This book just really flows. I don’t know how else to explain it. Samra Habib sounds absolutely amazing in the work that she does for the Queer Muslim community, and this memoir is a beautifully written story about that very personal journey in balancing her queer and Muslim identities. Content warning they is mention of sexual assault/rape towards the beginning of the book, and referred to again towards the end of the book.

This was a nice book to go through but I’m not sure who the intended audience is. It seems like it’s for beginners because it’s encouraging you to find your style, and in true Moorea Seal fashion there are great prompts to get you thinking about what you want and can do, as well as blank note pages in the back for you to get creative. The DIY ideas in each suggestion are also cute. But then you see words like mid century modern throughout the book and as someone who doesn’t know anything technical about interior design I had no idea what that meant. It isn’t until the end of the book that you get into what each design style actually means. I think that would have been more helpful either in the beginning or throughout so that as you’re seeing examples you know what to look for. The way different bloggers were highlighted was nice too but I felt a lot of them either had similar looks/stories or none of their styles resonated with me. & content warning, one of the bloggers’ personally stories mentions the loss of a child. Super heartbreak and not something I expected when I picked this up. Overall I think the order of the information could have been better depending on the intended audience.

Whenever people throw in Gandhi as if he was great I want to throw the book across the room. But besides that moment I loved this book. It takes a lot of grace to share your not to spectacular moments with the world, which the author does. It’s also not easy to shed a light on the flaws of the people around you who you love. This was a fast read but every ‘conversation’ felt authentic. None of the conversations around racism came across as sugar coated. Content warning for loss of child.

Cute short story with nice illustrations. But I don’t understand why the author needed to emphasize that one of the sisters, Orchid, was ugly? It just seemed odd and unnecessary.

While this was a great book and there were moments that picked a punch, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first Persepolis. Marjane’s parents are wonderful and I wish there was more of them in this book, but I imagine the author also wishes she had more time with her parents. In some ways I wish this would have expanded more on her parents’ experience/feelings.

Good story but god the fat phobia. I’m starting to notice a pattern with this author.

This was a quick read and a fun book. Reminds me of afternoons over chai with women in my family. Fun, full of stories and gossip, and in some ways an emotional roller coaster lol.

I couldn’t put this book down! Absolutely loved it. Highly recommend.

This was such a fun read! It was just what I needed to shake the reading slump I was getting in. I couldn't put it down. It was cheesy in the right ways. I will probably come back to read more by this author.

Saeed Jones has such a way with words. Absolutely incredible.