This was a beautiful book. As an arab myself, i love to see the representation in literature and i hope many people pick this book up

This story of Sama and Hadi is told through alternating timelines from their lives in Syria and their attempts to live a free and safe life in the United States. In 2011, pro-democracy protests erupt in Syria, demanding the end of the authoritarian practices of the Assad regime, in place since 1971. As opposition militia form in 2012, the conflicts soon escalate into a civil war in Syria. The number of refugees over the next 5 years reaches 4.27 million in 2015, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. In 2017, not long after his inauguration, former President Trump enacted an Executive Order 13769 which was instituted to protect the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the US. This order banned entry for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. This made it difficult for people get travel visas and re-entry back to US. The executive order would only change in 2021 after President Biden took office.

Sama moves to Boston ahead of Hadi where she is working on her dissertation on birds at Harvard University. When Hadi's father dies, he travels back to Syria for the funeral. At this time, Sama is pregnant, and they are expecting their first child, a boy. What was supposed to be a relatively quick trip turns into an unexpected situation having Hadi deported back to Syria when he tries to return home to Sama and his son. Anxiety rises and the importance of family are paramount as the family fight to be reunited.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from NetGalley, Edelweiss and Atria Books. My review is voluntary and my unbiased opinion.

This was an intimate portrayal of the refugee experience, the challenges of immigration, and the power of love and hope in the face of adversity.

I enjoyed both the story and the characters and I loved the way it was written - in letters.

This is a very sad and heartbreaking story, though, and it is definitely not for everyone. But I'm really glad I gave it a chance.

Sama and Hadi meet thousands of miles from their home and share an instant spark. Soon, they are married and Sama is pregnant. In the wake of the 2016 election, Hadi, who has returned to Syria for his father’s funeral, is barred from returning to the United States. Desperate, the two try to make their way back to each other.

This story captured the anger and confusion and grief of family separation. It also captured the loneliness of being an immigrant, trying to make a home in a country that holds no warmth toward you. However, I found myself frustrated by both Sama and Hadi, and felt skepticism toward the ending.

My apologies that this review is coming so belatedly. I started this title several times, but couldn't get engaged with it. For me, the problem was that the prose style kept me at a distance from the central characters.

Beautiful, heartbreaking story about a husband and wife who are separated by a travel ban. Love this author.

Beautiful and poignant. I know it may be polarizing to some who struggle with understanding these situations in the whole of the immigration system (ahh rules must be followed, no matter what kind of people). But the point of these stories is to layer in the human aspect with the very real reminder that we are not on this earth forever. The purple prose felt somewhat out of place here but the book is well worth the read even if it's difficult particularly given the current situation in Russia/Ukraine now and the consistent ways in which wars upend lives.

I did not want this book to end! Hadi and Sama’s situations were both so heartbreaking, but I loved Sama’s hope. I liked the alternating POVs and chapters about their pasts that were woven in. I’m not a fan of open endings, so I just wish we could actually see them reunited. The narrators all did an amazing job.
flag7 likes ·

Special thanks to Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This book packs an emotional punch! Sami and Hadi, a Syrian couple who meet in the US, and fall so in love. Sama is here as a student but Had I is a refugee. They are living the American dream, building a life and starting a family. But... Hadi's father dies and he decides to go back to Jordan. Of course , its a bad time because Sama is pregnant and 3 months away from giving birth.

Well, it wouldn't be a good story if there is just that, a happy ending, because Hadi, thinking he will be back "in a few days" gets detained by customs and exported back to Jordan.. While Hadi 'is in Jordan, Sama gives birth and of course they are doing anything to get back to each other.

Beautifully written about tragedy that happens, everyday. Of course I cried but I'm a softie and I can't imagine what people go through on a daily basis. Heartwrenching, beautifully written and I also have the physical copy too. Will they make it back to one another. I recommend you read it and find out. Get your hankies out.

I highly recommend this book!

This was a great story but the editing was not great. The story was emotionally exhausting but real. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

A unique story, However, a few chapters in, the story seemed to unravel a bit in terms of plot and some things started to not make much sense. Some of the story structure was a bit confusing. Overall, I think this one had the potential to be a powerful story, but the not-so-good execution

This book makes me want to read more diversely. It really gives you perspective and it made me incredibly emotional. I loved this one.

A Syrian couple's world is turned upside down when an Executive Order goes into effect. (Travel ban of 2017) Sama is pregnant and about to give birth to their child her husband Hadi's father dies and he leaves to take care of funeral arrangements and then can't get back into the US due to the travel ban. What follows is a heartbreaking story of a couple fighting for thier freedom. While I found the writing beautifully lyical and heartbreaking I found a connection to the characters lacking. I didn't become as absorbed into the story as I did reading Against the Loveless World another book i'd lump into the "refugee plight" type of book. If you are looking for books that touches on refugee stories this is one to consider. It was a quick read and worth the time.

***Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.***

This book is a difficult one for me to review. While I appreciated the themes displayed, I didn't necessarily get along with the story nor did I feel particularly drawn to any specific character. I would have preferred that this book was longer and gave you time to spend learning and developing the character arcs.

This book also spent quite a bit of time bashing our last president. While I completely agree with all of those thoughts and feelings, it unfortunately drew me out of the story.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book!

oh my goodness. I have not read such a beautiful and powerful book in such a long time. I got approved for this one really close tot he publication date and could not get around to it in time, but now I am wishing that I had dropped everything. 10 pages in and I was absolutely HOOKED, this raw story of a Syrian couple who are ripped apart during a travel ban on refuges in the US has separated this young couple in love as their son is about to be born. The concepts in this story are some that I have never experienced first hand, but Yara does an amazing job of really portraying the pain and suffering of our main characters from one page to the next. I cannot praise this book enough for how well done it was, and how just deeply connected to these characters.

I struggled with how to rate and review this one. I loved The Girls at 17 Swann Street so I was familiar with this author's writing syle and I enjoyed the prose. However, the book did seem a bit disjointed. The story of Sama and Hadi was sad. I didn't feel connected to their past or the beginning of their relationship. The story came from both points of view, which was fine, and told in first person. And then there were flashbacks told in third person from the past... mixed in with information about bird migration.
Sound odd? That's how it read as well.
The overarching message from this book was heartbreaking. Sama goes into premature labor... as Hadi is trying to come back from his father's funeral in Syria and Trump's order to detain Syrian refugees is in place. It's a combination of bad timing and the reality of what tens of thousands of people had to deal with.
The story of this little family is quite sad. There are some plot holes and I truly didn't get the connection with the birds, but it was well-written and I enjoyed the writing style.

Sama and Hadi are a young Syrian couple living in Boston. While Sama is 5 months pregnant, Hadi's father unexpectedly dies. Hadi decides he's going to go back to Jordan for the funeral. On the day of his return he is detained at Logan airport, because of the new US Travel Ban, and is sent back to Jordan.

This novel takes you through the emotional toll the US Travel Ban takes on a family. One partner is 'safe' in American, while the other's visa papers are cancelled and is sent back to Jordan. While I enjoyed this novel, I felt like it was too short and left me wanting more. While I obviously felt for the couple being ripped apart, I think I would have been drawn in more with more details of their relationship. Just seemed like character development was a little lacking despite it being an incredibly powerful story. 3 1/2 stars

Thank You Atria and NetGalley for the free e-galley
Publication Date: January 4, 2022

No Light to Land On by Yara Zgheib definitely delivers an emotional punch.

Zgheib touches on the political and the personal with this tale of star-crossed lovers Sama and Hadi, who are torn apart on the brink of the arrival of their first child by the 2017 Trump administration executive order executive order banning immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Told from multiple narratives in a non-linear structure, readers learn of the lives Hadi and Sama left in Syria, the ones they built in Boston, and what might lie ahead when the EO leaves Hadi as a man without a country.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Remember when Donald Trump enacted a travel ban against Muslim countries? With the way time has both flown and crept in the pandemic, it feels like ages ago. Yet, No Land to Light On brings the reader back to those 2017 days when families were torn apart and so many Muslims were living with an additional layer of fear.

Hadi and Sama are Syrian refugees. They live in Boston and have created a sweet life for themselves. While they miss family, their sense of peace and stability in the US outweighs any yearning for their homeland. Until Hadi flies home for his father's funeral and can't get back into the US. Sama births their child alone, never knowing where he is. Both are terrified; both have no idea when the nightmare will end.

No Land to Light On is a short novel. It moves back and forth from between and Hadi and Sama started dating and their 2017 crisis. The characters are easy to like and feel empathy for. For some reason, I found the first few pages confusing, but once I got the groove, I couldn't put the book down. This was my second Yara Zgheib book and I would gladly read her again. 4 stars, recommended.

Thank you to the publisher for the NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

🕊 No Land To Light On 🕊
By Yara Zgheib
Publisher: Atria Books (Jan 2021)

The book opens up with a young woman in Boston waiting for her husband to come back from Syria after he flew home to bury his father… but as the minutes keep ticking by, Sama realizes something is wrong on the other side of the customs gates. But never does she think that he won’t walk through those doors… especially because he was already approved, living in Boston and expecting their first child in 12 weeks.

The book flips between Sama and Hadi’s POV but also flips through their love story and how they came to meet in the grounds of Harvard University. A young couple in love torn apart by an executive decision. But also their paths and how they ended up in Boston; their history and the future they had hoped to have.

Just one spotlight. One story. A couple torn apart from the ‘Muslim Travel Ban’.
No different than any of us starting our lives out… with hopes that the land that welcomed them originally, doesn’t divide them.

“….Everybody wants to be free…”



Triggers: early delivery in pregnancy; detainment by border patrol