Love from A to Z (A Coming-of-Age Romance)

*6 stars* if I could give 1 million stars, I would.As a lover of literature, as a high school teacher, as a mother, as a human being who believes other human beings are deserving of respect and compassion, there are so many things I absolutely loved about this novel. It made me laugh and cry, it infuriated me and inspired me.This is a must read for 2019Marvel: ZaynebPassionate, intelligent, angry Zayneb.Zayneb, who is angry for the right reasons, and who refuses to be a bystander. Who has a strong sense of justice, a compulsion to stand up against bullies, and a natural ability to be a champion for equality and awareness.Zayneb, who is also very layered. She is strong, but not impenetrable. She is vulnerable, sensitive, loving, and fiercely human. She wears her emotions on her face and her heart on her sleeve, making her a very relatable and inspiring YA heroine. Having experienced first hand the ugliness of the world, if you pair all of those qualities with her sense of empathy, you have a force to be reckoned with.That is Zayneb.She is easily one of my all time favorite YA heroines.Marvel: CharacterizationThe other characters in this novel are all unique gems, and it is a testament to the complexity of people.Adam, with his introspective pragmatism, creativity, and mature sense of loyalty.Aunty Nanny, with her compassion, fire, and intelligence.Connor, with his unquestioning loyalty, acceptance, and support.Noemi, and her self-awareness, confidence, and openness.Zayneb likes open people, she likes real, and that's exactly how these character are written. The characters are complex, relatable, and real.The novel doesn’t just speak against the dangers of generalization, it shows just how incomplete generalizations are. In a climate that is constantly trying to dehumanize and generalize, Love from A to Z is a necessary direct contrast to circulating stereotypes. Representation in literature matters, not just to the underrepresented, but to everyone.Marvel: Hard hitting topicsLove from A to Z addresses complex, problematic topics in a way that isn’t preachy or patronizing.Hard-hitting subjects are explained and discussed between the characters perfectly. It’s eye opening and galvanizing. As Zayneb said, “I’m advocating for more people to get angry. Get moved.”This novel moved me.Marvel: Love (because, as I was warned, this is a love story)The relationships in this book were so heartwarming. They were so full of acceptance, caring, and support.Zayneb, Kavi, Ayaan, and Noemi.Zayneb and Aunty Nanny.Zayneb and the Emmas.Adam and Hanna.Adam and his parents.Adam and Connor.Adam and Zayneb.The characters love one another for who they truly are, flaws and all. They celebrate and accept each other’s differences, and they make each other better people. These characters, though coming from different backgrounds and experiences, learn from one another and grow as a result of their relationships. Adam and Zayneb learn to love themselves just as much as they grow to love one another. They balance each other. The love in this novel, be it friend, family, romantic, or self, is so powerful. My heart was so full by the end. “There was a reason love was a round-sounding word. It completed you and then some, like treading a circular path, the way it was immemorial. Whole. But also . . . infinite. It went on and on as long as you went on and on, to meet it, keep it, treasure it. And I would.”Marvel: Squish and Binky.Because duh. They were flipping adorable.Oddity: Literally nothing.There wasn’t a single thing I would change about this book.It was perfect.Everyone needs to read this book.Everyone.Young people. Old people. In between people (like myself). No matter who you are or where you come from. This book needs to be experienced by everyone.

This is a story about love and you've been warned beforehand by the author but I find that it was so much more than that. Sure, romance is a main part of the book but there are other factors that you can't escale from. It also talks about what it feels for one of our loved ones to go through MS, to go through grief and to look up to the bright future ahead. Life is too short to live in the past when there's so much more waiting for you ahead.Zayneb is a girl with very strong opinions against Islamophobia and to anyone who dares to defy her. She should be other muslim girls' role model as she is fierce, unyielding and brave—all the qualities that I, myself look up to. Meanwhile, Adam is the very definition of soft and kind. It makes the readers have a really hard time not to fall for him. He calculates everything first before acting and is so thoughtful with everyone around him, definitely the perfect character for the love interest.If I have to be honest, this book wasn't extraordinary that it could give me the good kind of tingles just like it was for me with Saints & Misfits. Though both have its qualities that I like but for now, Saints & Misfits is still my favourite one so far. Both different in its own way but definitely deserves all the love and hype.I didn't think that I would be this attacked by the epilogue and just how much their love is poured all over the pages. Their love is like the water, deep, meaningful and for eternity. It gives me hope that love and romance isn't all lost in this wide world, that if you're meant to be then it will happen.This is the first book I've read that is set in Doha, Qatar and the main issue that I have to pinpoint is that I thought that its a city with a more muslim population. So, I was sort of surprised to find that there are still narrow minded people simply living there. I'm not sure that it would happen in real life but it just left me with a lot of questions that I might need to look up the answers to.If you still haven't picked up a book by S.K. Ali like what exactly are you doing? She writes characters that are proudly muslim and tackle problems that some people face everyday. I have such high hopes for this particular author and look forward to what else that she has to offer because I will always be waiting, rooting and supporting her, no matter what.

