chemwizard22's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
kert_tandog's review against another edition
3.0
I did find this book enjoyable. There's too much tragedy in film and literature about lesbian romance that I rejoice positive narratives such as this. HOWEVER, I also find the writing sappy and corny. Reading Sarah Waters now, Sarif's lackluster style of writing becomes stark. I also wonder about Sarif's political views with regards to Arab politics. I am, by no means, an expert in the area, but I've read a few about the subject - and Sarif's views seem to be misguided given the stuff I've read. Tala's and Hani's views, for example, are portrayed as progressive, when in fact they misrepresent the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Tala seems to have missed reading Talal Asad's On Suicide, which shows when she remarks that suicide bombing is a function of a distorted religious belief, in which people are simply promised paradise in exchange for their lives. She and Hani can also benefit from reading Kundnani's The Muslims Are Coming to understand the politics involving Muslims in Israel, as well as in her own London. I think Kareem makes the most political sense, but he is outright dismissed. Characters in the book reek of privilege they seem to not notice or, otherwise, ignore vehemently. But I have to remind myself that this is not a book about politics. It's a happy chappy romance book with a narrative that satisfied me when I needed something that is exactly what it's about - a romance book.
charlieavocado's review against another edition
5.0
Almost word for word the movie, yet had some different or longer scenes. Both are very good. It was interesting to see the minor differences between book and film, as some worked better than their counterparts. Both are just different enough that I honestly couldn't say I prefer one over the other, but rather I like them equally well.
lilcaracol17's review against another edition
3.5
It wasn’t bad. The roaming POV was confusing at times, and not necessary in a romance I think. It was boring at times, but also had really poignant and interesting moments. We saw these little snippets of the side characters’ lives and thoughts which were these wonderful little moments sometimes, and sometimes kind of superfluous and uninteresting.
jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition
4.0
Read: November 2021
Original Rating: ★★★
Re-Read: October 24, 2022
Rating after re-read: ★★★★
Review after re-reading:
4 stars. Completely disregard my original review. I was being completely biased against this book because of my love of the film which was silly because the film is a very faithful adaptation. Obviously, since Sarif herself directed the film. I do still think that the chemistry of the lead actresses add so much more to the story but I definitely enjoyed and appreciated this book a lot more the second time around. Tala and Leyla’s romance is so swoon worthy. I really like their characters and their journey. This is a really good coming out story with a huge emphasis on the family aspects and a wonderful love story. I’m off to go watch the film now just because.
Original review:
3 stars. I’d rather just watch the film honestly. I love that movie and it is definitely a very faithful adaptation. The book isn’t bad in the slightest but there is something about the writing that left me feeling disconnected from the story. Leyla and Tala are lovely characters and I do really like their relationship and the romance and all of the self discovery but I wasn’t crazy about the writing style. I’d still recommend it and the film though.
Original Rating: ★★★
Re-Read: October 24, 2022
Rating after re-read: ★★★★
Review after re-reading:
4 stars. Completely disregard my original review. I was being completely biased against this book because of my love of the film which was silly because the film is a very faithful adaptation. Obviously, since Sarif herself directed the film. I do still think that the chemistry of the lead actresses add so much more to the story but I definitely enjoyed and appreciated this book a lot more the second time around. Tala and Leyla’s romance is so swoon worthy. I really like their characters and their journey. This is a really good coming out story with a huge emphasis on the family aspects and a wonderful love story. I’m off to go watch the film now just because.
Original review:
3 stars. I’d rather just watch the film honestly. I love that movie and it is definitely a very faithful adaptation. The book isn’t bad in the slightest but there is something about the writing that left me feeling disconnected from the story. Leyla and Tala are lovely characters and I do really like their relationship and the romance and all of the self discovery but I wasn’t crazy about the writing style. I’d still recommend it and the film though.
kytimeforbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I'm generally not a fan of lesbian insta-love plots. (Long ago I overheard someone watching this movie, and the line "I want to be with the person who, ten years from now, makes my heart jump when I hear her key in the door, and that's you." What! That's not very good criteria for a relationship, also you just met this person. Think about your life choices.) However! I really enjoyed the depths to which all the different characters were explored (not just the protagonists), and would appreciate a companion book about Reema or Lamia. It seemed like there was so much more there!
bbreakofdawn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5
angieinbooks's review against another edition
2.0
This book was so problematic for me for so many reasons, mostly to do with the writing.
