Tag: ARC

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood

I received a free e-ARC of this book thanks to Edelweiss and Doubleday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this story we follow two characters and their families: Anvar and Safwa/Azza. Anvar is a Pakistani native who immigrates with his family to San Francisco in the 1990s. Safwa/Azza is living in Baghdad with her father and facing the fallout of the war until they also immigrate to San Francisco. We follow both characters from the 1990s through 2016 and see where their stories ultimately intertwine. 

Why I liked The Bad Muslim Discount

I really enjoyed this book and gave it a 5/5. I felt like the characters were developed very well. They were recognizable and we could see their thoughts, motives, and flaws. The way that Masood wrote them, I felt personally invested in their lives and wanted certain things to happen for them or to not happen. 

The Bad Muslim Discount covers so many important topics. Religion and what it means to be a “good” muslim is a key component of this book. Masood also includes the power of love, what it means to be true to yourself, family dynamics, the power of a community, and identity—both personal and collective.

One particularly poignant passage stood out to me (quote is from e-ARC and may change upon publication):

“‘America is still the most powerful nation in the world. So why are its people so terrified all the time?’

…

‘We live on stolen land,’ I finally said, ‘in a country built on slavery and reliant on the continued economic exploitation of other people. The oppressor always lives in fear of the oppressed. Americans have always been afraid, first of people native to this continent, then of black men, then of the innocent Japanese citizens they interned and now of Muslims and immigrants. So the real question, I think, is who is next?’”

I highly recommend The Bad Muslim Discount and urge you to read it. Syed M. Masood is writing amazing important books and you’ll be missing out if you don’t pick this up. Publication is set for November.

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood ARC

This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf

I won a free copy of This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf in a Goodreads giveaway. Special thanks to Bookclubbish for hosting the giveaway and the publisher Park Row. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this book we’re following Detective, Maggie Kennedy-O’Keefe, as she is the lead who is tasked with reinvestigating the 25-year cold case homicide of her best friend, Eve, when new evidence is found. As she digs deeper into the mystery of who killed her friend on that fateful night, she’s forced to remember the tragedy and confront some uncomfortable truths about herself and those closest to her.

I was excited to read this. The synopsis sounded so intriguing and I was ready for a suspenseful read that would keep me guessing. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite make it up to par. About halfway through the book it fell kind of flat for me and I had to force myself to finish it, which was disappointing since it started so strong. I ended up giving this book 2.75-3/5 stars.

There were several main characters that we are introduced to. The story is told in three different perspectives: Maggie, Nola, and Eve’s. Gudenkauf employed flashbacks as a tactic to help draw suspense and move the story along. The two main characters are Maggie and Nola. Nola is portrayed as a psychopath but I felt like it was over the top and a lot of parts didn’t add up or were just thrown in for the sake of trying to freak the reader out. Her character confused me. Maggie was Eve’s best friend and the lead detective on the case when it was re-opened. I didn’t find her character to be genuine and I wished Gudenkauf would have either committed to the unreliable narrator for her or made her more believable and made me want to care about her. There was a part in the story where someone says something to her and she attempts to protest and they argue and she just accepts what they’re saying. It felt extremely fake and I didn’t understand why she would roll-over and it made no sense and if the author wanted it to change the plot, I felt like her character needed to be different before that scene as it didn’t make sense just randomly being thrown in. 

Things about the crime were confusing. Without any spoilers, to say that the events and the ensuing case were shady is putting it mildly. The original case didn’t result in an arrest but whenever Maggie talked about her father, former head detective, working on the case, things seemed off. 

Overall, this book wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t the suspenseful novel that I was expecting. This was my first read by Gudenkauf so that was kind of a letdown, but I’m open to reading more from her in the future. 

More Than A Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood

I received a free e-ARC of this book thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this story we are following a high school senior, Danyal Jilani, as he prepares his entry for Renaissance Man. He’s always had a crush on Kaval Sabsvari, the beautiful sister of his friend Sohrab. But when Danyal’s parents try arranging a marriage for him with Bisma Akram and he starts spending more of his time with her, he realizes maybe his heart belongs to someone else.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked Danyal’s character and liked the humor that Masood infused throughout the story. Some parts actually made me laugh out loud. Danyal wants to become a chef, which is considered a less-than-honorable profession in his culture. I liked the descriptions of food that were in the story, but I also liked that Bisma was supportive of Danyal and his dreams. 

The inclusion of Churchill and British colonization was interesting and I liked learning about it. I think it was also important for Danyal’s character to do this topic for his project because he was always seen as a slacker and it forced him to decide whether to play it safe or go with his gut and talk about what he felt was important. 

The relationship between Danyal and his father was intriguing. In the beginning we see that they have a rocky relationship. His father does not approve of Danyal’s dreams of becoming a chef and feels that he is more or less a failure to him. We see their complex relationship and struggle to communicate throughout the book. By the end, however, it’s clear that the relationship between Danyal and his father has changed. I liked how Masood showed this change at the end of the book.

I didn’t like the fact that people were constantly telling Danyal how dumb he is or how little potential he has and he just agrees with it. I also wanted to know more about Bisma. We find out something important about her past on their first meetup, which has important repercussions for her and her family and plays a role throughout the rest of the book. She seemed like such an interesting character and was good for Danyal, I wanted more about her. She was such an integral part in Danyal’s character growth so a little more about her as a character would have been nice.

I can’t speak to the muslim representation in this book. One thing I did notice was that there was the typical stereotype of the “hardcore” religious worshipper. When one character practiced his religion the majority of his time, he was seen as the killjoy and too serious and multiple characters wanted him to “chill out” and I didn’t really like that aspect. 

If you’re into YA contemporary books with more serious topics seamlessly woven in or want a humorous diverse read, definitely check this book out! I’ll be keeping Syed M. Masood on my radar for other books. Publication is set for August.