It All Comes Back to You: A YA Rom-Com About Exes, Their Dating Siblings, and Secrets

by Farah Naz Rishi

Two exes must revisit their past after their siblings start dating in this rom-com perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon and Morgan Matson. A Parade Best YA of the Year! After Kiran Noorani’s mom died, Kiran vowed to keep her dad and sister, Amira, close—to keep her family together . But when Amira announces that she’s dating someone, Kiran’s world is turned upside down. Deen Malik is thrilled that his brother, Faisal, has found a great girlfriend. Maybe a new love will give Faisal a new lease on life, and Deen can stop feeling guilty for the reason that Faisal needs a do-over in the first place. When the families meet, Deen and Kiran find themselves face to face. Again. Three years ago—before Amira and Faisal met—Kiran and Deen dated in secret. Until Deen ghosted Kiran. And now, after discovering hints of Faisal’s shady past, Kiran will stop at nothing to find answers. Deen just wants his brother to be happy—and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep Kiran from reaching the truth. Though the chemistry between Kiran and Deen is undeniable, can either of them take down their walls?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, India, Young Adult Romance, Fiction, Enemies To Lovers

432 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2021

About the author

Farah Naz Rishi is a Pakistani-American Muslim writer and voice actor, but in another life, she’s worked stints as a lawyer, a video game journalist, and an editorial assistant. She received her B.A. in English from Bryn Mawr College, her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, and her love of weaving stories from the Odyssey Writing Workshop. When she’s not writing, she’s probably hanging out with video game characters. You can find her at home in Philadelphia, or on Twitter at @far_ah_way.

Reviews

[chaity · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Takes deep breathe*


MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS.MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS.MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS. MORE BROWN PEOPLE ON BOOK COVERS.

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Boy isn't this cover *hearteyes* too beautiful to take! I need to keep listening to my Atif Aslam playlist to survive until this book comes out.*smashes the Spotify app icon*

[R.F. Kuang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply, joy in a bottle.

[may ➹ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heartfelt coming of age story, It All Comes Back to You might not be the most completely enjoyable book to read, but it portrays flawed teens learning from their errors in a way that will certainly resonate with many readers finding their way back to themselves.

It All Comes Back to You follows Kiran and Deen, two exes with unresolved conflict after Deen ghosted Kiran three years ago. They are brought together when their older siblings surprise them with plans to marry. While Kiran attempts to break them apart, Deen tries to ensure the wedding goes smoothly, as they both deal with the repercussions of what happened in their own pasts and with the strange air between the two of them.

Love isn’t a feeling; it’s the act of planting a seed and putting in the time and care it needs to grow.

Kiran is dealing with the pressure of some of her mother’s last words to her about looking after her family, and Deen carries the weight of a years-old secret while trying to protect his brother. Though I didn’t particularly care about either of them or their romance, their growth over the course of the book really shined for me. Both Kiran and Deen make questionable choices, and some of them aren’t entirely comfortable to read. But their development is done well, and that is ultimately the goal of the story—to show the flawed decisions and actions of young teens figuring things out, and then portray how they learn and grow.

Deen’s arc deals with learning how to handle guilt as well as how to not bottle his feelings up, and Kiran’s involved discovering what kinds of things she wants to do for herself in the future. They both have to learn how to be kinder to themselves, and listen to their own wants and needs the way they do for other people, but they also are thoughtless towards others at times and have to become less selfish too. I loved how they were somehow both these seemingly opposite things at the same time, making them more multi-faceted and their growth more interesting.

Dance is a person’s soul reaching out to talk through the body.

At the heart of the story is both Kiran and Deen’s love for their older siblings and their intense want to protect them because of tragic past events in their lives. I appreciated seeing how important their siblings were to them, as well as how hard Kiran and Deen fought for them, even though they might have gotten carried away. I have a close relationship with my own sister, and I always love getting to read similar sibling relationships in YA. Both of their bonds were particularly heartwarming, Deen and Faisal’s in the midst of their parents’ neglect and expectations, and Kiran and Amira’s in the aftermath of their mother’s death.

And a minor thing I loved was how important dance was to Kiran! How she described it, as something expressing her soul and something she found freedom in, is exactly how I feel about dance. Though the story certainly is not focused on dance, I was pleasantly surprised to see it in the book at all, and it made me feel more connected to Kiran.

Unfortunately, the plot overall was not my thing. While it was driven mostly by Kiran and Deen’s desire to protect their siblings, much of it also hinges on miscommunication or lack of communication between the characters, which is one of my least favorite things to read. Because of that, I sometimes felt irritated by or uneasy over certain events in the book, and I didn’t feel invested enough to want to know what would happen. It was the characters’ development that really saved the book for me: while the plot wasn’t enjoyable all the time, it led up to a gratifying culmination of the character’s arcs and accentuated the extent of their growth.

“Where you live, where you love, where you breathe—that is where your home will be.”

The marketing for this book is unfortunately totally off. It definitely is not a romcom like it’s being marketed as, with barely any romance, which I would have loved to see more from. The mislabeling does the book so much injustice because not only will it disappoint people who expected a romcom, but it also is more than a simple fun romance. It is a coming of age book following characters making mistakes and figuring out what they need to do, dealing with family and identity and even tackling darker themes like grief and abuse.

Even though I felt indifference or even discomfort at certain parts, my feelings over It All Comes Back to You definitely remain more positive than negative. If you don’t love books that have miscommunication, or find yourself irritated by messy teen characters, you might not want to pick this up. But certainly give this a try if you love contemporaries with satisfying character growth and an emphasis on family and sibling love, with a tiny splash of romcom fun.

:: representation :: Pakistani American Muslim MCs, Pakistani American Muslim characters, Southeast Asian (Filipino?) American side character

:: content warnings :: parental death, parental emotional abuse, terminal disease, depictions of grief, mentions of drug use, bullying & arson

Thank you to Quill Tree Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.

All quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in final publication.

[faatima · Rating 2 out of 5]

It All Comes Back to You centers itself on an unlikely, unpleasant reunion. Kiran finds out that her older sister, Ameera, is in a relationship with Faisal, whose younger brother, Deen, used to be Kiran's ex-boyfriend. Three years ago, Deen ghosted Kiran after something went horribly wrong in his and Faisal's lives, and the reunion is a terrible reminder of how Kiran was left lonely at a time in her life when she needed Deen more than anything. To make matters worse, Kiran overhears Faisal talking about how he doesn't want Ameera to find out about his past, and she makes it her mission to get down to the bottom of the lies, all while Deen desperately tries to keep the relationship and eventual marriage from falling apart.

