This was a quick but powerful read. I loved Maya and was thrilled she had the courage to pursue her dreams no matter what.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC of this book! This book was really good--a coming of age story about an Indian Muslim girl in the western suburbs of Chicago, where I just happen to live. Maya is an amazing character: strong, driven, independent, knows herself, stands up for and defends what she believes in. Fabulous qualities for a 17 year old. She has her shy moments, mostly around boys, but the rest of the time her character is amazingly secure. She manages to balance her American life outside of her family well with her Muslim and Indian family and traditions. Phil is super cute how he slowly shows that he likes Maya and they become closer which is where Maya has insecurities. After a terror attack close to home, Maya and her family suffer the fallout from others in their little community which is hard for them to deal with. Maya has to learn how to handle her parents' insecurities regarding her independence and future which she does with the help of her Aunt, her best friend and Phil. The writing in this book from Maya's perspective really makes the story hit home. She is strong but also scared and does her best as the situations escalates. Her family is very important to her and she holds them close even as she tries to expand her horizons. I read this book in two days. Loved it! Highly recommend this one!

I would've preferred more focus on the family interactions and less on the romance, but if I were younger, I probably would've adored the romance plot. On the flip side, if I'd been reading for the romance, i probably wouldn't have found the ending as satisfying. The characters were very well done. The twist was effective because of the way the perspective shifted in between main chapters.

This book was really wonderful.  To start with the heavier stuff, the way that Islamophobia was portrayed in this book was incredibly well handled.  It all felt quite realistic both in the sense that it was not completely over the top but was also devastating and hard to read at times.  Even the characters who displayed this Islamophobia were developed in such a way that you could understand them if still despise them for it.

On the lighter side the character development of Maya and particularly her interactions with her family and crush(es) were incredibly well done.  Some might think it's silly, but the descriptions of her home life, particularly the smells of  food, really helped to bring me into the experience.  Furthermore, I thought the handling of her parents wanting to look out for/control her was quite well done and especially bringing in the messiness of having a supportive auntie running interference for her.

I also believe that both her male love interests were portrayed well.  Both had flaws but I really enjoyed that there was not a clearly better choice for Maya.  Too often in romances (TV, books, movies, whatever) it is so obvious who the person should be with in part because often the other choice is just a terrible person and it was refreshing for this to not be the case for once.

If I have any negatives at all it would be that the formatting of putting information about the terrorist attack as mini interludes between chapters kind of threw me the first few times they popped up, however, after they were integrated into the story proper I was able to look back at them with some new appreciation.  

This book was overall incredible in its balance between serious issues and a good more "normal/light" teen story which I think is so important since people of color do (and should) not always have to be focused on these serious issues, but they are always something that at least need to be kept back of mind (unfortunately).  This is definitely book I will have a copy of in my classroom so students can both be exposed to these issues and maybe relate them to their own experiences.

Love, hate, and other filters is the story of Maya, an aspiring filmmaker at a suburban high school (Batavia, Illinois) who also happens to be a Muslim Indian. She and her parents have very different ideas about her future. After a terrorist attack on a government building in Springfield and a Muslim being suspected, tensions in her town escalate. Not only does Maya become a target for retaliation, she finds her world growing smaller as her parents take away some of her options. This book tackles some big issues, like racism and cultural and generational clashes, but it also works hard to keep the story more universal, with friendship and romance and funny moments throughout. I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought many of the characters were well developed, like Maya, the love interest Phil, and her aunt Hina. Though the parents can be stereotypical at points, they are fairly well fleshed out, and you can see their perspective too. One small complaint is the relationship between Maya and her best friend, Violet, didn't get much explanation; they seemed different enough that I wanted to know what made them such good friends. But overall, the subject is such an important one, and I'm glad this story tells it in way that is still engaging and highly readable.

This book is a gripping read from beginning to end. It is a clear demonstration of the writer's skill and definitely promotes an under-represented theme within YA literature. The story is told from the perspective of a young Muslim American who is smothered (figuratively!) by over-protective parents. Her dreams of attending NYU are shattered following a terrorist attack in her native Illinois.

The characterisation of Maya, the main character, is consistently well-developed throughout. Her sarcastic humour is endearing - I wanted to be her friend! Her equally brilliant friend, Violet, is a creation nothing short of genius - we all need a friend like Violet in our lives!

The plot was paced well throughout with a steady build up of events. The reader feels as though they are on Maya's journey and rooting for her to achieve her dreams all throughout. The key incident of the terror attack was a little bit too rushed for my liking. I felt as though there needed to be a little more focus on the aftermath and the impact that the attack had on Muslim citizens. This for me was glossed over in favour of the focus on the developing romance. If the novel was meant to focus primarily on the romance that is fine however, there was a real potential to portray the attrocities faced by innocent Muslims following on from the attack.

This was a deeply engrossing read which stood out as an own voices read. It was a gripping page turner and one that makes me certain that I will read more from this author in the future.

I don’t usually get into love stories, but I was so drawn in by Maya’s struggle to figure out how her wants fit into her parents’ more traditional hopes for her that by the time it really turned into a romance I was hooked.

I thought the terrorist attack sub-plot felt tacked on. The book could have stood on its own without it, and I felt the chapter by chapter reveal was forced. The rest of the book was engaging and interesting, and I think that addition weakened it. I think the parts directly effecting Maya and her family could have stood alone without the heavy handed attack.

All in all it was enjoyable and I would recommend it to students.

This title is sure to grab the attention of realistic fiction readers who enjoy the Young Adult works of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han from the first page. Then, just as you think you're getting to the bottom of a spectacular young adult romance, the unthinkable happens and not only does Maya have to deal with high school, boys, and her strict immigrant parents, but with the same terror many young, brown, Muslim-Americans face today. Truly moving in so many ways- a must read!

A fun, light read that gives a compelling voice to an important issue.

I was so completely engrossed in Maya's story I skipped sleep and highlighted probably 70% of the book. This is a completely compelling debut novel that exposes the prejudices in America and how difficult it can be to be a teenager struggling with growing up in a conservative, traditional household. Maya is living a small town life but has big city dreams. She struggles with pleasing her parents and pursuing her own goals and ideals for her future. And then a terrorist strikes, a terrorist with the same last name as Maya.

Whether it's choosing between two guys or dealing with a hate crime, the author does an outstanding job getting to the heart of the matter and exposing the raw emotions associated with each.

This was really wonderful! The main character, Maya, is super likable. She's smart, driven, a little sarcastic, and a really believable balance between confident and insecure as she deals with first romances, negotiating her parents' expectations, and eventually some darker struggles with Islamophobia. I think it balances all the aspects of the story really well- the low-key everyday stuff, the frankly adorable romance, and the more serious issues.

This book is unique in the fact that it's an #ownvoices book that's by and about an Indian American Muslim woman, and I think it's one of the reasons the Islamophobia is handled so well here (the other reason being that Samira Ahmed is just a really good writer). For some it will likely mirror many of their experiences, and for others it will be a perfect introduction to the prejudice that American Muslims still face.

The last thing I want to talk about is how much I loved Maya's non romantic relationships, from the fraught one with her parents, to her strong, protective relationships with her aunt and best friend.

I took a star off for a few niggles I had with how it all wraps up, but overall I found it to be well written and super readable, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to my teen patrons!

Equal parts cute and heartbreaking, Love, Hate & Other Filters was a beautiful read. I really loved Maya's dedication to film-making and it was really nice to get to view the world through her lens (listen, I needed to make that pun, okay. I HAD to). The conflict she felt at choosing between her own personal dreams and her parent's ideas of what she should do, both for financial stability and for her own safety, was so fraught and handled with such care. The suicide bomber plotline happened a lot later in the plot than I thought it would, which really helped set up her neighborhood and her feelings of betrayal, I thought. My only tiny complaint is the pacing felt off, especially right at the end. I wanted a little more time with these characters and their experiences. Ultimately, this is a lovely book about the power of expectations that everyone should read. It'll make you laugh and it'll make you cry. I can't wait to see what Ahmed writes next!

A well written story gracing us with many topics that are prevalent in America right now.
The story of Maya as she deals with love, hate, and other filters. There is a a terrorist attack in the US and Maya being a Muslim is targeted for it. Even though he family had nothing to do with it. At the same time, she is falling in love for the first time, but we a boy who is not of the same cultural dynamics as she is.
Her parents try to rein in rules and try to keep her close to home, smothering her and any dreams she has for the future.
In the end she is able to pull herself from the wreckage and find where she belongs even with the damage done left in her wake.

A realistic.portrayal of.prejudice that will.hopefully make readers think about their own thoughts and actions.

Maya is a first-generation Indian-American Muslim teenager, who is struggling with her parents' traditional, old-world expectations and her very American desire to be independent and choose her own path in life, which is very different than the one her parents would choose for her. Her parents expect her to do whatever they tell her to do, which is to go to school close to home, be a doctor or a layer, marry a nice Muslim boy and have babies.

But Maya is in no hurry to get married, and in fact has a major crush on a boy at her school who is neither Indian nor Muslim, and she dreams of going to film school in New York and becoming a filmmaker. She is finally brave enough to tell her parents she wants to go to NYU, and with the support of her aunt, they finally agree. But then, a terrorist bombing is linked to someone with the same last name as their family, prompting attacks on her parents' office and Maya herself. In the midst of their fear, Maya's parents suddenly become very controlling and repressive, and put Maya on lockdown. Will Maya dare to defy them? Are they safe anywhere?

This story was not exactly what I was initially expecting from the description. I was expecting the central focus to be on the terrorist attack, and the resulting fear, suspicion, discrimination, and retaliatory violence towards Muslims. However, this was really a coming-of-age story, focusing on the conflict between the traditional "old world" values and expectations of one generation of immigrants and the greater demands of freedom, idependence, and choice by their American-born children; the bombing and acts of violence towards Maya's family was only part of the story, to show the fear that motivated Maya's parents' sudden change of heart and seemingly unreasonable controlling behavior and irrational response to her decisions. There is also some typical teenage romantic angst involved as well.

I really enjoyed this story. It was well-paced, the characters were well-developed, and I liked how it did address anti-Muslim discrimination and violence, showing it from the Muslim perspective, without being overly heavy-handed and preachy. The story revealed how the Aziz family was really not so different from anyone else, and may help readers develop a greater understanding of the issues and to develop empathy.

I liked Maya's parents, though did find myself disgusted by their rash overreactions to Maya's decision, and I loved her aunt, who was able to give Maya the support she needed and provide a voice of reason for her parents, as well as providing an example of a strong, independent Indian Muslim woman. Kareem was also a great character, and I found myself wishing Maya would forget her school-girl crush, and develop a mature romantic relationship with Kareem, despite the fact that he was her parents choice. I would have liked to have see the character of her best friend developed a little bit more.

I thought it was a little odd that Maya didn't make much more of her parents' hypocrisy in expecting her to be a good little girl and let them control her life and make all the decisions about where she should live, got to school, and who she would marry when they themselves had defied the tradition of the arranged marriage and snuck around to make a love match, then moved to the U.S. to build their own life they way they wanted. It was odd that they had never been *that* traditional or devout as Muslims, yet they expected their daughter to simply fall in line and do what they said andmake no choices for herself.

I think this would be a great book for many teenagers to read, and I think they might be surprised to find how much they can relate to Maya, whether they are Indian, Muslim, or neither. This is really a perfect example of a book providing needed mirrors and windows, and I would highly recommend it.

I loved Maya! I loved her dedication to her art and her dream to go to NYU, even against her family's wishes. Her family is so wonderfully developed. At the beginning, this reads like a sweet YA rom-com where the protagonists ideas for her own life come into conflict with her family's Indian Muslim traditions. Maya was a normal teen, trying to come to grips with two conflicting cultural identities.

But then, a terrorist attack happens and Maya is senselessly tied to it by all around her because of skin colour, religion and last name. This was captured in such a poignant, heart-breaking manner. It really shows the ugly, bigoted underbelly of America, and it was beautiful to see Maya remain hopeful and strong in the face of so much misdirected hatred.

This book has a lot going for it. A lot a lot! Maya is a great narrator, so funny and compelling and smart and self-deprecating and witty. I loved her and her journey. I loved how this started out as a sweet, funny rom-com with a smidge of coming-of-age angst thrown in but had the somewhat strange asides in between chapters that provided this dark and slightly creepy undercurrent that left me wondering what bad thing was about to happen to turn this story from a sweet rom-com to something more heavy. And when that thing did happen, it was perfectly done especially in how red herrings were thrown the readers' way before you finally got all the facts (which was a great commentary on how our modern news works due to the proliferation of information over the internet. Everybody was hearing something slightly different or slightly jumping-to-conclusions and poor Maya was sitting there praying for the victims and hoping against hope that it wouldn't turn out the way she fears and ahhh! I nearly cried during that scene, mostly because I can't quite understand exactly how she was feeling because I usually don't have those same worries due to my privilege, but Ahmed's writing made me completely empathize with Maya's fear and the unfairness of her ever having to worry about that at all and how she was just wishing she could be like the rest of her classmates and not worried that it would all blow back on her and her family and other Muslims. That scene was so heavy and still beautifully written and evocative and even as I wanted to cry I loved it).
That parenthetical reference got away with me :D Anyway, I really loved Maya and Phil and Kareem and Violet and Maya's parents (even when they could be overprotective and unfair) and Hina and pretty much the whole cast of characters (except the bad guys, cuz while I understand what drove them to their breaking points, that doesn't excuse the violence they did because of it). I loved that, despite the tragedy and heartache that there were still bright little spots in the book, moments of laughter and love and happiness and not feeling so alone. And that the romance didn't die off because of everything bad happening. The romance wasn't squeaky clean or easy; the characters involved did some not completely cool things but they knew they were making some iffy decisions and owned up to how crappy it was of them to do it, but they're also young and don't necessarily have the emotional intelligence to handle things like adults so it was understandable. And the fact that they owned up to not handling things well because they felt trapped and confused was a nice step in the right direction. I especially loved that while there were some somewhat cliche moments, Maya was the first to acknowledge that it was cliche but still nice and sweet. And despite some cliches, the romance was still realistic and came about in a lovely way. I even liked the somewhat bittersweet ending, because it made sense within the story being told and the ages of the characters. I just liked seeing a romance that was relatively realistic and believable and maybe not the perfect happy ending the reader was expecting, but still a happy ending.
All in all, I really loved this book and can't wait to see what Samira Ahmed has in store for us next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to recommend it to all my friends!

Samira Ahmed's thought-provoking, relatable debut is at times romantic and lighthearted and at times heart-breaking. Maya's story pulled me right in and really moved me!

It was a well written students and I think Muslim youth will be able to relate.

I loved this book! It is a perfect example of how young adult should be done. A lovable character that is dealing with growing up (but not quite being there). Relatable side characters; discussion of culture and hard topics and writing that draws you in. Ahemd has done a beautiful job with this book, I loved Maya as a protagonist and the way she deals with our world's current climate/racism/terrorism/family/friends/school etc is great. I was rooting for the characters and wanted to know more about them. A beautiful book that I would recommend to anyone that loves a quality young adult novel.