This book is VERY disappointing. The Muslim rep was honestly unnecessary and could have done better without it, the romance was not developed, and Raheem came off as a creep from the very beginning.

Would not recommend if you're looking for actual Muslim rep/0 stars

Unfortunately, this book was a massive disappointment. As a Muslim reader who gets really excited about Black Muslim rep, this book was everything that I DON'T want to see. The writing itself was mediocre; there was no character development; the plot was practically nonexistent. This was, quite frankly, a terrible first draft.

The "Muslim rep" was superficial at best, internalized Islamophobia at worst. "Conservative" parents, having sex in secret and having it used as a threat, the only 'religious' side character appearing ONLY to exist as the trope of the judgmental, hypocritical hijabi... there was absolutely no positive connection to Islam, no sense of Fatima having faith as a Muslim, nothing about her spirituality. She prays but it's always rushed or absent-minded, and it comes off as a chore rather than something sincere.

None of the characters are likeable or developed in any way. Fatima Tate herself is the most under developed main character I have ever come across, with her only personality trait being baking (and even that was poorly demonstrated! A baker in a baking competition should already know about chilling cookie dough ahead of time and what baking tips are used for frosting cupcakes!). The parents are portrayed in the most shallow of ways: a mean mom who constantly harps on about her daughter's weight and pressuring her to go into nursing instead of culinary school, and a doormat of a father. Raheem is a flimsy villain who also has no personality beyond being rich and good-looking.

There is no romance, not even in the beginning. We're given a rushed set of scenes where Fatima is checking out Raheem, suddenly ends up alone in his car, invites him into her house, ogles his butt while he prays... and then makes out with him like five seconds later. It's all awkward, stilted, forced, and boring. Where was the editor in all of this? This book is terrible and frankly needs to not be published until such time as the author learns how to actually write well and develop a plot and characters.

I am not just disappointed by this book, I am insulted that this is being used as "Black Muslim rep" when the Black Muslims I know and love are nothing like this and consider this a shameful example of "representation" in their name. It's a 0/10 for me. Literally nothing redeeming whatsoever, from a literary perspective or otherwise.

I was really excited to read this book as a person from New Mexico and although I enjoyed it, I didn’t think the writing was great and felt it was a little “younger” written than the age it’s geared toward. Overall, I thought it was a good story line and had great characters. I loved Fatima’s love of baking and how that permeated the book in such a positive way! Many of the characters felt much younger to me than portrayed, but it was still a decent read.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

CW: Emotional Abuse , Gaslighting, Mentions of Islamophobia, Slight Homophobia

5 / 5 Stars

THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!

Okay, now on to the actual review. As in, this was an amazing book & I'm reccomanding it to literally everyone out there.

While the blurb is kind of spoiler-y - which is why I won't repeat what it says - and you shouldn't expect plot twists left and right, I'd argue that a simple plot doesn't equal a simple book.

The characters are written amazingly. And yes, I'm aware that I used the word amazing like 3 times already. Try and stop me.
But it's true. Especially the antagonist.

Because of personal reasons, that I don't feel like talking about in some random review, I'm always especially sensitive to books that include emotional abuse. It's so easily overlooked because it leaves no visible scars. But the invisible ones, the ones that cut deeper than any fist ever could, those are the ones that need to be written with special care.
This book does an excellent job on that department.
My view lines of text are probably unable to tell you how well written I thought that part of the book to be.
Even though there are one or two - not more - scenes were I would have prefered the book to take a second & to let the scene breath.

Besides those 1-2 scenes, I don't have any complaints.

All the other characters are just as great. My personal favourit has to be Zaynab though. Her & Ambers inclusion meant a lot to me. I just fear that this book might suffer from some negative, homophobic reviews because of her. I've already seen a few were people hide their bigotry behind the mantle of religion, while the truth of the matter is: There is nothing in the Quran that justifies your hatred. (And no, Lot is not about queerness.)
What kind of god would make a whole army of people just so they can throw them in hell for the way he made them?
-> No god, that's who.
The book mentiones that a bit as well, but it's not really the main focus of things.


