tl;dr an amazing sapphic novel that tackles cultural expectations & cultural appropriation
Premise
Nishat doesn’t want to lose her family, but she also doesn’t want to hide who she is, and it 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 decide to showcase their talent as henna artists. In a fight to prove who is the best, their lives become more tangled―but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush, especially since Flávia seems to like her back.
As the competition heats up, Nishat has a decision to make: stay in the closet for her family, or put aside her differences with Flávia and give their relationship a chance.
Rating
4/5 stars
Review
Great read and very cute! I related a lot to Nishat, and I really loved her character development and personal journey. I also liked seeing the development of the other characters, such as Jess, Flavia, Chaewon, and Nishat's parents; I found the discussion of cultural appropriation and cultural expectations interesting as well as relevant.
Slightly ironically, the main thing I disliked about this book was the romance, even though I came in thinking it would be a standard YA contemporary with sapphic enemies to lovers (which is probably an issue with how so many people said this book was a "cute sapphic romance" and is not at all a fault of the book itself). But in actuality, the book focuses the most on Nishat and her identity and her experiences, with the romance being a side plot. Yes, there are some cute points, but this book delves into many difficult topics, such as racism, homophobia, and cultural appropriation.
Thoughts on the romance, though, because I do have some: I don't really know if could classify it as enemies to lovers (maybe more like friends to enemies to lovers), but the romance felt very insta-lovey because Nishat fell for Flavia after one conversation and we didn't really get to see the foundation of their relationship. Due to this limited relationship foundation, the main impression of Flavia that we got throughout the book was negative because of what was happening with the henna booth for the majority of the novel, but I'm glad that she was able to own up to her mistakes.
Also, the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book were very much appreciated. More books should have them!
Other Info
Standalone
13+
Rep: Bengali Muslim lesbian main character, Afro-Brazilian Irish bisexual love interest, Bengali side characters, Korean side characters
CW: racism, homophobia, cultural appropriation, bullying, and a character being outed
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Henna-Wars-Adiba-Jaigirdar/dp/1624149685
Would I Recommend?
Yes!
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