Pros: a YA book set during ramadan (rare), a contemporary YA book that doesn't focus purely on romance (semi-rare), great supporting cast of characters, and plenty of diversity.
Cons: Lulu is a spoiled brat and it's hard to get past that or understand why everyone loves her when she's frankly severely unlovable, the plot is basically non-existent unless you count any random string of events as a plot, which I don't.

I wanted to love it but in the end it's one of those "read it and forget it" kind of books for me.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection and will recommend it to students.

I struggled to make it through this novel. It wasn't that I didn't like it, but it didn't draw me in like I had hoped.

I really liked how there were such flawed messy characters but something about them is so vibrant and rings authenticity in a way that often gets glossed over in teen books. The romance and the family moments were the highlight of the book for me but I do appreciate the level of growth shown in the girls and their friendships. I’m excited to see more of Aminah’s writing in the future and hope to pick up her next book soon.

This book confuses me...a lot. Most of the time when I'm reading the story, I'm trying to comprehend and process everything. I'm not entirely sure even until I finish it that this is something to do with me or the story. I honestly don't know.

I couldn't really connect with the characters, the elements of the story but it doesn't mean that I hate it. There were a few moments as I go through that came across my mind that this can actually be a very well written story if only I could get into it.

This story highlights friendship, fighting against being a stereotype and a gem on its own. I'm lucky to be able to read this book in advance before the book comes out.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get into this title. It just wasn't a good fit for me. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this title. I will not be posting a review online, in order not to skew the ratings.

Firstly, I must admit that I didn't pay too close attention to this book because it just wasn't captivating enough.

Lulu is a bi-racial Arabic-American teen who is a practicing Muslim. This is the story of her junior year and the drama that develops between her friends and herself. They are a rowdy bunch of girls who drink, but they are (mostly) respectful of their parents' rules and expectations. Literally, this book is all about some drama that happens in the beginning which breaks up the friend group, and then they make up again at the end. There's some sex-positive commentary and even more (and therefore better) Islamic practices commentary, but that's it. I wouldn't have finished it except that I'm working on an article about religion in YA.

This is a character driven novel. I feel like I need to preface this review with that, and I feel like you should know that upfront if you're going to read this novel, so you can better prepare yourself for the lack of plot. I mean. Not to say that nothing happens in this book. Stuff happens; a lot of stuff happens. But the stuff that happens doesn't necessarily happen as part of a big overarching cohesive plot. It's more of a day to day, slice of life kinda situation. It's really about a young Arab-American girl discovering who she is and who she has the potential to be.

First, this book is so well-written. The writing is so clever! It has a vibrant, sometimes staccato rhythm that mirrors Lulu's personality so well. Because Lulu is funny. And clever. And a force to be reckoned with, really. She's what some may call an unlikable character, but I loved her. She's tough and unapologetic about who she is. She's Muslim, but in her own way, meaning, she fasts, but she also drinks and makes out with boys. She sometimes streamrolls people. Some find her terrifying. She is sometimes terrifying. She's a larger-than-life personality. Think Delilah Bard if Delilah Bard was a half-Arab, half-white teenager living in Texas. I love my unapologetic selfish trainwreck female characters.

Second, the female friendships in this book! Okay, so I admit, when I first met Lulu's friend group (Lo, Emma, and Audrey), my first thought was, "Why are these people friends?" They just seemed really mean and judgemental. But as the story went on I realized this was just a more complex friendship dynamic than I'm used to seeing. These girls love each other and have each others' backs, but they can be judgy and mean to one another too. They have fights and misunderstandings and sometimes they annoy each other. In that way, they felt more like sisters than friends, something the narrative recognizes several times. Each of Lulu's friends were given their own distinct personalities and arcs, particularly Lo, who I absolutely adored. She and Lulu have similar personalities, but where Lulu is fire, Lo is ice. They're both fierce and strong but in such different ways.

Third, the family dynamics. Lulu is from a mixed race family. Her father is an Iraqi professor, her mother is a white and from Texas. Lulu finds herself often struggling to bridge the gap between these two cultures, often feeling like she doesn't belong in either one. I loved how the Arab characters were portrayed here, especially Lulu's father. So often Arab men are only portrayed as patriarchal assholes, but Lulu's dad was a character archetype more often seen in old white men: that of the absentminded professor. He's chill and he loves his daughter and he's so open-minded about everything. I loved seeing that other side to Arab parenting. I loved seeing different ways to be Arab and Muslim.