Final Thoughts:
Important, well written book. Can & will reccomand!

This title was a wonderful story with own voices representation. The characters all had depth to them and were fully fleshed out, but in certain times the writing style felt more middle grade than young adult. Especially with the topics of sexual assault it felt like Fatima was 15/16 instead of 17 going on 18. She definitely had her own point, and I know she was niave because she is young and hasn't experienced any relationships before, but the way she spoke with her friends and parents left a bit more to be desired for me personally. I would still recommend this title to younger teens, but I think if they're older that they may also think this reads a bit young.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Fatima Tate Takes the Cake follows Fatima Tate (surprise surprise), a muslim girl who's greatest passion is baking. Her parents want her to get married to Raheem, who also happens to be Fatimas crush – how convenient... But what first seems like a dream quickly turns into a nightmare, because when the engagement is finalized the façade of the, seemingly, perfect Raheem shatters.

Although I mainly enjoyed the novel it had its flaws. First of all, the plot felt a bit rushed at points, which made me as the reader question if I had missed important parts. Furthermore, Fatimas feelings could have been explored more deeply, as the problems she had to deal with must have induced really complicated sentiments; there were some traces of this, but it could have been portrayed in a different way to amplify the significance of the events in her life.

What did I like? Well:
The ending
Fatima's and Zaynab's friendship was very sweet.
The baking elements.
The interesting storyline

So, overall I liked Fatima Tate Takes the Cake, and I think it was a good book considering it's VanBrakle's first novel.

Fatima Tate is 17, wants to be a pastry chef and her parents are ready to arrange her marriage. Good news is the Muslim Prince Charming Raheem wants to be allowed to marry her! And after meeting a year ago not that her parents know things seem like they may be perfect! But things seem to change when the ring is on Fatima’s finger.

This is a beautiful story of family, community and finding your own strength from the story of a young Muslim woman. If you’re looking for a powerful and gentle YA story featuring these themes - this book is the one for you! 😍

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House Publishing for this ARC.

4 and a half stars!!!

I was really looking forward to reading this book as the synopsis had me interested but after reading I was very disappointed. This book is not Muslim rep and mixes culture with religion which is one of my biggest pet peeves. It essentially tries to change what religion says and says it’s okay to do certain things which aren’t permissible in Islam. The author often claims something as a cultural thing when in fact it is a religious thing and not permissible in Islam. This book and the writing style is also quite immature and I DNF’d it because it disappointed me so much. I would definitely not recommend as halal Muslim rep.

This was a cute cozy read. I didn't like the representation of Fatima in this book.
I liked the cooking part.

2.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This story is a coming of age. Fatima wants to follow her dream, and her faith and not disappoint her parents. The baking aspect makes this story super cozy. And all those elements combined keep the reader intrigued since it makes her search for balance which helps her grow as a person.

Unfortunately, I had some struggles with some parts of this book. I found the pacing a bit off, the beginning was fast-paced and then it drastically slowed in the middle to speed up again. Also, as a Muslim myself I had some issues with the representation in this book which I found negative (this story represents a minority of Muslims in my opinion). I found the dialogue a bit repetitive and the book felt very young. Also, some parts weren't explained which I found ridiculous because not everyone is familiar with those terms and the practice of this religion.

Other than that I loved the cooking aspect of this story and Fatima participating in a baking tournament was well done. I also enjoyed her struggle to try to find herself and stick to her beliefs and dreams.

Fatima Takes the Cake by Khadijah VanBrakle is a coming of age story centred around Fatima Tate, a seventeen year old muslim teen who loves baking, her friendships and her family. Fatima meets Raheem, a 21 year old Muslim man who she soon begins developing a relationship with and who she is soon arranged to marry.

I loved this book so much that I finished the book in a day. At every free moment, I eagerly entered Fatima’s world to see how the problems she faced would be resolved. The story was never boring and was a fast, enjoyable read.
To begin with, