This book is super sweet, and I adored the exploration of identity. I would Definitely recommend it!

This book is an emotional coming out story and so much more. I deeply appreciated, and benefited from, the adept depictions of cultural appropriation, white fragility, racism, homophobia, micro-aggressions, white privilege, shame, resilience, and pride. At the center of all of this was Nishat. Who I found very relatable, flawed, brave, and admirable. I cannot wait for the author to have another book!!

This was such a perfect blend of serious and sweet. I requested an arc of The Henna Wars on a whim, but soon found myself completely engrossed in this story about prejudice, culture, appropriation and romance.

Jaigirdar sets her story in a Catholic Girls' High School in Dublin. Nishat is Bengali, Muslim and gay; she just came out to her parents and was met with an uncomfortable silence, and she is obviously heartbroken at their reaction. This tension at home is in addition to already feeling like a pariah at school, after the most popular girl in her year decided to spread racist rumours about her. It feels like her sister, Priti, is the only one on her side. Enter Flávia.

Flávia is the beautiful biracial (black Brazilian and white Irish) girl that Nishat can't seem to get out of her mind. Her feelings become confused, however, when their teacher announces a business competition with a cash prize and Flávia decides to go with the same idea as Nishat: henna tattoos.

What follows is an impossible-to-look-away-from competition that gets nastier and nastier before it ever resolves, raising questions of cultural appropriation and racism along the way. This is one of those books where I can see people saying they dislike the protagonist. Nishat is very stubborn and alienates a lot of people, but I couldn’t help but think she was… right. I don’t know if some people will think Nishat is being petty, but if so, I guess I am exactly that kind of petty because I was 100% on her side.

Also, she's just really kinda funny.

I found it extremely compelling. The competition dynamic and some of the things that really pissed me off made me want to keep reading. I enjoyed the brief call-out of religious hypocrisy (how people will claim being gay is wrong, but pick and choose which other parts of a religion to follow) and all the talk of delicious Bengali food.

There were a couple of less strong points. Some of the plot turns were glaringly obvious many chapters in advance, such as (view spoiler) and (view spoiler), but I'm not sure that knowing that really weakens the overall story. I didn't totally buy into her (view spoiler). I also thought it was strange that we never got an update on her Nanu.

These are only minor quibbles, though. I really do highly recommend it. It contains themes that should interest even adult readers, but is also clean and simple enough for younger readers (as long as you're okay with mild profanity like "shit"). It's several important lessons wrapped up in a heartwarming romance.

Good Desi girls are not gay. Good Desi girls don't get into trouble at school. Good Desi girls don't let other girls steal their culture.
Nishat isn't feeling like a Good Desi girl these days.

I'll be honest; I didn't think much of Flávia, the love interest. She seemed to be jerking Nishat around a lot. But Nishat liked her, which is the important thing.

I don't know a lot about henna, so I enjoyed learning a bit more here. Nishat obviously loves it very much and that was nice to see. A lot of teenage protagonists don't show how much they care about things, so it's nice to see someone who isn't afraid to show it.

(I did think it was weird that Nishat called him the prime minister, when that is not the term we use at all, but maybe she was translating for her mother.)

A lovely, heartwarming read. I really enjoyed it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading THE HENNA WARS. There were so many important topics addressed in the story, and it makes me happy that such a diverse, smart, and sensitive book is being published. I loved how how culturally immersive this book was. There were allusions to South Asian food, family values, and traditions that I completely identified with. The characters were also so fun to read about. They were typical teenage characters, drama included, but I liked that they owned up to their mistakes.

Thanks to Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this story about identity, sexuality, and cultural diversity. Bengali teen Nishat and her family have lived in Ireland for years now. The story opens with the family preparing for a distant relative’s wedding, which has Nishat thinking about coming out to her parents. At the wedding, she is drawn to another guest, who was a classmate of hers years ago. When Flavia (who is Brazilian-Irish), shows up at school when it begins for the term, she is just in time to see Nishat outed and to take part in an entrepreneurial competition for class. Flavia’s partner (and cousin) is Chyna, who has bullied Nishat for years. As the two compete, Nishat has to decide what is worth fighting for and which actions can speak for themselves. Recommended for grades 7+, and it is out 5.12.12.

I was very much looking forward to reading this story but unfortunately wasn't able to make it more than halfway through before I decided I couldn't finish the book. I found the writing to be more juvenile than I expected, and outside of Nishat and Priti's relationship (which was SO precious!), the interactions between characters fell flat. I do think it will be a powerful book for many young people, and I will share it with those I think would love to read it and/or see themselves authentically represented by it.

