Reviews

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan

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spunglass's review against another edition

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fast-paced

4.0

alainajreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? Yes

3.25

Overall this was a powerful, fairly short YA novel about the struggles of one immigrant girl and her parents and the hardships that jeopardize their visa status, Khan aims to address hot-button issues such as immigration and the green card process, Islamophobia and prejudice, gun violence, and white privilege, as these all collide in young Zara’s life when a tragic event leaves her family to question their own safety in the United States. The author never shies away from difficult topics, but at times it felt didactic.

Zara is a headstrong and dedicated heroine and I liked that she was unapologetic about being a bisexual Pakistani Muslim, and that her parents were supportive of her sexuality. While romance is not the main focus of the book, there is a romantic sideplot, and I thought Zara’s relationship with Chloe was cute but seemed a bit too insta-lovey and underdeveloped for me. The pacing in this book was another thing I was a little underwhelmed by, as it slowed around the middle then resolved itself very quickly and the resolution seemed to brush over some issues. The writing style at times felt a little choppy.

I did like the close and accepting relationship between Zara and her parents and the conflict she faces with them on whether to stay in the US or return to Pakistan was well-handled. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator did a great job bringing the story to life. This was my first book by this author and I am interested in reading more of her work.

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