The prompt for the month of June for #ReadingWithMuffy is to read a book that celebrates Pride month. There are many books that speak on this topic and my pick was ‘The Henna Wars.’
“This is one of those moments that I want to bottle up and keep with me forever. Not because it’s extraordinary, or because it’s the kind of thing you would find in a Bollywood movie. But because it’s the kind of moment I could never have dreamed of having in a million years.”
Here’s the blurb as on Goodreads:
When Dimple Met Rishi meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in this rom com about two teen girls with rival henna businesses.
When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life.
Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar: Book Review
The Henna Wars was my first f/f romance and girl, was I impressed!
Super clean writing, beautiful flow of the story, and such a mushy romance. But what sets this book apart is the characters, their story arc, and how certain prejudices are neatly addressed. By neatly, I mean, with such grace and subtlety.
I found this book on a fellow bookstagrammer’s Instagram stories- @pjwalebaabu and I was instantly drawn to that stunning book cover. I, then read the review on his blog and I knew I had to pick this book asap.
Nishat’s family is a Muslim family who moved to Ireland from Bangladesh. Though her parents are liberal, when Nishat comes out to her parents about her sexuality, they are taken aback. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians.
Her only solace is her younger sister. As fate would have it, Nishat meets her school crush Flavia (she didn’t know it was a crush back then) after years and rekindles her long-forgotten feelings for her. But fate interrupts again in the form of school projects where both of them take up henna as their business idea.
A beautiful feel-good book, I absolutely loved the relationship between the two sisters as well. Oh, you must read this book.
“I feel my stomach drop even though my little crush on Flávia is supposed I have disappeared. I guess it’s not that simple to get over someone. I still have a thing for Taylor Swift, after all – even though I hate all of her white feminism nonsense.”
Do I Recommend?
Yes! With all my heart!
🐾🐾🐾🐾.5 Paws on 5
That said, here’s how my June went.
Tedious!
I read only two books – The Henna Wars and If I Was Your Girl, both I absolutely loved. I also participated in Nabanita’s #BooksWithNaba photo challenge and it helped me a great deal in clicking pictures and being consistent on bookstagram amidst all the packing and moving.
If you follow me on bookstagram you’d know that I’m on home quarantine and hence the delay in uploading this link on time.
Here are some thing to keep in mind:
- June linky will be open till the 17th of June.
- The Winner of May will be announced asap! Keep on the lookout on my Instagram stories.
- The prompt for July is “Magic”. When I conceived this prompt I wanted to celebrate Potter month. But I’m put off by how JKR behaved (and continue to do so). Hence, I’d urge you to pick up any book other than Harry Potter this month. There are many brilliant books that celebrate the concept of magic and it’d be amazing if you can also share some recommendations for me.
That said, I will be a Potterhead for life because, like most of you, Harry Potter was my childhood, teenhood, and adulthood. I condemn the author to the core and hence the request for reading diverse books for the challenge. I really hope you understand. Much love!
Here’s the linky for your June reviews!
I can’t wait to find out your book choices.
So, here it is!
Let the reviews pour in.
I hope you are staying home, staying safe.
Lots of love and good vibes.
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