REP: Pakistani MC's, Filipino SC.
CW's: parental emotional abuse, mentions of drug addiction, and an almost-occurrence of sexual harassment.

NOTE: The spoilers in this review have been left untagged. I did so because I need to be explicit about them in order to discuss the serious issues I had with the book, and because I didn't see many reviews discuss these issues in depth even though I think they should be.

PROS:
- Writing style and pacing. I really enjoy the way Farah Naz Rishi manages to carry a story; the plot progression felt natural, there was a great balance of atmosphere and detail without it being too overwhelming, and the dialogue (albeit corny at times) felt generally emblematic of teenagers. I think she does a great job of immediately drawing you into the plot, and despite the fact that this was ultimately a severely disappointing read for me, I can admit that she has a good way with words. The few deeper conversations that occurred every now and then were very well penned, and they felt real, emotional, and heartfelt.
- Establishment of voice. Often, books that cover more than one POV fall into the pitfall of being unable to significantly distinguish between the different voices. I didn't find this to be the case here. Admittedly, I was listening to the audiobook, so not distinguishing between Kiran's and Deen's voices would have been difficult, but I felt like their thought processes and manner of internal speech were distinct enough of each other so as to set them apart as characters. For Deen, especially, I think the level of introspection and reflection he engaged in really drew me to him as someone akin to a real person, not just a character.
- Deen's character arc. To elaborate on the previous point, Deen was a significantly reflective character. On the surface, he at first appeared to be nothing more than your typical, shallow, somewhat self-absorbed Desi boy; but to my surprise, his thoughts were overwhelmingly concerned with him stressing over his mistakes, feeling desperate to fix them and preventing future ones from happening, trying to think of ways to salvage burnt bridges, and expressing remorse when he did things he knew he shouldn't have. There was a great balance between his ability to make things worse for himself and his ability to be cognizant of that, decide to do better, and actually deliver on the promises he made along that vein. The fact that he defended his brother out of so much love and concern, and that he repeatedly tried to reach out to and make amends with Kiran (in addition to recognizing that she had a right to feel hurt by him) despite her constant rebuffs and attempts to sabotage Faisal, really stuck out to me. It's funny to me that Deen was supposed to be the less religious person compared to Kiran, because his actions and intentions, to me, embodied how a Muslim truly ought to carry themselves.

CONS:
- Kiran's character arc. In comparison, I was incredibly frustrated with Kiran as a character all throughout the book. To preface, I completely understand where her sense of distrust came from. If I knew my older sister's future life partner was hiding a secret from her, I would be concerned, too. In addition to this context, Kiran was also still dealing with the weight of her late mother's desire for the family to stick together, and her lack of closure with Deen when he ghosted her. Her feelings of grief and betrayal were easy to sympathize with, and I didn't judge her for her initial distrust of Faisal, especially since Deen emphasized that he couldn't tell her the truth (this being out of respect to Faisal, and out of a mutual fear of Deen's and Faisal's parents, who were emotionally blackmailing them to keep quiet). What I found incredibly difficult to sympathize with were her blatant invasions of privacy and attempts to sabotage Faisal's character. It already felt incredibly inappropriate to me that she had the gall to go through Faisal's things, read through his diary about a traumatic time in his life, and steal a page from the diary as "proof" of his secret. To add onto the horror of this all, however, was Kiran's plan to intoxicate Faisal, a devout Muslim, and to send a stripper to more or less sexually harass him when he'd never consented to it, all in an attempt to defame his character in the eyes of her sister. The depth of Kiran's transgressions, all in the name of knowing what was best for her sister, was ridiculous. Although there were a few occasions where she experienced guilt over what she was doing, there were rarely moments of genuine reflection from her on the seriousness of her actions, with her apologies coming in the final quarter of the book and hardly spanning a few lukewarm sentences. They didn't feel like real apologies at all, and for a majority of the book, she felt like an incredibly self-centered character. Admittedly, there were transgressions Deen made as well; he tried to look at her phone twice to confirm his suspicions about her attempts at sabotage, and he was wrong for that, as he acknowledged himself. What I don't appreciate about the overarching plot, though, is how it tried to imply that Deen's wrongs and Kiran's wrongs were somehow on the same level. Kiran blatantly attempted to break up a marriage and repeatedly defame a man's character (with serious Islamic transgressions at the heart of it), and despite Deen's multiple attempts to make amends with her (inclusive of a plea for her to stop trying to sabotage his brother so long as he would eventually tell her the truth about the "secret", a plea which she disregarded), Kiran for the most part refused to contend with him seriously. I don't mean to defend Deen and Faisal entirely. I do think they could have been more honest and upfront about their past with Ameera and Kiran; but I can also acknowledge that the pressure of emotional blackmail and abuse from Desi parents is severe, and I can't fault either of them for feeling terrified in the face of that, nor do I think it gave Kiran the right to do all that she did. The lack of accountability from her in the end, and the fact that Deen and Faisal were the only characters making significant apologies in the end despite all of the damage she did, was really distasteful for me to read. Having your main character say, "I'm sorry, but it wasn't personal," at the 94% mark of the book isn't all that reassuring, nor does it feel like an apology that deserves forgiveness and sympathy.
- Address of sexual harassment. The thing that angered me the most about this book was how lightly sexual harassment was treated within the scope of the larger narrative. It was appalling to me that, under the guise of writing about "messy" Muslim teens, Farah Naz Rishi decided to write about a Muslim character manipulating another, devout Muslim character into becoming intoxicated with alcohol and nearly being sexually harassed by a stripper he never asked for, all so she could snap an incriminating picture and defame his character. It felt disrespectful to use a sex worker for this purpose, it felt incredibly unethical to pass this off as just a run-of-the-mill attempt at sabotage that was never brought up again in any major capacity, and it felt insulting to a portrayal of Islam. I'm not one to judge how authors write their Muslim characters. I'm well aware that Muslims of all varieties exist, that some take rules more seriously than others, and that the young adult period of people's lives is very turbulent and often a time where they're uncertain in their own religious identity. I don't mind seeing Muslim characters be messy or make mistakes because they're not exactly sure how to place themselves within their faith. That's human. What's not human, or ethical, to me at least, is what Kiran tried to do to Faisal. It's not a laughable offense to manipulate another Muslim into unknowingly committing multiple sins, especially when one of those sins would allow for them to be sexually harassed against their will; even barring the implications within Islam, it's, again. . . just completely unethical, and I was appalled that it more or less came and went. I think writing about the multifaceted nature of Muslim identity is fine, but I also think, when you're writing with the intent to highlight Muslim characters, there's a degree of respect you should have for your faith and some of its expectations, especially when they overlap with ethics and morals that nearly anyone should abide by.
- The audiobook narrators. Along a different vein, another thing that severely annoyed me when I was listening to the book was the blatant mispronunciation of Urdu words all throughout. From what I saw, the author approved of the narrators chosen for the book, so I'm confused as to why she would be satisfied with a product wherein half of her own language was utterly butchered. A little after the halfway point, Kiran admits that her Urdu sucks, which is understandable; not everyone is fluent in their native tongue. But I think there's a difference in between struggling to coherently speak a language and butchering the pronunciation of every other word within it despite living within social circles where the language is constantly used. There were parts that I couldn't even recognize as sounding like actual Urdu, despite how common the words being used were, and it took away my focus from the book often. I wish there had been more effort put into to secure narrators who actually knew how to speak the language, or who were at least given lessons or a pronunciation guide to ensure they would pronounce things properly.
- The lack of focus on Faisal's non-profit. Admittedly, this is a fairly minor complaint, but I really wish that there had been more focus on what Faisal and Ameera were doing with his non-profit to help rehabilitate kids with a criminal record. In light of Faisal's past, and how it reflected on his aims with the non-profit, it would have been nice to see it brought into the conversation more so that we could really see how he had picked his life back up through his passion for this endeavor, spurred by personal experience.

