Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan – A Book Review!

Hi everyone! I hope you’re well and having a lovely day where you are if it is in fact daytime, if not then get some sleep!….after you’ve read this post of course 😊. So it is currently just past 1am (who am I to talk?) and I’ve finished this amazing book that I feel like having a good old rant about! Zara Hossain Is Here was one of my best library haul finds and I can’t wait to chat about it a bit with you so stay tuned for my thoughts! 💭

Summary

A timely and honest coming-of-age story that explores the complicated relationship between identity, culture, family, and love.

Seventeen-year-old Pakistani immigrant, Zara Hossain, has been leading a fairly typical life in Texas since her family moved there for her father’s work. While dealing with the Islamophobia that she faces at school, Zara has to lay low, trying not to stir up any trouble and jeopardize their family’s dependent visa status while they await their green card approval.

But one day her tormentor, star football player Tyler Benson, takes things too far, leaving a threatening note in her locker, and gets suspended.

As an act of revenge against her for speaking out, Tyler and his friends vandalize Zara’s house with racist graffiti, leading to a violent crime that puts Zara’s entire future at risk.

Now she must pay the ultimate price and choose between fighting to stay in the only place she’s ever called home or losing the life she loves and everyone in it.

Review

I don’t think I’ve ever quite read anything like Zara Hossain Is Here before, it pulled me in like no other and I found myself not wanting for it to come to an end. Every little detail such as the food Zara’s family made was delicious sounding down to a T and even though I’m not aware of what a lot of it was I found myself reaching for my phone to Google the dishes that were being made, it was like a free culinary course confined within the pages of a book 🤣.

I got an insight into the US immigration system which felt so unjust and I loved how Zara fought for what was right whilst balancing other elements of her life in the wake. Despite being a hard-hitting novel, I found it to be really calming. Just the moments when Zara was with her family and how close they were with each other, it was really nice.

The way Sabina Khan wrote had me wanting to jump headfirst into other books by her so I of course reserved + picked them up from my local library! If you think this book sounds good then you’re in for a surprise because it was truly amazing and I’d highly recommend it! I didn’t want to leave Zara behind on those pages I had become so swept up by her story and it all felt so real as I suppose it is for many peoples lives out there. I wouldn’t hesitate to give this book 5 stars, it’s just up there with the best of them and I cannot wait to read more by Sabina Khan!

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Thank you so much for checking out this post! It means a lot to me that you took time out of your day to do so! Let me know in the comments below if you’ve read this book or would like to!

I hope you go on to have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you again next week, stay safe, take care and buh-bye! ✨️💕