I had so much fun reading this satire. It was funny and thought-provoking all at the same time. The darkly funny examination of a Muslim's life in America was very intriguing.

Honestly struggled with this one. Satire can be a hot or loss and in this case was a loss. Was unable to finish!

A great read. It’s family, it’s messy, it’s readable. It lets you into the Muslim world through the eyes of a young Muslim , who wants to see her name of the New York Times bestseller list. Jameela strikes a bargain with an imam from her mosque that will unending her life and change her world view.

I loved this book!!! It is weird and funny and talks about culture in a new (to me) way. For sure a 5 out of 5!

I was super intrigued by this book. I liked the idea of a cynical and snarky main character trying to make it as a writer. However, Jameela's humor doesn't connect well throughout the novel. I had a hard time getting invested in this book, but I can see why someone would be entertained by the unfortunate chain of events that Jameela finds herself in.

I dnf this book due to feeling uncomfortable about how islam was portrayed, but I do recognize that I am also not good at judging satire!

I really had high hopes for this. I know that Ms. Nawaz is a TV writer and I feel that this book would have been better served as a show. A lot of the jokes do not land. They feel like they belong on a sitcom not in a book. In books, the humor best works for me when it is situational, not when someone says something snarky all the time. Sure, an occasional snarky comment is good and I did laugh a few times, but for the most part, they wore me down.

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF'd at 33% for the following reasons:
* The way the main character talks about Islam and God isn't something I'm interested in reading because I find it borderline offensive. I don't care if a character isn't religious/practicing, but I do expect Islam to be treated with a certain level of care, respect, and sanctity, especially when the author herself is Muslim.
* I picked this up with the expectation that I would be doing plenty of laughing. I enjoyed the author's memoir (I even reread it last month in preparation for this), and had a lot of fun with it. But there's nothing even remotely amusing about the first 33%. The humor is very slapstick/juvenile, like the acronym of the terrorist organization in the book being D.I.C.K.
* I don't care about Jameela, and the plot wasn't interesting me. I read the last two chapters to see if they would motivate me to continue, but they didn't.

I was hoping that the ARC would include an author's note, because I was interested in the authorial intent, but unfortunately it wasn't in the copy I was sent. In Laughing All the Way to the Mosque, there is a chapter called "BBQ Muslims", where Nawaz describes a short film she made, featuring two Muslim brothers who are accused of being terrorists and thrown in jail. This features an organization called the Barbeque Anti-Resistance Front (acronym: BARF). Nawaz calls this short film "a satire on terrorism", and I wonder if that was the initial inspiration to write this book.

I get that this is satire but I did not enjoy it at all. It was so ridiculous and out there and Jameela was so unlikeable. I was so excited for this one so I was disappointed.

Although I'm sure others will find this amusing, it's a rare pass from me. I wanted to like it but the satire is too broad and it's mean. I DNF at about 30 percent. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

After hearing close friends talk about this book- I wanted to hate it, I had no intention of finishing it, I was prepared to be furious with the Islamic rep and the shoddy writing. I don't read much adult fiction, and even less contemporary satire. Somehow though, despite the grammar errors, terribly inconsistent mother character, over the top ridiculousness, and my disagreeing with many of her Islamic understandings. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the outlandish adventure of this immature character.

I was uncomfortable with Allah swt being referred to with female pronouns, or the side opinions of tattoos and if men and women can pray side by side and with female imams, but honestly these are all just talking points to add to the shock value of the book, once you get past the first 15% or so, the story and satire takes over and is far more entertaining than the framing of reviews would suggest. That is not to say I agree with her (the author's/the characters') logic a lot of the time or that the writing is brilliant (it isn't), but the book actually has a lot of heart. Islam is very centered, and I don't think it dripped with internalized Islamophobia. There is a lot of irony about US politics, grief, religion in general, terrorism, international politics, culture, but not a lot of laughter at the expense of Islam. Trusting, truly trusting Allah swt is actually a huge theme in the book. The characters pray regularly, it avoids ranting or mocking common tropes, stories of the Prophet's are remarked upon, strict parents are given redeeming qualities.

