Samira Ahmed

Maya Aziz, seventeen, is caught between her India-born parent's world of college and marrying a suitable Muslim boy and her dream world of film school and dating her classmate, Phil, when a terrorist attack changes her life forever.

Love, Hate and Other Filters

Sarah Sammis

Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed is set in Batavia, Illinois, the author's home town. Maya Aziz is a senior in high school who with the help of her aunt has gotten into NYU's film school. There's just the problem of telling her traditionally minded Muslim Indian parents and getting them to agree with it. They have other well intentioned plans for her.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comm...

alexandra

2.5/5 –

UGH. i can't tell if i REALLY don't like audiobooks or if this just wasn't for me. i was super excited for this, but it just fell short.

1) the romance is a mess. i didn't feel the connection and there's an awkward love triange at first. one guy she's pinning for has a girlfriend (or "just ended but not really" his relationship) and the other seemed like a player or too good to be true. it didn't feel authentic and i felt like that was too much of the plot. the focus could've been in so many other aspects but the MC (and author?) is just obsessed with her romantic endeavors. i mean, i understand that you like this guy but ?????? what about like, EVERYTHING ELSE?? 

2) maya (the MC) is not my favorite person – mostly because i felt like she treats her parents horribly and she COMPLAINS SO MUCH. i get it; you're a teen and you feel like everything is unfair but like??? can't you see where your parents are coming from???? i know they're frustrating, but they love you and sometimes, you can't treat them like that ?!!! maya also loves crying and idk if it was because of the audiobook, but i couldn't help rolling my eyes whenever the waterworks came. BUT i love how she's passionate about her interests and doesn't back down. she knows what kind of profession she wants to go into and i appreciated that.

3) i expected the ~islamaphobia conflict~ to be a bigger part of the plot, and i wish there was more to it. the first 50% only goes over her strUggLes with bOyS then all of a sudden this becomes a Big Thing and changes everything. THEN, at the very end, maya's like, "nope, i'm going to do what i want" and it's almost like it never happened??? i was confused and conflicted. the whole experience and POV of this part of the plot was my favorite. i was disappointed the beginning and ending almost brushed it off as non-existent, instead focusing on the romance. WHY. 

4) parents were probably my faves because they're so relatable to my parents sometimes. maya being a Frustrating Teen was the worst. but then again i was probably the same when i was younger and that makes me even more sad :((((

Cat Josephson

Maya Aziz dreams of being a film maker in New York. She's also caught between the guy she SHOULD like and the guy she DOES like. Then a suicide bomber who shares her last name strikes in a city hundreds of miles away and everything changes

Jamieson

"You might have heard this before, but guys aren't always the best communicators"
"You're pretty good at it"
"Yes" Kareem says, then leans back with both hands behind his head. "I am rather great, aren't I?"


Yet again I'm here to praise an ownvoices contemporary novel 2017 is the year for it, so many authors are killing this. LOVE, HATE & OTHER FILTERS was one of my most highly anticipated releases of this year and yet it still managed to impress me and go above and beyond my expectations

Love, Hate & Other Filters follows Maya Aziz, an Indian/American muslim teen who dreams of going to film school and has a big ass crush on a boy at her school. It's mostly a coming of age novel, with cute romcom elements, but it's also a serious exploration of being a brown muslim girl in modern America and how people react to that. What I loved this book is it found such a perfect balance between fun and serious. 

For the Fun stuff. This book kind of reads like a romantic comedy. There's a love triangle (briefly, but it's killed off so don't worry if you hate them), there's funny banter and cute fluffy moments and lots of descriptions of incredible eyes and dimples and the usual .. but what was good was that this was all so CUTE, not cringey and awkward. I really liked that, the romance made me happy, not uncomfortable which was NICE.

 And I think why the romance was so good was because the male characters were my favourite kind of male character. Aka, soft, sweet boys who care about feelings and are NICE. NICE BOYS. They are my favourite kind and I was so here for Phil, the love interest, and Kareem, a love interest/brother kinda figure to Maya. 