Thank you so much for this book again ♡ 

First of all, I’m so glad that I got this book because it helps me to get out of my reading slump. But let’s talk about this book : Love the relationship between Pitri and Nishat. They were so cute and that made my heart melt. Really feel some of the Nishat mind about bullying and other things. How we talk about racism, bullying, cultural appropriation, religion and also with a pp bi and lesbian. We need more books like this. Love also how she deal with everything, how she talks and not ashamed about who she is and her feeling too. 

I felt really all the emotion inside and that was the perfect book for me. Also I’m french and I was so happy to see french inside the book. That made me smile ♡.

I can only recommend this book ♡ thank you again

This Young Adult novel examines how gossip controls and manipulates people’s lives, subliminally forcing them to convert to societal conventions.

Nishat is gay. After attending her cousin’s wedding, she decides she needs to tell her parents so they can adjust their expectations. Being gay isn’t a thing in Bengali Muslim communities, so she doesn’t expect them to take it well. Spoiler alert: they don’t. Nishat is told that her parents “just want to be able to look people in the eye when they go back to Bangladesh. Is that so wrong?” Nishat hates that the Bengali gossip network would demonize her and alienate her family because of who she’s attracted to. But gossip doesn’t just rule her family life, it also controls her life at school. Nishat’s high school rival, Chyna, is the private Catholic school’s gossip queen. They used to be friends, but stopped after Chyna spread rumors about Nishat’s family restaurant causing diarrhea because that’s what that type of food does, am I right? *eye roll* The misspelling and voyeuristic history behind her name doubles down on Chyna’s racist personality. Chyna and her cousin, Flávia, decides to start a rival henna business for a class because they think it’s pretty. When Nishat vocalizes her concerns of appropriation to her crush, Flávia, the statement is brushed off. Bullying ensues. These Catholic school girls are racist little monsters operating under the guise of “innocent good girls.” As white people keep appropriating Nishat’s culture and she tries to retaliate, which leads to further alienation.

This novel tackles how racism and homophobia operate every day. Jaigirdar conveys the gross and insidious nature of commodifying someone else’s culture. These topics are serious, but Jaigirdar makes these topics digestible for a young audience.

The insights and revelations Nishat and Flávia shares with one another are the tender moments that push the reader through troubling moments in the novel. It is fun watching how these characters’ relationships with their families affect other facets of their lives. Sadly, the romance feels secondary. I wanted more scenes featuring Nishat and Flávia, but I get why it’s set up this way.

There is a lot of telling rather than showing. Characters have conversations analyzing social situations instead of them unfolding. It’s clear that Jaigirdar wants to arm younger readers with the vocabulary to name these harmful actions, instead of having these actions occur and having the reader draw conclusions themselves. For example, one character tells another “the trendy thing to do is to be ‘diverse’ or whatever” when complaining about the successful businesses run by students of color. Because of this style of writing, I feel like this book is best read by 12-16-year-old audiences.

I’ve always wanted to read a book that shows how harmful gossip is, especially in Asian communities. After all, it’s hard enough to try to discover who you are and stay true to that version of yourself when other people try to force their version of you into the universe.

sadly for me this was a little disappointing, I just didn't fell as connected to the story as I am with many other books. but I'm not going to dwell on that as I feel putting out negative reviews isn't right especially because the author has put so much hard work into this story.  plus this is my own opinion and I know lots of people have really loved this book from the reviews. 

the aspects I did love about this book was it followed a Bengali muslim lesbian and really enjoyed learning lots about the culture plus I really liked how strong the main character was and when she was being bullied/ dealing with racism she was just saying to herself that yes this is me and I aam not going to change for anyone. 

one other aspect I loved was the relationship she has with her sister because even though the school year is bullying her and her parents are not supportive of Nishat being a lesbian, she still has that loving bond with her sister who is there for her through thick and thin.

This book dealt with so many diverse issues and intertwined them so perfectly. Nishat comes out to her Bengali parents but isn't sure how they will take it since being gay is a crime in Bangladesh. She finds herself having feelings for Flávia, a Brazilian-Irish girl who comes back to Ireland after some time away. Then there is a business competition that finds both Nishat and Flávia with the same business concept, a henna business. This opens up topics of cultural appropriation and racism. This book deals with all of these things (TW: including outing) while showing the complexities of each situation. There are strong character relationships, like between Nishat and her sister Priti, and also ones that are complex and need to evolve like Flávia and her cousin Chyna. I really loved the character growth that many characters had. I enjoyed reading this story (even if at times I sometimes got angry at certain characters and the things they said/did) and I recommend this book for those of you who want to read about characters who grow and become better people by the end of the book.