All that being said, I had issues with the mother being not religious at the beginning ("religion has never been her thing" ) and then labeled as religious everywhere else ("since when do you read anything other than the Quran") except for when handling a transgendered friend. There were a number of grammar errors I hope are corrected as well. Jameela's voice until the "action" starts is annoying, immature, and unbelievable. But once the spying, killing, infiltration gets in full swing, there are bigger concerns than how she vacillates between being a complete airhead about religion and life and being raised at Muslim Summer Camps, listening to weekly Jummah khutbahs and missing her deceased brother. Her own mothering is called in to question, but yet even when in the terrorists' custody she isn't overly concerned about her daughter as most parents would be. Ultimately consistency and relatability are not the books strong points and a little more polishing would have helped.

The style of book is probably not for everyone. I do understand the hatred some feel for this book, I do. The raunchy humor, the terrorist group being called DICK (Dominion of the Islamic Caliphate and Kingdoms), the lacking logic of it all. For me though, the satire is fun, it reminded me of Borat or Get Smart. Jameela is thrown into espionage and is marrying a terrorist while her real husband a sweet convert worries about her and her teenage daughter feeds everyone in the camp including a terrorist who can't eat gluten. As she is set to behead someone to save her daughter, she is helping design her wedding dress and the guards have a Arab vs desi dance competition. It really is wild, and as embarrassed as I am to admit it, I must begrudgingly admit, I laughed aloud reading it, and I even got a little teary eyed at the end with Jameela's growth and introspection.

Well, this book just did not work for me. Jameela is not a likable character, and I just didn't care at all about her or her story. I know this was supposed to be a fun, a bit over-the-top story, but it was really ridiculous, and I did not really want to invest my time in continuing to read it. Thanks to the audio, I was able to finish, but I would not recommend this to others. The whole story felt very stereotypical, and that disappointed me.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this one.

Madcap and blackly funny are the descriptors that kept coming to mind as I read this funny, satirical book by Zarqa Nawaz.

This is a story about a woman reconnecting with her family and her faith, and it’s also an examination of being a Muslim in a country where racist and Islamophobic words and actions are often excused as white supremacy is the bedrock of the culture and government of the US.

Jameela Green has written a book, and wants it to hit the bestseller lists. After a disastrous launch where a self-centred, white, high school enemy hijacks the event, Jameela breaks with her longstanding aversion and goes to her town’s mosque to petition God for her success.

The imam, Ibrahim, a sweet, naïve man, says she has to demonstrate her worthiness and commitment, and directs her to help a homeless person as a start. She does, unwillingly, as she has negative feelings about the homeless and her faith, as her devout and kind elder brother was killed years earlier by a homeless man.

The whole effort backfires, and when she and Ibrahim report the homeless man to the police for theft, the police immediately see Ibrahim as a terrorist, and the imam is swiftly scooped up by some unnamed party and disappears. Jameela fears he’s been deported to Syria by the CIA to be tortured, and she swiftly finds a way to get herself sent after him.

What follows is a frequently hilarious misadventure for everyone involved, including Jameela’s daughter and husband, and a CIA agent tasked with taking Ibrahim to Syria. Jameela gets into the heart of terrorist organization DICK (no doubt a jab at ISIS and various other similar organizations), and deals with both death threats and amorous attention, her sarcastic humour and understanding of politics and international relations alternating with panic.

James Bond she is not, but Jameela rather handily deals with one dangerous, outrageous situation after another, realizing that her hours watching Netflix and being a writer have taught her to be inventive, despite the escalating danger. She also gains needed insight into her fears, failings and feelings for her daughter and husband.

I laughed out loud many times while reading this. On the surface, the story and characters are all pretty silly, but Zarqa Nawaz has a lot of great commentary about Western nations’ simplistic desire to see everyone coming out certain areas in the world as terrorists. As well, she points out how the US’ international policies, based as they are on facile assessments of complex situations and other cultures, as well as a mistaken belief in white superiority, a hatred of Communism and an unfounded fear of Islam, have been responsible for a terrific amount of suffering, destruction and death in the above mentioned places, and responsible for the arming and training of terrorists. Nawaz bases her analyses, caricatures and humour on research, which she describes in an introduction to this incisive and funny book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Mariner Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you, NetGalley for this wonderful advanced copy of Jameela Green Ruins Everything. This book was a delight and I already miss the characters! It was a fun, yet dangerous adventure in the Middle East. Somehow the author was able to add laugh-out-loud moments to life-or-death situations. I enjoyed learning about other cultures and religion throughout this story. I highly recommend this book and hope the author keeps writing because I would love to read more about Jameela!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. Again, Zarqa Nawaz wrote a HILARIOUS book. From OCD imam antics, bridezilla weddings, cultural dances, and gluten free frenzy, the reader will chuckle away. While I don't care for politics and was surprised by how much Middle Eastern/American politics were discussed, I was able to follow along well enough. The read will appreciate that while this is a comedy, terrorism and loss are discussed seriously here. The themes of family, friendship, and faith can also be discussed. I also appreciate that this is a clean book, so I will recommend it for our high school library.

Thank you to Mariner Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jameela Green Ruins Everything by Zarqa Nawaz is a laugh-out-loud slapstick comedy about what it's like to be Muslim in America. The story revolves around Jameela, an ordinary mother and writer whose first book has just come out. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like anyone's buying it. She meets her local mosque's new imam, Ibrahim. The pair try to help a homeless man, and when he's recruited by a terrorist group, Ibrahim ends up captured by the CIA. It's up to Jameelah to save him by going undercover and pretending to be radicalized by the terrorist group.

Here is a humorous excerpt from the opening chapter, which is written by Jameelah's daughter:

"Dear Allah,
Mom’s disappeared. The CIA says she’s killed people. And that she’s a terrorist. She is. But the kind who will fight you at a Kate Spade flash sale. Religion’s never been her thing.
I know she’s been acting weird lately, but people don’t get radicalized and run off to the Middle East to fight in a holy war that quickly. Unless terrorists sit around watching comedy specials on Netflix while online shopping, their lifestyle wouldn’t appeal to her.
I’m really scared. She could be a better person and mom, but I love her. Dad says her life has been complicated. And the complications have caught up to her."

Overall, Jameela Green Ruins Everything is a satire of living as a Muslim in America and ongoing stereotypes about Muslims in other cultures. One highlight of this book is that it's an #ownvoices book. As a reader of Asian descent, I am so happy to support this author. I hope that more Muslim and Pakistani authors will write books and be published in the future. Another highlight of this book is the humor, which is, at times, laugh-out-loud funny.

I did take off 1 star, because I don't think I was the target audience for this book. I'm not sure who the target reader is. They must think that radical jihadism is horrible, but also be willing to joke about it. They must have at least some knowledge of Islam to understand the jokes, but they can't be "too religious" or they won't find the jokes anyway. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of satires, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!

Not for me, I couldn't get past the scene with Jameela and her rivalry friend from high school Courtney.

I have no words to describe this book other than wow
I loved Jameela's cynicism and wit and honestly she's the reason i kept reading this book. Overall an amazing read

I must confess, that i am tired of books including muslims which are in what ever way about terrorism. There is so much more to tell then only something about terrorism. The Cover doesn't really makes sense to me, because Jameela does not wear a headscare/hijab. And there a few other details which did not make sense. All in all the story was not really speaking positiv about Islam ( as i hoped it would) but rather let Islam shine in a bad light and contains many stereotypes.

So, starting with the opening vignette, this novel models itself in Where’d You Go, Bernadette? But, the mean girl sneakiness doesn’t really quite work here. We root for Bennadette, but not Jamilla.