FINAL RATING: 2.25

[Fanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dramatic. Ardent. Messy. Three words that are bound to raise emotions; three words that best describe this story and its two main characters, Kiran and Deen, who carry each other’s memories from the past and fight for their siblings in the present.

It All Comes Back to You is a coming-of-age YA romantic drama featuring Muslim Pakistani-American characters.

For Kiran, her mother’s last words have left her with a responsibility to ‘look after them’, look after her father and elder sister, Amira. For Deen, an incident around his brother, Faisal, pushed his family to simply pack up and leave one day. And he left too, but without a goodbye. Kiran hated him for it. Deen couldn’t risk telling her the truth. The last thing they both expected was to meet as the siblings of two people in love.

Amira and Faisal are hinting at a marriage proposal and Deen is ecstatic for his brother to have found a partner, found happiness to start over. But Kiran can’t fathom getting engaged with someone you’ve known for just three months; she can’t let her sister marry a “stranger”, especially not after spotting a possible red flag around Deen’s sweet but mysterious brother. And so it commences: a constant push and pull between holding on and letting go.

✹ consider reading this review on my blog! ✹

Their purposes continuously conflict with each other. While Deen is motivated by guilt and a secret he wants to desperately keep under the wraps for the weight it bears, Kiran is prompted by the need to protect her sister from taking a dangerous plunge because that is exactly what it would mean for her to truly be there for Amira. Throughout the book, these opposite forces build an energy filled with grudges, mistakes, grief, happiness, and a lot of unsaid feelings.

Over three years, Kiran and Deen have created walls around themselves, have adorned masks to not let the emotional baggage make an appearance in any form, and each sequence reminds readers of this saddening tactic, bringing them closer to the characters in this process. Their equation defines the trope of online-friends-irl-rivals-to-lovers but make them exes, and this very contradicting motif endlessly entertains.

Though, an unfortunate lack of excellent chemistry disappoints in terms of romance. If one expects the above mentioned trope to pave way for more angst or charming banter, discontent waits for them. The only saving grace for their compatibility to come across the pages were the messages they had sent three years ago—carefully inserted in between chapters to showcase the past Kiran and Deen once shared. Similarly, the promotional pitches that promise a humorous undertone in this ‘rom-com’ are slightly misleading since the fun bits are often, understandably, overpowered with the individualistic emotions and none of the characters offer a funny intervention. This is not necessarily bad, just genuinely delusive to some extent.

Having said that, the author’s simplistic yet evocative writing—the very same that won my heart in I Hope You Get This Message —successfully fosters authentic character arcs and permeates themes like familial responsibilities and diaspora conjectures while faith and belief, sadness and grief, flaws and mistakes are incorporated seamlessly. It’s this writing that perfectly, almost effortlessly, juggles a present timeline of exes coming across each other after three years, a past they shared, and a parallel reality where the two are online friends.

The main characters make a mark for themselves by showcasing their vulnerabilities and messy personas, particularly through deep conversations and reminiscence. Even the side characters, especially Amira and Faisal, easily impress and it’s refreshing to see a contemporary romance highlight parents as independent characters with their own stories too—something made clear from the start itself when Kiran’s father discounts the shayaris, ghazals, and songs that compare love to fire, wine, and pain, by saying that love is all about passion; it’s “an act, a practice, a decision”. Basically, it’s easy to love every character in this story for they significantly propel the story but don’t get overshadowed by Kiran or Deen.

It All Comes Back To You uplifts the romance as it drives through a desi wedding, but that’s predictable since a desi wedding does easily enrich love with drama, gossip, food, and dance. Needless to say, the south asian culture depicted will bring a smile to every brown reader’s face. Maybe not the bits where aunties make absurd assumptions because eye-rolls are the best reaction to those. Overall, this coming-of-age romantic drama is an entertaining read that one would be glad to pick up for the right reasons.

↣ an early digital copy received via participation in a blog tour.

➵ finished this coming-of-age romantic drama for the motives laced with raw emotions, for flawed characters being allowed to make mistakes or act impulsively, and for the simplistic writing that easily managed to juggle a present timeline of exes coming across each other after three years, a past they shared, and a parallel reality where the main characters are online friends. rtc.

17.08.2021 an arc has just landed and i'm so ready to pick up what i hope and believe to be a five-star read.
16.02.2021 the most gorgeous cover of the year. the most gorgeous. absolutely can't wait for what the author promises: the banter, the dancing, and enemies-exes to lovers.
23.10.2020 what can you expect me to do after loving I Hope You Get This Message and seeing this new book by the author except for scream in excitement?

