Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions

by Ahmad Saber

An intensely brave, beautifully honest, and wryly funny story about a gay Muslim teen who has to choose between being true to himself or his faith—and his realization that maybe they aren’t as separate as he thought.

Ramin Abbas has spent his whole life obeying his parents, his Imam, and, of course, Allah—no questions asked. But when he starts crushing on the ridiculously handsome captain of the soccer team, so many things he’d always been so sure about are becoming questions:

1. Music is haram. But what if the Wicked soundtrack is the only thing keeping you sane because you’re being forced to play on the soccer team? With Captain Handsome?!

2. A boy crush is double haram, and Ramin’s parents will never accept it. But can he really be the only Muslim on Earth who feels this way?

3. Allah is merciful and makes no mistakes. Then isn’t Ramin just the way Allah intended him to be?

And so why should living your truth but losing everything—or living a lie and losing yourself—have to be a choice?!

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Realistic Fiction, Fiction

416 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Marieke (mariekes_mesmerizing_books)]

Oh, I really hadn’t expected to DNF such an important and relevant story, and yet… If I had kept reading I probably would have given it a low rating, and I don’t want a debut to end up with that.

This story is about a senior gay Muslim teen, but the writing really feels more like middle grade and therefore quite juvenile. Add the tiny HP remark that kept swirling in my mind, and after about 20% I decided to give up.

But, like I already said, this is an important and relevant story, so if you’re interested, please check out other reviews!

Thank you, Simon Schuster Children’s Publishing and NetGalley, for this ARC.

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[fanboyriot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The main character figuring out how to accept himself and how he could exist as a queer person while staying true to his religion. While I have a different religion ultimately it felt the same, there is a deep rooted hatred towards queer people in most every religion and it’s hard accepting yourself and finding your people in life.

Ramin goes through a lot and while things didn’t go as planned for him I think things were able to finally work out for him. Finding good friends along the way.

This book was a bit slow to start but I rather liked the pacing of it after the 40% mark. The only criticism I will say there is one remark about an HP character I wasn’t a fan of. I think it’s a bit strange for LGBTQIA+ books to still be mentioning Harry Potter or its characters.

(Note: I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity.)

📚READ FOR
✓ Found Family
✓ Coming of Age
✓ Good Character Depth
✓ Angst with a Happy Ending
✓ LGBTQIA+ Muslim Main Character

POV: First Person
Spice Level: n/a
Sad Level: 💧💧💧
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character(s): Ramin

⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ramin is a devout Muslim. He makes sure not to miss any prayers. He goes to a Muslim high school, and follows all the rules. He does as his parents want. He is about to get a full ride to a New York University, where he plans to study medicine. You would think life couldn’t get any better for him.

Problem is, although he knows Allah does not make mistakes, he feels as though he is one, because he is gay. He can’t talk to his parents about it. And he certainly can’t talk to his classmates. He figures he is just going to keep his head down, and graduate, and do what he wants in New York.
But, then he is told he must take soccer the last semester because he is missing credits, so he has to play with the captain of the team, who he has a crush on. To complicate things further, one of the players has figured out he is gay, and is blackmailing him to throw the games, when he plays.

Can it get any worse?

Oh, I’m sure it could.

This sort of story, of being so far into the closet that you can’t even breathe is one of the heaviest sorts of stories, because often gay youth don't see an exit. It is the same with Ramin. Anything he does just brings life crashing down around him. Through it all, he keeps his faith, and loves Allah, no matter what.

This book had me in tears, so you know I'm going to give it all the stars. Very strong character, and good friends help him. It is important to have family, even if it is found family, and not blood family. Very well done story.

[Ilonka Gangadin (masbookslessgluten) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story sheds light on the struggles of a young Muslim teenager grappling with self-identity and the clash between religious views and sexual orientation. Ramin's coming-out story is a poignant mix of highs and lows. As he navigates the complexities of being true to himself versus adhering to parental and community expectations, I found myself rooting for his courage and self-discovery.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This debut novel is a coming-out story based to some extent on the author's own experiences. The basic trope is familiar: the plight of a closeted gay high student raised in an extremely conservative religious family and community, who is finding it harder and harder to deny that part of himself that is deeply in conflict with religious dictates. The issues are familiar. He is bullied by classmates, at odds with his parents, attracted to a cute boy. Like similar stories with Mormons Fundamentalist Christians and Orthodox Jews, the teen hero has to go through many difficult moments to achieve a sense of inner self-worth and self-acceptance. That is the path followed here by the hero, Ramin Abbas, (who, like the author, is destined to be a doctor) a very bright senior attending a strict Muslim high school in Toronto. The book covers Ramin's journey, including confrontations, dark nights of the soul, temptations, and finally, to an extent, reconciliation. So the book follows a well-worn path.

