Mackenzie G

I'm so conflicted because this book fascinated me. I read it for a book club and there was just so much to unpack/to explore about Garp and the other characters. However it was also difficult to read at the same time and I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to anyone to read.

A phenomenal short story about the immense struggles of not only being pregnant/becoming a mother but doing it as a single parent. It astounds me how the author can say more in a short story than so many books can say in a 400+ page book.

To preface this, I love the author's writing and I'm excited to read future books by her. However, I couldn't wait for this book to end. There were parts of it that I really enjoyed, the love story and the dedication these characters had to saving lives.

The issue was all of the filler/irrelevant parts of the book that took away from getting to know the characters more, understanding how they got to this point/what their motivations were/how they were able to accomplish what they did.

To me it was more about the love story than anything else and that's not what I anticipated when I read the summary. So I will say I loved the premise but I gave it 3 stars because it just did not captivate me like I thought it would :(

For anyone that enjoyed and appreciated The Handmaid's Tail as I did (as traumatizing as it also was), I was excited for a part 2. Gilead may seem like a far off fiction story for some but for me it was incredibly difficult because it reflected some truths to how propaganda and religion can impact communities and ruin lives. I really appreciated how this book reflected a new light on characters and told a wonderful story about true heroines (helping me sleep easier at night) but did I think it needed to be 400 pages? Absolutely not.

Such a captivating, terrifying and brave story about a young girl named Ana, a Dominican immigrant being forced by her family to move to New York. It will be such a quick read because you won't be able to put it down!

One of the most powerful books I've ever read. It captures the most pure and saddening feelings of being discriminated against as a Muslim in America. I highly recommend but also disclaimer, it is very dark and involves a school shooting.

To be honest initially I just loved the challenge of reading such a long book, curious what all the fuss was about. What I soon learned was how encapsulating the author's description of each character would be. I loved how she found eloquence even in regular day-to-day events and as parts got more intense had my heart racing. My reason for giving it 4 stars is I felt she could have had made the story just as intense in 500-550 pages. Some dull moments were dragged out for 50+ pages.

I loved the essence of this book. The stories were incredibly powerful. It made me feel even more proud to be a strong woman. My reason for 4 stars is I felt it could be a bit redundant.

I may be biased because joined a book club to read this book with a few New Yorkers so it was fascinating to learn how much overlap this story had with the real NY vibe during and after the war. I loved following the stories of multiple different women. It was enticing and I couldn't put it down. I especially loved listening to it on audiobooks, would recommend!

This book completely captivated me - it shows the raw perspective of different eras of Muslim immigrant women living in America. Not only do you get swept up by their personalities, you sympathize deeply when their family roots and culture tell them they have one purpose and one purpose only. Highly recommend for someone looking for an educational feminist novel.

One of the best books I've ever read. It's so eloquently written, it tells such an incredible perspective. Highly recommend.

This book was so incredibly powerful. It follows the complex, complicated, imperfect and beautiful stories of multiple unspoken for before characters. Highly recommend.

I loved this book - it's heart wrenching and poetic. It shows the power of female friendship under the most horrifying circumstances. Reading the other reviews it seems people expected a happy ending but for many poor girls in these situations there are no happy endings. It takes you through the lens of something you can't possibly imagine and yet you feel like you're seeing the world from the character's eyes. Only reason I gave it 4 stars is because there are a couple slower parts that were tough to get through.

This book was raw, honest and painfully realistic for millions of families across America. I admire Stephanie so much for telling her story and inspiring others in her situation to keep fighting. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because sometimes chapters would blend together into a similar theme to perhaps make the book longer? Overall though an excellent and quick read.