I enjoyed The Henna Wars, but it was very frustrating to read. The book covers heavy topics of cultural appropriation and homophobia, so if you are not in the right frame of mind for either of those topics, maybe skip this book for now. I thought this book was a cute sapphic romance, but it was a lot deeper than just that. The main character, Nishat, experiences a lot of gaslighting, whether it's from her sister, friends, or love interest. While all these characters are written as flawed, their growth in the book is minimal, and apologies feel inauthentic.

After Flava dismisses all of Nishat's cultural appropriation concerns, it was hard to like her as a character. I wasn't rooting for them a couple. It takes Flava a long time to apologize to Nishat, and by that point in the book, I lost interest in their relationship and felt Nishat deserves better.

I did like the story, and I enjoy Nishat's growth as a character. She found the strength to stand up for herself and was also an incredibly forgiving character. The book itself just didn't feel like a romance and more of a coming-of-age story.

Overall, I would rate the book 4 stars.