What happens when Nishat, a gay bengali teen, comes out to her conservative muslim family? The theme of family and struggling to accept that you are not what your family deems appropriate or even accepted is depicted so realistically in this book. You cannot help but feel Nishat’s pain. The story between Night and Flavia and their competing henna business and subsequent love story to me is actually second to the overarching them of accepting who you are in the face of family shame. This also covers the idea of cultural appropriation and how to explain to people that their admiration of a culture that is not theirs can go too far.

This book dove deep into a lot of tough subjects and themes and still leave the reader feeling satisfied at the end. A great YA read that I highly recommend. 

The publisher Page Street Publishing generously provided me with a copy of the book upon request on NetGalley. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

This fresh new contemporary book has so much to love.  The setting of an all-girls school in Ireland was unique and refreshing, and I loved the plot of a business competition for the school.  It helped the story keep a fast pace, and it felt so authentically “high school” that it took me right back to my school days.  I loved the examination of difficult cultural backgrounds as well as cultural appropriation and privilege, and I think young people will get some much from that.  The love story was so fun to read, but I ADORED the sister relationship.  Highly recommend this book.

tw: homophobia, racism, outing, bullying

If I was to describe The Henna Wars in one word, I would say “comforting”. It’s comforting in a way that it’s a story about a Bengali Muslim lesbian, very clearly not catered towards white audience. The mc’s culture is a central point of the book, it plays a major role and not once is the girl made to feel as if that shouldn’t be the case. Even when facing racism from her pears, she knows it’s them who should change & adapt. I can’t even imagine what a book like this must mean to South Asian readers.

The plot itself isn’t complicated. Nishat has to start a business for a school project and she decides to use this as an opportunity to connect more with her culture and opens a henna shop. A girl she has a crush on - who’s not Desi - does the same. A conflict is born. It’s interesting to see a conversation about cultural appropriation where the person who’s in the wrong isn’t white. Not in a way that “oh, finally, someone gave us a break!”, but rather “hey, it’s actually more complicated than you might have thought”. 

The Henna Wars tackles more than this one issue, though, and they’re all intertwined perfectly. At the very start of the novel Nishat decides to come out to her parents, who turn out to not be supportive at all, telling her that Muslims can’t be gay. She faces racism at school, gets bullied, and at one point gets outed to the whole school. 

For balance, we also have a great relationship between Nishat and her younger sister. It was incredibly refreshing to read about siblings who actually seemed real, and loved each other deeply even though they fought a lot. Priti was incredibly supportive of Nishat and it was obvious in every little thing she’s done for her sister.

The Henna Wars checks all the right boxes and I’m sure a lot of readers will absolutely love it. My only issue was a personal preference in regard to the writing style, which I found pretty bland (and how it affected fleshing out characters).

It was super easy to get into The Henna Wars, the characters were complex and wonderfully written, the character relationships were thought through and I enjoyed it immensely.

The protagonist is Nishat who comes out as a lesbian to her parents very early in the book. Throughout the story, she’s struggling with many things, juggling her parents‘ reaction to her coming out as well as bullying at school, her crush on Flávia and school work all at once. She’s a very realistically written character with differents sides to her, making mistakes and being selfish from time to time, but also having a good heart and trying to right wrongs. I instantly liked her and her whole being.

I loved her whole family, especially her sister, Priti and their relationship. They have such a deep love for each other, basically being each other’s best friend and sharing everything, being always there for each other and helping each other out. Priti herself is the sun, the light of this story. I liked her so much!! But I also liked the parents and their development throughout the story. And the grandmother. The whole family was just so beautifully human, I felt like I was getting to know them on a somehow real level.

But also the relationships between the non-family characters were well written. So. Real. I remember being at school and being friends or good acquaintances with people for the sole reason of seeing them at school each day. And Nishat has different types of friendships, too, which felt really familiar and real.

This book is quite dark sometimes, discussing serious problems, both personal and more universal. It deals with those things in a serious way that seems like those situations are taken right out of reality and have both an emotional aspect as well as an educational one.

I very much enjoyed The Henna Wars, it’s beautifully diverse and well written and just feels extremely real.

Wow! This book definitely surpassed my expectations and it was one of the best YA books I've ever read.

The story takes place in Ireland where we meet a Bengali girl named Nashat who comes out to her parents as a lesbian but her parents don't take it very well. She then struggles to accept her new identity, not only with her family but with her classmates at school. It seems like the only person that she can count on is her sister, Priti. When Nashat starts her henna business for a school assignment, she's super excited...until she finds out that her crush, Flavia along with Chyna (Flavia's cousin and Nashat's ex-friend) are also starting a henna business. 

This book is not all butterflies and rainbows and it can get really heavy at times but there are so many things that I loved about it! The thing I loved the most about this book is that it had main characters that were Bengali and Brazilian, that's representation and diversity that we usually don't see with that many YA books. We got to learn more about both cultures while it naturally flowed with the story. Our main characters are not only Bengali and Brazilian but lesbian and bisexual, which we NEVER see with YA books (YA authors out there take note from this author)! I liked that there was more to the story then just the romance, there was also a strong, solid sibling bond between Nashat and Priti that a lot of us can relate to. I will say that the romance was very realistic because it took some time to develop vs. the usual insta love that we see in YA. BIG PROPS to the author on her debut, she nailed it! If you want to read a YA book that has it all, definitely pick this one up!

[cw: homophobia, racism, bullying]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc!

This book was so sweet and so soft.

Nishat is a Bengali teenager living in Ireland. She also happens to be a lesbian, which isn't always something easy to deal with especially when you have South Asian parents and you go to an all-girl Catholic school. Fortunately she can always count on her sister, Priti, to have her back and cheer her up.
As part of her Business class Nishat enters a competition and has to create a business of her own. Which is how she ends up making henna tattoos. But as you can guess she isn't the only one with that idea.

This book deals with a lot of important topics such as homophobia, forced outing, racism, school harassment. It also felt great to find these content warnings at the beginning of the book. There are a lot of scenes that will make you mad at everything and everyone which Jaigirdar wrote and resolved so amazingly.

The relationships are so sweet, there are ups and downs just like with everything relationships whether between siblings, friends, or lovers. I adored the romance between Nishat and Flavia, they're so soft and beautiful, but the relationship I loved the most was the one between Nishat and Priti. I love reading about siblings. The way they're always there for each other and love each other so much, even when they hurt each other from time to time, it felt so true and so relatable. 

I loved this book so much and I highly recommend to anyone who need a comfort read with soft gay girls.

Nishat is amazed when her coming-out to her Bangladeshi parents goes well... until she overhears them talking about it being a phase and a shame to the entire family. Heartbroken, Nishat throws herself headfirst into a school business competition, creating original henna designs. However, when an old friend from her childhood makes an appearance, things get complicated. Not only does Nishat start to develop feelings for Flavia, but Flavia and her racist cousin Chyna are also doing a henna business for the conversation. Neither of whom are South Asian...

All is fair in love and war, right?

A brilliant, beautiful Own Voices debut novel, "The Henna Wars" is powerful, sweet, fierce, and sorely needed in the world. None of the characters are perfect, and all say things they regret--but, more importantly, they own up to those mistakes, work to better themselves, and make their relationships healthier. I especially love Nishat's relationship with her younger sister, Priti, and how they are ride-or-die for each other and are ultimately each other's best friend. Yes, this book is heartbreaking at times (with a prefaced warning of homophobia, racism, and unwanted outing) but ends on a promising note of happier times coming soon.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me this eARC.The Henna Wars is the first book I requested here and I was so happy when I saw that they approved my request. 

The first thing that I was attracted to was the cover of The Henna Wars, it is simply gorgeous. I also saw many bookworms talking about this book on their social platforms, and I really wanted to read the book. My most favorite thing about the book is the variety of the topics included in the book. I like how relationships function on many different levels. We learn about family and how each one of them has their particular purpose. Personally, I liked the sibling part - Nishat and her younger sister are pure love. The way they protect and love each other is so touching and beautiful, it makes me emotional. Everything in the book makes so much sense and the author did an amazing job when it comes to its characters. Each one of them has its story which I find necessary when it comes to relationships. 

To sum it up, I really liked this book and it was eveything that I was hoping for.Touching, very gay, and just perfect. I highly recommend it.

Trigger warnings for racism, homophobia, bullying and a character being outed.

The Henna Wars totally surprised me! It deals with quite a lot of important themes, but it does so in an efficient and caring way. This young adult book is about Nishat, a Bengali girl who lives in Ireland and who enjoys creating henna designs. She has an insta-crush on Flávia, a Brazilian girl who used to go to school with her when they were younger and who now attends Nishat's school. The relationship between the two girls was described with such an honesty that it's hard to find in YA books. I clearly understood both girls' struggles in regard to their relationship and I truly felt for them.

I don't think that their romance was the main part of this book though. The focus was definitely on culture and cultural appropriation. These themes were dealt with in a very honest way and everything that happened felt very realistic. I appreciated Nishat's fight to make people understand the difference between being appreciative of a culture and being someone who takes advantage of it and appropriates it for their own causes.
Family played another important role in this novel and I was the biggest fan of Priti, Nishat's younger sister.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen was some more in-depth apologies from some people and also a bigger conversation with Nishat's parents. Other than that, this book was a very cute, but also very important read that I totally recommend!