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greenlivingaudioworm's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Vomit, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
luuley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Antisemitism
sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
hopeful
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
4.25
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,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
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,
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
Graphic: Vomit and Medical content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Antisemitism
taliabasma's review against another edition
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. 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.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Islamophobia and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Antisemitism
tharumi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Death of parent
balibasa's review against another edition
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
violet_primroses's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.75
Note: this review is spoiler free, but the book is not. It has major spoilers for Misfit in Love, Love From A to Z, and The Eid Gift. Also please look into the trigger warnings.
Ok so at first it was kinda disappointing, I was expecting so much and it was giving…
Until it did. I loved seeing the characters grow and learn from their mistakes. I loved seeing them own up for their flaws. They acted like real, messy, people.
I also loved how this was more Islamic fiction than Love From A to Z. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly is mine. I honestly should have taken greater advantage of kindle notes and highlights.
Most of all, I love Bertha Fatima. The cat was my favorite character.
Ok so at first it was kinda disappointing, I was expecting so much and it was giving…
Until it did. I loved seeing the characters grow and learn from their mistakes. I loved seeing them own up for their flaws. They acted like real, messy, people.
I also loved how this was more Islamic fiction than Love From A to Z. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly is mine. I honestly should have taken greater advantage of kindle notes and highlights.
Most of all, I love Bertha Fatima. The cat was my favorite character.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
Minor: Gaslighting and Toxic friendship
antonique_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent