I absolutely adored this memoir! The prose was wonderful and once I started reading, I couldn't stop! At first, I took pause on reading it because I wasn't sure what the message would be, but I could quickly see just how knowledgeable the author is about Islam, socio-economic topics, and LGBTQIA+ issues, and intersectionality. It's been a long time since I've read a book that I couldn't put down. This is one I will definitely reread and recommend to my friends!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced adore copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed Lamya comparing her stories/struggles or those of people she knew to stories in the Quran. Lamya was able to tackle difficult subjects like transphobia, racism, classism, sexism, and the struggle of being a queer Muslim and feeling like an outcast wherever she went, it was an eye-opening read!

(!: Using she/her pronouns because I think that's what was in Lamya's bio page, but I'm not 100% sure since questioning of gender is a big theme in the book. CW: thoughts of s*icide, racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, religious trauma, mentions of spousal abuse)

I really loved reading Lamya's journey. As a child, she immigrated to an Arab country where no one in her family spoke the language. But even at a young age she experienced racism and sexism in the Arab country from being a female-presenting, dark skinned South Asian immigrant. She also struggled with sexuality and gender from a young age which was made worse by the strict gender roles of her culture. Despite that, Lamya loves her religion and is devout to practicing it every day.

When Lamya is 18, she receives a scholarship to a great university in New York, so once again finds herself moving to a foreign country where she experiences a different kind of racism. Despite a lot of hardships she finds a great support network of people in the queer and Muslim communities.

The book uses parables from the Quran to coincide with Lamya's personal story. I loved learning more about the Muslim religion, but since I'm not a religious person at all, it was a bit much for me by the end. But, I think if you are a struggling queer Muslim it will be incredibly comforting for you. I'm glad that Lamya is able to love her religion and still wear hijab and be so devout despite feeling a bit ostracized from her family and culture. As a queer person myself from a Christian culture, it's always sad to me how much religious trauma queer people experience within Abrahamic religions. I'm glad her experiences didn't shake her faith and she found love and community within it.

I really recommend this memoir. As someone who is also "subtly" queer, I like that Lamya talks about her experiences with not being loud with her own queerness and how sometimes that makes her feel like she's "not queer enough". I like that she is firm (thus far in her life) about not telling her family that she's gay and talks about how it's not always safe or necessary to have a coming out story. She talks about her experiences with White Supremacy in both the rich Arab country and the US. Overall, I really enjoyed her journey and hope she continues to do well.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like I've been waiting for decades for a work like this one, to hear these kinds of stories being told. I went to school at an age where voices like this were silenced, and at the age of the narrator at the start of this book, I've had similar thoughts and longings at relating to others in the literature I read, even if it wasn't explicitly spelled out on the page for me. I was so excited to read this <3

Such a warm memoir — equal parts captivating and comforting. Hijab Butch Blues is told in short, well-paced essays that pair a story from author Lamya H’s life with a retelling of a parallel surah from the Quran.

Lamya shares both heavy and lighthearted moments of her life with a tenderness and vulnerability that I think will resonate with readers across the sexuality and religious spectrums. 4* for this deeply spiritual and beautifully queer memoir.

Please note CW’s including: thoughts of suicide & self harm, racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the e-ARC.

Not only is this this memoir beautifully written and creatively pieced together; it's from a unique perspective that I've never seen in mainstream publishing.

Words can't describe how beautiful and enlightening this book is.
The intersection of LGBTQIA+ and practicing Muslim was a deeply insightful, profound, beautifully spiritual read. Lamya perfectly captured the uniquely isolating experience that is being Muslim & queer. I am very much looking forward to buying this book when it comes out.

Such a great book! Lamya H (pseudonym) describes her life as a queer Muslim immigrant in several chapters of this memoir that combine interpretations of the Quran with episodes in her life that don´t only show prejudices but also her own inner development. I was touched by many of these experiences that seemed similar to what other totally different people were going through in their lives. Highly recommended!
Thanks to the Random House and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was an absolute gem and I’m so glad I read it. The author writes about her experiences as a queer Muslim immigrant in short, beautifully written passages, drawing connections between her own life and passages from the Quran. Although I am not Muslim, I have grappled with the contradictions between my own queer identity and the religion I was raised in, so the author’s experiences resonated deeply with me. I also felt a strong connection with her childhood, her realization that she was queer, and the slow journey she took toward accepting herself and allowing herself to be vulnerable enough to be loved by others. In my opinion this book should be essential reading, not just for queer people but for all people - everyone has something to gain from the words within it. I’ve been on the verge of tears ever since I finished reading it, and I can’t wait for it to come out in print so that I can buy a copy and annotate it.

Phenomenal memoir. It was an honor to journey along with the author as she wrestles with her faith, her family, and herself. I'm not Muslim but felt pulled into and represented in parts of Lamya H's experiences because of how artfully she crafted her pilgrimage into a single narrative. Highlighting her own humanity by sharing her personal hypocrisies, her complex relationships, and her heart was a beautiful observation. Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for an early read in exchange for an honest review.

A memoir, and so much more. An examination of race, caste, religion, white supremacy, gender, sexuality, and simply belonging. Their examination of gender is particularly stunning, in the way they relate it to their Muslim religion, and their experiences in Arabic countries and the United States, as well as their home country.

The chapter that discusses “queer indispensability” is life-changing. Everyone queer should read it, but moreso everyone who wants to understand their fellow humans should read it.

*I received a copy of this book as an ARC for review

This is an incredible book. The writing was beautiful, the author's story was heart wrenching and heartwarming at the same time, and it was a fantastic journey. Lamya did an incredible job of weaving her relationship with religion with her exploration of her sexuality. I would and will be recommending with book to everyone.

Lamya is a queer, Muslim woman that shares her life story through this memoir. The memoir includes sections of the Quran and how Lamya interprets these sections as a queer, Muslim woman. The interweaving of bits of the Quran related to Lamya’s life is very interesting and impressive. This book is all about finding out who you are.

Lamya chooses to write this book in a series of essays. However, the essays are not in chronological order, which can be confusing at times. Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I enjoyed reading about Lamya navigating her religion as a queer person as well as Lamya moving to a new country and facing racism in several different ways. I also enjoyed Lamya finally coming to terms with herself and beginning a relationship with another woman. I highly recommend to anyone wanting to know more about the Muslim culture and the Quran as well as anyone that is queer or questioning. Overall I give it 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars. It would be a solid 4.5 for me if the essays were in chronological order.

This book is very very good. Lamya H is so smart and thoughtful and the form really helps the reader connect with the stories from the Quran as well as the stories from Lamya's life. Intersectional. Clean and crisp writing with strong POV. Everything you would hope from a memoir.

A balm to the queer soul. Thank you to the publishers at the Dial Press for a chance to read the eARC copy!

Hijab Butch Blues is poetic, vulnerable, and deeply empathetic in the way Lamya H recalls all her musings of Islam, gender, and more.

It offers a different view on the “Coming out” narrative, namely in that the author is still able to build a gorgeous queer Muslim community while still not necessarily being “Out” to her family and other folks in her community. It’s unapologetic in a way that only queer people of color can write, and I’m so privileged to get a chance to read the eARC copy of this book. It’s not often I get to read books by non-binary folks of color, and Lamya H’s insights will stay with me for a long time - even as a non-Muslim reader.

Hijab Butch Blues weaves stories of the Qu’ran into various themes from the author’s life to remind us that queerness in all its forms is actually a God-given gift. I can’t wait to hear what more people think and how this resonates with folks currently in their own journeys with love and a commitment to a radically better world.

4.5*

i have never felt so seen and called out by a memoir, which probably (definitely) influenced my rating here.

lamya perfectly captured the isolation that the queer experience comes with. they also perfectly encompassed my teenage experience, from the passive suicidalness (not wanting to die in a way that gives people something to grieve, but just wanting to disappear) to the lack of vulnerability (not willing to accept help but inserting myself into everyone else’s lives to the point where they need me, for fear of people leaving me if i ask or want or need things).

very much looking forward to buying this book when it comes out.

oook i was taking some time to put together my thoughts on this one because WOW!!!

this is such a brilliant memoir filled with so much emotion & growth. i was absolutely fascinated by the way lamya draws connections between pivotal moments in their life & different surahs of the quran. it’s rare to see an intersection of religion & gender/sexuality explored in this way, especially with islam, but this was absolutely masterful. i really really enjoyed hearing about different parables, but especially appreciated moments when lamya talked about her queer muslim friends’ discussions — there was so much critical thought & analysis to unpack, i was obsessed.

my critiques: because the vignettes are organized by theme instead of chronologically, it can be hard to pinpoint where you’re at sometimes or things felt a bit disjointed. i held a lot of love for young lamya, but passages about their adulthood were written with much more complexity & depth.

overall i just found this to be such a unique, intelligent, & critical memoir. i enjoyed it so so much & i think everyone would benefit from reading it!!!!

4.5/5 rounded up

I loved how this book was set up in essays to compare Lamya’s life to her interpretations of the Quran. There’s a part in the chapter about Musa where Lamya compares her queerness to being like a miracle, but that miracle will contain hardship. I also loved the chapter about Yunus, but I’m not gonna talk about that one much bc it might have spoilers. My only complaint is that this is not told in chronological order, so it’s hard to imagine the timeline in this. I wish the author could’ve been more clear about that. Overall I enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend everyone to preorder this

A beautifully written memoir in essays that includes stories from the Quran. How does a young queer Muslim woman transit a world which is already difficult enough because of her faith and her skin color? Cautiously but thoughtfully. I learned a great deal from this memoir and have much admiration for Lamya H for having written it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Excellent.

Words can't describe how beautiful and enlightening this book is. The intersection of LGBTQIA+ and practicing Muslim was a deeply insightful, profound, beautifully spiritual read. This book is everything I had hoped We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib would be. I did deduct a star because the essays not being in chronological order of Lamya's life could be a tad disjointed at times, but it doesn't take away from the overall beauty and enjoyment of this book.





***Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. ***