Amazing. This story was poignant and important and the writing was stunning. I loved the format and writing style of the poems. The story was vivid and heartbreaking. I hope everyone reads this!

Poetic story. Young adults searching for something just out of reach will appreciate this story of a young Arabic girl who is ostracized by many because of her appearance; she only fits in with one friend until they argue. And then the worst happens. Will she and her friend reconnect or will she continue to exist alone?

Trigger warning: violence, bullying, and racism

This story was a captivating read. The poetry gorgeously depicts the many emotions of Nima, a young girl who is struggling to understand where she fits in life. She wrestles with her identities as a girl, as an American, and as a daughter in an immigrant family. She longs to go home. She longs to know her father who she never met.

There is an element of magical realism as she goes on a journey that puts all of her identities into perspective. She learns and grows as a friend and daughter. She learns about herself and her heritage.

Safia Elhilo expertly takes readers on this journey. You can feel Nima's pain and her shame as well as her growth and triumphs. I highly recommend this read to folx of all ages.

I was given an ark of this beautiful book in exchange for an honest review . I was excited to see the synopsis and was quickly intrigued with it being a book written in verse form.
I enjoyed every aspect of this book from the characters, the culture , the beautiful details, the colors that were painted through the words written on these pages, and how the story unfolded through the verse form.
Nima goes through some struggles with her own life and finding her self, family and identity issues , harassment/discrimination, and her journey of loss and love and life.
Her best friend Haitham journeys along with her and faces his own hardships through this versed novel.
I would definitely recommend reading this, it brought on several emotions through the whole book as well.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this book and may we all learn to love one another and be happy after reading this beautiful versed novel.

Elhillo writes a book equally stunning and intriguing. I felt attached to each character, and couldn’t stop turning the pages until I knew what was going to happen to them. Nima especially felt like someone I could relate to (if she weren’t fictional I would love to dance with her). I will admit the beginning poems felt a little slow and repetitive, but once the story began to pick up, I was sucked into the world. I haven’t read too many stories told in verse, but this is easily one of the best. I highly recommend picking this up when it releases.

Wow. I devoured this in just two sittings -- when I first picked it up, I thought it would be a coming-of-age narrative like The Poet X (whose author is a big champion of Safia Elhillo). And then, this book turned into something else entirely. It was wild and stunning and I'm still thinking about it. "Home is Not a Country" is a unique blend of teenage identity angst, family drama and magical realism, with characters jumping from home to homeland, the U.S. to Sudan, and back again. It's about being nostalgic for something you never had, and perspective on all that you do have. What a gorgeous, wonderful book. I can't wait to press it into the hands of friends.

I requested this book because I loved the cover and saw the recommendation by Elizabeth Acevedo and for fans of “The Poet X,” which includes me. I did like this book, so the correlation worked for me. I thought the writing in verse was sophisticated and had beautiful imagery in it, and the format suited the narrative, which had a touch of magical realism.
The point I enjoyed the most was Nima’s relationship with her parents, especially her mother. As someone very connected to her mom, I love when books portray this kind of relationship. Throughout the story, Nima discovers more about her mom’s history and learns to appreciate her—all the sacrifice her mom made to give her a better life is very touching.
I also appreciate how this book addresses prejudice, considering Nima is daughter to Sudanese and Muslim parents, so we see the bullying she and her friend, Haitham, suffer in school. Even worse, the bullying escalates to physical aggression and Haitham ends up in hospital, sending Nima to a dark place. At this point, she starts questioning how her life would have been like if she had been born in Sudan, and her “alternate reality” self—Yasmeen—shows her her parent’s life before she was born. Unfortunately, she soon realizes that neither countries or lives are perfect, and she must learn how to live with that.
I think the central theme, identity, is super important in YA books; in this case, Nima struggles with her identity as she is torn between two cultures and feels as if she doesn’t fully belong to any of them. I think this is a struggle any immigrant or child of immigrants will relate to (I certainly did)—and in a larger escalate, any teenager really, as everyone feels like that at some point.
I really enjoyed this book and will definitely keep an eye on Safia’s future releases, as she is a very talented writer.

Going into this book I had no idea what to expect aside from the fact that it was told in verse and compared to Elizabeth Acevedo and Jason Reynolds.

The first part of the book discusses racism, bullying, and trying to find acceptance in yourself. Yasmeen is obsessed with another version of herself that could have been and is unhappy in America. A touch of magical realism is introduced later on, which I didn’t expect but it was done so well. I would go into this book without reading much because I was pleasantly surprised. I can't really give this a proper review but definitely read this if you like books written in verse. This book is heartbreaking and just so beautifully done, I recommend this one for sure.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever thought about how much of our life and identity is formed by small decisions? Our own and those of our parents, the people around us, and even strangers. This #ownvoices story touched on so many important topics - immigration (and the tension of old and new cultures that comes with it), racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, bullying, hate crimes, family, self-worth, and identity. There was one section in particular that absolutely wrecked me, when Nima is imagining all of the things she wishes she could say to her mother, including apologizing for being simultaneously too American and not American enough. I really just can't rave enough about this book! I recommend it for everyone, but especially if you love novel-in-verse! Thank you to NetGalley and Make Me a World for early access to this wonderful book!

THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL. And unique. I'm not sure the last time I read a book with magical realism, but this one pulls it off masterfully. I'm fairly certain that I've never read a novel in verse that uses magical realism to the extent that this one does, and I'm so refreshed after finishing it. Plus, it explores identity, belonging, and cultural/family history in a way that makes that magical realism completely and totally fit. I was swept away by Nima's story.

In this story, Nima struggles to find joy in her life. Her mother immigrated to America, and instead of a beautiful life, the two of them struggle with prejudice and loneliness. Nima constantly finds herself wondering and completely fascinated by the idea of Yasmeen-- a name that her mother has considered and essentially another version of herself that Nima has invented in her own mind. When Yasmeen starts to materialize and aid Nima in times of trouble, she finds herself connecting with this other version of herself in new and unexpected ways. On their journey, Nima learns more about her history and culture than she had ever known before and comes to appreciate her mother and life in a new way.

This is perfect for people who find themselves trapped in a nostalgia-binge, are eager to learn about different cultures and perspectives, and love a novel-in-verse. Truly, it's great.

WOW THIS WAS ALL KINDA SPLENDOROUS

So realistic and yet so magical!

When I requested this ARC I knew there was no way I was not going to like it

BUT

I wasn’t prepared for how poignant
and heartbreaking
and utterly beautiful
and downright perfect it was going to be!

MY HEART WAS SHATTERED IN MILLION PIECES UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THIS GIFT

I read each page with a huge lump in my throat

a lump I can picture many readers getting too, especially immigrants

This is a stunning and imaginative work in free verse that focuses on the immigrant experience. Nima struggles with discrimination and hatred and the legacy of her mother's trauma, growing up in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. When a tragedy occurs, Nima escapes into spaces of danger and new awareness, guided by a hungry ghost. This is a book that should be celebrated and shared and read by everyone. The language is beautiful and striking, and Nima's is a compelling and authentic voice. This book should be embraced by book clubs and libraries and schools.

I am enchanted by Home is Not A Country. I had not read such an excellent book in a very long time. It was written in such a bear and heartbreaking way. I could not put the book down. All I wanted to do was help Nima through her self-discovery the same way that Yasmeen had. There are so many twists and turns to this novel. I want everyone to read this book, live it and be wrapped up in it. I admire the author, Sofia Elhillo for her writing and talent. I hope that she continues to release more novels.
-Rebeca

This is a beautiful novel written in a poetic prose. A rather quick and flowing read, but one with meaning and depth that will stick with readers even after the final page is turned. This book addresses several themes such as immigration, identity, belonging, connection, community, generational trauma, and many more. Symbolic as well as reflective, Home Is Not a Country challenges its characters and its readers to think beyond our typical worldviews to mediate on past, present, and future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for an arc in exchange for an honest review. A full review will be posted on https://www.armedwithabook.com/ closer to publication date.

This, THIS, is some of the most beautiful, lush poetry I've encountered in a long time. Safia Elhillo does a masterful job of painting for us a picture of Nima (almost Yasmeen) and the life she shares with her mom, her best friend, and the complicated relationship she has with her past and culture. It was just perfect.

Oh my gosh, this book is so good. Full of emotion, the story of Nima and seeing the possibilities of what if things happened differently is so amazing. Nima is the daughter of an immigrant whose father died before she was born, but often she wishes and dreams she is Yasmeen, the daughter her mother may have had if her father hadn’t died. In her wishes she invited a jinn or spirit, and together they travel to photograph and witness history that lead to Nima being the daughter born.

This book is so lovely and wonderful and emotional. I love the exploration of choices and history and how we are shaped by the past but we have to be careful about being wholly defined by it. This was a quick read, but absolutely worth every tear it made me shed.

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Children's - Make Me a World in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have been reading a lot of poetry especially ones inspired by Black Lives Matter and in celebration of Black History Month and all of them have been very insightful, eye opening and just plain fantastic and I am so glad Home Is Not a Country is one of them. All of the poems you can easily interpret and feel the imagery coming to life and feel the pain of Nima. This book should be required in the High School Curriculum especially for the History and English classes especially in the highly populated areas to be aware and to appreciate the power of words.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, I got to read this early. I loved everything about it. The poetry is simply stunning--some of the imagery and turns of phrase will stop you dead. And the story itself is about the daughter of an immigrant in the US who feels lost--not fully at home here, but not familiar with the life her mother left behind either. The magical connection she discovers to the girl she might have been helps her come to understand all the love she didn't realize was right in front of her. Highly recommend!

Great selection of poems!

Notable lines:

“while I am a solid / b minus in every class / & barely scraping /
a passing grade in any social interaction /
muttering & burdened by the shadow of an accent”

“my mother is so often sad / so often tired & wants mostly
to sit quietly in front of the television . . .”

“ . . . i’m sorry you got this storm cloud
for a daughter instead of the flowers
you deserved . . . ”

4 stars.

I am a huge fan of novels in verse or poetry. I feel like they connect with all readers so well and they sweep you into another world. Home Is Not a Country is the feeling of wasting away searching for a home you will never truly belong in, until you make it your own. Too brown for america, and too white to connect fully with a home she's never been to.

This book even jumps fully into magical realism and the choices around that. Nima essentially goes back in to her parents time to fight for her existence. To me this twist nearly came out of nowhere and it really stuck me. I simply had to finish the rest of the book in one sitting. Lovely ending full of self and familiar love and blending of identities.

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The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.