A couple things set this book above many others in the genre--for the most part the author captures the voice, heart, and mind of his teenage hero. The plotting is solid and the writing is good--though I'm not sure why he slips in a "wanna" or a "gotta" or an "ain't" in otherwise grammatical speech. They pulled me out of the story. Otherwise, I empathized with Ramin. The secondary characters, including his brother, father and mother, Fahad, Assim and the Salehs were all well-drawn. This journey is also darker and the stakes higher than many stories in this sub-genre which gives it more depth and a greater sense of realism. I learned alot about conservative Muslim culture. I found myself rooting for Ramin--especially when the author avoided alot of the easier ways to tie everything up in an overly optimistic way. The bittersweet ending is upbeat but also realistic.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not my typical read, but I love books and needed to give this one a try. I have previously worked with the author of this book during his day job; he is a really great doctor, absolutely lovely to work with. When I found out he was writing a book, I greedily offered (maybe possibly demanded) to read it immediately.
Admittedly it takes me a second to get my read on and get into the book, but once I hit that quarter mark in this book, oh my lanta, I kid you not I couldnt put it down I finished it within 2 days! I needed to know what Ramin was as thinking, what he felt, how was he going to work through the issues he faced & at times I wanted to defend him! Ramin is faced to choose who he truly is or his beliefs, he is faced to fight a war within himself by himself. Does he stay true to who he truly is but does he even know who he is and what he wants? Does he keep his mask on, can he accept himself? Through his own personal trials and tribulations he eventually clues in and finds his path, which was already laid out for him ; but he couldn’t see it, he needed to open his own mind.
This book is a great feels good book, I hope this book finds its way to those who can really use the encouragement, the advice and the love they can not find in their own. There is always someone in the world who knows how you are feeling, or similar. I hope this book is a stepping stone to help more people open their minds and be accepting of all human beings. Sometimes hitting rock bottom and feeling like you have no place to go and no where to hide ; this is when you’ll notice the little light amidst all the darkness.
We all need a shining light to guide us or maybe we all just need an Omar.

[Brittany]

Thank you to the publisher (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books - Simon & Schuster) for the digital and print copies of the advanced reader copy (ARC). This review has been written & shared of my own free will baby!!!!

This was a tender, funny, poignant coming-of-age young adult story about Ramin, who is grappling with being Muslim AND queer. The title perfectly describes the main "quest" in this contemporary character-driven novel. Ramin loves God and his religion so fervently, and he cannot contend with this belief system and the feelings he has. He is wrestling with shame, confusion, and desperation to understand and make sense of his seemingly opposing identities.

Though this book did make me cry, and did tug at my heartstrings, I also laughed and felt giddy alongside Ramin. I loved his buoyant, innocent, unrelenting childlike wonder. I was so proud of his ability to make things feel light and hopeful, when it can be really easy to just drown in dejection and gloom. Ramin's voice and personality was so bright and relatable, and easy to follow. It was almost as if just speaking to a friend at that age.

Overall, I am so grateful for this book, to have met Ramin & witnessed this part of his journey, & I would LOVE to see this optioned & adapted for a tv series or a movie.

This is the first time I have read from Ahmad Saber, and it will not be my last. <3

[Adiba Jaigirdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queer Muslim stories sometimes shy away from talking about characters' relationships to religion in a deep capacity but I'm really glad that this one didn't! It wonderfully encapsulates that struggle between loving God and loving your religion, but then struggling to love yourself as a result of what you feel religion and God wants you to be. I also loved the setting of the Muslim school, and the diversity of thoughts and beliefs when it came to all the Muslim characters. A really wonderful, thought-provoking read.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows Ramin a young man who is gay and also deeply faithful. The author does a good job of showing the readers this characters struggle. I think many gay people from religious families face the same fears that Ramin did. It is a very long novel so I did start skimming pages towards the end.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really well done. It is a young adult book exploring the concept of homosexuality within a devout Muslim community. As a non-Muslim reader, I really appreciated the honesty of the main character and the view into the attitudes of the people around him. I thought the character was well developed and he felt so real. I look forward to hearing what my students have to say about this book.

[Raelee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys. I really liked this. It was so sweet and genuine. Ramin struggles with serious issues, but he is generally a really good kid who loves Allah and his family and wants to honor both and be true to himself. I would have read this book in one sitting, but I made myself stop because it was a school night. (I’m an adult-I had work the next day.) I highly recommend this.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can*]

Won via goodreads giveaways,all my opinions are my own.
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[Gracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the book but parts of the book I really did lose interest

[yashelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect!