• r e v i e w •

I won't lie, the cover had me hook line and sinker. But the story itself is quite unique. The protagonist Nishat, is a young Muslim girl who finds courage to come out to her family. Belonging to a Bangladeshi family in Ireland, this young girl struggles under her parents' condescending eyes. But Nishat is strong in her resolve and takes everything in her stride. When her childhood schoolmate walks into her life again, Nishat is floored by the strong attraction she feels for her. But before she can do anything about it, she faces intense homophobia and racism by her classmates and all the while I felt the need to protect her.

Flávia has a charming personality and Nishat is drawn to her almost instantly but what is love without its own set of hurdles? When the school announces a business competition, the two girls' ideas collide, resulting in misunderstanding and hurt. But amidst all the tension, Nishat still has to deal with her parents' cold shoulder at home while struggling to steer clear of her rude classmates. Her only support is her sister Priti and this was honestly the best thing about the book. The bond that they share is so full of warmth and unconditional support, something that is significantly seen in Asian culture. Reading about another brown family made the book all the more relatable. The ways in which we refrain from addressing certain issues is a classic behaviour found in our community. But the story comes together perfectly in the end in spite of all the hurdles that a sixteen year old had to go through. The book is certainly very dramatic even on the verge of being over-the-top at times but since it's a YA novel, it somehow pulls off the effect.

The Henna Wars, despite everything is a very sweet book and I loved reading the romance between Nishat and Flávia. Certain characters were a bit prickly but you can overlook them.

I read this for #ReadWithPride

Rating - 4/5.