First, there's a bit of Instalove happening between Tala and Leyla, so much so that I'm supposed to believe that a) they fall in love as quickly as they do and that b) they're each other's soulmates. It's not that I found them unlikeable; it's just that I found them to be boring. So I'm a bit at a loss to understand why they clicked so instantly with the each other. Tala is more problematic than Leyla, but she's supposed to be. But I wasn't invested in them as characters and I was less invested in their love story. I was actually rooting for Leyla and Jennifer at one point.
Second, the points of view changed from paragraph to paragraph and spanned multiple characters and time jumps and geographical locations without warning or a way to signify the change. It wasn't hard to follow, but it was a major distraction.
Third, there's so much potential for interesting discussions: Palestine/Israel, Christianity/Islam, etc, and how those topics effect the LGBTQ elephant in the room. And, yes, those subjects are discussed, but not in any meaningful way. At least I felt they should have featured more.
It just fell flat in virtually every possible way. I read it. I mostly enjoyed it. But I have to ask myself, when I read queer stories, if I like it because it's a love story between two women or if it's because it's actually a good story. If the former, I think that's okay. These stories still need to be told and written and published and read. Hopefully we'll have an abundance of good/bad narratives to choose from in the future. But I'm not there anymore. I want well written stories in traditionally published spaces. I don't want to only find good sapphic stories in fan fiction.
There were a few highlights for me: Yasmin, Leyla's sister provided support and hilarity; Ali and Hani seemed like a standup guys and good friends; Rani, Tala's mother's maid, was my favorite character, but I don't want to spoil why.
First, there's a bit of Instalove happening between Tala and Leyla, so much so that I'm supposed to believe that a) they fall in love as quickly as they do and that b) they're each other's soulmates. It's not that I found them unlikeable; it's just that I found them to be boring. So I'm a bit at a loss to understand why they clicked so instantly with the each other. Tala is more problematic than Leyla, but she's supposed to be. But I wasn't invested in them as characters and I was less invested in their love story. I was actually rooting for Leyla and Jennifer at one point.
Second, the points of view changed from paragraph to paragraph and spanned multiple characters and time jumps and geographical locations without warning or a way to signify the change. It wasn't hard to follow, but it was a major distraction.
Third, there's so much potential for interesting discussions: Palestine/Israel, Christianity/Islam, etc, and how those topics effect the LGBTQ elephant in the room. And, yes, those subjects are discussed, but not in any meaningful way. At least I felt they should have featured more.
It just fell flat in virtually every possible way. I read it. I mostly enjoyed it. But I have to ask myself, when I read queer stories, if I like it because it's a love story between two women or if it's because it's actually a good story. If the former, I think that's okay. These stories still need to be told and written and published and read. Hopefully we'll have an abundance of good/bad narratives to choose from in the future. But I'm not there anymore. I want well written stories in traditionally published spaces. I don't want to only find good sapphic stories in fan fiction.
There were a few highlights for me: Yasmin, Leyla's sister provided support and hilarity; Ali and Hani seemed like a standup guys and good friends; Rani, Tala's mother's maid, was my favorite character, but I don't want to spoil why.
amethyst_hearts_books's review against another edition
2.0
This was a very quick read, but unfortunately it's because I skimmed some parts (mostly Reema's, and some of the Lamia/Kareem bits). I felt like the writing could have been better, and the quick switches from character to character were jarring. There were too many characters, and I didn't really feel like I got to know Tala and Leyla. I think it would have been better if the author had developed the story more. Soon after Tala and Leyla met, for example, they went for lunch, but this was skipped over completely. That would have been a perfect time to showcase their budding feelings, but there was only a paragraph devoted to it. I noticed that the author is a filmmaker, and it did feel to me like she was writing a movie, not a novel.