Series: None
Author: Samira Ahmed
Published January 16th 2018 by Hot Key Books
Goodreads Synopsis
Maya Aziz dreams about kissing boys and going to film school in New York, but miles away, an unknown danger looms. A terrorist attack in another city unleashes fear and hate in Maya's small town, changing her life and disrupting her future.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
High school senior Maya hopes to study photography and film at college when she graduates, in New York, but her Indian family want her to go into Medicine or Law, and find a nice husband to settle down with closer to home. To her, she wants to be more like her independent aunt, and also explore her growing feelings for Phil. Just as she thinks her dreams might come true, a horrific terrorist attack in a major city, initially thought to have been by a Muslim man who has the same surname as Maya, brings the terror close to home, and her family are targeted. Will the actions of one terrorist be enough to derail Maya's plans, and will she always face Islamophobia wherever she goes?
I think I actually forgot I had this book, until I was tidying my shelves and realised I still hadn't read/reviewed it. I don't know why I put it off so long, because I really enjoyed it. Maya was a fantastic main character, so real and true to herself, and she grew so much throughout the book. She was one of the only students at her school of Indian descent and Muslim, so exploring her identity, and her wish to be independent - against the wishes of her parents - we saw Maya really face her own fears, and grow to understand her parents that little bit more. The horrific terror attack really affected Maya, and her whole family, and it was awful to see how the actions of someone she never met, who committed such evil, would have repercussions for her as an American teenager, and even people she'd known her entire life would start to turn against her. Going into the book, I didn't bother reading the synopsis - I rarely do after being approved/buying a book - so I hadn't realised it would discuss such hard hitting topics. I expected it to be a fluffy contemporary romance, and there were nice scenes between Maya and Phil, which helped to intersperse the upsetting scenes with some lightheartedness, which Maya sorely deserved.
Dates Read:
July 3-4, 2021
Rating
4 Stars
