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bookedbyfantasyandcoffee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
3.0
sabse's review against another edition
3.0
Was interesting to hear more of the details behind both Adnan's thoughts, as well as some of strife between his family and Sarah, but there was a lot of background info that seemed somewhat unnecessary to the main story. Definitely contributed to what I think happened though!
midnightrose1212's review against another edition
4.0
This book was incredibly gripping and well written. It is of course biased towards Adnans innocence as it is written by Rabia, a family friend, but they do have some compelling evidence to back up their side. Written by a lawyer meant it isn't just wanting to help a friend, there is actual evidence and research to support the views in the book. That being said, it could have meant it was a little dry, but it was great.
If you have listened to serial, but want more about this case then this is an amazing book to do so.
I also recommend the audio book version, Rabia's voice is very easy to listen to and is gripping. I have read this book more than once.
If you have listened to serial, but want more about this case then this is an amazing book to do so.
I also recommend the audio book version, Rabia's voice is very easy to listen to and is gripping. I have read this book more than once.
evarano's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this was great! Really well done, well written. My only experience with this story is through Serial, which I thought was great, I was completely hooked. This is so much more in depth, I couldn’t believe the details they uncovered. I think my only complaint would be we don’t get to find out what happened in the end-because it’s still ongoing, which is mind blowing. This really opened my eyes to a lot of injustices that occurred surrounding this case and it was very interesting and sad. I really recommend this!
As I didn’t have a fav book of this year, this is one of my Top 10 of 2023! ⭐️
As I didn’t have a fav book of this year, this is one of my Top 10 of 2023! ⭐️
librarygurl's review against another edition
5.0
If you listen to the audiobook, this is like a 13 hour episode of Undisclosed. I came to Serial at the end of the podcast's first season. I came to Undisclosed about half way through the first season. I have kept up with this case since. I listened to the reviews on the PCR hearing and I bought the audiobook as soon as it was released. I don't really read their blogs, follow people on Twitter, or get deep into Reddit's theories. Chaudry has done a deep dive into the case including Adan's childhood, what it is like to be a Muslim American, her own life, and Adnan's life in prison. Yes, she is biased and I felt she was unapologetic about that, but acknowledged.
I thought she did a great job framing the story. All the things she learned for the podcast are put to use here. I liked having context. I often wondered why this case seemed to only be something white people (as an idea) cared about. She explains her own struggle with Muslim American leaders that has impacted their interest in vocally supporting her. I also really liked the handful of reveals that she saved for this book. No, I am not going to mention them here. Yes, those who are fully engaged in this may already know, but those of us who just know the podcasts may only just learn.
What I struggled with was how much was repeated from the podcasts in the second half. I am not sure if they are marketing to people coming into this having only listened to Serial or another group, but I knew a lot of this already. This was especially true for the PCR hearing that happened this year. I, personally, felt the religious explanations and repeated dream commentary was heavy handed, but not enough to ruin how much I enjoyed it. I kept reminding myself that this is just because of my own personal experiences.
I hope other readers enjoy this as much as I did.
I thought she did a great job framing the story. All the things she learned for the podcast are put to use here. I liked having context. I often wondered why this case seemed to only be something white people (as an idea) cared about. She explains her own struggle with Muslim American leaders that has impacted their interest in vocally supporting her. I also really liked the handful of reveals that she saved for this book. No, I am not going to mention them here. Yes, those who are fully engaged in this may already know, but those of us who just know the podcasts may only just learn.
What I struggled with was how much was repeated from the podcasts in the second half. I am not sure if they are marketing to people coming into this having only listened to Serial or another group, but I knew a lot of this already. This was especially true for the PCR hearing that happened this year. I, personally, felt the religious explanations and repeated dream commentary was heavy handed, but not enough to ruin how much I enjoyed it. I kept reminding myself that this is just because of my own personal experiences.
I hope other readers enjoy this as much as I did.
emrodav's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a super in-depth look at the case from the perspective of Adnan Syed’s closest supporters. I thought it was really interesting that Chaudry included actual documents from the case. The only negative comment I have is that often the amount of detail is overwhelming, the multiple stories and possibilities confusing. Maybe it’s just the nature of the case, though. Overall, I think this is an interesting and thought provoking read for anyone interested in the case because of Serial or the HBO show.