Publishers Weekly
09/13/2021
A year after their mother’s death, rising UPenn freshman Kiran Noorani isn’t thrilled when her sister Amira reveals her impending marriage and subsequent move. Worse, however, is when she discovers that the groom’s younger brother is Kiran’s “one and only ex,” Deen Malik. Online, Kiran and Deen anonymously talk nightly through their game personas in MMO game Cambria, but in real life, Deen’s abandonment of Kiran three years ago has left an indelible mark on their bond. Alternating chapters reveal both of their emotional lives: though Kiran has been accepted to UPenn’s premed track, she yearns to be a dancer. And even though Deen is a dedicated student, his troubles at home, past and present, prevent him from achieving his best. All the while, the mystery of why Deen ghosted Kiran years ago hovers throughout the story, building tension and moving the narrative along at a fast pace. Readers familiar with Bollywood tropes may foresee some plot points, but Rishi (I Hope You Get This Message) brings nuance and freshness to the familiar You’ve Got Mail dynamic with desi Muslim teenagers in this deftly layered novel. Ages 13–up. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
High-stakes scheming is afoot in Rishi's second novel, which explores what two characters are willing to do to protect the people they love. A story that will entice many readers.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Replete with desi and Muslim cultural references, this romantic drama offers an emotionally wrought story of owning one’s self and one’s past.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“A multilayered coming-of-age narrative that addresses growth and identity, Islamophobia, struggles with faith, and capricious twists of fate (or divine intervention).” — Kirkus Reviews
“This coming-of-age tale deftly incorporates elements of desi and Muslim culture, grief, and overcoming trauma into a story about love and change, what it means to be a family, and how relationships can shift over time.” — School Library Journal
“Rishi brings nuance and freshness to the familiar You’ve Got Mail dynamic with desi Muslim teenagers in this deftly layered novel.” — Publishers Weekly
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Replete with desi and Muslim cultural references, this romantic drama offers an emotionally wrought story of owning one’s self and one’s past.
Booklist (starred review)
High-stakes scheming is afoot in Rishi's second novel, which explores what two characters are willing to do to protect the people they love. A story that will entice many readers.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Replete with desi and Muslim cultural references, this romantic drama offers an emotionally wrought story of owning one’s self and one’s past.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Replete with desi and Muslim cultural references, this romantic drama offers an emotionally wrought story of owning one’s self and one’s past.
School Library Journal
09/01/2021
Gr 9 Up—It's the summer before college, and desi Muslim Kiran is excited for her older sister, Amira, to move home so they can proceed with their plans to get an apartment together while Kiran attends Penn and Amira works as a lawyer. Then, the unthinkable happens: Amira meets someone. Suddenly, she's getting engaged and planning to move across the country with him. This is all happening way too fast for Kiran, who is convinced that Faisal, Amira's fiance, is hiding something. Plus, Kiran secretly dated Faisal's brother, Deen, before he suddenly ghosted her. Their siblings' pending nuptials mean that Deen is back in Kiran's life, and, while Kiran is doing her best to find the truth, Deen is putting his all into making sure the wedding goes off without a hitch. As the wedding draws closer, it seems that everyone has a hidden agenda, and love might not be enough to overcome these obstacles. Told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of Kiran and Deen, this coming-of-age tale deftly incorporates elements of desi and Muslim culture, grief, and overcoming trauma into a story about love and change, what it means to be a family, and how relationships can shift over time. Although this is not a romance in a traditional sense, it will resonate with readers who enjoy stories about all kinds of love. VERDICT This contemporary story of Pakistani American Muslim characters is a great addition to YA collections in school and public libraries.—Alison Glass, Dwight School, New York City
Kirkus Reviews
2021-07-27
Pakistani Muslim Americans teens Kiran and Deen are reluctantly pulled together again when their siblings get engaged, three years after the end of their own failed secret relationship.
After Kiran’s mother died a year ago, all she’s wanted is to keep her father and her sister, Amira, close. But when Amira announces that she’s dating Faisal, with the intention of marriage and a move from the Northeast to California, Kiran is gobsmacked. Worse still is the revelation that Faisal is the older brother of Deen, Kiran’s ex who ghosted her. Deen, a sophomore at New York University, hopes that Faisal’s engagement will bring Faisal much-needed happiness, confidence, and standing with their status-obsessed parents, who see him as a failure, especially after the incident that caused them to leave Philadelphia. Discovering that Kiran is prying into the past and secrets that he and Faisal want to keep buried away—and possibly trying to sabotage the marriage to get to the truth—Deen is determined to protect his brother’s happiness no matter what the cost. Told in dual voices and text messages that cross time and virtual gaming platforms, Rishi weaves a multilayered coming-of-age narrative that addresses growth and identity, Islamophobia, struggles with faith, and capricious twists of fate (or divine intervention). Characters are mostly South Asian Muslim; Kiran’s best friend is Filipino, and Faisal’s best friend is Black and Muslim.
Refreshingly flawed characters revisit a rom-com trope. (Fiction. 13-18)
