Love from Mecca to Medina by S.K. Ali is the sequel to Love From A to Z. Adam and Zayneb are in different parts of the world. Adam is in Doha, Qatar, making a map of the Hijra. Zayneb is in Chicago. Then, Adam and Zayneb get to spend Thanksgiving together on the Umrah, a pilgrimage from Mecca to Medina, in Saudi Arabia. The trip doesn’t go as planned, though, as Adam’s former love interest appears. Adam and Zayneb’s love is put to the test as they make their way through the pilgrimage.

This was a unique and spiritual sequel. I liked how much it focused on spirituality and strengthening the love between Adam and Zayneb.

'Love from Mecca to Medina' by S. K. Ali is a book that left me with mixed feelings. It has its strengths but also some aspects that didn't quite hit the mark.

The story explores themes of love, faith, and culture, which are important and relevant. It offers a unique perspective on the lives of the characters, and I appreciated the attempt to shed light on their experiences.

S. K. Ali's writing style is clear and straightforward, making the book easy to read and follow. The portrayal of the cultural and religious aspects is done with care and respect.

However, the pacing of the book can be slow, and at times, it felt like the story was meandering without a clear direction. This inconsistency in pacing affected my engagement with the narrative.

The characters, while relatable, could benefit from more depth and development. I found it challenging to fully connect with their journeys, and their motivations remained somewhat unclear. 'Love from Mecca to Medina' is a book with an important message and an attempt to explore cultural and religious themes. While it has its merits, it struggles with pacing and character development. It's a book that may resonate with readers interested in the intersection of love and faith but may leave others wanting more in terms of narrative depth and engagement.

A great sequel! Just as good as the original. Nice to see some YA literature for University students! Highly recommend!

Read if you like: travel stories, and cute YA romances.
-
I loved the first book in the series, Love from A to Z, so I knew I had to read this book when it came out. And it was so cute! We get to follow Adam and Zayneb as they are now adults and trying to navigate an adult relationship. The plot is about them going on an Umrah, which is a pilgrimage from Mecca to Medina.
-
It was great to be back with these characters! The only thing was a lot of the conflict was because they both were not sharing everything with each other, which led to miscommunication, and I usually don't love that trope, but I guess the characters were trying to grow up and figure out how to have a long-distance relationship!

I loved how this book sparked my curiosity of Islamic faith and tradition. I love that we are revisiting characters I already love and learning about new places and ideas(for me anyway). I also loved that their relationship wasn’t perfect! It’s hard to be apart from the person you love, and they had been doing it for years when we visit them again.

Adam’s MS is still handled with care, and he’s not letting the reality of his future stop him from experiencing his present. Zeyneb is still fighting to make the world a better place, despite being up against an inherently racist system and society.

I really enjoyed the use of objects and a museum style curation to tell the story, especially with the significance of the museum from book one. Their fur baby having a part in the narration was also really cute!

I really enjoyed this journey, and I look forward to learning more about Islam through both fiction and nonfiction after picking this one up!

I love the characters of Adam and Zayneb. This is a barrier breaking book. In the Author's note S.K. Ali sums this up: "love, romance, and Mecca? Do these even go together? As together as the whole person who told you this story" This representation and approach to Muslim topics and communities is truly something to marvel. I have recommended this title for Toronto Public Library's The List 2023 (tpl.ca/thelist).

This sequel didn't have quite the same magic as the original for me. For too much of the book Adam and Zayneb are either apart or fighting when the whole point of the trip was to find time for them to finally be together as Adam embarks on a spiritual pilgrimage to Mecca.

