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A review by fafabookcorner
Flying Over Water by Shannon Hitchcock, N.H. Senzai
3.0
Review posted on Fafa's Book Corner!
Disclaimer: I received this E-ARC via Edelweiss+ and Qamar Blog Tours, as a part of the #FlyingOverWaterTour.
Trigger Warning(s): Islamophobia, mention of miscarriage, bullying, harassment, property vandalism, anxiety attacks, depression, and mention of war.
Rep: Noura and her family are Syrian Muslims. Noura has anxiety. Jordyn is a white Christian and has anxiety. Jordyn’s mother show signs of depression. Lea is Cuban. Joel is a white Jew. Amani is a Muslim.
My Thoughts Before Reading: I was so happy when I received the tour confirmation email! I am always happy to read about books written by Muslim authors with Muslim characters.
I am happy to say that I enjoyed it!
What I Liked: I adored the rep! It was nice to read about all these characters from different backgrounds.
I really appreciated the adults! They were supportive and came through for the main characters. It’s always nice to read about adults that are important to the overall story.
I loved the friendship between Jordyn, Noura, and Ammar’s friendship! In the beginning Jordyn was mostly nice to Noura and Ammar on account off being their ambassador.
After that Noura and Jordyn started to bound when they were assigned a history project and their mothers started getting along. The girls also just start to connect with one-another. Relating to their own fears and working through them together.
Jordyn makes sure to insure that Ammar and Noura are comfortable at school. Going as far as standing up for the two of them. While that in-itself is the bare minimum, it is really hard to stand-up to Islamophobia.
I also really appreciated their history teacher and the students. They were a very well informed and diverse group. I especially liked Penny, Joel, and Lea.
Noura and Ammar’s relationship with one-another was so sweet! I loved that they supported each other and challenged the other to conquer their fears.
Noura’s family have fallen on some hard times. On top of the Islamophobia, adjusting to life in America hasn’t been easy. Luckily they have a community in the Mosque, Noura’s teacher and classmates, Jordyn and her family, and most importantly each other.
Jordyn’s relationship with her parents is a bit strained. Her father spends most of the time working, and her mother never leaves the house. Jordyn herself can’t bring herself to swim.
Making friends with the Alwan family helps that. Jordyn’s mother gets excited teaching Noura’s mother English. In return Noura’s mother teaches Jordyn’s mom how to cook some Syrian food.
I loved the Islam rep! It was positive and portrayed in a sensitive light, considering when the novel takes place. I liked how Noura was able to build a supportive community in her school, and even arranged for a Prayer room for everybody.
My Criticism(s): Absolutely nothing!
Conclusion: Overall I enjoyed Flying Over Water! I highly recommend if you are looking for novels with Muslim rep.
Disclaimer: I received this E-ARC via Edelweiss+ and Qamar Blog Tours, as a part of the #FlyingOverWaterTour.
Trigger Warning(s): Islamophobia, mention of miscarriage, bullying, harassment, property vandalism, anxiety attacks, depression, and mention of war.
Rep: Noura and her family are Syrian Muslims. Noura has anxiety. Jordyn is a white Christian and has anxiety. Jordyn’s mother show signs of depression. Lea is Cuban. Joel is a white Jew. Amani is a Muslim.
My Thoughts Before Reading: I was so happy when I received the tour confirmation email! I am always happy to read about books written by Muslim authors with Muslim characters.
I am happy to say that I enjoyed it!
What I Liked: I adored the rep! It was nice to read about all these characters from different backgrounds.
I really appreciated the adults! They were supportive and came through for the main characters. It’s always nice to read about adults that are important to the overall story.
I loved the friendship between Jordyn, Noura, and Ammar’s friendship! In the beginning Jordyn was mostly nice to Noura and Ammar on account off being their ambassador.
After that Noura and Jordyn started to bound when they were assigned a history project and their mothers started getting along. The girls also just start to connect with one-another. Relating to their own fears and working through them together.
Jordyn makes sure to insure that Ammar and Noura are comfortable at school. Going as far as standing up for the two of them. While that in-itself is the bare minimum, it is really hard to stand-up to Islamophobia.
I also really appreciated their history teacher and the students. They were a very well informed and diverse group. I especially liked Penny, Joel, and Lea.
Noura and Ammar’s relationship with one-another was so sweet! I loved that they supported each other and challenged the other to conquer their fears.
Noura’s family have fallen on some hard times. On top of the Islamophobia, adjusting to life in America hasn’t been easy. Luckily they have a community in the Mosque, Noura’s teacher and classmates, Jordyn and her family, and most importantly each other.
Jordyn’s relationship with her parents is a bit strained. Her father spends most of the time working, and her mother never leaves the house. Jordyn herself can’t bring herself to swim.
Making friends with the Alwan family helps that. Jordyn’s mother gets excited teaching Noura’s mother English. In return Noura’s mother teaches Jordyn’s mom how to cook some Syrian food.
I loved the Islam rep! It was positive and portrayed in a sensitive light, considering when the novel takes place. I liked how Noura was able to build a supportive community in her school, and even arranged for a Prayer room for everybody.
My Criticism(s): Absolutely nothing!
Conclusion: Overall I enjoyed Flying Over Water! I highly recommend if you are looking for novels with Muslim rep.