A review by sweetsxrrxw
Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Adiba Jaigirdar

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i wanted to read this book for eid, which was almost a month ago, but due to the huge reading slump i've been in for most of this year, i just couldn't. in fact even when i wanted to start reading it, it took me a while to get over the first 10-15% of the book. i am not sure if that was because of said reading slump or for other reasons, lmao.

anyway, this was my first time reading both of these authors and honestly i had a good time! but... i need to get this out: i HATE miscommunication trope most of the time. it's just annoying and i think it's one of the main reasons why i couldn't give this more than 4 stars.

but, other than that, i enjoyed reading the book. i am 20 now and this is definitely the kind of love story i would have loved to read when i was younger :') not only because of the religious background but also because i think the family dynamics showcased throughout the story were both relatable and interesting
like i know i said i despise miscommunication but i feel like in ethnic households it is always so hard to speak about feelings, grieving, the crippling guilt that somebody always carries, not being able to meet expectations.
. i know this book wasn't meant to give exhaustive monologues about it, but i think it would have been nice if the authors talked more about these problems or the anti-blackness that black people face even when they're part of another minority. 

the main characters were definitely adorable dummies and it was nice to have a dual pov of them because i couldn't help but giggle every time one of them mentioned having butterflies, like, babe... if you only knew... it's mutual!! but overall i feel like this could have worked with them only sticking to a platonic relationship, because, yeah, their banter was cute and fun, but i feel like the romance subplot isn't really the highlight of the story. 
i love it when i can see parts of myself painted (or in this case written) in fictional characters and in this case i just related to both tiwa and said. her fear of abandonment and his realization of how the world kept moving without him just hit a nerve for me, lmao. 

i liked that there were some small but intertwined details you could pick up from reading
such as tiwa being a slow driver because of her little brother dying in a car accident
but then i feel like maybe the explanation and resolution of the conflicts
both the reconstruction of the islamic center and the lost letters one
were a bit rushed :/ and that's also an important detail that didn't let me enjoy the book 100%
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