Fourth, I related to this book so much. Like, it was so different from my experience in so many ways, but I still found so much of it relatable. Like this bit:

"That was what her parents had given her. The gift and the curse to move between people, languages, and cultures. Not to blend so much as to be able to communicate clearly across invisible borders. She was a traveler, a go-between...It was her one gift in this world. To speak on behalf of strangers and to strangers, at all times. To talk to more than one world, simultaneously. To think in more than one way and to know of many ways to live a life."

I mean, first of all, how gorgeous is that? This book is so quotable (I never include quotes in my reviews!). But let me tell you, my third-culture kid self related so much to this sentiment because how often have I felt like an outsider in both America and Egypt? Never one or the other? I've always felt like a go-between, like I have one foot in each country but will never truly belong to either and I've never seen this sentiment crystallized so positively before and it warmed my heart. And so much of Lulu's insecurities about being Arab in a country that so openly hates Arabs just hit me right in the gut.

Fifth, the romance didn't make me want to roll my eyes! I actually really liked the romance a whole lot! I think it really captured that tingling, buzzy feeling you can get from your first real relationship and the first time you have sex. The magic of it, so to speak, was captured without being too corny or unrealistic. It was fabulous. There was a firm but subtle conversation had regarding consent, sexual assault, and the double standards of being a girl who likes sex versus a boy who likes sex. One of the most interesting scenes in the book is when Lulu has a conversation with her guy friend about how she likes to run past the boys' lacrosse team, who assume Lulu wants them to check her out. But she doesn't:

"No. I was running by the boys to check them out. But Brian assumed the reverse. Boys are the subject; I’m the direct object…It might seem like a technicality to you, but I like being the subject of my own sentences."

Like I said, quotable! It's a powerful line that really speaks to the feminist undertones of this book. And it's a complex, messy feminism, which makes it all the more realistic. In one interview, the author says she wanted to write a book about girls who "push the boundaries of girlhood and I think she's certainly accomplished that here.

I have two comments, and I call them comments because they're not really complaints but they're not praise, either. First, maybe I just don't hang out with enough teenagers, but these characters felt older to me? Like, not so much older, but I felt more like I was reading about maybe college juniors rather than high school juniors? I don't know, they just felt so much more sophisticated and the way they talked and behaved seemed more like college kids than teenagers, but again, I don't know many teens in real life, so what the heck do I know.

Second, and I'm guessing this is the issue most people will have with this book, is that it's slow. It's a really long book for a book that doesn't have a clear-cut plot. It's not that it was ever boring, necessarily, but it wasn't a page-turner either. There's not a ton of suspense or momentum and it was salvaged somewhat because Lulu is such an engaging heroine, but I still found myself reading this more slowly than usual. I don't think I totally disliked this slow pace, because it was clearly done on purpose to craft a very particular sort of character-driven narrative, but it's not my usual jam, so I wasn't crazy about it, and that's really the only reason this book isn't getting a full five stars from me.

Still, though, I really loved this book. I don't think it's one that I would ever read again cover to cover, but it's definitely one I would like to have on my shelf to highlight great lines and funny scenes and awesome character moments. In other words, this is definitely a story I want to come back to, and definitely an author I will be watching closely in the future.

I loooove messy books; I love characters who aren't perfect and mess up and kiss whoever the frick they want. That's why i love Lulu - because she is so unapologetic. She struggles. she likes the wrong guys. she's brave. she's outgoing. she makes mistakes.

It was also messy as in the friendships aren't perfect!! There ARE really good friendships here with the right amount of "ahhh i hate you but love you" relationships!! But I don't really remember anything about her friends since they are all just really flat and have like 2 characteristics in total.

I didn't care about Lulu's plan to get back her friends. It wasn't boring but I wasn't invested in that plot mostly because uh?? idk? actually? i feel like the romance got a lot more of my interest because of James!! a cutie pie but we don't get to know anything about him either. It's just him and lulu flirting.

In the beginning, i wasn't sure who to ship lulu with; James or dane but it became clear afterwards hahaha. i feel like that James was a 2d character as well, he's literally JUST the love interest. i wish there was more depth to Dane but i guess he's just the hot racist and islamophobic dude who annoys Lulu but she has a maybe crush on him oOPPPPS.

Lulu jumped from the page for me. She has specific concerns, but they also inspire the same emotions anyone can experience at different times in life. She’s part of an immigrant family and wants to blend in when she is at school, but also when she is with her family. This is something she sees as a problem. She doesn’t feel that she fits in either space and sees this as a negative. Over time, she begins to see benefits to being able to inhabit both spaces. The process is messy and filled with conflicts which is what I appreciated about the book. Realistic fiction works best when it’s showing people with all of their little quirks and even the massive contortions our relationships and personalities can go through. Lulu makes some pretty big screw-ups, but manages to face them and work through to the other side.

The book is filled with humor even when dealing with some fairly serious topics including gender expectations, growing up in multiple cultures, race issues, alcoholism, romantic relationships, and more. Lulu is fasting for Ramadan and the focus isn’t just on the lack of food and the hunger. Lulu has her own reasons for fasting and in the book readers can see the many reasons why someone might or might not choose to fast. They can also see that Ramadan is more than simply skipping meals.

Recommendation: Get it soon especially if contemporary novels are your thing. Lulu and her friends will make you want to shake them at times, but they will also bring you smiles and laughter.

This book is amazing! I enjoyed it so much, I love the mix of diversity and cultural, relationships. The main character, Lulu, it one of my new favorites lead characters because she brought so many smiles and giggles to me, just because of her being herself. Another great thing about this book is the girl/women relationships feel real, not forced or fake. But there was some girl-on-girl hate... but it wasn't over the top, felt like fights that do happen in our world today, sadly.
I have a strong bond with my family, (and miss that in many YA books.) however, with this book the family love so spot on. I love the mother-daughter relationships, and father, but my favorite to read was with her brothers. I have to brothers and they drive me crazy sometimes but I know they will always be there.
This is a debut author that I will be reading more books from her because this one is filled with so much feeling, from finding oneself to standing up for yourself to believing in yourself, it's a messy, crazy book with such characterizations. Now back to the writing, so many proses and lines that are breathtaking and real, I wrote down many lines because I just loved them that much.
This is a perfect book, either pick it up to read this summer or save it for a cold winter night, both ways you'll enjoy this book.

Strong voice and very well developed characters, in a character-driven novel. This is a recommend for my students for sure.

BOOK REPORT for Not The Girls You’re Looking For by Aminah Mae Safi

Cover Story: Big Face: Henna Edition
BFF Charm: Yay
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Talky Talk: Literary
Bonus Factor: Diversity, Feminism
Relationship Status: Call Me

Cover Story: Big Face: Henna Edition

I’m generally strongly opposed to Big Face covers, but this is an exception. This is a book about an Arab-American girl that does not shy away from diving deep into her Muslim upbringing, and the cover communicates that clearly while still being cool. It’s like a bright red “Own Voices” flag waving at you from the bookstore aisle, and I’m all about it.

The Deal:

Lulu Saad is THISCLOSE to graduating from her Houston, Texas high school unscathed. She’s got her three best friends by her side, even if she, Lo, Audrey, and Emma can’t always get along. She has her Louisiana-born mother and Iraqi-born father and two older brothers, even if her brothers are away at college and her father’s Muslim family members aren’t super accepting of her mother. Lulu also has her autonomy, and if she feels like making out with boys at parties, she’s going to do it, even if there are whispers and rumors about her at school.

But when the school’s uber-douche, Dane Anderson, sets his sights on Lulu, everything starts to unravel. Lulu is like a ticking time bomb, or maybe a not-ticking time bomb, because she can’t seem to stop losing her cool and getting into trouble everywhere she goes. Her Iraqi-American heritage makes her feel like an outsider at school and within her father’s family, and Lulu must find a way to keep it together, even when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

BFF Charm: Yay

Here’s the thing: Lulu was not a super likable character. Tbh, she was sort of a hot mess. She was incredibly stubborn, and she lashed out and would say some mean stuff to her friends and family members. More than once I found myself covering my face and thinking, “Oh baby, no, what is you doin’?” But what I appreciated about Lulu was that she knew this about herself and didn’t apologize for who she was, even when she was actively working to be better to those around her and make amends for some of the things she said. She didn’t take shit from anyone, and she didn’t let people get away with treating her, her family, or her friends like shit either. Would she be an easy BFF? No. Would she be a worthwhile one? Yes.

Swoonworthy Scale: 7

When Lulu first meets James Denair at a party, she finds him so aggravating, she pushes him into a pool, then has to jump in and save him when she thinks she might have drowned him. On their first date, James does something sort of racist. Truly, it’s amazing these two managed to make it past their first couple of interactions, because they got a SUPER rocky start. But that makes their romance all the more exciting. It’s tentative, and sweet, and then kind of hot. And despite not being the main plotline of this book, James ended up being one of my favorite characters.

Talky Talk: Literary

This book and Aminah Mae Safi’s writing felt so different from the YA contemporaries I’m used to reading. This is really a coming-of-age, slice-of-life story that is character driven, and less about any sort of hook or plot. I love character-driven stories, and I loved getting to know these incredibly flawed, realistic characters. That said, the lack of any sort of defined goal for Lulu halted the forward momentum—I wasn’t totally sure what Lulu’s story was building to, and I think for some people, that might make this book feel slow or hard to finish. The writing lends itself to sweeping prose and fell somewhere between beautiful and over-the-top. I found myself highlighting a lot of passages like this one:

“He was a boy made to be conquered, maybe even saved. But not by Lulu. She was neither a knight nor a Nightingale. She was a girl made to be selfish. She would have her own adventures.”

But then, when Safi needed to pull that back for scenes with high school kids doing things, being, and talking like normal high school kids, the writing faltered and tripped over itself.

Bonus Factor: Diversity

In Lulu’s never-ending quest to find her own identity, we see her struggle with her Muslim upbringing quite a bit. The book begins at the start of Ramadan, and Lulu chooses to fast, even when she still wants to drink and party with her friends. She wants to communicate with her aunts and grandparents, even when she doesn’t speak much Arabic. Lulu’s struggle to fit in both with her Iraqi family and her white-bread, all-American school added so much dimension to this story and made a sometimes unlikable character all the more sympathetic.

Bonus Factor: Feminism

I loved that Lulu was unapologetic about liking boys, but still talked a lot about how wanting to hook up with someone does not mean you’re inviting them to cross boundaries. Having control over her own sexuality doesn’t make her a slut, and doing things that boys are applauded for quickly garners her a bad reputation. One of my favorite quotes from the book touched on this:



“ ‘Brian accused me of running by the boys [in track] on purpose, so they would check me out.’

‘Weren’t you?’

‘No, I was running by the boys to check them out. But Brian assumed the reverse. Boys are the subject; I’m the direct object.’

‘That’s a technicality.’

‘It might seem like a technicality to you, but I like being the subject of my own sentences.’”

Relationship Status: Call Me

Book, I was really digging your vibe, and I’d like to see more books like you. I think you have a few kinks that could be smoothed out, and a touch of maturing still to do, but overall, you’re a total catch.

Not The Girls You’re Looking For is available now.

I started reading this book from NetGalley and realized I loved it so much that I bought myself a hard copy on release date. Can't wait to also add a copy to my school library!

I’ve been absolutely dying to read this book for the longest time so when I saw that Aimee over at Aimee, Always was organising the blog tour, I jumped on the occasion and joined the fun. I read the book as soon as I got it and ended up enjoying it despite a few qualms I had with it.

The writing is fairly simple and yet enjoyable and easy to read, Lulu, the MC’s, voice came through it sharp and clear and I loved that about it. Going into the book, I didn’t know what to expect as the synopsis keeps it pretty vague, when I started reading I didn’t think the story would have a lot of depth to it because it took me a little while to get into it but as I kept on reading I realized I was wrong. Some parts gave me food for thought especially when it came to Lulu exploring her identity and where she fits in two worlds that don’t seem to want nor reject her completely.

Not the Girls You’re looking for is, at its core, a coming of age story. Messy, real and raw. Lulu is trying to find her place on one hand, with her classmates for which she is the muslim kid, and with her relatives on the other hand, who see her as not muslim enough. The cutural disconnection was real, the disconnection from people her age was real. Especially with the story being set in Ramadan (clever choice, in my opinion) where Lulu still went on with her activities as usual but while trying to respect the restrictions that come with the month. And I liked that the message I got out with was that it was okay not to fit completely, and to carve your own space that fits YOU.

Lulu is a biracial Iraqi-American teen with a white christian mom and a muslim Iraqi dad. And she’s so wild and perfectly imperfect. I can’t say I loved her, but I appreciated her, the angst, the sarcasm, the recklessness (because I feel like muslim teens rarely get to have that in fiction). She came off as aggressive and pretentious to most people and I think that a lot of that was due to her lacking that sense of belonging, a defense mecanism if you will. I also appreciated the fact that she was deeply flawed and not particularly religious, as those types of muslim teens tend to be forgotten in narratives eventhough they are not rare.

The main thing I had a problem with is her relationship and interactions with her girl friends. They always seemed to be in conflict with each other and I didn’t really see much support coming from any of them, including Lulu. A lot of the time I wondered why they were friends when they seemed to hate each other, especially when one of them doesn’t respect Lulu’s religious practices, when sometimes they slut shamed each other (and other people) and when they tended to take other people’s words over each others’ and not really trust one another. That took away from my enjoyment of the book but by the end, the way the whole situation was handled showed growth for most of them.

Two type of relationships that I DID like are the siblinghood and the romance. Her banter with her Brothers was lighthearted but real when it needed to be, they weren’t perfect (a pattern in the whole book) but are ultimately there for her at the end. As for her romance with James it was SO CUTE. That boy is adorable, she’s caring, gentle and patient with her. He messes up but owns up to it, apologizes and does better which leads to her opening up to him, a thing that she rarely does.
Not the Girls You’re Looking For is the perfect book if you’re looking for a read that shows just how much teenagehood can be messy and hard, especially for a muslim biracial girl.

(I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

Yes, yes, all day long.

This book is pretty much everything I want as I add diverse lit to my personal library. This book is totally teen drama-rama with friendship difficulties, misunderstandings, parties, romances, and parents-who-don't-get-me, AND with a Muslim MC and no explanatory commas.

[If you aren't familiar with the concept of an explanatory comma, it's the sort of explaining that POC constantly have to do about their culture that white people are never expected to do. An example would be: "Juneteenth, the celebration of emancipation, in Atlanta is awesome!"]

This book is written for everyone, but I still felt a bit on the outside as a white person, and it was GREAT. The Arabic isn't translated, the customs aren't explained, and I had to Google a bunch of stuff. I. Learned. So. Much. This is exactly why we need more diverse books, right? So that we can build empathy for others without the Burden of Explanation constantly being on someone else?

I loved Lulu and her friends. Like, they're all kind of jerks sometimes (except for Emma), but they love each other anyway and they admit (eventually) when they're wrong. These characters are so rich and sharp and I wish I could write like that.

There was also this moment at a party when Lulu tries to defend her mom (who is white) to her aunties. Her mom basically tells her that she knows exactly what world she's in and which fights she wants to pick, and I loved this. I love seeing an adult character depicted with their own struggles, and it doesn't leak into the teen's world: the kid can't fix this, isn't expected to, and it isn't going to impact the parent-kid relationship. It's just an independent sort of problem.

Great book.

Lulu Saad, who is part Iraqi and part American, often makes rash decisions but with her three best friends backing her up she has nothing to worry about. However, during one particularly rough Ramadan she makes a set of decisions that make her girls turn her back on her. Lulu never felt so alone but no matter what she does she cannot make amends with them. Safi makes Lulu and her friends come to life. From the moment she is introduced Lulu shows her tough she is. She comes off as so tough that she may come off as abrasive to some readers. Yet as the story goes on, especially after she faces calamity after calamity, readers get to see how vulnerable Lulu really is. More than once she remarks how she wants to be seen yet unseen. This makes sense considering that while Lulu likes to party with her American friends, she also observes Ramadan which includes fasting until sundown everyday for the duration. The book's strength is in its depiction of friendship. The relationship between Lulu and her friends isn't perfect and is often very messy, yet the four have a shared bond that keeps them together yet like many teenage bonds could also be very fragile. In a lot of ways the imperfection of the various relationships is refreshing in that they veer between moments of affection and moments of vexation. The frank depiction of teenage drinking and sexuality may not be suitable for younger teens. Overall I do recommend Not the Girls You're Looking For.