[Farah Rishi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Farah Naz. I see you did not learn the first time. But here you are again, writing another book--only this time, you decided to write one with an almost entirely brown Muslim cast, which means, as Deen so aptly says, throwing open your trench coat and revealing the bare-naked truth of yourself. It means showing the world your own struggles with faith and admitting that you grew up far from being a perfect Muslim. But that's why we write, isn't it? To admit the truths, your truths, that are impossible to say aloud so that somebody reading this will feel seen and understood and no longer alone. And to show that even on a path riddled with mistakes, you can still find your way back home. Sometimes we just need a little help.

But being honest is the first step.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Content warnings: References to death of a parent, references to drug use, emotional abuse, anxiety, guilt.

[addie! · Rating 3 out of 5]

⁀➷★★★.25
🩰

Kissing your haram boyfriend in a mosque is crazy.

[Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING. BRILLIANT. SHOW STOPPING. INCREDIBLE.

Huge thank you to the publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Let me just start off by saying this has the "hate each other irl, but unbeknownst to them they're actually bffs online" trope. Which is really just the superior trope let's be honest.

Deen and Kiran's relationship is incredibly rocky when they finally meet again after 3 years to find out that their siblings are getting married. The story revolves around Kiran trying to prevent the wedding from happening because she suspects that Deen's brother is hiding something major from her sister and Deen trying to undo everything Kiran does to make sure the wedding goes as planned.

While the romance doesn't really play out in the present day, you see a lot of it in the flashbacks from when Deen and Kiran first got together. I do still think that this book would probably be better labeled as a coming of age story. Deen grapples with his own self worth and past and Kiran deals with grief.

At the end of the day, I absolutely ADORED this book and I cannot wait to get my hands on a finished copy.

[Fizah(Books tales by me) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another bad Muslim Rep. I'll ignore it for while and will talk about the story and character. Kiran and Deen dated for 3 years in secret. No one knew about it. One day out of nowhere Deen ghosted Kiran and his family moved away. Kiran was left wondering what she has done to deserve it. Her mother being sick, sister being away and Deen vanishing, altogether make her a different person who has severe trust issues. Kiran was looking forward to moving to a new place with her sister, for 3 years. She was planning to start college with her sister at her side. Amira had different plans and told Kiran that she had found someone and they both are planning a future together. But it is not enough that person turned out to be Deen's brother. Kiran doesn't trust Faisal and thinks he is also gonna dump her sister. She wants to save her sister. On the other side, Deen and Faisal have a few secrets and Deen thinks his brother deserves to be happy and Amira make him happy. Kiran and Deen are against each other and there was already bad blood.

That's the whole story. Kiran acting like a saviour and Deen acting like he has to do everything. If you'll remove the events due to miscommunication then this book will be only 70-80 pages long. I couldn't relate to Deen, I got it from where Kiran was coming. Did I tell you Kiran and Deen are anonymously FRIENDS on an online game's chat room? There wasn't much about their relationship. Only details were conveyed through their text conversation which felt more like a friendly conversation. So it was hard to connect to them. There were a bunch of supportive characters but they felt more like fillers. The story was dragged so much and it annoyed me. 

Now let's talk about Muslim Rep

I don't have any problem regarding Amira and Faisal dating as they were serious and wanted to get married. It was totally okay to understand each other.

On the other hand, Kiran and Deen were dating in the secret. Once it was mentioned they kissed behind the mosque. There was flirting in the mosque and the way a few Ayah were used made me so angry (if you know, you know).

There was an excessive amount of handshaking and hugging which is not cool.

Deen is such a bad example who drinks, who don't pray and also don't believe in God. On the positive side, he acknowledged that he is not a good Muslim.

[CW ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review on my book blog, The Quiet Pond.

My goodness, this was so good. This book was nothing like I expected (I initially thought it was a romance), but it ended up being so much more. It All Comes Back to You feels more like a coming-of-age with romantic contemporary and drama elements, and I LOVED this.

- Follows Kiran and Deen, two desi Muslim teens and exes who had a falling out after Deen ghosted her. But when Deen returns to her life when Kiran’s sister becomes engaged with Deen’s older brother, Kiran is determined to find out what happened. Meanwhile, Deen is determined to keep Kiran from the truth.
- I loved that this book balances great humour and the juicy lovers-to-exes-to-"we-have-so-much-chemistry-and-history!!!-and-we're-secretly-best-friends-online!!!" dynamic with more solemn themes: the weight of familial expectation, redemption, grief, and grudges.
- I loved Kiran and Deen and will defend their honour as messy teens. The emotional depth of the story is great, especially when both teens are driven by their desire to protect their loved ones... but at what cost?
- The storytelling carries itself with so much self-awareness, which what makes the story not just good but also insightful and truly great.

Content warning: bullying, parental abuse, alcohol consumption, mention of drug use

I was provided an eARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[miral · Rating 2 out of 5]

holy crap the main character was so insufferable none of the motivations made sense the whole thing was a selfish disaster that didn’t need to happen

[gauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

read full review on my blog!

It All Comes Back To You is a fun, easy to read YA contemporary that follows two exes, Deen and Kiran, as they’re reunited for the unexpected wedding of their older siblings. Kiran is determined to stop the marriage while Deen does everything to ensure it goes smoothly, and along the way they both deal with their pasts and emotions in their own flawed ways. One I think will resonate with teens.

While Kiran struggles to keep her family together and fulfill her mother’s wish, Deen strives to protect his brother and their secrets so no harm comes to them. Add a wedding to the mix and their relationship is a train wreck waiting to happen. Both of them make flawed decisions you might not even agree to, solely acting on their feelings and opinions on what should happen. They aren’t surface level at all. They are messy desi teens who only care about protecting the ones they love even if that means overstepping boundaries and then learn to deal with their own emotions and the consequences that follow.

As I read the book, I often wondered why Kiran is going to such lengths to cancel the wedding? Why is Deen so intent on making sure the wedding happens? But then we get glimpses of their feelings, the hurt and the desperation and the range of complex emotions that made me understand. The character growth really stood out for me, as both of them learn to not be selfish and thoughtless of what others deserve.

It All Comes Back To You aimed to capture the experience of diaspora Muslim kids, as mentioned in this tweet by the author and that showed subtly throughout the book. As a desi, all the desi references were an absolute delight to read about, be it the food, mannerisms or the wedding shenanigans. The touch of Bollywood music and drama was cherry on top.

I am a total trash for the online-friends-irl-rivals trope. And its done so well in It All Comes Back To You! Their online friendship as fellow anonymous gamers is seriously so entertaining and then you switch to their stance as bitter exes—the contrast is wonderful. I even loved the flashbacks into their past, which didn’t overwhelm the flow of the story but also built up the main conflict. Their texting was one of my favourite aspects of the book, ranging from light hearted conversations to deep confessions.

There's also the theme of parental expectations and grief. Kiran still carries the pain of losing her mother to ALS, not giving herself proper time to grieve and accept it. Deen on the other hand is weighed down by the guilt of his actions and the expectations of his parents to be their ideal son. All these bottled up emotions cause them to misunderstand themselves and the people around them, ultimately leading to a lash out. I love how they confront what they really feel and take steps to fix the mess, in the last couple bittersweet chapters.

At its heart, It All Comes Back To You is all about Kiran and Deen’s love for their siblings. Even though the circumstances were off and that Kiran and Deen often went out of their ways to act on this love, I truly appreciated the strong bond between Amira-Kiran, dealing with their mother’s death and Faisal-Deen dealing with an incident in the past.

Another minor thing I adored was Kiran’s love for dance. As a dancer myself her descriptions of dancing and the sentiments she expresses while performing a sequence resonated with me so well! I really wished the story focused a bit more on that.

Contrary to what it seems, this book isn’t heavy on the romance, its more of a coming of age story. Throughout its just two teens figuring themselves out while dealing with the expectations, family and grief. So if you’re going into this book expecting a romcom, please don’t. It All Comes Back To You also uses miscommunication as a device. So if you aren’t a fan of that or teens making annoying decisions then this book might not be for you.

But overall, if you like contemporaries that authentically portray the messiness of a teenager’s feelings , relatable desi elements, wonderful character growth and sibling bonds then make sure to pick this up!

original: i WILL push the messy teens making decisions solely based on their feelings agenda idc

[Deema · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 42 % I just couldn’t finish this….
spoilerish kinda !??? actually yes there are spoilers
here are a couple reasons why. spoilers ahead

- deen & kirans past relationship is not believable whatsoever. I dont believe they had a past relationship. the only glimpses we get of their past relationship is via text messages which is probably why I had a hard time getting attached to their former relationship
- I don’t like kirans protectiveness over her sister its uncalled for especially since she’s the younger sister it just makes her seem whiny.
- the discord romance storyline between deen and kiran is very under developed probably because its already established that they chat on discord when the story begins
- idk how I feel about the muslim representation…. every single time theres a romance between muslims they’re always non-practicing or consider themselves “bad” muslims. I get that there are many different types of muslims but the only types of muslims being written about are muslims who conform to western standards.
- kiran is just an annoying character in general. she’s invasive and has no boundaries and has the audacity to act like the victim when deen rightfully calls her out for interfering with his brothers life.

I dont know if kirans character is redeemed by the end of the book but I really dont care enough to keep reading. so this is what I thought about the first 42% of the book.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review**

[sam]

okay so basically, this was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021. i mean literally, if there’s a brown person on a cover - it’s going on my tbr. but brown people + exes to lovers + an online relationship? now that is something you’d wanna pick up asap. which i did. however, my thoughts on this book are pretty conflicting right now so rtc?

pre reading update:
i saw desi YA rom com and hopped on the bandwagon 🤩

[sil ♡ the book voyagers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m very conflicted maybe because of the romance part of this book. Because is this really a romance? Nothing romantic happens. It’s more about their individual journeys and their siblings’ wedding than anything else. I guess yeah, they have that sort of thing between them that they are exes and they parted ways in not good terms so now Kiran dislikes Deen so very much. But I really thought we would get a romance????

Don’t get me wrong. This is a great and fun book. I love how the author implemented chatroom convos and texts in between chapters! That’s always super fun to see in books. The characters were alive and had very distinct personalities. I loved getting to know them more and more. Both of them do a lot of messy stuff throughout the novel lol! They’re super protective of their siblings and tbh they want the best for them.

But yeah I fully expected a romance in this book.

[Ayushi (bookwormbullet) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books & Quill Tree Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It All Comes Back To You is one of my most anticipated releases of 2021 and I’m so fortunate to have been able to read the ARC. I binge-read this book and finished it in a few hours because of how much I was loving it. This book deserves all the attention and I’m truly so excited for it to come out this fall!

It All Comes Back To You follows Kiran Noorani, a second-generation Pakistani-American and incoming college freshman. After her mother died of ALS, Kiran vowed to keep her dad and sister, Amira, close. Things take a dramatic turn when Amira suddenly announces that she's seeing someone and might move cross-country with him after getting married, completely throwing Kiran for a loop. Meanwhile, Deen Malik is thrilled that his older brother, Faisal, has found a great girlfriend and is planning to propose to her. When Faisal and Amira arrange a dinner with themselves and their respective younger siblings, Deen and Kiran silently agree to keep their past a secret. Four years ago--before Amira and Faisal met--Kiran and Deen were together, but the two went their separate ways when Deen ghosted Kiran with no explanation. Now, Kiran will stop at nothing to find out what happened, and Deen will do anything, even if it means sabotaging his brother's relationship, to keep her from reaching the truth.

This story was everything! Kiran & Deen’s relationship was really intriguing to follow, especially because we got to see their relationship when they first met, to their relationship online via their anonymous video game profiles, to their relationship in person 3 years after they split. I found myself rooting for Kiran throughout the book, even though we did get to see things from Deen’s perspective. As the oldest child of an immigrant household, I did understand the intense pressure that Faizal (and honestly Deen, too) was facing from his parents, and as an older sibling, I completely understand Faizal’s motives to protect Deen. Nevertheless, I do think that ultimately Faizal and Deen were in the wrong for keeping things from Amira and Kiran and Farah Naz Rishi did a really good job of writing Deen as a douchey character, which is why I ultimately loved Kiran more. I really liked the way that Farah Naz Rishi ended the story and how Kiran & Deen’s relationship never felt rushed or forced, all the way up to the epilogue.

Also, can I just say that Farah Naz Rishi’s depiction of two second-generation desi young adults is probably the most accurate I’ve ever seen from a YA author. The dialogue, lingo, mannerisms between Kiran, Deen, and their respective friends were so accurate, it hurt. I’m always wary about adult authors trying to make their teenage characters relatable or accurate to this day and age’s current teens but Farah Naz Rishi knocked it out of the park.

