A review by celinegaghadar
If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

Read as part of The Fold’s reading challenge. April prompt: A book by a Sikh author. In the end I really enjoyed this. The writing was beautiful and at first I wasn’t sure about the poems interspersed through the narrative but I think they lent a unique element to the story and allowed the author to showcase her ability to write beautiful prose. Kieran’s story and much of her POV was heartbreaking and def brought literal tears to my eyes. This book did a good job of weaving together themes of family, culture, shame, inter generational trauma and healing & teen hood in a way that felt natural and seamless. I thought it was a bit long and Sahaara’s behaviour really annoyed me at times. Overall a beautiful story that touched on many important themes. Clearly a YA book. I think this would be good for a school study book