this type of books aren’t what i usually read; i won’t lie i did dnf it, but recently i got into it again and i really like it. it’s so beautiful, and as a muslim girl it’s so comforting and relatable. i love where im up to right now, but right now there’s no drama (which isn’t that bad tbh)!!

Es un libro muy bueno

I have never ever while reading a book felt so seen, so understood. Zayneb is me, I am Zayneb. I never knew how much I needed to see myself in a book. To read a story about someone like me.Just like Zayneb I am a muslim girl that wears the hijab who lives in a country that is not muslim and of which the prominent population (seen as the 'normality') is white Christian people. So, sadly, I have had my fair share of racist/islamophobic remarks, too. I related to Zayneb like crazy. Seeing all the racism/islamophobia through a character in a book made me realize even more how absolutely unacceptable it is to endure this on a daily basis. Reading this book I felt heard, something I had never experienced with the many other books I've read over the course of my life. I have had teary eyes multiple times. One example is at the very beginning when Zayneb faced islamophobia on the plane. My heart was hurting, because it felt 'familiar'. Because I know these judging looks she got throughout the story/her life.I also loved(!) the romance. Especially how it respected the values and rules of our religion whilst not portraying said values as 'conservative' (compared to other stories labeled as 'halal romances').

“ Maybe that’s what living is - recognizing the marvels and oddities around you.”Loved this book. On the surface this is a coming of age love story between Adam and Zayneb. Both keep journals where they log one marvel and one frustration about life every day. They meet on the plane to Doha, Qatar heading home to family for school break. Adam’s dad teaches at the international school and Adam brings with him a burden far heavier than his journal. Zayneb, suspended from her highschool thanks to an Islamophobic teacher, gets an early start to her school break staying with her Aunt who teaches at the same school as Adam’s father.These two young people navigate the push and pull of friendships and attraction while trying to honour the traditions and the expectations of their Muslim faith. In this modern world their honest efforts to not touch, to minimize eye contact and always have family nearby made their relationship richer somehow and their romance all the sweeter and more endearing.Yes, the romance pulled me in but there is so much to admire about this read. I loved the way the book is laid out with Adam and Zayneb alternating chapters. We commiserate with Adam when he remembers his mother from his childhood, before MS took her life. We get angry along with Zayneb as she deals with racists and ignorant classmates, her hijab acting as a beacon for Islamophobia. I love when a story educates but never bores the reader. Love from A to Z wins on so many levels.Many thanks, Farah for reviewing this wonderful primer for those of us aware but unfamiliar with the Muslim faith. Living and working in Toronto I know how my coworkers have struggled with Islamophobia in their day to day lives along with the challenges they face trying to cross borders simply because of their surnames. Canada and the US are nations built on immigration. To stigmatize one group based on their faith or belief system is unacceptable and abhorrent.Stepping off my soap box, find and read this book. It’s a sweet and memorable read. A wonderful diversion in these pandemic times.

Per non so quale motivo, mi ci è voluto un po' prima di mettermi e recensire questo libro. Tuttavia non cambia il fatto che mi sia sinceramente piaciuto.Ho apprezzato il personaggio di Zayneb, il modo in cui mi ha fatto conoscere una religione di cui non sapevo - e probabilmente continuo a non sapere - molto e di cui, sfortunatamente, si sentono principalmente cose negative. Mi ha aperto un nuovo mondo e mi ha attirato nel suo essere una persona forte e determinata. Mi ha ricordato che va anche bene farsi sopraffare dalle proprie emozioni ed essere arrabbiati e testardi quando si crede sinceramente in qualcosa e quando ci si ritrova di fronte alle ingiustizie.E ho apprezzato il modo in cui i due protagonisti si sono trovati, nonostante le differenze, perché si sono ascoltati e hanno cercato di capirsi.Love from A to Z è davvero un bel libro - e amo fin troppo il titolo - e lo consiglio dal profondo del cuore.