Speaking of being able to relate to the characters, the self-insertion as a reader regarding Kiran’s character was too real LOL. As a university student and a dancer, I loved reading about Kiran’s journey heading to UPenn (and Deen’s student life at NYU too) and her experiences as an Indian Classical (presumably Kathak!) & a Bollywood dancer. The way Kiran described how she feels when she physically dances and the impact it has on her was extremely relatable as a dancer. I loved all the references to classic Kathak-Bollywood dance songs from Bajirao Mastani & Paadmavat. I encourage everyone to read the other Own Voice reviews from Pakistani and Muslim readers, but overall the desi representation was amazing!

I know this book is going to be such a hit among desi readers everywhere and I can’t wait for everyone to read it when it comes out! 5 stars from me :)

[Nana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edit: Recently been reflecting on the Muslim representation in this book and I'm conflicted. On one hand, I appreciate that there is nuance with how real these Muslim teens are... on the other hand, I feel extremely iffy that the two characters were mentioned kissing behind a mosque.

I wish the book could have done without that minute detail. Muslim representation is a tricky thing to navigate and I don't think there can ever be representation that satisfies every Muslim, because we are not a monolith. But I do think there should be some basis that Muslim authors especially understand when it starts moving from "real representation of flawed Muslims" and veering into disrespect that doesn't need to be penned down.

-

After months and months of waiting for this book to come out, I am pleased to say that it did definitely warm my Desi heart to see such adorable representation of Pakistani families and Desi weddings.

While I did enjoy this story, I still feel like there was a lot missing from it that didn't capture me completely. Our two main characters, Deen and Kiran, are kind and loving yet messy, flawed people that I really loved reading through. Their love for their family, doubt for their future, and strive to try and be better in the face of all of life's hurdles really was one of the best parts of this book.

However, plot points-wise, this book was too lacking for me. I would definitely say it isn't really a romance but more about two characters' journeys through which they interact. A lot of the plot relied far too much on miscommunication, till the very end, which just became slow-paced. It also meant the storytime focused more on repetitive points (such as Kiran's distrust for Faisal, Deen's constant paranoia of Kiran, etc.) rather than moving on to things like developing the two main leads' own relationship, showing us more about their parents and so on.

Overall, it was a nice read though it had the potential to be a much better book had there been improvements in the pace of story developments as well as having an ending that wrapped up things more.

----

i'm so crazy excited!!!! look at that cover!!! this is about to be a bollywood movie in book form. september can't come fast enough <3

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so this is going to be a mini review. This text may contains very mild spoilers.

It All Comes Back To You by Farah Rishi- 1.5⭐

Content warnings: death of a parent, parental emotional abuse, drug addiction

I see anything Desi and I’ll jump right into the book, that is one of the reasons why I blindly trusted this book to be an amazing book and I just ditched all of my other books and started reading this book.

BUT, this books was a total disappointment for me this is because I did not like the story at all and I had this strong urge throughout this book to DNF it. It was messy, their past relationship was not believable and it was like a constructed reality that both Kiran and Deen shared. I just urgh! I hated Kiran, throughout the whole book it was too much! I felt like going into the fictional world and knocking some sense in this girl because fucking hell! She was unbearable!

Like I get it you’re scared that your sister is moving on and stuff like that but that gives you no right to go overboard and try to fucking sabotage their relationship!!!!!! I absolutely HATED Kiran’s character arc, I mean yeah, she can be a teensy-weensy bit protective because of her promise to her mother but whatever she did throughout the book was just a bit too much for me and I couldn’t bring myself to even like her one bit. And the one thing I h in every romance book was intensified in this book- MISCOMMUNICATION!

Character wise, I only loved Kiran’s best friend, he was a gem.

The only reasons I give this book 1.5 stars is:
-desi big fat wedding with Bollywood music*hearts gets giddy with excitement*
-can we take a moment and appreciate the way Farah showed the typical desi parents? Even though I hated them, but like they were everything that desi parents are usually and I really liked Faisal’s character arc.
-the discord relationship these both shared, thought it was silly and underdeveloped, was the only reason I went through the whole pain!

[Elyse (ElyseReadsandSpeaks) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this. At all. It held my attention and I didn't hate it with a fiery passion so it's better than one star, but not by much.

Kiran was awful. She was so selfish and used her mother's death to justify her crappy behavior. Just because someone's last wish is "take care of each other" doesn't mean you should stalk your sister's fiance and plot ways to break them up

Dean is also awful. You let your brother, who was bullied for most of his life, take the fall for you for a damn felony. This brother was so damaged that he convinced himself it was HIS fault for being bullied and inspiring Dean to seek revenge.

And both awful people were absolute crap to the people they were supposed to care most about!

You know what? Screw this. ONE STAR. I apparently do hate this book.

[bisma ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

My desi heart is happy; this is the rep I've longed to see ♡

[Anum Shaharyar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though Pakistani authors writing in English have really started to branch out into other genres in the recent decade — moving away from literary fiction into the world-building of science fiction — the creative characters of fantasy, or even the haunted tales of horror and young adult (YA) fiction, still remain a pretty undeveloped area.

Very few authors from the country are creating stories centred solely on the lives and trials of teenagers, which makes It All Comes Back to You, the second book by Pakistani American writer Farah Naz Rishi, a rare occurrence.

Written from the point of view of two teenagers caught up in the impending wedding of their siblings, Rishi’s work subscribes to all the prerequisites of a YA novel. While it is generally agreed that the themes available in the young adult universe are expansive and can include those found in adult fiction, there is a commonly accepted focus on subject matters which relate to friendship, first loves, relationships and, most importantly, the concept of one’s own identity.

Rishi’s work has the added benefit of not only tackling all of these basics in a deft manner, but her protagonists also happen to be Muslim, which means that the complications of being a young person from a religious minority growing up in an American society are also questions that the author tackles.

To this aspect of the story, Rishi clearly brings her own lived experience, which lends the novel an air of authenticity. Kiran and Deen, the protagonists of the tale, are both teenagers living in New Jersey with their families, and it is a New Jersey drawn really well, with regular mentions not only of streets and shops, but also that nostalgic smell of the inside of a mosque, or the local shopping centre where desis go to buy things they can only find in the Subcontinent.

Because the story revolves around the wedding of Kiran’s sister with Deen’s brother, the author also has a lot of fun mentioning all the various traditions that are part of a typical South Asian wedding, such as the groom’s shoe being held hostage in exchange for money. These things make it obvious that the author has deep familiarity with the culture, which makes the reading experience much more enjoyable.

