I've said it before but memoirs and/or autobiographies are generally hard to rate. But I enjoyed this one.

A younger Huda had to reconcile with identity, loneliness, validation, ignorance, and discrimination. And some parts of this were very relatable to me like going to church every week, halaqa in her case, and the confessing to a boy you liked him. I almost did that! Somehow, I feel like it would've blown up in my face just like it did for her lol. Pretty charming.

Only nitpick(s): I think the artwork adds some charm, but I think collaborating with another artist could've also been nice. But that's personal preference.

The ending resolution felt slightly rushed. i would've like to see Huda tell Joe her plan.I don't know if it was altered for the sake of the story because it mentions Tiktok, but I'm sure that wasn't there when the author was younger.

3.5 ( )

This was good! It had me laughing out loud at several parts. But it also deals with some serious topics like micro aggressions, standing up for yourself, and self esteem. I really liked the way the art was done and the parts that zoomed in on people’s faces and had just the eyes highlighted in a bar for intensity was hilarious.

I could definitely identify with some of the awful high school moments like zits, dealing with your period, feeling like you don’t fit in, and having your teachers continually mispronounce your name no matter how many times you correct them. But then on top of these normal high school problems, Huda had to deal with racism and prejudice.

I really like how the story ended! ( )

This book has been on my TBR for a while now and I am so glad I read it. I love that Huda uses her cartoons to tell a story. In this book Huda's character finds her voice and stands up for herself and others. Now to read That Can Be Arranged and Yes, I'm Hot in This. ( )

Starting at a new high school isn't easy for anyone, but Huda is feeling even more lost than usual. What made her different at her old school, her hijab, only makes her more anonymous in this new environment, where she feels like she's in a sea of fellow hijabis daily. As she moves among friends, cliques and affinity groups, she's starting to question whether she's ever really been herself. Huda's story is clearly autobiographical and feels very honest the way teens and tweens can often adopt a false outer persona in order to fit in or be accepted by peers. The one thing I was uncertain how to interpret was Huda's one sister depicted as being mysteriously invisible — maybe this was a representation of her shy personality? All in all, a good graphic novel with positive messages for younger teens. ( )

Trigger warnings: racism, Islamophbia

Thank you EdelweissPlus for this ARC. I loved this book. Who doesn’t have life crisis’s? Especially at the beginning of HS. Trying to figure out where you fit in, who is your “tribe”? What do you want to be? What clubs should you join? Where you fit in your family; trying not to disappoint your parents. On top of growing up in an era where people assume the worst about you because of the color of your skin, what you wear and your name. Ms. Fahmy nailed it, dealing with a serious subject while making me laugh the whole time. She drew/wrote a story that was both relatable and sweet, regardless of where you come from. Definitely one for MS/HS libraries. ( )