Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - More Than Just a Pretty Face

Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood

5 reviews

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

Thank you to @readwithshar for recommending this book for my 2024 #12Friends12Books challenge. I read this via Libby :D

This book follows Danyal, who wants to be a chef, but is mostly known as a "pretty face," so when he is nominated for the Renaissance Man, a school-wide academic championship, suffice to say it's a surprise.. In order to do well, he gains the help of Bisma, but is hoping to impress his crush Kaval's family. As he spends more time with Bisma, he starts to wonder is Kaval really is the right person for him.

I loved this coming-of-age story about Danyal, and how he explores being Desi, being Muslim, being a young kid trying to figure out what's right for him. I think Bisma was a great character; she felt resigned to her past continuing to haunt her, but simultaneously kept it moving and didn't wallow in despair. The friendship between Danyal and Bisma built up naturally, and I was rooting for them to find their happily for now. It was honestly so easy to root for them, as they were both so beautifully human and trying their best, and the way they found true companionship and camaraderie in each other was perfect.

No shade to Ariyan Kassam, the narrator, but I did not love the narration of this audiobook. I recommend the ebook or print copy if that's accessible to yall!

Content Warnings

simplyv375's review against another edition

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challenging funny informative reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.25

First I want to say that I am not Muslim so I can't speak on the representation used in this book. Bisma is a really well written character and I loved her a lot. I love Bismas relationship with her sister as well she was really funny and loved how fast she talked (i listened to the audiobook which made it even better). As for Danyal I have mixed feelings about him. Personally I could relate a lot about his behavior towards school and just curiosity for life asking questions a lot. I also admired his passion for cooking, however it just didn't feel like enough. I liked how the book discussed colonialism and Churchill's history which I definitely want to look into. The speech Danyal gave at the end was *chef's kiss* but the ending felt really fast and would have liked to see Danyal and Bismas relationship progress after his family found out about her past.

Content Warnings