Unlike the author’s first novel, I Hope You Get this Message, which featured Muslim characters in name only, It All Comes Back to You focuses at a much greater level on religion also, and on what it means to belong to a Muslim family. Characters routinely quote Quranic ayats in normal conversations, the masjid is a place of importance, and Faisal, Deen’s elder brother who is clearly cast as a character worth admiring, is regular in his prayers and avoids alcohol.

This is a strange, albeit wonderful, change from tales where anyone religious is shown as uptight and in need of an intervention in order to break them away from the supposed shackles unfairly imposed on them by their faith.

However, this doesn’t mean that the author doesn’t show her characters engaging in behaviour that most would deem un-Islamic. Kiran’s mother, no longer alive, plays a significant part in the narrative because of her love for dance, which is represented in Kiran’s own desire to be a dancer. Deen regularly parties and drinks with his friends, and both teenagers swear sometimes.

Instead of showing a make-believe world where teenagers strictly adhere to prescribed teachings, Rishi’s characters tend to be more flawed and thus feel more believable. By creating sympathetic, flawed characters who sometimes act in selfish, horrifying ways, Rishi manages to show how being a teenager is a tumultuous period in one’s life, full of revelations about ourselves and those we love.

A main aspect of this turbulence is, of course, the romance, which is a major part of the narrative. Kiran and Deen’s relationship, full of chemistry and snark, already has a built-in reason for sparks catching, given that the two are shown as having been in a sweet relationship three years before our story starts — right before Deen ghosts Kiran without giving her a reason for why he vanishes.

This, coupled with Kiran’s immediate distrust of Deen’s elder brother Faisal, leads her to question her sister’s decision to marry Faisal without knowing him in detail. The plot keeps thickening from here onwards, with secrets and betrayals coming to the surface as the story progresses. Rishi keeps the romance at the forefront, bringing it back into the narrative as Kiran and Deen slowly rediscover buried feelings as they prepare for their siblings’ weddings.

The book, in a true nod to the world of young adult literature, also focuses on the relationships that teenagers have in a more platonic sense, such as the love between siblings, or the camaraderie between friends.

Kiran’s obvious affection for her sister, or Deen’s side-plot regarding his roommate at college, all serve to show how multifaceted a person’s interiority can be, with moments of selfishness, frustration, or guilt balanced out with grace, humour and an ability to ask for forgiveness. Both Kiran and Deen are ultimately protagonists that one can root for, even as they take decisions that seem obviously primed to lead to disaster.

Like a majority of YA novels that feature immigrants in the plot, this book also looks at a number of heavy topics, such as addiction, bullying and the death of a parent and how they relate to the immigrant experience. The trauma caused by all of these problems plays a significant part in making the characters who they are, affecting not just their present but their future plans as well, with Kiran planning to become a doctor in memory of her mother.

The tale also doesn’t shy away from shining a light on the unrealistic expectations immigrants can have from their children, or the way creating an idealised image of a good life can affect a child, as shown through Deen’s parents and their inability to understand why their children are suffering.

All in all, it feels like, out of the multiple books coming out these days which tackle the desi experience abroad, this one comes the closest to treating its subject matter with the respect and excitement it deserves. All the details mentioned even casually in the story serve only to highlight how well the author understands the culture she is talking about, which increases the enjoyment involved in reading this book tenfold.

This is also visible in the cover of the book, where the attention to detail shows that it was clearly illustrated by someone who was given a pretty thorough art brief. Even the beauty spot on Deen’s face is visible in the picture; it is a stroke of subtle genius and shows how meticulously the book was treated from an editorial perspective.

A truly enjoyable read, and one can only look forward to what the author will produce next.

***

This review was originally published in Books and Authors on 21 October, 2021.

Disclaimer: I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

***

I review Pakistani Fiction, and talk about Pakistani fiction, and want to talk to people who like to talk about fiction (Pakistani and otherwise, take your pick.) To read more reviews or just contact me so you can talk about books, check out my Blog or follow me on Twitter!

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Absolutely loving the cover. Review to come.

[On the Same Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

But love isn't a feeling; it's the act of planting a seed and putting in the time and care it needs to grow. It demands hard work and renewal to survive. It demands commitment. By necessity, it cannot be taken lightly.

WARNING: this review contains minor spoilers

This is a compulsively readable book with interesting characters, and I think I could have easily rated this higher if I hadn't disliked one of the main characters so much. I didn't have any issues with Deen; I thought his arc was a good one, and I enjoyed him as a character. There were definite layers to him and you can see them getting peeled back bit by bit. His character development felt very satisfying.

And then there's Kiran.

The entire story revolves around how Kiran doesn't trust the man her sister wants to marry, and is determined to find out what he's hiding. There's nothing wrong with her wanting to protect her sister, but the extremes she goes through to do this honestly made me cringe. A single conversation where she was honest about her concerns and feelings would've made the story collapse. Even though Faisal was suspicious, Kiran acts mostly out of self-interest. Her plans to live together with her sister can no longer happen, but she thinks they should because that is what their mom wanted: for them to stay together. Even when she sees how much what's happening is hurting Amira, she doesn't take a step back to think if she's doing the right thing. She just keeps pushing forward because of course she must know what Amira wants or needs better than Amira does. I can understand this kind of stubborn mentality from a ten year old, but Kiran is much older than that. The antics she pulls to discredit Faisal were too much, and that brings me straight into the Muslim representation part of the review.

Kiran and Deen both admit to not being great Muslims for various reasons, and some of their behavior is pretty questionable, but also representative of the way a lot of Muslim teens feel. I personally thought having them kiss behind a mosque was kind of taking it a step too far, but I was way more concerned with some of the things Kiran does in the present. Arranging it so a practicing Muslim is served alcohol when he explicitly didn't want any, and that he is confronted with a stripper, just so he would look bad, is a whole new level. Being a Muslim teen is difficult, and, speaking from personal experience, it's easy to waver and lose your faith a bit when you're having a difficult time. I understood Deen's distance from Islam at this stage in his life and his attitude in general a lot better than I did Kiran. I will say that I appreciated that they recognized the mistakes they made, and tried to take steps to remedy them. I also liked that the way Deen and Kiran approach Islam was counterbalanced by Amira and Faisal. Faisal is more religious, and it made for some interesting discussions between Faisal and Deen and was a nice way to explore how Muslims practice their faith in different ways.

[Fafa's Book Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I Recommend It All Comes Back to You.

