Name: micki's review of Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali
Item: Love from A to Z
Rating: 4
Author: micki

S. K. Ali

“The bighearted, wildly charming, painfully real love story I’ve been waiting for.” —Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda “Heartfelt and powerful.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) From William C. Morris Award Finalist S.K. Ali comes an unforgettable romance that is The Sun Is Also a Star meets Anna and the French Kiss, following two Muslim teens who meet during a spring break trip. A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together. An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are. But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry. When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break. Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her. Then her path crosses with Adam’s. Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister. Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father. Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals. Until a marvel and an oddity occurs… Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting. Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

Love from A to Z

S.K. Ali

Een bijzonder verhaal over het vinden van liefde Een wonder: iets dat je heel bijzonder vindt, zelfs al is het eigenlijk heel gewoon. Zoals de frietjes van de moeder van Adam die ze samen maakten. Een rariteit: iets vreemds, of iets dat je aan het denken zet. Zoals de docent van Zayneb die zijn klas maar blijft voorhouden hoe ‘slecht’ moslims zijn. Zayneb, de enige moslim in de klas, is niet slecht. Ze is kwaad. Als ze geschorst wordt, vertrekt Zayneb naar haar tante in Doha, Qatar. Ze voelt zich schuldig omdat ze ook haar vriendinnen in de problemen heeft gebracht en ze belooft zichzelf om minder confronterend te worden. Adam heeft multiple sclerose, de ziekte waaraan hij zijn moeder verloor, en vertrekt ook naar Doha om zijn familie te bezoeken. Hij probeert om zijn diagnose geheim te houden voor zijn vader en zusje. Zayneb en Adam ontmoeten elkaar op het vliegveld. En dan? Dan volgt er een verzameling van wonderen en rariteiten.

Liefde van A tot Z

True. Om je doel te bereiken moet je soms hard werken. You might face a lot of backlash, but you shouldn't give up.

blue

Wanneer heb je ooit iets probleemloos ten goede zien veranderen?

Waarom zou je iets anders zijn, waarom moslim zijn, waarom iets zijn waarvan de maatschappij zegt dat het niet normaal is, als je het niet echt in vrijheid kunt zijn? Waarom moeten we lijden om onszelf te zijn? 

vanaf nu is dit mijn standaard reactie als ik word geconfronteerd met islamofobie enz.

En weet u wat? Hoe ik eruitzie en wie ik ben, ga ik niet veranderen vanwege uw vooroordelen, uw boosheid, uw zogenaamde vriendelijkheid. Uw verzet tegen mijn bestaan is zinloos, oké? 

Die zucht naar gerechtigheid in je hart is daar door God geplant. Je dapperheid ook. Laat niemand die onderdrukken, want dan onderdruk je de bron ervan. 

islamofobie, maar ook racisme over het algemeen. iedereen die niet 'westers' genoeg is mag van hen sterven :/ (denk aan vele afrikaanse, aziatische en zuid-amerikaanse landen; moslim of niet, als je niet 'blank genoeg' bent is er een hoger kans dat je dood niet zo veel uitmaakt)

Islamofobie zorgt ervoor dat mensen zoals wij zonder repercurssies vermoord kunnen worden.

4000 schoenen voor een periode van 10 jaar is super erg; maar ongeveer 40 000 schoenen zouden we nu moeten plaatsten voor slachtoffers gemaakt in een halfjaar. Dit brengt dingen in perspectief, hoe afschuwelijk alles is...

Vorig jaar waren we voor onze eindexamenreis in België en daar zagen we die schoenen, meer dan vierduizend, die waren uitgestald om de Palestijnse slachtoffers van de laatste tien jaar te herdenken. 

Het deed pijn dat sommige levens minder waard waren.

Je moet altijd je rug recht houden als je met haat wordt geconfronteerd. 

Hijab betekent niet noodzakelijkerwijs moslimachtiger. Het kán moslimachtiger betekenen, en het kan ook níét moslimachtiger betekenen. 

Er is nog een ander soort haat, vooral van vrouwen die zich bezighouden met wit feminisme, die denken dat ze moslima's helpen door deze manier van kleden als onderdrukking te bestempelen. Ze doen net alsof ze ons redden door ons te "bevrijden" van onze religieuze leer, die volgens hen onderdrukkend is, want zij zijn zo slim, haha, dat ze dat doorhebben.

I felt that. Het feit dat ze zover in het boek nog altijd denkt dat ze 'rustig' moet worden en dat boos worden over oneerlijkheid niet verantwoord is maakt me boos.

Meisjes zoals ik, die de pijn en de problemen van de wereld zien en voelen, worden niet begrepen. 

Wat me irriteert is dat mensen denken dat islamofobie bestaat uit kleine of grote geweldsincidenten. Een hoofddoek die van iemands hoofd wordt gerukt, iemands winkel die wordt vernield, iemand die gewond raakt of zelfs vermoord wordt. Nee, er is ook een ander soort, en dat komt veel vaker voor: het langzame, gestage spervuur van kleine vooroordelen, de jouw-soort-mensen-zijn-uitschot-steken met een lichtvaardig die steeds een flarden van je ziel afhakken totdat je hart zo verdoofd is dat je het niet meer voelt. Je ziet bijna alles negatief en je bent alleen nog maar boos.

From William C. Morris Award Finalist S.K. Ali comes an unforgettable romance that is part The Sun Is Also a Star mixed with Anna and the French Kiss, following two Muslim teens who meet during a spring break trip. A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together. An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are. But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry. When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break. Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her. Then her path crosses with Adam’s. Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister. Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father. Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals. Until a marvel and an oddity occurs… Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting. Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

Rana

Here was a girl I was interested in, way more than any other girl I'd met before. 

I closed my eyes. God, she was.....cute. 

When I got my first impression of her: busy, beautiful, brilliant blue. 

fc ♡

I don’t know why I just had to show her the journal—maybe to let her know there were two of us?

 No, I think maybe it was to see that smile again.

I was still floored that we had the same journal, so I kept stealing glances at her. And then she stopped with her pen to her lips and looked straight at me. 

Luckily, I saw it coming and moved my eyes in time. I hope.

l promised a marvel for every oddity, so… Okay, here, I’ll give you one: cute guys. Well, the cute guy across from me as I write

the first time we locked gazes, his eyes had looked lively somehow. Like he wasn’t closed up. Like there’s this easy smile on his face, even while reading his laptop screen.

 His hair was—okay, that’s all. He saw me looking at him a few times, so I’m going to stop.

Was there anybody on this plane who wouldn’t look at me and think troublemaker? Or worse, terrorist?

I took my laptop out and opened it on my knees—but I’d be lying if I said I was browsing online. Instead, shielded by eyes staring at the log-in screen, my mind was in scrambles

An orange book sticking out caught my eye. In big, bold, black handwritten letters it said MARVELS AND ODDITIES JOURNAL.

 I think I must have made a sound, because she looked up, her eyes inquisitive.

How do you meet that one exact person who’s right for you?

I’ve dropped out of school. I don’t want to run out of time

people think Islamophobia is these little or big acts of violence. Someone getting their hijab ripped off, someone’s business getting vandalized, someone getting hurt or, yes, even killed. No, there’s the other kind too, and it’s a more prevalent kind: the slow, steady barrage of tiny acts of prejudice, these your-people-are-trash lightsaber cuts that tear and peel strips off your soul until you can’t feel your numbed heart any longer.

 Angrier than angry, because then you’ve got almost nothing positive left inside

Kathleen

this book was truly beautiful! it dealt with a lot of topics and the writing of the author was easy to understand and kept me hooked to keep on reading, i didn’t even notice that i skimmed through these pages that fast but i really enjoyed it!!

micki

zatul 

even better the second time around 🥰

reread #3: crying 🫶🏻🫶🏻💓💘✨💖🎀🥰💜✨💙🦋

A very beautiful story with a message of utmost importance. I enjoyed the characters - it was easy to like them, to feel for them, and to root for them. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy a story presented to me as diary entries, but this was done so well that I couldn't not stand behind the choice. Not to mention how fun and smart the idea of them sharing a 'wonders and rarities' diary is. The meaning behind this alone is impactful, and to my delight, there were so many more impactful points. To all the Zaynebs out there, keep fighting for what you stand for; and to all the Adams, kudos to you! 

Sarah Sammis

Marvelous.

Although the overall result of the novel is a happy ending, it is an emotional rollercoaster. These two protagonists are well crafted, believable characters who you will quickly come to love. You'll worry for them. You'll cheer for them.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comm...

aaaa, to relate to a book so wholly, is a completely new feeling to me, someone who mainly reads in the romantasy genre with little to no muslim or south asian representation.

it was so sweet, so simple, and so casual and yet at the same time made me emotional too. 

I absolutely loved how topics of oppression and a war torn subcontinent are touched upon, its absolutely necessary to be be given awareness once in a while of our real world scenarios.

I aspire to be strong like Zayneb and stand up against the wrongs.

and ofcourse, the love story!!! beautiful and so perfect for a modest girly like me. 

overall, a very cute read.

IT WAS CUTE and accurately shows how we muslims crush on people but can't do much unless marriage is brought up. Adam is adorable and Zayneb's entries were so funny with the way she was thinking about Adam. Cute book!

poopsoup

The most perfect book I’ve ever read. I was seeking for a book that represented my religion in a positive way and the love, shared between two souls, that comes with it. This book is just that.

The love shared between Adam and Zayneb is beautiful, real and very realistic. This book shows us that there are beautiful love stories out there that can be halal and that you have to communicate and stay true to yourself in order to keep things going in life. 

Razen Ouled Khlaf

The most perfect book I’ve ever read. I was seeking for a book that represented my religion in a positive way and the love, shared between two souls, that comes with it. This book is just that.

The love shared between Adam and Zayneb is beautiful, real and very realistic. This book shows us that there are beautiful love stories out there that can be halal and that you have to communicate and stay true to yourself in order to keep things going in life. 



who doesn’t want love like this

(adam’s thoughts really got to me)

Wafaa S

Really amazing book. Everyone should read. 😍

alexandra

i enjoyed this so so much :') gave me all the fluffy cute feels as well as intense sadness and rage at all the islamophobia in this world.

Anum Memon

I gave it three stars because I personally did enjoy but not as much as I would think to enjoy it. Also I was about to give it two stars because I thought the writing was kinda slow and wasn't fast pace like other standalone romances. I also think this one is way substantially better than the authors other book (saints and misfits). I really thought saints and misfits was a dull, boring and tedious. This book however was okay to read because I did have a smirk on my face in a couple parts in the novel.

menna

adam and zayneb are the cutest and I'm in love with them and everything in this book

Sampurna Saha 

Bvhh759

Jantien 

Thank you for this book. Mashallah. I will never forget how it made me feel.

Disclaimer: I bought a copy of this book on my Kindle. Support your authors! All opinions are my own.

Diversity: American Muslim MC (Pakistani/West Indian descent), Canadian Muslim convert MC with Multiple Sclerosis (Chinese/Finish descent), other Muslim and Muslim convert characters, Scoliosis character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, Muslim

Age Relevance: 14+ (cursing, death, religion, Islamaphobia, HP references, grief, anti-indigenous actions, parental death, illness, animal violence, animal abuse, slight sexual content, romance)

Explanation of Above: There is very very slight cursing in this book. There is some parental death and other death mentioned and grief is shown. The Muslim religion is shown and mentioned several times. There are acts and words of Islamaphobia and there is a non-MC character who participates in anti-indigenous actions by wearing an indigenous Halloween costume that mocks the culture. There are a TON of HP references, but because this was wrote before 2020 I did not take off points for them (but I do wish this book was rereleased without them). There is illness mentioned and shown. There is one mention of a dog bite and animal abuse is off-handedly mentioned. There is one scene where horny jokes are made. There is some romance in this book, but nothing beyond talking and declarations of affection.

Synopsis: A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.

An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are.

But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry.

When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break.

Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her.

Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister.

Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father.

Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals.

Review: I thought this was a great book! I loved the use of journaling to see inner monologue and I thought the story was compelling. The book was a great story about two teens who meet and fall in love as the subplot. The main plot for one was struggling with a diagnosis after losing their mom to the same disease and the other is struggling with an Islamaphobic teacher who is threatening her chances at a good school. The world building was well done and overall I loved reading this book.

The only issue I had with the book is that there were SO MANY HP references. I didn’t mark off because of when this book was published, but the amount of them used to describe characters based on houses really dated the book and it made character development confusing when you’re not in the HP sphere anymore. The book was also super slow in a lot of parts of it.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought a copy of this book on my Kindle. Support your authors! All opinions are my own.

 

Book: Love from A to Z

 

Author: S.K. Ali

 

Book Series: Love From A to Z Book 1

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Diversity: American Muslim MC (Pakistani/West Indian descent), Canadian Muslim convert MC with Multiple Sclerosis (Chinese/Finish descent), other Muslim and Muslim convert characters, Scoliosis character

 

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, Muslim

 

Publication Date: April 30, 2019

 

Genre: YA Contemporay

 

Age Relevance: 14+ (cursing, death, religion, Islamaphobia, HP references, grief, anti-indigenous actions, parental death, illness, animal violence, animal abuse, slight sexual content, romance)

 

Explanation of Above: There is very very slight cursing in this book. There is some parental death and other death mentioned and grief is shown. The Muslim religion is shown and mentioned several times. There are acts and words of Islamaphobia and there is a non-MC character who participates in anti-indigenous actions by wearing an indigenous Halloween costume that mocks the culture. There are a TON of HP references, but because this was wrote before 2020 I did not take off points for them (but I do wish this book was rereleased without them). There is illness mentioned and shown. There is one mention of a dog bite and animal abuse is off-handedly mentioned. There is one scene where horny jokes are made. There is some romance in this book, but nothing beyond talking and declarations of affection.

 

Publisher: Salaam Reads

 

Pages: 384

 

Synopsis: A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.

 

An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are.

 

But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry.

 

When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break.

 

Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her.

 

Then her path crosses with Adam’s.

 

Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister.

 

Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father.

 

Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals.

 

Until a marvel and an oddity occurs…

 

Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

 

Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

 

Review: I thought this was a great book! I loved the use of journaling to see inner monologue and I thought the story was compelling. The book was a great story about two teens who meet and fall in love as the subplot. The main plot for one was struggling with a diagnosis after losing their mom to the same disease and the other is struggling with an Islamaphobic teacher who is threatening her chances at a good school. The world building was well done and overall I loved reading this book.

 

The only issue I had with the book is that there were SO MANY HP references. I didn’t mark off because of when this book was published, but the amount of them used to describe characters based on houses really dated the book and it made character development confusing when you’re not in the HP sphere anymore. The book was also super slow in a lot of parts of it.

 

Verdict: It was good! I liked it!

Turtle lover

Stephanie Ridiculous

Marisa Petri

This book was so sweet and honestly quite surprising. I had very high expectations since my friends told me to read it with such passion... Oh WELL, I guess they were right to insist. I didn't know it would bring me to tears!! 
Besides being adorable andvwell written, it also brings a concrete example of love within Islam which is very welcome.

Zahia Saeed 

Second read! (I cried so much)
I am glad I still love this book to pieces.
If this book was human I'd hug it until I am stuck on it. 
100✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

crying because it makes me sm happy to see Islam being accurately represented in this book. zayneb's story portrayed the daily struggles Muslims go through every day, and not just in western countries. as much as it hurt to read (because i recognized it) i think it changes how people see Islamophobia and the perceptions of Muslims in the world right now.

adam and zayneb adopt me please !!!!!

Nikki

TAKE ME BACK TO ADAMZAYNEB I WANNA GO BACK TO ADAMZAYNEB

Fraser Simons

This book was beautiful. The hope, peace, and justice that it embodies was so wonderful to experience.

Kathleen &
Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali

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