Unfortunately, this book is going on the DNF (did not finish) pile. I read a lot of reviews saying that it gets better around halfway through, but the writing style is just so jarring that I don't think I can hold on for that long. The dialogue is choppy and unrealistic, the dynamic between Lulu and her friends was honestly horrible, and the scenes between Lulu and the supporting men (boys?) was also fairly cringe-y.

I loved the descriptions of Lulu's family, though. Lulu is mixed-race, with a white mother and a Muslim father whose nationality is left unspecified early in the book. The description of her father's Arabic accent was lovely: "English, unlike Arabic, was not a poetic language. English had been cobbled together by too many unknown parents, too many unsure users. [...] Ahmed was kind, though his English was not."

But, unfortunately, that flowing language was short-lived. Clunky sentences, strange word choice and uncomfortable dialogue are really what made this book a DNF for me. I couldn't wade through it, though others say it got better.

Try this book out if you're on the fence, and let me know what you think.

Trigger Warnings: Drowning (pretend), Alcohol,

First, I’d like to thank the publisher for allowing me to read the ebook. I enjoyed this very much, and being aproved for a copy doesn’t affect my honest opinion.

“She was the daughter of an immigrant and a Louisiana woman. Blending wasn’t a party trick. Blending was survival.”

The protagonist, Lulu is the definition of not comforming to society’s expectations and anyone’s opinions about her. Her feminist personality and mindset is what I admire most, despite her poor choices in the book. You see Lulu develop as a character a bit, but also her relationships with other peers and authority figures.

What’s special about this book is that romance isn’t a main factor in this, it’s self discovery instead. Romance, Friends & Family relationships are more of a side story to add onto Lulu’s character development.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t a big fan on the girl on girl hate that happened because I’m all about uplifting each other, especially women. I’d like to say I was suprised and happy beyond belief to have a character come out as Bisexual in this book (YAY!). Seeing my own Rep is always a wonderful feeling.

The culture, self discovery, family and friendships are relatable. It was a pretty wild ride, and enjoyed this.

If you want more reviews like this, friend on Goodreads, follow my reviews or check out my blog: Majesticreadingblog.wordpress.com

Thank you for reading & stopping by! (:

Title: Not the Girls You’re Looking For
Author: Aminah Mae Safi
Genre: YA
Rating: 3 out of 5

Lulu Saad has her squad, her family, and a huge chip on her shoulder. She doesn’t need anything else. She’s fasting for Ramadan, which she does every year, and her squad still doesn’t get it, but Lulu is determined to make it through this time.

Except Lulu and her friends have a falling out. And she alienates half of her extended family. And she can’t quite figure out why everything in her life is going wrong…

Okay. I didn’t realize quite how…plotless this book was until I tried to write a synopsis. And now it’s all so clear to me…Lulu and her friends aren’t very likeable. Scratch that. They aren’t likable at all. They do stupid stuff, knowingly. They talk about people. They sabotage people. They’re judgmental. Basically, this book is all angst and anger, with a lot of cultural diversity thrown in.

Now, that part was very well done, and executed so well that I caught all the nuances of Lulu’s struggle to fit in when she feels like she doesn’t belong in either culture. But she’s also touchy to the point of looking for things to take offense at. Have some respect for yourself. Guys should absolutely respect women, and women should be able to wear whatever they want without having to be afraid of guys’ reactions…but, it’s not okay to sexualize men for their bodies, either. Lulu doesn’t get this, and she thinks it’s okay for her to be focused on the guys and for her to react inappropriately towards them. So…all the stars for diversity, but no stars for plot or character likability.

Aminah Mae Safi has studied art History, but now writes fiction. Not the Girls You’re Looking For is her debut novel.

(Galley provided by Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review.)