Take a photo of a barcode or cover
ashylibrarian 's review for:
More Than Just a Pretty Face
by Syed M. Masood
**Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and author Syed M. Masood for sending me an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of More Than Just a Pretty Face in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and feelings expressed in this review are solely my own.**
3/5 (ebook)
This book started as a 2/2.5 star for me, but as it progressed, I chose to bump it up to 3/5 stars.
The overall story was nothing super impressive for me. It was a cute story with conflict and unexpected (but predictable) resolution.
I was not a huge fan of all of the relationships between the characters. I feel like Masood was trying to make them feel real but having so many different conflicts, but sometimes it felt overwhelming. I was also annoyed by the inconsistency in the use of character names. Sometimes the full first and last name would be used, sometimes it was a nickname, and others it would just be the first. I think this might just be a pet peeve of mine, but it was kind of distracting as I was reading.
On the flip side of things, I was kind of underwhelmed by the overall plot development. It does not feel like there is a lot of development and complexity in the overarching plot, but, putting my foot in my mouth (or thoughts?) like I usually do, the subplots are really interesting and kept me engaged throughout.
One of the subplots I really liked was the cultural aspect. I am trying to read more stories with varying cultures, point-of-views, and lifestyles, and this was a nice look into learning more about Islam's values and beliefs, including arranged marriages. This is a culture that I am not very familiar with, but I feel like Masood did a nice job of highlighting certain values, beliefs, and expectations.
The relationship between Danyal and Bisma was sad, funny, developed, and adorable. From the moment they meet, Danyal is kind to her and understanding of her situation, and though he did not agree to marry her, he was respectful and wanted to be friends with her. It is sad to read about the way her father, and most of society, treats her because of the one "mistake" that she made. It is not a fair judgment to be placed upon her, and Danyal understood that right away.
As this relationship grows while they work on Danyal's Renaissance Man project, we watch it blossom into something sweet and cute and fun. Bisma pushed Danyal to think about his project in ways no one was thinking about. Danyal's professor, father, best friend, long-term crush all believed that he should just showcase Winston Churchill in a positive light and ignore the Bengel Famine and the negative impacts of colonialism.
Bisma believed not. She helps him to create an essay/presentation that incorporates what he wants to say with something engaging for the audience, in the end, blowing everyone away. This is one of the other things I really liked about this book. Masood took the topic of the Bengel Famine and shaped a character who could discuss the way in which the famine and the impact of Churchill are still present. This, as the NetGalley summary predicted, had me shouting "YES!"
I would recommend this book. And if you have read it, let me know in the comments, I would love to talk more about it, especially the relationship between Danyal and Kaval.
3/5 (ebook)
This book started as a 2/2.5 star for me, but as it progressed, I chose to bump it up to 3/5 stars.
The overall story was nothing super impressive for me. It was a cute story with conflict and unexpected (but predictable) resolution.
I was not a huge fan of all of the relationships between the characters. I feel like Masood was trying to make them feel real but having so many different conflicts, but sometimes it felt overwhelming. I was also annoyed by the inconsistency in the use of character names. Sometimes the full first and last name would be used, sometimes it was a nickname, and others it would just be the first. I think this might just be a pet peeve of mine, but it was kind of distracting as I was reading.
On the flip side of things, I was kind of underwhelmed by the overall plot development. It does not feel like there is a lot of development and complexity in the overarching plot, but, putting my foot in my mouth (or thoughts?) like I usually do, the subplots are really interesting and kept me engaged throughout.
One of the subplots I really liked was the cultural aspect. I am trying to read more stories with varying cultures, point-of-views, and lifestyles, and this was a nice look into learning more about Islam's values and beliefs, including arranged marriages. This is a culture that I am not very familiar with, but I feel like Masood did a nice job of highlighting certain values, beliefs, and expectations.
The relationship between Danyal and Bisma was sad, funny, developed, and adorable. From the moment they meet, Danyal is kind to her and understanding of her situation, and though he did not agree to marry her, he was respectful and wanted to be friends with her. It is sad to read about the way her father, and most of society, treats her because of the one "mistake" that she made. It is not a fair judgment to be placed upon her, and Danyal understood that right away.
As this relationship grows while they work on Danyal's Renaissance Man project, we watch it blossom into something sweet and cute and fun. Bisma pushed Danyal to think about his project in ways no one was thinking about. Danyal's professor, father, best friend, long-term crush all believed that he should just showcase Winston Churchill in a positive light and ignore the Bengel Famine and the negative impacts of colonialism.
Bisma believed not. She helps him to create an essay/presentation that incorporates what he wants to say with something engaging for the audience, in the end, blowing everyone away. This is one of the other things I really liked about this book. Masood took the topic of the Bengel Famine and shaped a character who could discuss the way in which the famine and the impact of Churchill are still present. This, as the NetGalley summary predicted, had me shouting "YES!"
I would recommend this book. And if you have read it, let me know in the comments, I would love to talk more about it, especially the relationship between Danyal and Kaval.