I did love the multicultural diversity of the story and characters and Adam's MS rep is also very well done but the romance for me was just mediocre. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book follows Adam and Zayneb a few months after the epilogue of Love from A to Z. We get to see how they act together as a couple and how they have grown as individuals.
I enjoyed reading this book, but there was one aspect that I didn't like as much which was the miscommunication between the characters. Although I know it is realistic that two young adults in a relationship will miscommunicate, it still threw me off a bit. Now, this is not a negative review, I loved how the book portrayed personal growth within religion and within a relationship. I also loved S.K Ali's writing style throughout the books and will definitely be looking forward to reading more of her books.
3.75/5

About The Book 📚
Title: Love From Mecca to Medina (Love From A to Z #2)
Author: S.K. Ali
Publication Date: October 18, 2022
Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon Schuster Books For Young Readers
Number of Pages: 352
Suggested Reader Age: 14+
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Realistic Fiction


About The Author
"S. K. Ali is the NYT bestselling and award-winning author of several books. Her debut novel, Saints and Misfits was the winner of the 2018 APALA Honor award, the 2017 Middle East Book Honor Award, and a 2018 William C. Morris Award finalist. Her widely acclaimed second novel, LOVE FROM A TO Z, a story about finding love in the time of Islamophobia, was an Entertainment Weekly Top Ten Young Adult Book of 2019 and a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist . It was also the first teen novel chosen for NBC Today Show's Read with Jenna Book Club. The sequel to Saints and Misfits, Misfit in Love, was a People magazine best book of summer 2021. Her newest YA novel, LOVE FROM MECCA TO MEDINA releases Oct. 18, 2022. She also has a picture book co-authored with Team USA Olympic Medalist, Ibtihaj Muhammad, THE PROUDEST BLUE, which debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. Her Middle Grade novels include the critically acclaimed anthology ONCE UPON AN EID co-edited with Aisha Saeed, and the soon-to-be-released GROUNDED (Spring, 2023). She lives in Toronto with her family, which includes a very vocal cat named Yeti and his new pal, Mochi." Find her on twitter at https://twitter.com/SajidahWrites, on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/skalibooks/ , on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@skalibooks

My Review
› "A manuscript, The Marvels of Creation and the Oddities of Existence, housed in the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, is what drew Adam and Zayneb together in the first place, inspiring them, separately, to journal the marvels and oddities they witnessed in their respective lives, including the marvel of meeting each other."

› Zayneb is an overachiever with a hard "beetle" shell who believes showing her emotions is a weakness. Her husband, Adam is the opposite. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he feels like he's not successful enough to be married to Zayneb. He has multiple sclerosis, a disease that took his mother's life when he was nine.

Zayneb and Adam are in a long-distance relationship. She's currently living in Chicago, and he's in Doha, Qatar. They've made plans for a getaway to The Hidden Blooms Cottage in Sussex, but their plans are suddenly changed when they are gifted the opportunity to do Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia where they will walk around the Kaaba (a black square stone building in the center of the Great Mosque at Mecca, Muslims face this when praying). They will also be travelling to Medina to see the Prophet's mosque.

"But I wonder if people even know where the word “mecca” actually, originally came from. It came from Mecca with a capital M, the place in the Middle East where people have been gathering for thousands of years to visit the first site of worship in the world still standing (according to Muslim people)."

When they arrive in Saudia Arabia, Zayneb learns Adam's ex is one of the leaders of the Umrah group. A wedge is driven between them. Is it time to end their relationship and move on?

› Characters: 7
The main characters are well-written, but the side characters aren't as interesting.

› Atmosphere: 7
I wanted more description. I can almost always picture what I'm reading, but had a hard time picturing most of the settings and scenes. However, this was an emotional roller coaster.

› Writing Style: 8
Great readability. I like Ali's writing style.

› Plot: 5
The beginning was great, but then it kind of went downhill for me. The pacing felt off. It wasn't a page-turner for me, I had a hard time picking it up. I don't like when a plot revolves around a female disliking another female or miscommunication, particularly when it drags on for 200 pages.

› Intrigue: 5

› Logic: 7

› Enjoyment: 6

Average 6.4

My Rating ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• A romantic, spiritual story that discusses racism, Islamophobia, grief, and love. My favourite part was learning more about Muslims, Islam, the language, the food, and the customs such as Umrah. I feel like I am walking away with an understanding that Islam is a way of life all about love (I hope I'm getting this right).

Love From A to Z ★★★★★
Love From Mecca to Medina ★★★


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.


*Quotes taken from an ARC copy and subject to change*

I loved this continuation of Adam and Zayneb’s story. I like how it showed the ups and downs of their journeys (faith, adulthood, relationships) both together and apart. And it was cleverly pulled all together by a cat and a keepsake box.

Summary: Sequel to Love from A to Z. Adam is in Doha, working on his map of hijra, (migration from Mecca to Medina) and is worried what to do with life. While Zainab is in Chicago, studying law school and is stressed with her school and a freaky situation which made Zainab go crazy. Marvel: Both decide they need a getaway but a much greater thing happens, Umrah. Zainab was hesitant but she realized it was calling her name spiritually. Adam on the other hand, is very excited, on top of his MS but mostly he gets to spend time with Zaiby ( Zainab + baby). But both found it hard to keep up with each other. Is it done with Adam and Zainab? Was their meet cute just an Oddity after all? Read Love from Mecca to Medina to find out more.


My review: Where Can I start?? Excuse me for my tone but starting with this It was just amazing more than amazing actually. Sajidah did it again and made me cry. She's the queen of the romance genre. Even though I was pretty slow at reading this not because I didn’t like it but I was just super busy with school but wow I loved it. I hate to say this but I loved this more than Love from A to Z (both have their own places in my heart). When I first found out that Love from A to Z I couldn’t wait and when I found out that I was one of the readers to receive an arc I was not myself I was so happy that I couldn’t control myself.


Love from Mecca to Medina is the perfect sequel to my favourite child, Love from A to Z. Hehe don’t ask me why I said it’s my child but anyways It picks up right after Adam and Zainab got nikahfied and they go their own ways. We the readers get a glimpse at what Umrah is, fighting for justice and working out long-distance relationships.


I was super excited when I first started this book. This is not a marvel and oddities style diary but we do get both Adam and Zainab’s POV’s which shows how well they have grown as characters. The main theme is no matter how far you are from your loved ones, they always love you. It also talks about their problems/ issues they have in their long-distance marriage. This is amazing as it not only shows us how they manage but also shows how they dealt with them and did not let anything affect their relationship/marriage (like Adam’s ex).

Bertha Fatima’s POV was truly as amazing as her parent’s POV even though it might look silly but definitely needed that extra sprinkles in this story.

Sajidah’s writing style on the other hand was just phenomenal from the right quotes to educating readers about one of the most important thing in muslim community, Umrah. It was a truly breathtaking story of Adam Chen and Zainab Malik. Will cherish these characters forever and ever.

P.S, I have an huge crush on Adam lol

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I requested this book I wasn’t aware that it was a sequel to a previously written book by this author. Having said that I was able to get enough of the back story of the two characters, Adam and Zayneb, to follow along.

Adam and Zayneb are a sweet couple who find themselves separated by a life circumstance and so when an opportunity arises for them to meet up, they take it. Both are struggling with the stresses of their daily lives and need a reset. If you have read the previous book, Love from A-Z, you likely already love these two characters. I have full intentions of going back to read the first book because I enjoyed this story so much.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC version of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

3.5 ⭐️

Love from Mecca to Medina was a cute read! It took me a minute to remember what happened in Love from A to Z, but this was a breath of fresh air! One of my goals in 2o22 was to read more diverse books and let me just say, this is one that needs to be read. Not only did I fall in love with S.K Ali AGAIN, Love from Mecca to Medina made me laugh, cry and almost throw the kindle across the room! It was an adventure that I will take again in a heart beat!

Thank you Simon and Schuster for an earc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

For a sequel this book is sooo good! I loved seeing their story continued plus new characters. There was so many cute moments in this book! I also really loved learning about the cultural, the journey and what Ka'aba truly means to the Muslim community. This book made me laugh, cry and want to throw it all at the same time. Definitely recommend!

Hello people. I finished reading this book right before midnight on the 14th of September, and I'm sitting here with my cardamom chai latte (which is really good btw) to try and write a review that encompasses all my thoughts and feelings.

(BEWARE SPOILERS)

I did take a quick look at other reviews and saw that some people were concerned about the title and the idea of a contemporary romance taking place in such a Holy City. I'll admit, I went into this book expecting more "romance" than we got. I thought it would be full of cute little scenes of Zayneb and Adam performing Umrah together, with maybe Adam's MS being the main conflict/issue. Instead, the one word I would use to describe this book is STRESSFUL.

We start off with POVs from Adam and Zayneb and realize that they're both hiding a lot from each other. There's a lot of miscommunication and later on, jealousy, thrown in, both of which I'm not a huge fan of when it comes to contemporary romance. That being said, I really wanted to give this book the benefit of the doubt because the characters and author aren't white and I thought it would bring something different to the story. Unfortunately, it made for a rather frustrating read. While I didn't want this book to be "in-your-face-romance" in Mecca and Medina, it made for a rather stressful trip (for Adam and Zayneb) but also the reader. Watching both characters so close, yet so distant from each other, Zayneb ignoring Adam, Adam being clueless...It was just hard to watch, and you kind of want to shake all the characters and tell them to just stop and communicate for one second.

One thing that did stand out to me in this book was the writing style. I know other people who aren't a huge fan of SK Ali's writing, but this book was the first time that I started to notice a little of what they meant. The writing is beautiful and poetic at times, but sometimes it's a little confusing trying to understand what the character is thinking about, and other times it felt a little juvenile and millennial. I was not expecting the words "hanky-panky" to be used so many times. And was even shocked at one point when Adam uses the word "sexting". Some of the romance (mainly words of expression and love) was also a little cringey, especially considering that Adam and Zayneb aren't 17/18 anymore. I'm not sure if Adam's nickname being Squish and Zayneb's being Zayby were really my thing either. And another thing...the TikTok kid that went to Umrah with them...If anything, the small amount of romance we do get in Mecca/Medina was nothing compared to this guy filming tiktoks during Umrah. I mean, it's not like he's filming dance videos, but it did feel slightly off to be creating entertainment content while on a religious pilgrimage, even if it was to educate people on how Muslims perform Umrah and the hijrah from Mecca to Medina.

I don't want people to go into this expecting the worst, because there were A LOT of good things too.

To start off with...UMRAH. I never ever expected to read about Muslim characters going to Umrah in a book during my lifetime. So I actually cried a lot. I cried when they were on the plane headed to Jeddah, when they landed, when they first saw Mecca from the bus window, when they first saw the Kabbah. The Talbiyah that's recited multiple times. When they arrived in Medina and saw the Prophet's Masjid. Just everything made me want to cry and wish I could be in Mecca and Medina right now. It was beautiful to see this captured in a book. The stories that are recounted about the early days of Islam too were just so nice to see.

Another thing I loved was the chronic illness rep. I 100% understood Adam's change of plans for his vacation with Zayneb, though I wish things had been better handled between the two of them so both could be happy and Zayneb didn't feel obligated to do Umrah for Adam instead of herself. Having a chronic illness is hard because it's so unpredictable. Adam was feeling good, his meds were working, and he had the energy to consider going for Umrah. And like his father said, there was no way to predict if this time next year Adam would be in the same position. So it made sense for Adam to want to go, especially considering the project he was also working on and how stuck he felt. Wanting to go to a religious site to make dua and ask for help and guidance is a thing so many Muslims can probably relate to. And I understand the pressure Adam felt to try and do what he can while he is able to. And I know Zayneb understood this too, but I wish there could have been better accommodations for them to actually be able to spend time together outside of Umrah.

I'm going to break off and talk about Sarina for a second. She really made me angry. At first, I thought she was just trying to be nice and helpful, but she purposely kept pushing Zayneb aside in order to try and "care" for Adam. The scene where she tries to force him to get a wheelchair to do tawaf even though Adam said he felt good and had his cane, but she kept refusing to listen to him. She wouldn't even let Zayneb be included in the conversation despite knowing that they're married and Zayneb could walk beside him while doing tawaf. She was obsessed, and I think Zayneb was right to feel hurt and upset at Adam for not noticing. Adam is a very clueless cinnamon-roll type character, and I honestly think he didn't notice these things and then once Sarina offered him a job opportunity, let a lot of this slide as a result. The pictures Sarina took and posted of them together during Umrah really did it for me. And I hate how none of this is challenged by anyone else. All we get is Zayneb apologizing to Sarina for being rude. I wish Sheikh Murtaza had said something to Sarina, especially considering that she plans and goes on these Umrah trips with lots of people, yet she's trying to break up a couple because she has feelings for the guy.

I did think we were going to see more of Adam and his MS. And while he does use an electronic wheelchair for Sa'i, I was hoping to see more. Though at the same time, I'm really glad the whole Umrah group was so nice and welcoming to Adam. I think it helped that most of the group were younger individuals too, but no one was annoyed that Adam was "slowing them down" or needed accommodations etc. Besides for Sarina making assumptions on what Adam needed, the rest of really great.

Going back to the miscommunication...I feel like the end was tied up too easily in a way that didn't make sense. Adam and Zayneb seem to introspect independently before eventually realizing the mistakes they've made. And while we do get a phone call with apologies, I think it would have been nice to see them actually sit down and talk about everything openly. Adam sort of realizes what Sarina was up to and how that made Zayneb feel and Zayneb realizes that her stress from everything going on at school had travelled with her to Umrah and made her hypersensitive to everything around her, leading her to lash out. Though I do think she was justified, and her emotional and physical exhaustion as a result made sense. I just wish when they do meet up in Medina, instead of them going off to hang out with everyone else, they could have just sat that the Prophet's Masjid and talked it all out right there. As the reader, we see that they both get where they went wrong, but after so much miscommunication and the fact that this whole book they were together, but not really speaking to each other, I just wanted more Adam and Zayneb moments.

One last thing I wanted to highlight was Adam's fear of not being able to work because of his MS. This is such a real fear for those of us who have chronic illnesses and disabilities. And I did like how we got to see a flashback to a scene with Zayneb and her brother and how Adam feels like he needs to be able to provide for Zayneb in order to be a good husband who her parents will accept into the family. I also really felt for Adam during his flashbacks to when his mom died and how angry he felt at not being able to see her and having to squash his anger and hold himself together because of his dad and sister. The one line where he says he was "the easy child" really got to me because I feel that so much. How hard it was for him to ask for help from his dad because he didn't want to be seen as incapable. I love Adam's dad though, and I also loved the character growth we see with Adam when he realizes that he can ask for help and that doesn't mean he isn't capable enough to take care of himself or Zayneb. There's nothing wrong with asking for help, especially in Adam's case when it's given willingly and with so much love in return.

Zayneb also goes through some character growth by the end, and I'm glad things seemed to work out eventually. We also get a glimpse into Janna and Layth's life which was a nice touch, though I don't know if things felt too perfect with everyone happy and ending up together.

OH and before I end things off. I love love love the commentary we get on how much Saudi Arabia sucks. Adam noticing how Medina feels more like the way it should, with the Masjid the centre and not surrounded by tall buildings and hotels was such a mood. And Zayneb and Mila talking about how migrants are treated was good to see because Saudi Arabia is pretty problematic and I honestly don't like the country as a whole, especially considering how they treat Shias. One thing I did find weird was that Sausun's family's house had servers (who I'm assuming are migrant workers) and it felt wrong in many ways.

Overall, this book left me with a lot of mixed feelings. While aspects of this book (ie. the Umrah itself and the chronic illness rep) were great, other things I did find annoying, and the writing style just didn't work as well for me this time around. Love from A to Z is still one of my all-time favourite books, but I think this sequel just didn't live up to my expectations.

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

They're back! The remarkable pair of Adam and Zayneb, the beloved couple from Love from A to Z, are back! They are living with the wonders of long-distance coupledom. Zayneb is couch-surfing, having lost a place to live while at school (she hasn't told Adam); Adam is in a rut, with no new contracts coming in for his art installations (he hasn't told Zayneb). They are both looking forward to a very romantic get-together in an amazing cottage in the woods in the UK, where they will manage to tell each other everything. Being Adam and Zayneb, whether or not they'll actually get there, and what might happen along the way, are very important questions.