One more light aspect of this book I LOVED was that Maya had a hobby she was passionate about and wanted to take further. For some reason hobbies in YA are rare and I loved that Maya was pursuing her film passions so heavily. One downside of this was that the heavy use of film references was hard for me because I didn't understand most of them. 


  I'm scared. I'm not just scared that somehow I'll be next; it's a quieter fear and more insidious. I'm scared of the next Muslim ban. I'm scared of dad getting pulled into Secondary Security Screening at the airport for "random" questioning. I'm scared for the hijabi girls I know getting their scarves pulled off while they're walking down the sidewalk––or worse. I'm scared of being the object of fear and loathing and suspicion again. Always


but on the more serious side, this book tackles a variety of important and relevant issues. Islamophobia, racism, and current events such as terrorism and "the muslim ban" in America were all addressed, in a way that was eloquent and important and relevant. 

Maya, the main character, was an incredible character through whom most these discussions were facilitated. I think the author perfectly captured Maya as a character caught in a complex situation, and allowed her to express a variety of reactions and emotions to the issues which made her feel authentic and realistic rather then a "spokesperson caricature" 

Love, Hate & Other Filters also explores the dynamic first generation Indian teens have with their parents and cultural challenges they face. I'm not a first generation teen or an immigrant so I can't comment on if this was well done, but I did find the exploration interesting to read and I definitely enjoyed reading that perspective. I recommend  Kav's review on this aspect though, because she talks from a more informed standpoint about how she felt on the representation of Maya's parents. 

REPRESENTATION

Want to slot in I think you should read Maha and Fadwa's review of this book as they are ownvoices reviewers. This book is OwnVoices for the Indian/American & Muslim rep btw!


  My father picks up where my mother leaves off. "These terrorists are the antithesis of Islam. They're not Muslim. Violence has no place in religion, and the terrorists are responsible for their own crimes, not the religion and not us."


CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Honestly, I highly recommend this book. I think a lot of people could really love it. It's doing what YA is great at right now - producing fun, relatable, cute content that also taps into the social political climate and makes a meaningful commentary. In this day and age I don't think you can afford to be tone deaf and this book perfectly finds a balance between serious and "non serious" issues. Ultimately, this book just looks at what it is like being someone like Maya in America - both the regular tv stuff we always see - crushes, school and friends, as well as the more serious, racist rhetoric that some teens have to endure everyday. 

I really loved this, and I woud of given it five stars if it weren't for the ending that I just .. didn't love. (view spoiler)[ the book ends with her and Phil getting together but then in the epilogue they've split up? idk I just didn't like it it really annoyed me (hide spoiler)]

I haven't read When Dimple Met Rishi but I'm hearing from quite a few people if you think liked the representation in WDMR, but thought that Dimple was annoying and wanted something a little more serious, this is your perfect book! 

Overall I really hope this one gets more hype and that everyone reads it on Jan 16 when it comes out. It was incredibly cute and fun, whilst also being relevant and informed. Also, it's so short and packed such a massive punch. Love love love

thankyou to Hot Key Books for providing me with my arc, this review is my honest opinion on the book!

Maya Aziz just wants to attend NYU film school and become a renowned documentarian. Her parents want her to attend the University of Chicago and study premed or prelaw. Maya has been crushing on a white boy she attends high school with. Her parents want her to marry a suitable Indian-Muslim boy. Balancing what she wants from her life with what her parents want from her seems impossible. The balancing act gets worse in the aftermath of a terrorist attack that is initially blamed on an Egyptian Muslim who shares Maya's last name. Suddenly, her community seems far less safe than it used to as bigotry and fear take over. Her parents are more insistent than ever that she stay close to home so they can watch over her. Maya isn't willing to give up on her dream that easily, but her options don't look too good.

Maya is a non-religious Muslim character. Like many culturally Christian characters, religion is marginal at best, though nonetheless a part of her identity and the worldview she was raised with. If you're looking for religious Muslim representation, this isn't the book for you. It's a better pick for secular Indian-Muslim representation. 

The romance in the book was pretty boring, to be honest. There were two love interests throughout the book: suitable Kareem who checks ever box on her mother's list, and Phil who she's attended school with for years and has had a crush on for the last year. Maya feels an instant connection with Kareem because of shared experiences, but she quickly decides she's not interested in pursuing a relationship with him. Her relationship with Phil is more complicated since he has a girlfriend at the beginning of the novel and he's definitely the type of boy her parents would never approve of. Yet the spark between them means she ultimately chooses him. The romance between Maya and Phil is pretty fluffy and quick despite the girlfriend drama. None of it was my style and I would have been just as happy not to deal with them. I did appreciate that it seems like Maya and Phil kind of weren't together when they were in college because the more important part of their stories was going to the school of their choice to follow their dreams. But otherwise, I could have lived without any of the romance.

Of more importance, was the plot related to the terrorist attack and the resulting Islamophobia and bigotry that Maya had to deal with. A terrorist drives a truck filled with explosives into a government building in the state capital. Tensions immediately ratchet up following the attack. The initial suspect for the attack is a Egyptian Muslim because his passport was found at the scene. It's later discovered that he was a victim of the attack, present because he was undergoing his citizenship ceremony. The actual attacker was a white nationalist. Throughout the book, there were interludes from the point of view of the terrorist. Initially these interludes were vague regarding the identity of the attacker, phrased in such a way that it could have been the Muslim terrorist that everyone initially suspected because it fit those stereotypes, but also works with the Christian white nationalist it was in reality. 

It was interesting (and disheartening) to see the way the tone of these interludes changed as the information about the terrorist came out. When it was discovered the terrorist was a white man, there were all kinds of attempts to humanize him, to come up with a reason why he acted the way he did. There was a focus on his abusive father, how much of a loner he was. If the terrorist had truly been Muslim, none of this type of information would have come out because the media would have accepted "he's Muslim" as reason enough for his actions. I appreciated this subtle way of displaying the racism inherent in the way the media handles terrorist attacks like this. I would have appreciated it more if the media's racism had been explicitly called out, though.

Arden Kowalski

Young adult novel about teenage girl attempts to say something meaningful about oppression but ultimately falls flat with wish fulfillment romance and simplistic prose. Main character's best friend has obviously been written so there's another relevant teenage girl, but she reads like a paper doll. In short, I only enjoyed this book because I have a thing for cheesy romances. What? Sue me.

Grace O'Callaghan

** spoiler alert **
           Love, Hate and Other Filters is a wonderful coming of age story where Maya is stuck between two worlds. One is where she’s the good Indian daughter who’s expected to become a lawyer and marry a suitable Muslim boy. And the other is one where she makes beautiful films, crushes on the popular guy at school and dreams of attending NYU. But a terrorist attack sends both of Maya’s worlds into chaos. Will she be able to overcome her parents wishes for her and bigotry and follow the life she wants?

This was such a powerful and emotional novel whilst also being a wonderful, and at times, light hearted contemporary. It dealt with so much such as race, religion, parental expectations and so much more.

This was told in chapters like you’re average book, but at the end of the chapter there was a page in third person about someone that wasn’t introduced in the main novel. It gave the book a sense of foreboding that the reader was aware that something was going to happen, but they could do nothing about it. I thought it was a very powerful way of telling the story.

I thought Maya was a good protagonist. She was sarcastic and was into making movies and films, which is something you don’t see much of so that was nice to see. I really felt for her as her parents are quite traditional and set in their ways. But I didn’t agree with her when she ran away, I thought it was kind of petulant and she didn’t even consider how it might affect her parents.

The romance was... meh. It was cute at times but overall kind of cheesy. Phil and Maya didn’t really seem to have much in common, but first love I guess.

I really liked Kareem and I get that Maya didn’t like him in the same way he did, but after she ‘broke up’ with him (they went on one date) he was basically non-existent for the rest of the book. He was there for one phone call but that was it. I just wanted more Kareem.

The plot of the book was really strong in my opinion. It had a very good balance of the hate and Islamaphobia and the romance (even if I didn’t enjoy all the fluff). It showcased that terrorism doesn’t just affect the victims and their families, it affects an entire community of people when that community is blamed based on the actions of one individual. It also showed how people are quick to blame and assume when they don’t have all the facts. This book has such an important message behind it and will be a very important book for a lot of people, now more than ever.

Such a powerful and important read along with a romance that wasn’t my cup of tea, but still pretty enjoyable.

Samirah Arif

Meh. Samirah definitely has talent when it comes to writing, but this was not her best work. The MC didn't seem to be Muslim except in name. It also sort of bothered me how she really only cared about boys. Oh, and to make things worse, she seemed to hate her culture. I mean, complaining that your house smells like Indian food? Are you crazy?

Caitlyn DeRouin

I picked up this book at 3pm today and finished it at 7pm today. I really really enjoyed this book.

Ahmed's writing style is fluid and seamless, it's easy to get lost in her words. Even at the beginning of the book I felt like I had only read a chapter and then suddenly I was on chapter 5 and it felt like to time had passed. Everything about the way she writes is smooth. Her characters are likable and quirky and fun and honest and above all they are real. While reading this book I felt like I could've known and been friends with Maya. 

What I loved most about this book is that while it had its lighthearted moments, especially in the first half, it was a very real and honest look into what it's like to be a Muslim-American and the struggles that they face on a daily basis. It was an honest telling of what it is like to experience Islamophobia first hand and it broke my heart. I really commend Ahmed for putting it all out there like that, for being completely honest and truthful. This is a very important story in the world that we live in today, and I'm so glad that this book exists.

Jelke Lenaerts

The romance in this is so cute!!!! I can't even! But besides the romance this book carries a lot of important, deep, hard hitting messages. I would highly recommend this to everyone, just to see the world from this perspective. 
Maya was such a wonderfull main character and I absolutely LOVED her.

I received a galley of this trough Netgalley, so thanks for that.

full review: https://jelkelenaerts.blogspot.be/201...

Alexis 

I Really liked this book, the only downfall was that it was too short. I wanted more while reading. I felt thought it was impactful, again its another book that brings out certain issues that we are dealing with todays society. people unnecessarily discriminating out of ignorance, hate and fear. I also really love the authors note in the back! so many feels with that.

celeste

While I really enjoyed reading this one, there were several things that bothered me, especially the ending. I don't think the epilogue added anything interesting, and I really wish the story would have ended without us knowing what was narrated in the epilogue. However, there were so many important and heartbreaking conversations about Islamophobia and racism in this book and honestly, to think that people have to go through shit like this because of bigots and racists is beyond me. It made me angry to see what Maya and her family had to be subjected to just because they were Muslims and Indian (except for Maya who is Indian-American). Still, the fact that what is portrayed in this book happens to people daily, all over the world, saddens me to no end. I also really liked the love interest; I think that it was a really cute and well-developed relationship. I've seen some own voices reviews saying they didn't agree with the representation in this book, so I cannot speak about that since I'm neither Muslim nor Indian. But I've seen in their reviews problems with the way Maya's parents behaved and were portrayed, and for me, I have to say that a specific behavior they had towards the end of the book was a little bit extremist, but again, since I'm not Muslim nor Indian I cannot say whether that is a reasonable reaction to have or not when confronted with Maya's choice. Overall, it was an interesting story, the characters were likeable (except for Brian, he was a piece of garbage), and while it started off like a solid 4 star book, it kinda went down a little bit by the end.

