Aminah Mae Safi

3,7 stars

I'm usually a big fan of the hate to love trope. I get that misunderstandings are pretty much the backbone of said trope, but there's an art to executing it without it being annoying or plain stupid. A pretty big thing on the list is that the main characters need to be likeable, at least to an extent. If you want to have a character be a bit of an asshole, then at least make her a loveable asshole. Effectively, when I'm reading a romance, I need to be able to actually root for the show more couple.

What I liked:
- Both Sana and Rachel's families. They had their flaws, but they were there, and they loved the girls.
- I thoroughly enjoyed the cultural representation. As a pasty white atheist Finn, I have no idea how accurate it is, but I love that it's there.
- I loved Sana as a character. Sure, she acted like a dick to her parents (what teenager doesn't?) but other than that she was sweet and kind and doing her best to struggle under the pressures placed on her.
- Diesel was the ultimate bro in the best way possible.
- The ending where the girls got together while still both pursuing their respective dreams

What I disliked:
- Rachel. I get she was supposed to have a character arc from an insufferable shedevil to a redeemed love interest, but I just didn't get there. I still have no idea what Sana saw in a girl who was never anything but rude and dismissive toward her. And yeah, Rachel has baggage, but who the hell doesn't? Being insecure is no excuse to treat other people like shit.
- The conflict. I hate when the conflict in a romance is effectively nothing but miscommunication. If the main conflict could have been resolved with people being honest and having a ten minute conversation, then that's just the author being lazy.

If I reviewed this book as a romance, this would be closer to a two star read. However, if I pretend the romance didn't happen, we get to the 3,7 stars, which I'll round up simply for mathematical reasons. show less

While reading this "remixed" version of Robin Hood–starring Rahma al-Hud, a female Muslim soldier during the Third Crusade who, more than either side's victory, wants peace for the common people of the Holy Land—I kept opening tabs to go on Wikipedia spirals every time I read something and thought "whoa, did that actually happen?!". This exciting story was very firmly based in real historical events (somewhat unlike the original Robin Hood stories!) and with this novel as my gateway I show more learned a lot about them—really, my favorite way to learn.

I had a couple of issues with the character relationships (I found the sudden, ride-or-die camaraderie unrealistic to the point of goofiness at times, and thought our hero was made a little too obtuse—like, ubelievably so—obviously just for the purpose of narrative drama) but loved the team, the adventure, and of course, the heists. show less

This was the queer, brown Gilmore Girls remake of my dreams and I am LIVING FOR IT. This was the best kind of enemies-to-lovers story fueled by misunderstandings and insecurities rather than actual douchebaggery. Both Sana and Rachel were gorgeously fleshed out characters coming to terms with family expectations, dreams versus reality, financial pressure, and struggling to present the most honest version of yourself.

I was once again blessed to read the second story in the last month about a show more Jewish character whose Judaism is actually an integral part of her identity and her story. The Passover seder literally had me wanting to shout from the rooftops because this is how you include cultural tradition and identity into story!! I really had to put the book down and just soak in that scene because it felt so god damn good.

Honestly, I'm just kinda sitting here grinning stupidly to myself over how much I just adore this book. This was definitely one the highlights of my year and I will absolutely be coming back to this book again and again. show less

4.5/5 stars (again, Goodreads. For the love of everything, get on the half-star ratings.)

There was a conversation early on in this book between Diesel and Rachel, during which Diesel asks Rachel to hang out with him and she responds, "You know I'm not straight, right?" and he answers "Yup." The simplicity and wonderfulness of that really stuck with me. The girls' sexuality wasn't made a big deal of - both were already out, and the drama didn't stem from that. That's something I adore.

I'm show more knocking off half a star because the ending felt rushed and because it took 200 pages for me not to want to smack Rachel upside the head for rushing to judgments about everyone around her. That said, Sana more than made up for it. She's phenomenal and honestly, I would love to read a stand-alone about her and her fellowship in India. I hope the author returns to these characters. Really enjoyed this book! show less