. i was listening to it while reading, in order to focus better. and the narrators were amazing, of course! now i can't imagine the MCs' voices sounding any other way. i noticed they hired a brown and an asian narrator which is cool. but... i just wish they knew how to speak arabic lmfao.
like im sorry but everytime there was an expression in arabic, specially the girl, struggled to pronounce the words and ngl it kinda hurt to listen, lmao. like, the "labbaik allahuma labbaik" dhikr always makes me tear up. but in this audiobook it was just awful to listen to, im sorry

Content Warnings

taliabasma's review

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emotional 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

4.0

I have a lot to say but basically I saw people comment on the miscommunication trope and was apprehensive but also not annoyed because while it is a cliche I do feel it’s a REAL AND COMMON issue that happened between couples. New, married, etc all couples have bouts of miscommunication and I think it’s the one trope you can scoff at but then you get into it with your partner and realize later it was all just *a form of* miscommunication. Not always but yet still super common so while I don’t love the trope, I don’t hate it as much as some others.

That being said, all their miscommunication was A LOT lol BUT I was okay with it because as someone in a long distant marriage myself I get that there are some things you want to tell someone when you are together physically — not that it’s ever stopped me personally — and they both were dealing with pretty high stress situations.

But I think what really pissed me off was 70% in. The LACK of communication in that one section was honestly just too much for me.

Spoiler

How could you send him away without a single word when you are in a different country/continent? I was also pissed with Serina but that was her not him and Z knew that at the heart of it but she was just so SICK with anger and I personally couldn’t understand the logic of essentially dismissing him.

Dispite my irritation with that section I did read it all the way through because I enjoyed the writing style and I was invested in their relationship. I also think, reading this in Ramadan helped ME as a Muslim with some religious reminders and I love that.

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exorbts's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

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

Content Warnings

ladygetslit's review

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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? Yes

5.0

Reasons I Loved This:

I learned so much about Islam. As an outsider, I had to look up a bunch of different things because this was clearly written for Muslim readers, which is incredible.
Even though the miscommunication storyline was somewhat forced, I am a sucker for these types of stories, and I just love Adam and Zayneb being messy and adorable.
This story treads the line between YA and regular fiction and does it so well.
The interlude written in 3rd person but from the POV of A & Z's cat melted my heart.
Even as a non-Muslim, this book felt so spiritual and made me reflect on the spiritual journey we all take, regardless of what religion we do or don't practice.
Honest discussion about that awkward time in your life when you're still trying to figure out who you're going to be in the wider world as a 20-something was spot on.
Did I mention A & Z are just adorable? Because they are, and I love them.

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xandraj's review

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emotional hopeful slow-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

3.0

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azrah786's review against another edition

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4.5

[This review can also be found on my BLOG]

CW: chronic illness, xenophobia, racism, islamophobia, bullying, vomit, mention of death of parent, grief
--

Love from A to Z securely fixed itself as my favourite YA contemporary story of all time back when I read it in 2019 and there’s always that nervousness when one of your favourite books of all time gets a sequel.. With Sajidah at the wheel however, there was honestly no need to worry because this follow up is going to hold just as special a place in my heart.

If you’ve read the first book or to be honest any of Sajidah’s previous books then you know they’re not purely romance based and the journey that our dear Adam and Zayneb go through in this book is predominantly a spiritual one.

"...the soul of all goodness, of all faith traditions, the answer to all problems in the world: truly want for others, even others you have no connection to, what you want for yourself."

I was so so excited when it was announced that we were getting another story with them and one about Umrah at that! I personally have not yet had the opportunity of going myself, only having experienced it through other people’s stories and other people’s photos. While this was another rendition of the same it was honestly so wonderful to see and share the Umrah experience through Muslim fictional characters. To hear stories from Islamic history that I learnt about in Madressah be recounted to them as they visited the locations that they took place at. To display the beauty of our religion and the meaning behind pilgrimage for us Muslims to those picking up the book who are not as familiar. This book has made me all the more eager to go on this beautiful journey myself Inshallah one day.

However, whilst Umrah is a part of the story it is not the only part. One of the other reasons that I really loved this book was that is it outside the boundaries of YA. Everyone is always advocating for more New Adult books and this is one that follows diverse characters, follows Muslim characters as they come to terms with more adult life experiences like further study, job security, finances and of course young love and long distance relationships all in a Halal and respectful way. As with Love From A to Z there is also a continuation of nuanced commentary on social matters and discrimination in today’s world as well as living with a chronic illness.

I’m closer to Adam and Zayneb in age now than I was previously and just having that representation makes me so happy and Sajidah also gifted us with cameos from characters from her other books which warmed my heart so much.

"...there was value in moving even if it didn't take you anywhere."

My reason for knocking off half a star however, comes down to some of the romance tropes that were present. I’m not the biggest fan of the miscommunication trope not just because it tends to drive your ship apart needlessly but because it can get extremely tedious. The miscommunication or really lack of communication between Adam and Zayneb in this book got a little frustrating but it did allow for the development and introspection that they needed. What irked me to no end though was a certain other trope or should I say character that slid into the story... I was also forewarned about “hanky-panky” (thanks Sakina) and if I ever have to read that phrase again it will be too soon.

That aside the way everything wrapped up by the end was just so wholesome and I’m once again asking you to pick up Sajidah’s books if you haven’t already if you’re looking for good Muslim rep. That author’s note brought tears to my eyes just as much as the ending of the book did.

Thank you Sajidah for giving us more Adam and Zayneb and thank you for your unapologetically Muslim stories! 🥺💙🧡
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars

Content Warnings

aishallnot's review

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challenging emotional 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

4.75

4.75 rounded up

y'all I really love this book and i can say that this is my fave from s.k. ali. The writing in this was beautiful and I think was a step up (for me) from the first book. I liked seeing what adam and zayneb's relationship was like now that they had their nikah. I feel like for the most part, their relationship felt real in terms of miscommunication. I don't really get bothered by miscommunication trope, but I can understand why they acted the way they did towards each other.

Its funny bc in the last book, I related more to zayneb and now I relate to adam on the sequel in terms of being avoidant and sir pressing emotions 😂. Both them don't make smart decisions, but honestly who am I to criticize 😭.

I will say that while I didn't mind the miscommunication at first, it started to drag a bit too long. Also zaynebs personal conflicts were a bit confusing and a lot, so it was hard to keep up. Nevertheless, I'm glad her (and adams) problems were resolved.

I think soon I'll read the misfits series bc some of the characters were in this book. Idk that adam and zayneb were from that series so I think now I have some context going into the books.

Overall, this book really proved how much I really like ali's writing. Books like these make me feel seen as a muslim and long for reading more positive muslim rep in books and media in general.

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