Arwa El

This book was one of the worst books I have read this year. I don‘t even know where to start. First of all, I have a question: Why does freedom in this book mean falling in love with a White boy? Like, why? Everything the character goes through, evolves around the White boy (such as in Internment as well, only the love of the White boy made her continue and be revolutionary af - but I still liked the book), as if breaking from her parent‘s chain into her boyfriend‘s makes it any better. There were some moments where I was like, ok, it‘s going to get better but it simply didn‘t. Don‘t waste your time with this book, there are better ones out there!

Paige Green

Rating: 4/5

Genre: YA Contempory

Pages: 276

Amazon

Author

I received a free copy of this book through KidLitExchange. All opinions are my own.

A searing #OwnVoices coming-of-age debut in which an Indian-American Muslim teen confronts Islamophobia and a reality she can neither explain nor escape--perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Jacqueline Woodson, and Adam Silvera.

Maya Aziz is torn between futures: the one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter (i.e.; staying nearby in Chicago and being matched with a "suitable" Muslim boy), and the one where she goes to film school in New York City--and maybe, just maybe, kisses a guy she's only known from afar. There's the also the fun stuff, like laughing with her best friend Violet, making on-the-spot documentaries, sneaking away for private swimming lessons at a secret pond in the woods. But her world is shattered when a suicide bomber strikes in the American heartland; by chance, he shares Maya's last name. What happens to the one Muslim family in town when their community is suddenly consumed with hatred and fear? - Amazon.com

I am loving these Own Voices novels I keep finding. And if you have any more you want to suggest to me PLEASE DO! I loved this book and it touched on islamophobia that has regretfully consumed many people. I loved that the main character was a Muslim girl, which you don't see a lot in many books unfortunately. I can't speak on how well the representation was to the average Muslim girl but on Goodreads there are many Muslim girls on there that have voiced their opinions of this so I would implore you to read thier comments. For my own reading I felt most of the characters were very well developed and the plot was intriguing. While you may not have been the target of islamophobia you can't help but feel for Maya. I also felt the pacing was very well done and the writing was magnificent.

However, I did have some issues with the main character and her parents. While I am not Muslim and I did not grow up in that culture, I do know and hope that parents out there hope for more than just their child to get married off. My mother's concern, while mainly being for me to find a good spouse, was to find true happiness. I also felt that Maya's character was a bit unrealistic. No matter what type of relationship you have with your parents, you're going to feel some guilt or some remorse for going behind thier back and I didn't feel like Maya had this. I was a teen once and I did dumb things in the name of love, but it didn't make me feel any less guilty.

Verdict: Overall, I think this book is an important book to read. We're in an age where there is outright hatard for a people and a culture that the average person is ignorant to or refuses to learn about. I've had a friend (ex-friend now) that pulled her son out of school because he was learning about the Muslim culture in a geography class and she didn't want him to know about the culture or religion because she holds very racist views on the Muslim people unfortunately. This is just one book, but I think it has the power to change a lot of people's perspectives on their views of the Muslim culture and the people who believe in Islam. I implore you to read this and many other novels with Muslim characters in it.

Jeni Enjaian

I loved this book despite my hesitations going into the book. I read a few reviews before reading the book and they mentioned, correctly, that Maya and her family do not give an accurate representation of the Muslim religion and living that out in daily life. Ahmed clearly establishes the Aziz family as secular Muslims, a concept familiar in many religions. I think it would have been interesting (in a different way than the book already is) to place Maya in a much more strictly religious family. 

That being said, after the incident, I could hardly bear to put this book down. I read most of the second half during the ten minutes of each class period that I give to my students to read. Of course, this time does not pass uninterrupted. I kept wishing that they would just read so that I could keep reading!

Although Ahmed includes a fair bit of teen angst, her narrative compelled me to keep reading and in so doing created one of the most enjoyable books I have read this year.

