Reviews

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan

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queerafictionado's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was an amazing story that covers some pretty heavy and intense topics in a (for the most part) delicate way, without too much sugar coating or downplaying - racism, xenophobia, immigration, and gun violence to name the big ones. It’s the story of Zara, a bisexual, Muslim, Pakistani immigrant in Texas, as she navigates being a teen and growing up while being othered and dehumanized, all while she and her family deal with immigration red tape bureaucracy and the fate of their ability to stay in the country hangs in the balance.

With all the intense topics that this story touches on, including homophobia, I love that Zara’s parents are not one of the sources. They are supportive and love and defend her and it made my heart so happy to see that. Zara has a close relationship with her parents as well as her two best friends and with all the bad things that were happening to Zara and her family, it was great to have so much love and support and goodness written into the story through these relationships. And I of course have to mention the adorable rescue dog, Zoro!

At times it felt like Khan tried to pack too much into the book, and some parts felt rushed and too easily resolved. But overall it was an enjoyable story and I recommend checking it out. The narrator, Richa Moorjani, did a great job bringing this story to life!

While this story did have a sapphic romance subplot, it is not a romance. This story is a coming of age novel about family and friendship, standing strong and remaining hopeful in the face of hatred.

🏳️‍🌈Rep: MC is a Bisexual, Muslim, Pakistani immigrant; LI is a white lesbian; several POC and queer SCs

📝Tropes/Themes: Young Adult, High School, Friendship, Family Relationships, Catholic School, Immigration, Coming of Age, Racism, Social Justice, Cute Rescue Dog

Content Warnings

fatfemmequeer's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

steel_city_peach's review against another edition

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4.0

A lot of Talking Points

I felt like the author wanted to give a coming of age story with a message. But for me, it came off as too preachy. She addressed immigration laws, homophobia, racism, classism, and Islamophobia. At times it wasn’t integrated into the storyline very well. It came off like she was just listing the injustices that she wanted to talk about. The plot picked up for me when the drama between the two families began. I wasn’t expecting the story to become so intense. The fallout from it all held my attention. This is the second book that I’ve read by this author. Both storylines were very similar.

chemwizard22's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

the_laibararian's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ellenpederson's review against another edition

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4.0

Really enjoyed this book overall. Minus one star because it got a little preachy at times (though perhaps some readers need that to underscore the messages of how messed up intolerance is) and had a weirdly abrupt happily ever after.

All that said, I'd still recommend it!

courtknee__vn's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book really made me stop and think about my privilege how much I don’t have to think about daily being a white woman. Being in Texas, I see a lot about immigration and I’ve always thought it was so unfair that immigrants and people of different ethnicities and religions have to deal with so much discrimination on a daily basis but really diving into that experience from Zara’s perspective made me see it even more and it broke my heart and made me so angry. It’s not fair that she had to wake up every day with the weight of so much on her shoulders and constantly had to be on guard because of so many cruel people. I obviously don’t have the words to really express how important this book is but I think it’s such an eye opening and important read for every single person. Very very highly recommend!!

Content Warnings

firefox's review against another edition

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5.0

Such a powerful story.

blila's review against another edition

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4.0

While this was a compact read, there were some really likeable characters, including a bisexual mc and lesbian love interest which I loved!!

The issues this book discusses span from Islamophobia, white privilege, the US immigration system and homophobia, all while providing an insight into Pakistani culture throughout.

I learnt a lot from reading this and would definitely recommend. :)

shksprsis's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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