A review by misterintensity
Not the Girls You're Looking for by Aminah Mae Safi

4.0

Lulu Saad, who is part Iraqi and part American, often makes rash decisions but with her three best friends backing her up she has nothing to worry about. However, during one particularly rough Ramadan she makes a set of decisions that make her girls turn her back on her. Lulu never felt so alone but no matter what she does she cannot make amends with them. Safi makes Lulu and her friends come to life. From the moment she is introduced Lulu shows her tough she is. She comes off as so tough that she may come off as abrasive to some readers. Yet as the story goes on, especially after she faces calamity after calamity, readers get to see how vulnerable Lulu really is. More than once she remarks how she wants to be seen yet unseen. This makes sense considering that while Lulu likes to party with her American friends, she also observes Ramadan which includes fasting until sundown everyday for the duration. The book's strength is in its depiction of friendship. The relationship between Lulu and her friends isn't perfect and is often very messy, yet the four have a shared bond that keeps them together yet like many teenage bonds could also be very fragile. In a lot of ways the imperfection of the various relationships is refreshing in that they veer between moments of affection and moments of vexation. The frank depiction of teenage drinking and sexuality may not be suitable for younger teens. Overall I do recommend Not the Girls You're Looking For.