Leelynn Brady

Find this review and more on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads.


  “These terrorists are the antithesis of Islam. They’re not Muslim. Violence has no place in religion, and the terrorists are responsible for their own crimes, not the religion and not us.” 


This is probably the first #OwnVoices book that I've read - unless you include The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, then it would be the second - and I have made it my mission to read more of these books.

I hurt when I read this book. I hurt when I witness anyone being treated like crap for something utterly ridiculous. Whether it's their skin color, their religion, their physical appearance, or even any disabilities, people do not deserve to be treated like a second class person because of it. Islamophobia is a real problem here in the United States, and this book showed what the aftermaths could be if a terrorist was assumed to be Muslim.


  “It’s selfish and horrible, but in this terrible moment, all I want is to be a plain old American teenager. Who can simply mourn without fear. Who doesn’t share last names with a suicide bomber. Who goes to dances and can talk to her parents about anything and can walk around without always being anxious. And who isn’t a presumed terrorist first and an American second.”


Maya is the only brown girl at her school, and I know exactly how that feels. She is the only Indian Muslim girl at her high school, and while the majority of her classmates treat her with respect and enjoy her, there is one boy that is so full of hate whenever he sees her. He has even referred to her as the "help" in a local bookstore, completely disregarding her presence when she is standing right in front of him. He gets worse, and there is no evidence that he even gets better. It's the kind of pure hate that this boy shows towards Maya, who has never done anything in her life to give him a reason to treat her this way, that hurts my heart.

All Maya wants to do is going to NYU to study film. She's always carrying her camera around, her friends knowing when to get in their "acting poses" and when it's just a time to be normal. She's really good at what she does, and yet to her family, it's just a "wonderful hobby". Her parents do not see her dream as anything more than that. They would rather her stay close to home, go to school to become a lawyer and marry a suitable Indian, Muslim boy like they do in India. To them, anything less would make her less than a good Indian daughter, and they have commented on more than one occasion that they should have sent her to boarding school in India so she would have grown up to be a good daughter. It's hard enough that being an Indian Muslim girl subjects her to racism and hate, but how can she break out of her shell and follow her dreams when her parents don't understand?

I really enjoyed this book, and I felt that it was an important one to read if you have never experienced hate in this capacity. There was love in the book, between Maya and two boys in her life that represented the two paths she had in front of her. There was hate in the book, enough hate that Maya and her family were physically affected and traumatized. But there was good in this book too, and I am so glad that I picked it up to read and cherish forever.

Ciska van Bokhorst

2 1/2* eerder. Wat een teleurstelling. De eerste helft is gewoon een ya romantisch boek met insta love en love triangle. Dan komt de aanslag en gebeurt er weer weinig.... Ik had een totaal ander boek verwacht. Dit was gewoon een meisje verliefd op 2 jongens die zich afzet tegen haar ouders en ergens moslim is. Jammer...

Danielle 

Amber

Lukas Ellerbrook

Maya Aziz is caught between her India-born parents' world of college and marrying a suitable Muslim boy, and her dream world of film school and dating her classmate, Phil. In the aftermath of a terrorist attack hundreds of miles away, the community she's known since birth is transformed by fear, bigotry, and hatred.

Jessica Nottingham

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. A romantic, searing and relevant debut about Islamophobia and how it affects the normal life of a teenage girl. Maya Aziz dreams of being a film maker in New York. Her family have other ideas. They want her to be a dutiful daughter who wears gold jewellery and high heels and trains to be a doctor. But jewellery and heels are so uncomfortable... She's also caught between the guy she SHOULD like and the guy she DOES like. But she doesn't want to let Kareem down and things with Phil would never work out anyway. Would they? Then a suicide bomber who shares her last name strikes in a city hundreds of miles away and everything changes . . . Perfect for fans of Annabel Pitcher, WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI and THE HATE U GIVE.

Love, Hate and Other Filters

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