Bibi Nira Ghani, Nira for short, is the only Guyanese student in her high school, she’s one of only two brown students in the whole school, and she feels it. Natasha Deen’s In the Key of Nira Ghani is a wonderful coming of age story of an immigrant girl in Canada trying to find her own way, while still living in the world of her parent’s expectations. Through her relationship with her family, her friends and her trumpet, Georgia, Nira learns what it means to be herself. I was provided a copy by Perseus Books via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I won’t lie, this has been a particularly difficult review to write because In the Key of Nira Ghani is such a good book. All week I’ve been staring at the wordpress writing pad daring myself to put words to screen. I’m not sure how I can do justice to the way that Deen captures the feeling of being a teenager between worlds growing up to figure out where to stand.

Nira has clearly had to grow up a little faster, and it resulted in a strong young woman ready to start standing on her own two feet. However, she’s doing so in a dual world, on one hand she’s supposed to be subservient to her parents, and on the other hand, she’s supposed to be getting ready to become independent and rely on herself as a young adult. Nira missteps and stumbles as any teen does while learning their footing, but she does so with an acute sense of right and wrong. She knows when she’s hurt someone, and feels it deeply, even when she knows what she’s done isn’t wrong.

While the story follows Nira through every scene, her friends and family are still fully formed and solid characters in their own. If Deen decided to write a sequel following her cousin or friends, I would be right there, as all of her characters become real and solid. While we may not know them as well as Nira, by the end of the book we understand their decisions and the choices they’ve made. As Nira’s mother says, they’re all family. Even the smallest character, the teacher handling jazz band auditions has clear and understandable motivations.

In the Key of Nira Ghani is not all happy and fluffy, there are some difficult moments, but certainly nothing worse than the average person faces in their lives. Deen has built up the plot line to feeling like a natural conclusion throughout. Nothing feels entirely surprising, but similarly nothing feels too predictable. I look forward to reading more from Deen, her voice is strong throughout and she’s written a wonderful story.

I have to admit that I was attracted to this book because the main character was Guyanese and lived in Canada. Being of Jamaican descent living in Canada I was curious to know more about this Nira’s experience.

Nira is a teenager who lives with her parents and grandmother after escaping Guyana for safety reasons but they had to pretty much leave without their money.

Nira struggles to find balance in her new world as she fights against the customs and expectations of her parents and life as a normal Canadian teenager wanting to pursue her passion for music.

I thought the writing in this book flowed very well and I also loved the aspects of Guyana that was included, to be honest, though I would have liked to see more about life in Guyana for more of a contrast.

The beginning of the book was a little hard to get into, but after a few chapters, I began to really enjoy it. I think the novel offers a strong plot and Nira is a strong character that truly grabs you. I was able to truly relate to her struggle and the issues that she was dealing with. I think the author did a fantastic job capturing what it is like to be a person of colour surrounded by all white people especially coming from an island where that is definitely not the case.

One of my favourite aspects of the book was Nira’s relationship with her grandmother their interaction felt very authentic. She reminded very much of my own Grandma her humour, calmness and her reassurance during a troubling time. My grandma also believed Tea could solve everything, and I think that’s a fact.

Overall I quite enjoyed this book and I think it is a great read for YA readers.

In the Key of Nira Ghani is an ownvoices story following a Guyanese teen who is caught between her parents expectations and her own wishes to be a musician. At the same time her best friend is pulling away from her, and why is the cute popular guy Noah suddenly talking to her?

(laughing at my attempt to write a synopsis without actually writing the synopsis)
In the Key of Nira Ghani has real characters which I felt were written really well. I love how Nira is such a teenager, with all her insecurities and dreams. I loved her family and how everything could be fixed with a cup of tea. All the characters has different sides and I felt for them all.

In my opinion the ending was the weakest part of the story, it wasn’t really executed well and I thought that it could have been more developed. There were also some relationships I wished we could have seen more of: Noah & Nira, Nira’s family vs. Farah’s family (and if they ever found out her uncle’s secret), Mac & Emily! I hope we actually get a sequel because there is a lot left to explore!

More thoughts can be found my full video review: https://youtu.be/bBd66vwYpWI

3.5/5 stars! Would recommend if you want a diverse and nice contemporary.

