I requested this book on Netgalley because the author’s previous book Laughing All the Way to the Mosque was a humorous book.

Jameela, a writer seeking fame and a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list attempts to get spiritual guidance from a newbie Imam, who apparently is so gullible and clueless himself that he starts following Jameela’s teachings and in a ludicrous turn of forced events is recruited by some authorities to help destroy the Dominion of the Islamic Caliphate and Kingdoms aka D.I.C.K, the term itself, an extremely juvenile attempt at humor that with innumerable repetitions on every page makes it painfully unfunny.

Being the cause of trouble for the naïve Imam, Jameela embarks on an absurd mission to bring him back and gets entangled into a stupid web of whatever.
There is not a single character in this story that makes any sense, from the Imam who does not know his own religion apparently, to the spineless husband, to the obnoxious mother who keeps insulting Jameela’s husband crudely (something nobody from a desi household would EVER do!), and a space-filler-not-exactly-here-for-anything daughter.

This book is filled with stereotypes in every imaginable, “eccentric-American-Muslim-Pakistani household”, and unimaginable ways.
Though its intent was probably to poke fun at the extremist terrorist organizations that hold sway over power voids created by the West in the Middle East this book was entirely humorless and by far the worst book I’ve read all year.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ooof. I finished this book because I had to see where it was going thinking it would all make sense in the end, but instead I just ended up more confused. I was drawn to this book because I was excited to see a story that portrayed Muslims in a positive light and I'm not sure this book did that?

Jameela is not a likable character. That's fine! But she is so over the top and to me remained an unlikable and unrelatable character, which didn't really give me anyone to root for except maybe Ibrahim, who is at best a minor character we don't really get to know a lot about.

Everything in this book is over the top and unbelievable. There are gaping plot holes and ultimately none of it made sense to me. There's reference to real world leaders, dictators, and youtubers but there's also fake ones which makes the world this takes place in even more confusing.

The only way I can make sense of this story is if it's satire, but I'm not even sure what it would be satire of. I may have missed the point entirely and this story was not for me.

Another Muslim book! Jameela isn’t perfect and this is one thing I really love about this book. It’s so good and the fact that an imam is in this book in a positive light makes me so happy!!

This was a really great read! I think it would make a great movie starting Priyanka Chopra produced by a Indy Kaling or something.
Premise

Jameela Green only has one wish.

To see her memoir on the New York Times bestseller list. When her dream doesn’t come true, she seeks spiritual guidance at her local mosque. New imam and recent immigrant Ibrahim Sultan is appalled by Jameela’s shallowness, but agrees to assist her on one condition: that she perform a good deed.

Jameela reluctantly accepts his terms, kicking off a chain of absurd and unfortunate events. When the person the two do-gooders try to help is recruited by a terrorist group called D.I.C.K.—Dominion of the Islamic Caliphate and Kingdoms—the federal authorities become suspicious of Ibrahim, and soon after, the imam mysteriously disappears.

Certain that the CIA have captured Ibrahim for interrogation via torture, Jameela decides to set off on a one-woman operation to rescue him. Her quixotic quest soon finds her entangled in an international plan targeting the egomaniacal leader of the terrorist organization—a scheme that puts Jameela, and countless others, including her hapless husband and clever but disapproving daughter, at risk.

For fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette? and My Sister, the Serial Killer, Jameela Green Ruins Everything is a whip-smart black comedy about the price of success, ​​and a biting look at what has gone wrong with American foreign policy in the Middle East. It is a compulsively readable, yet unexpectedly touching novel about one woman's search for meaning and connection, and about the lengths we go for those we love.

It was action packed, suspenseful, unexpected, and a real page turner. Jameela was a great protagonist and I highly recommend this book to readers. You won’t be disappointed