Publishers Weekly
★ 04/09/2018
In this YA debut, Safi explores the internal struggle of having to “talk to more than one world, simultaneously.” Lulu considers herself both American and Arab (her father is a Muslim immigrant, her mother from Louisiana), but to many of her classmates, she’s only Arab (and therefore a terrorist). Meanwhile, she fails to meet her Muslim family’s cultural standards. Lulu is a girl who defies stereotypes: a Muslim who celebrates Ramadan, drinks, smokes, and loves to hook up with boys. Safi’s prose style has a lively staccato rhythm that captures Lulu’s spirited nature, which can easily slip into impetuousness. In addition to Safi’s focus on multicultural identity, her story provides a candid perspective on female friendships that are full of conflict, love, and angst. Through her character of contradictions, Safi offers a refreshing perspective on conformity and the path to self-actualization. Ages 13–18. Agent: Lauren MacLeod, Strothman Agency. (June)
From the Publisher
"These authentic teen girls are smart, complicated, sexual, and sensitive. Their friendships can be mean and messy, but they are also fiercely loyal. This rich story also explores biracial and mixed culture identity (Lulu has a white mom and an Arab dad) in all its joys and struggles." —School Library Journal
"As hilarious as it is heartwarming, this beautiful story about family, friendships, and one amazingly complex teenage girl will leave you begging for more." —Sandhya Menon, New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi
"Deftly written and darkly funny." —Katy Upperman,author of Kissing Max Holden
“An honest slice of teen life from a teen character you need to know." —Sara Farizan, author of If You Could Be Mine
“Engaging and unexpected, voice-y and full of verve, this a whip-smart swan dive into all the messiness of best friendships and new romance, fitting in and growing up.” —Katie Cotugno, New York Times-bestselling author of How to Love
“An intense, emotional debut about finding one's place in the world and throwing off labels applied by other people.” —Jodi Meadows, author of Before She Ignites
“Lulu Saad is exactly the girl YA fiction has been looking for: a fearless and beautiful Arab-American Muslim ready to take the world by storm. Sparkling with humor, wit and vulnerability, Safi's debut will make you laugh and cry.” —Tanaz Bhathena, author of A Girl Like That
"Fiercely unapologetic and unapologetically fierce. This is exactly the kind of bold,messy, girl-driven, friendship-centric narrative that I have indeed been looking for." —Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of Firsts
“A sexy, multifaceted and beautifully complicated debut for anyone who has ever struggled with friendships, religion, and love. A must-read!” —Nisha Sharma, author of The Perfect Ending
School Library Journal
05/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—Lulu Saad is ready to tackle junior year with her three best friends by her side. They'll continue to attend house parties where she'll make out with cute guys. But after one hookup goes sour, her friendships start to tear apart. To make matters worse, she's on thin ice with her mom. Lulu struggles to put back the pieces of her life and find herself in the process. This character-driven, coming-of-age novel explores relationships and identity in many forms. A burgeoning romance facilitates an honest look at consent and being responsibly sexually active. However, the romance takes a backseat to the female friendships, which are the driving force of this story. These authentic teen girls are smart, complicated, sexual, and sensitive. Their friendships can be mean and messy, but they are also fiercely loyal. This rich story also explores biracial and mixed culture identity (Lulu has a white mom and an Arab dad) in all its joys and struggles. The plot sometimes suffers from uneven pacing, but the witty writing and strong voice more than make up for it. VERDICT This debut is a worthwhile purchase for all teen collections and will appeal to those who appreciate realistic slice-of-life novels.—Jenna Friebel, Oak Park Public Library, IL
JULY 2018 - AudioFile
Narrator Priya Ayyar radiates the intensely emotional highs and lows of being young, reckless, and unstoppable—making her ideal to portray Iraqi-American Leila “Lulu” Saad. With her best friends in tow, LuLu conquers her high school social scene while trying not to cause trouble in her tightly knit, sometimes overbearing Iraqi-American community. Lulu is no stranger to drama, which puts a major strain on the life-long friendships that have helped her cope with new love, questions about sexual consent, and bullying. The husky undertones in Ayyar's voice work well with the story’s whiplash humor and snappy retorts. Ayyar savors each moment of raw conversation between Lulu and her friends; however, story’s moderate pacing may incline listeners to increase listening speed. J.E.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-04-10
Leila "Lulu" Saad is about to graduate from high school with her three best friends by her side, but things get messy and senior year becomes a little more complicated than expected.Lulu just wants to be an Iraqi-American living a normal teenage life in Houston, Texas. But that's not possible when your (presumably white) Catholic mom is from Louisiana and her family has been openly hostile since your maternal grandmother, the matriarch of the family, passed away. It's hard when your Muslim dad is from Iraq and you've grown up as an Arab-American Muslim who drinks and frequents all the latest parties but still fasts during Ramadan. Navigating high school is tough enough with graduation, boys, gossip, family, and friends, but Lulu also has to deal with Islamophobia at school, a war that threatens her family thousands of miles away, an incident in which sexual boundaries are overstepped, and the cross-cultural puzzle that every child of immigrants must learn to piece together in their own way. Lulu's stubbornness and desire to make both her worlds meld lands her in isolation from both family and friends. Safi's debut novel offers Arab and Muslim readers a teenager they can relate to as they too learn to navigate racial and religious tensions in a predominantly white society.Delightful and funny but still giving voice to serious issues of sexual consent and xenophobia. (Fiction. 14-18)