1. The Rep: As a Pakistani Muslim, I always look forward to books written by Pakistani Muslims with Pakistani Muslim characters. I was hooked from the cover to the synopsis and the plot itself. The way the culture was portrayed as well as Islam was beautiful! I resonated with Kiran’s struggle in not knowing Urdu, her struggle with not feeling like a real Pakistani. I also felt connected to Deen in regards to his struggle with Islam and not knowing how to reestablish his relationship with Allah.
2. The Writing Style: Rishi did a wonderful job switching back and forth between Kiran and Deen’s point of view. Each character was fleshed out and both point of views read differently, and by that I mean each character had a distinctive voice. The text messages from 3 years ago and discord chats were fun to read as well.
3. The Messiness: I never thought that I would ever say this but I actually I enjoyed all the messiness. Yes everything that Kiran did was stupid and crossed the line many times, I but understood why she did everything. The same can be said for Deen. I think it just goes to show that Rishi had a good grasp on the characters and storyline.
4. The Character Development: I absolutely loved the character development! Throughout the book both Kiran and Deen really go through it, with being back in contact with each other (especially after ending off on bad terms), their siblings getting married, and having to work through their own trauma. Whilst It All Comes Back to You doesn’t focus that much on the romance it’s biggest strength is the character development. I know the ending won’t necessarily be what people will expect, but I think it works and is the best outcome.
5. The Relationships: I adored all the relationships! I know the selling point is Kiran and Deen, but the other relationships the characters had were great as well. Deen’s relationship with Faisal was a bit strained, but I could feel the love they both had for each other. Kiran’s relationship with her father and Amira was so wholesome and I looked forward to their interactions. Kiran and Asher were really fun to read about. Deen and Vinny was pretty good as well. And of course Amira and Faisal were so cute!

[Fakiha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not wait for this book to finish bc the main character was so unbearable and toxic 😭😭

[sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

[Jayati · Rating 4 out of 5]

It All Comes Back To You was a fun, action packed desi rom com that lived up to all the expectations I had. Kiran is a strong, stubborn woman and Deen is a messy and complicated, but on the whole, a movable character and following their journey through this book was a delight.

There's always a mystery and unease as to what had happened three years ago, and as Kiran and Deen interact again due to their elder siblings getting married, things get real and complex very soon. There are a lot of unexplained things and unresolved feelings as well as Kiran's reluctance to her sister getting married as she had met Faizal just three months ago while Deen is very supportive and wants to do anything to make sure the marriage goes through and his brother is happy.

Kiran also thinks that things are fishy and tries to investigate to find out what had happened three years ago and what the rumours were abou,t while Deen tries his best to make sure she doesn't uncover the past since he wants it to remain there and not affect his brother now. There is a sense of foreboding and secrecy about the events until the very end of the book and I loved how the anticipation was built and didn't disappoint me either.

Both the characters are strong willed and have their own opinions on what should happen and I loved watching them butt heads as they tried to achieve their respective goals. Through the book, their relationship slowly progresses as we get to learn more about their past as well as see how their current relationship is developing and you can't help but agree with how they're both right on their own parts and they just fit together!

I also adored seeing how the characters develop, recognise what mistakes they'd made, both in the past and current scenarios, and by the end of the book actively tried to fix things and deal with everything they're going through. To be honest, I think this book is more of a coming of age one than a romcom since barely any romance takes place in the present day while there is definitely a lot of rgowth in the characters.

Lastly, I enjoyed how their online friendship played out. It's just so fun to see this trope but I feel it's always a bit too on the nose and it was this time as well, but I enjoyed it never the less.

Overall, I highly recommend this fast paced book if you're looking for a book about messy teenagers with immaculate desi vibes.

blog | instagram | twitter

[ayesha a · Rating 5 out of 5]

reread 12/28/22 WOW even though it took me two months to read this time, my attachment to this book remains the same. i felt so much more emotionally connected this time to kiran and deen and both their flaws and pasts and GAHHH it’s just so good easy 5/5

first read 9/18/21 GUYSDFJLKSDKDSKLDSKLFSDK;LFLDS;L;KDSF;LDSFKL;SDF;LFL;KDF;LK;LFGL;KFSL;GSL;GK;LSAKLSJDFKLSDFJDSFLKJSDFKSDJFKLSDFLKSKLFDKFLDSJKLFDJFKSLDJKLDSFKLSDFJLKFS

i read this in abt 3-4 hours and it is 2am and im so KDSLJFKLSDFKLDKFJ PLEASE get ur hands on this book like pick it up from the library (rq it because it's a new book and also written by a poc so the library will probably not have it bc yk...) or order it or SOMETHING

GOD as a a Pakistani Muslim i feel like I've just been dreaming of this ideal muslim love story w a YA novel storyline and this just CHECKED THE BOXES FOR ME like LKJSKLJDGSKLJDSKLDSGKLJ FARAH NAZ RISHI U HAVE FOUND UR TARGET AUDIENCE!!! ITS ME!!!! IM AUDIENCE!!!!!

also. DEEN MALIK!!!! FKLJGKLDSKLDJGLDFJGKLFDKLJGFDLKKLJDFKLFD pls point me in the direction of irl deen PLS no book has given me SUCH butterflies omg everytime they had a text convo flashback and it was deen being all sweet i just <3333

anyway I LOVED THE ACTUAL PLOT THIS BOOK FOLLOWED!!! the characters were so genuinely real (and flawed) and i LOVED IT!!! sometimes their mistakes were so real that it was even frustrating to read, but in a good way?

the representation in here just felt so right in the sense that it was just normal and not overkill but also not tokenizing our culture or anything!!

IM SO FULL IM SO KLDJSGKLSKLFG WEEEEEEEEE PLEASE READ THIS!!!!!! SUPPORT SOUTH ASIAN & MUSLIM AUTHORS!!!!!!

IMD DYING TO KNO HOW THEIR STORY ENDED

[ree · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ll give it a one rating just because the cover is absolutely gorgeous … shame the book just wasn’t it :/

kissing behind a masjid ?? LIKE WHAT?? like idc even if there was a damn forest or whatever … just found it disrespectful!! the representation was not it! the book was just so messy didn’t like kiran and I couldn’t care about deen either.

[brutallyhonestbookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS….
2.5-3 stars | okay….where do i begin. i think the idea was there but the execution was debatable. I was conflicted with the characters the whole entire book and the ending gave like ZERO closure.

pre-read:
just a reminder that i will sell my soul to read this early 😫

[minh ☾･ﾟ]

i need this book now. also this cover is everything