Yes, this is a YA coming-of-age story about family and identity. Yet, I enjoyed this story because it was about a Guyanese family, which is part of the Caribbean culture. There haven't been many YA books about Caribbean families and their struggles and their lifestyles. Natasha Deen does an amazing job explaining what some Caribbean families go through when they immigrate to North America. The family rules and regulations are a reality for anyone who grew up within this culture, such as myself.

Nira Ghani is an adolescent immigrant who lives in Canada with her parents and her grandmother. Due to the political upheaval, Nira's family left with very little to their name. A few years later, Nira's uncle, her father's brother, and his family, including her cousin, Farah, who's the same age as Nira with all of their wealth. Nira's father and uncle have repetitive arguments over their successes and drag both Nira and Farah into their competitiveness over which daughter has the highest grades.

Meanwhile, all Nira wants is a chance to play her trumpet in her school's jazz band. The issue, her family cannot afford to get her a new trumpet, and Nira isn't sure her old trumpet, which she calls "George," is suitable enough for the audition, and for performing. Instead, Nira relies on her grandmother and her best friend, Emily, for support. However, Nira soon learns that she's not the only one with issues surrounding family expectations and personal desires. Nira learns that her cousin, and her friends, old and new ones, have their own struggles they're trying to cope with while putting on a facade for everyone else.

"In the Key of Nira Ghani" is a realistic work of YA fiction that explores family and adolescence with believable characters within a realistic setting. The reality that not everyone is who they seem to be, and not everyone is willing to change who they are is an essential part of the story. One which, both the reader(s), and Nira learn directly. Yet, this story is worth reading due to the realistic portrayal of life and how everyone, both adults and adolescents, have to exist in it.

Bibi Nira Ghani wants nothing more that to become a musician, she only really feels alive when she is playing her trumpet, which she affectionately calls Georgia. When she sees that her school is holding auditions for jazz band, she is desperate to try out, especially since her crush, Noah is in the band. The only problem is that her parents will never approve, as Guyanese immigrants to Canada they want her to further herself and focus on academics.
The immigrant narrative is central to the story in this book, and is really well described and explored. Nira lives with her parents and grandmother, in modest circumstances as they were forced to flee their homeland and leave their money and property behind. As the only "brown girl" in her school, Nira is an object of curiosity , someone who is obviously different, but she also sometimes feels invisible. The saving grace is her best friend Emily, but when Emily begins to spend more time with another girl, Nira feels jealous and left out. Her family situation is further complicated by the strangely competitive relationship between her father and his wealthy brother, which has been passed on to the next generation, as Nira and her cousin Farah are used as means of one-upmanship. As we read about Nira struggle with her place in the world, honoring her family's Guyanese traditions while seeking to carve out a future that will make her happy we are fully drawn into her world.
I loved Nira's character, I think it was very well crafted and fleshed out, and I loved her development as the book unfolded and she learned to speak up for herself, however my favorite character had to be her grandmother, acerbic, wise and always on Nira's side. In fact all of Nira's family are fascinating and complex, and it was a pleasure to spend time with them. For me these characters were the best thing about the book, I did feel like Nira's friends were a little short changed in the character development department, but I do think that this is because we spend more time with the family characters. The pacing felt a little slow at first, but one I settled into the book it seemed perfectly appropriate for the story being told. While the plot itself is straightforward, there were still some surprises.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

<b>In the Key of Nira Ghani</b> is an "Own Voices" YA novel. Nira is a young girl who dreams of playing her trumpet in her school's jazz band. This does not sit well with her traditional Guyanese family who still hold fast to the values of education, hard work, commitment to family and respect for elders. They see music as a deterrent from her goals and her pleas a sign of disrespect. All that Nira wants is something for herself. She is a good girl who manages to keep up her grades and tries to help out her family as much as she can. As the only brown girl in her school she feels that she does not fit in with most of her classmates; invisible most of the time except for when she is with her best friend Emmy. She does not even feel a closeness with her Uncle Raj and his family. Although both he and her father had attained some level of success in their homeland, Raj was allowed to bring his money with him to Canada while Nira's father was forced to start all over. This perpetuates the competitive dynamic that these two brothers have and is the reason for why the two girl cousins are not close at first.

The keystone of the family that holds everything together, their bedrock, is the grandmother. She is such a delightful character. There is no problem that she can't fix with a cup of tea a little milk and some sugar. Sometimes her wisdom is remaining laid back and quiet and letting things fall where they may and other times she has no qualms saying her peace and putting her foot down. But she is revered and she is loved. Even through the pages she feels like family. You want to go home with her. This is my first Natasha Deen novel. I read this to fulfill a PopSugar challenge and am glad that Natasha Deen shared "her family" with us.

<i>Special thanks to NetGalley, Running Press Kids and Natasha Deen for advanced access to this book.</i>

This is not just the story of a girl wanting to be a musician or a girl wanting to fit in or a girl wanting freedom from her family. It's a story of remembering the things that connect all of us, the love that the people around us have for us and that lifts us even when we aren't sure we want lifted, the dreams that we all have that makes us strive for something different, and the oh so human weaknesses we all suffer from at times. It's a gorgeous and fun story that also left me crying in some truly poignant parts.

Nira is an average teenage girl, except that she’s a Guyanese kid in an all-white Canadian school. Not only does she have to deal with insensitive comments from her classmates, but she also has to live with a family who only wants her to succeed academically, while all she wants is to play the trumpet. Tryouts are coming up at school, though, so now might finally be her chance, if she can overcome the insurmountable odds her family has placed before her.

I received a free copy of In the Key of Nira Ghani from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In the Key of Nira Ghani is a YA fiction novel by Guyanese-Canadian author Natasha Deen. It’s narrated in first-person through Nira’s POV, and she gives us a sarcastic, funny, and real telling of the story. Nira’s tone is definitely identifiable as a teen voice, and it makes for an easy novel to read that can be emotional and amusing at different points. It was a very quick read, and I read the entire thing in a single day, unable to put it down.

More than anything, this novel stands out with its story about family. While Nira does spend time with friends and other people, most of the novel is spent in the company of family: her parents, grandmother, cousin, or aunt and uncle. And we learn a great deal about them and their lives, as well as the dynamic between all of them. It shows that families are imperfect creatures, but despite its problems can still be reflective of so much love. After all, Nira’s parents do all they do, however problematic, because they love her and they want what’s best for her. And while she chafes against their rules, that doesn’t mean that she ever stops loving them.

Two characters in particular stand out from the rest of the novel: the grandmother and Farah, Nira’s cousin. The grandmother holds the role of “elderly wise character,” and while she doesn’t have a lot of development throughout the novel, her personality and especially the way she interacts with Nira are absolutely wonderful. I loved her, and her constant need to give tea to people was both amusing and comforting. Farah, in contrast, had a lot more growth, and, what I thought was more valuable to the novel, Nira eventually learned exactly what made her cousin tick. Farah starts out as that annoying cousin we all wish we could avoid at family gatherings, but by the end we know so much more about her that I ended up feeling a lot for her and actually considering her one of my favorites.

I’ve sort of touched on this, but I want to emphasize how the novel also shows the struggle that Nira goes through when trying to fit into two different worlds. I could definitely relate as someone who only moved to the United States a few years ago. Dealing with two different cultures can often feel like a balancing act, where you try and find a way to adapt to the values of both cultures, especially when they seem at odds. I think In the Key of Nira Ghani does a good job of showing that balancing act, but also how both cultures can inform one’s life and build them into an individual.

I do have a couple of complaints about the novel, though, especially the end. The uncle turns a bit into a textbook villain, and the last few chapters tie everything up a little too nicely. There’s definitely a twist which was unexpected, but in hindsight, I feel like I should have expected this, and the twist leads to a resolution that seemed too perfect for the story. I wish I could go more into it, but I really don’t want to spoil the ending for you guys. I will say that the ending was very emotional, though.

I really enjoyed this novel. I could really identify with Nira, her narration was believable and simple and fun, and I thrived on how the novel focused on the relationship with her family, which I think is often overlooked in YA novels. I definitely recommend In the Key of Nira Ghani for anybody, since I believe that her story is meaningful for all.

In the Key for Nira Ghani comes out April 9, 2019. You can pre-order it from Running Press here.

"In the Key of Nira Ghani" is a great book to add to your class collection or reading list if you are looking for diverse voices. This is a great book that is not only about the process of coming of age, but also the experience of a second generation immigrant who has to balance living in two worlds--that of her family's culture and the culture of the country of her adopted country. The main character Nira Ghani feels different because she is the only brown girl at her school. Her family immigrated from Guyana to Canada looking to offer her a better life and opportunities for success. This sets the stage for her trying to balance her parents expectations for her to become a surgeon and her desire to follow her dreams of becoming a musician. The book also explores the intergenerational dynamics within her family, which adds another layer to her maturation within the book. Overall, the story line felt like an authentic teen experience with a good mixture of drama and lightheartedness.

Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Natasha Deen’s In the Key of Nira Ghani in exchange for an honest review. The book releases on April 9.

“I feel like I’m living on a fault line. Everything’s great, but I feel like there’s a rumbling deep down
where I can’t see or feel it, and something’s going to blow” (loc. 835).

I could not have loved In the Key of Nira Ghani more. For me, the novel offers the perfect mixture of compelling, empathetic protagonist; gorgeous writing; and a believable contemporary plot. From the very beginning, Nira captured my heart and my head, and I read the novel in basically one sitting.

Nira lives with her parents and her grandmother in Canada—her family escaped from Guyana in search of safety and security but had to leave without their money. As in many novels about the children of immigrants, Nira walks the line between appreciating her parents’ culture and yearning to blend in with her classmates at her new school. As the only brown girl, Nira feels both incredibly conspicuous and tragically invisible, discounted by everyone but her best friend Emily. Her one escape is her music. Though her parents have decided that she will become a doctor and therefore needs to focus only on her studies, Nira convinced them to buy her a used trumpet, which she taught herself to play via YouTube. When Nira plays, she expresses all of the love, conflict, and confusion that dominate her life.

A brilliant student, Nira vies always to meet the high expectations of her family. She always, however, falls short. After her family emigrated, her father’s brother Raj brought his family to Canada as well, taking advantage of a new loophole that allowed him to escape with his bank account intact. The brothers’ relationship is one of constant comparison: of belongings, of ambition, of their daughters’ academics. Nira’s cousin Farah attends a private school where she blends in with the “Farahbots,” other wealthy girls who share their heritage and culture. Anchoring both girls is Grandma, one of my favorite characters. Grandma is wise, funny, and realistic about the challenges Nira faces as she struggles to find her place. Most of the time, Grandma sits back and lets her family figure things out for themselves, but when she intervenes, she’s a “puppet master” who pulls all the right strings (loc. 664).

Though Nira fights against the superficial judgments of others, she does herself fall prey to judging based on appearances. Much of the novel involves Nira learning to peel back layers, to understand that everyone has secret fears and hopes. Her friendship with Emily changes as they begin to invite others to her group—much to Nira’s chagrin—and Nira must deal with feeling pushed out of the relationships that anchor her. Emily becomes close to McKenzie, a popular girl whose constant misunderstandings about Nira—she’s Hindi, she’s Muslim, she’s from India, and SO many more—and Nira can’t understand how Emily can look past McKenzie’s prejudiced behavior. Nira’s love for music leads her to know Noah, a popular boy in the jazz band. Nira decided early on that Noah is out of her league, so she suppresses her crush in favor of being his friend. Eventually, Farah (despite Nira’s best efforts) joins this friend group, and Nira must strive to figure otu where she fits in this new arrangement of five.

All of these elements are made essential by Deen’s writing: even when, as a reader, I became frustrated with characters, I understood their perspective. Deen crafts characters of such complexity that we understand both why Nira wants new, name-brand clothes and why the entire idea is anathema to her parents. We understand why Grandma insists on making tea in every situation and why her use of sugar in the tea signals the kind of situation she’s dealing with. We understand why Emily is Nira’s best friend, why Nira is jealous of their new friends, and why Emily is insisting that Nira be more understanding. Most of all, we understand both why Nira desires so strongly to please her parents and why she just can’t give up on music. Emily tells Nira early on that her playing reminds her of Neil—not Louis—Armstrong because when Nira plays, “[she] make[s] [Emily] think of moonlight and defying gravity” (loc. 74).

Through the book, Nira becomes a keeper of secrets, both her own and others’, and each secret “steals the stars from the sky and the light from the moon” (loc. 1538). As a reader in on those secrets, I felt every moment of Nira’s story, of her imperfections and her pursuit of growth, of her moments of being an outsider and of belonging, of seeing her path clearly and being pushed off of that path. Watching her figure out herself and those around her is a journey I won’t forget, and I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Pre-order Natasha Deen’s In the Key of Nira Ghani immediately. You won’t regret it.

Nira's dreams have always been to be a musician, but her parents have different plans for her. Wanting her to have a better life than they did in Guyana, they want her to become a doctor or scientist. While Nira is good at those things, it's just not where she wants her life to go.

When the school jazz band announces auditions, Nira thinks that this might finally be her chance. However, not only does she need to convince her parents to allow her to audition, she also has to gather the courage to play her trumpet in front of an audience. The audition brings relationships challenges with it as well. Her crush, Noah, plays in the jazz band, and her best friend, Emily, seems to be growing more distance--and closer to another girl named McKenzie. As things unfold, Nira struggles to figure out her place in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Running Press Kids for providing me with an advanced copy to review! This was a quick read for me, which means that I basically flew through this book! At the surface, this is a fun read full of humor and your typical high school drama. But as you dig deeper, there's a lot to love from this book, between familial expectations, finding your voice, and navigating changing friendships.

Nira's at the core of the novel, and while she's completely oblivious to things happening around her a lot of the time, her voice is what carries readers through the novel. Though I was frustrated with her at times, I loved the way her character was able to learn and grow. And her relationship with her grandma! Her grandma was one of the best parts.

The portrayal of Guyanese culture within the book comes from an own voices author, making it feel authentic and giving readers a glimpse into a culture that is almost non-existent in YA. I actually learned a lot with the interactions between Nira and her family, and those scenes felt very intimate and real.

The only negative I think I'd take away from this book is that the plot is a bit predictable. It has a typical YA feel to it, meaning that the characters and themes are all the more important. For the most part, I think they're up to the task.

Overall, In the Key of Nira Ghani is sure to pull on your heartstrings, and a fitting read for the coming spring!

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In the Key of Nira Ghani

by Natasha Deen

Perseus Books, Running Press


Running Press Kids

Multicultural Interest , Teens & YA

Pub Date 09 Apr 2019





I am reviewing a copy of In the Key Of Nira Ghani through Running Press Kids and Netgalley:



Nira Ghani has always dreamed of becoming a musician but her Guyanese parents have a different dream for her they want her to become a scientist or a doctor. Only Nira’s Grandmother and her best friend Emily understand her need to establish her own identity outside of the one her parents mapped out for her. When auditions for a jazz band are announced, Nira realizes it's now or never she must convince her parents that she deserves a chance to pursue her passion.



Fighting with her parents is bad enough, but now Nira finds herself navigating a new friendship dynamic when her crush Noah and notorious mean girl McKenzie who everyone calls “Mac” takes an interest in her and Emily, inserting themselves into the group of friends. Nira’s much cooler cans competitive cousin Farrah also tries to wiggle her way into the group. Is McKenzie trying to steal Emily’s attention away from her? As Farah and Noah grow closer and Emily begins to pull away, Nira's trusted trumpet "George" remains her constant, offering her an escape from family and school drama.





After Nira steps back she begins to realize that she is not the only one struggling to find her place in this world.





In the Key Of Nira Ghani is a story of culture and of coming of age, it’s a powerful story.





Five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Nira Ghani’s voice pulled me right into her story. She's funny and fully three-dimensional. It’s easy to empathize with both her struggles be the good daughter her parents want and her aspirations to fight for her own dreams.

I found it ironic that Nira feels invisible at school, where she'd love to make more of a mark, yet wishes she was more invisible at home, where the aspirations of her whole family fall heavily on her shoulders. Expectations are so high that every test grade and the use of every minute of her time is a topic of conversation.

The family's Guyanese culture fills the book with warmth and color, from the arguments about buying bargain (but uncool) jeans versus when it's reasonable to splurge on quality, to the tea Grandma makes to sooth every conflict. Nira's emotions throughout are so genuine that anyone will be able to relate to their own family's money battles and feel understood.

Highly recommended.

I will post this review on Goodreads now. It will go up on thewingedpen.com on 3/28 along with posts on Twitter and Instagram, and I'll upload it to Amazon and Barnes & Noble on pub day.

Thanks for the e-arc!

There are some things I liked, and other things that I didn't like so much.

I think character development was pretty good for the most part, especially for Nira herself. Her love interest was a little bland, but I'll let it pass. For me the book's plot is not so great. There's just nothing all that interesting or groundbreaking about it to me. The writing style here also isn't my favorite, but it wasn't terrible.

So yeah, overall this is a pretty "middle of the road" book for me.

This book I am happy to say was heavy on humor and light on the high school drama. Which for me was wonderful!! I mean it is a young adult so you just kind of expect there to at least some drama and that's fine. But when authors go overboard with it is when I run the other way. This author did a great job with the overall parts of this one.

I will say that this is your run of the mill coming of age title with one twist. This one deals with a lot of culture and one girl's steps to make it in her new world and how she wants to be. I really loved learning about Nira's life and what she wanted for herself it was an eye-opening story that I hope more people check out.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC in a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thanks so much for the early look at this title!

Nira is the only child of Guyanese immigrants in Canada. Her grandmother lives with her family, and her perfect cousin Farah and Farah's parents live nearby. Like many immigrants, both sets of parents are deeply invested in their children's education and success. It's not easy being either kid, but of course both think the other has it better.

Nira's particular challenge is that rather than wanting to be a doctor, like her parents pressure her to be, she wants to play trumpet. Trumpet! Farah's dad is more successful than Nira's, and Farah goes to private school and has a chorus of "Farahbots" following her around, where Nira has just one friend, Emily. As the story begins, Nira is worried that she's losing even Emily.

Good and bad things happen, and a very bad thing, but you can handle it because you're pulling for Nira, and eventually for Farah, too, and for the girls' tea-pushing grandmother.

The girls are high school juniors, but this book is suitable for middle grades readers.

I received an Advanced Copy via Netgalley in exchange for an objective review.

I was born in Guyana, so I was intrigued to read a YA title featuring a Guyanese protaganist named Nira. She’s an opinionated, self-centered high school student in Canada frustrated with her immigrant parents strict academic rules. Study. Study. Study. Nothing else! But Nira loves the trumpet. And she’s a talented, untrained trumpet player to boot!

The struggle with her immigrant parents and fitting in at school is an experience well-described by the author. I didn’t mind the scattered transitions as I felt this was reflective of the chaos of being a teenager. Nira’s relationships with her friend Emily and her cousin Farah, as well as her parents, changes throughout the novel, also reflecting the ups and downs of a teenager. Her one respite is her relationship with her grandmother, who she has to share with Farah. When Nira finds out Farah’s family secret, she learns why her grandmother treats Farah the way she does.

Every little thing is heightened in Nira’s teenage mind, which makes you want to scold her yourself as a reader. Many times, she acts like a “ninny” as Farah her cousin calls her. I found myself disliking her choice of words in moments, but rooting for her to change for the better. In the end, it takes a tragedy for her to see the light while her other relationships are wrapped up and tied up in a neat bow. Overall, I was gently touched by Nira and her sensitive nature, even if she did act like a “ninny” at times!

I appreciate the Guyanese cultural elements being sprinkled throughout the story without overtaking the focus on Nira’s character arc, although a bit more culture would have given me more connection to Guyana beyond the fact that the country is corrupt and poor, as described by Nira and her family.

There is a lot of exposition in the writing, which is a writing device that always needs to be balanced by authors. From what I read about the author, this is a personal story made into a YA novel. And she has other books! I’ll be rooting for her and looking forward to her future novels and seeing her writing evolve.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing the ARC to review!

Here's the thing: I feel like maybe I wasn't in the right mood for this book? It's not that I didn't enjoy it (I definitely did!) but I did have a hard time focusing on it for prolonged periods of time, much like my experience with a few Sarah Dessen and John Green books in the past. I liked it well enough, but it didn't fully grip me. It had a very slow start that progressed and quickened as it went.

There is a big chance that my review is going to be a bit all over the place.

Before I get started: despite my mixed reviews, and my constant stopping and starting, I never felt compelled to completely ditch the book. I always knew I was going to finish it, because I wanted to--so, that definitely ties into my thought process re: my mood. My mind was just not fully in it to win it, I guess. And, as always, my thoughts are my own and taste is subjective.

Instead of focusing on negatives, we're going to focus on the sheer brilliance of the other parts of this book. I find that a lot of my issues with it really were mood oriented and perhaps even just me growing out of YA books almost entirely these last two or so years. Because, when I look back on the story as a whole, there were so many qualities that I genuinely loved about it.

In the Key of Nira Ghani is, first and foremost, a hopeful sign of where YA will go in the years to come--finally, there are more and more diverse works of fiction coming out that have been needed for so long. It is a contemporary, coming of age story that features more than your standard release. It centers around a Guyanese character who is growing up in a way that is very true to life.

In the course of a book, we watch her as she grows and each chapter carries on some very important messages about one's self, judgment and the fact that people aren't always what they seem. In this moment of growth for our main character, we feel the weight of important messages told in a way that is poignant. We learn about ourselves, just as we learn about the characters in this book.

I liked that it took some very serious topics and balanced in some funny interactions, too, creating a sort of balance that is necessary in story telling.

While Natasha Deen's characters and plotlines at times fall into tropes that are a bit overused in YA, she doesn't use the tropes in the way that makes them generic. Instead, Deen creates characters that are developed beautifully. I think that the cast of characters is what makes up for parts of the novel I wasn't wholly keen on, because they were truly present and I loved it.

(And the dynamics! I loved.)

This isn't to say that other YA releases don't fully develop their characters, or relationships, it is just that they rarely do so in the ways that Deen has. She's take great care in doing so and crafted the vast majority of her characters in a way that feels real. You don't feel like they are merely characters.

At its core, it is a pure and simple coming of age novel that will truly stand its own ground amongst its contemporaries. Further, In the Key of Nira Ghani is beautiful promise of what is to come for its author. I can't wait to see where she goes, and I truly believe she is amongst the authors that will be around for years to come. I'm definitely going to look into some of her prior, and future, releases.

Overall, I thought that In the Key of Nira Ghani was pretty solid and intriguing. It's definitely a book that I may reread in the future to see if I missed something, to see if my original rating was merely a mood I was in. Natasha Deen is someone you'll want to be looking out for in the years to come!

This is the kind of book that needs to be kept in classrooms and school libraries.

Thank you to Running Press Kids (Perseus Books, Running Press) and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review.

A slow start to a great ending all things considered. There is an honest poignancy to the story of a Guyanese immigrant teen trying to break preconceived notions about her through music. The disparity between Nira and the other kids at school - both socially and culturally - is an extremely relatable concept that rings true for many.

It took a while to really get into the story and I think it was because of my reaction to certain, unlikable characters in the book. The book bellows the sentiment, "Don't judge a book by it's cover," and learning to understand someone by "walking a mile in their shoes." But there were a couple instances were Nira took the blame and understand the other's view while others not understanding where she's coming from and seeing that her reactions to certain events were normal, justified human reactions. Don't expect someone to suddenly like you if every time before that their interactions with you involve racists comments whether you meant them or not.

Nira's Grandma is the best. A wise, calm sage in the midst of chaos. She's also funny. I don't know if tea really does solve everything, but it's something I can get behind.

I really liked learning about Guyanese culture and seeing its varying effects on Nira and her family. They all want to be more than what there were/are than what they left behind. It made the conflict gripping. You end up cheering for everyone in the process to do better and be better. I loved how this story is a reflection the author's own experiences and those of her parents. You could really feel the raw, realness of what was going on. Everything seemed more upfront from start to finish.

There's a lot of struggles and feelings for each dynamic character (and I would say most of them were) to undergo dramatic changes in how they view the world and each other. I think there's something positive in this story that every reader can take away from reading it.