If you haven't kept up with Adam and Zayneb since Love from A to Z, you may feel a little bit like you are catching up in this novel. S.K. Ali does her best to fill the reader in, but you are better if you have read the companion novels, Saints and Misfits and Misfit in Love, as well as the short story, The Eid Gift. Having read the 2 Misfit novels will also help with understanding how some of the background characters fit into Adam and Zayneb's lives. (yes, of course, Sausun is back, and doing her usual kick-ass niqabi thing! )

Other than being a wee bit confusing if you haven't read the intervening books, this is a terrific read. S.K. Ali does what she does best, and it is beautiful. She manages to interweave two very different narrator's perspectives, while also introducing the reader to the experience of two young Muslims making pilgrimage in Mecca and Medina. In Love from A to Z, each section of the book was linked to a diary entry by one of the characters. In this story, each chapter is inspired by a particular object, and the lesson it taught Adam or Zayneb.

At times, these two characters are incredibly frustrating. I wanted to tell them to grab a brain and just talk to each other about what was going on! But realistically, in the way the author has created these two, that is not what either of them would do, and she stays true to their voices. Part of why so many of us have come to love the two of them is that they are both unique, bright, wonderful, stubborn characters, who often have to get past the worst of themselves in order to find the best of each other.

This is one of those books that really could open up those "sliding glass doors" for non-Muslim readers. Like the Misfit books, it also allows young Muslim women to see themselves reflected in a romantic novel. Those are both huge gifts, and there are not enough books on our high school shelves that come anywhere close to doing that.

Wow, this book packed a punch. I had both tears of joy and tears of sadness while reading this. This book is the second in the Love From A to Z series, the first I read in 2019. This story takes place about four years after the first, and a lot has changed for Adam and Zaynab. They are still together, but apart. Adam is in Doha, Qatar living with his father and Zaynab is attending law school in Chicago. Both are experiencing a lot of stressors, but don't want to worry the other.

This felt like a realistic sequel, with Adam and Zaynab being as relatable in this book as the previous one. Yes, there were some communication problems with them, which I typically hate, but it made perfect sense here. These two were a relatively new couple, separated by distance and not wanting to burden the other. There were so many things both were dealing with and I just wanted to give them both big hugs and get them to talk to each other.

The author did a great job adding some light hearted humour by adding a couple chapters by Bertha Fatima, Adam and Zaynab's cat. It really helped break up the serious parts of this story and gave me time to wipe away my tears.

S.K. Ali really did a good job explaining the Umrah and the meaning and experience behind it. She also did such a good job of explaining the meaning of a lot of aspects of being Muslim in a way that was easy to understand, and left me wanting to learn more.

If you loved Love from A to Z be sure to check out this book. It was an excellent addition to the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

Loved this book! It was well written, heartwarming and funny! Would absolutely recommend it to friends.

This book brought me out of a reading slump! ❤️

I normally do not read contemporary novels, but I heard very good things from Love from A to Z. I read it in one sitting so I can read this, and was not disappointed.

I WAS NOT READY. The tears, the laughs had my emotions all over the place. I loved the spiritual journey that Adam and Zaynab went through for Umrah. I was a little hesitant going in because of Makkah and the concept of Umrah overall in fiction, but S.K. Ali did it beautifully.

Thank you Simon&Schuster for the early copy!!!

Overall Rating: 4 ⭐️

**This is my spoiler-free review of S.K. Ali’s Love from Mecca to Medina**

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for my honest opinion in the form of a review. My thoughts are my own and have not been influenced by any outside parties.

This was an exceptionally charming sequel to S.K. Ali’s Love From A to Z. Right from the get go I knew I was going to adore this book for several reasons:

It opens from the perspective of Adam and Zayneb’s cat, Bertha Fatima Chen-Malik;
The chance to learn more about Muslim traditions and culture as someone who is non-Muslim;
The absolutely charming chaos destined to ensure when Adam and Zayneb get together again!

Additionally, it is always so fun to see how characters interact following their “happy endings” in previous novels wrap up!

The setting of this book was SO COOL. I absolutely adored that it took place in Mecca, and you can feel the reverence of the setting in the writing. Also, the love between Adam and Zayneb is wonderful.

Overall, excellent sequel and I am excited to see what S.K. Ali comes up with next!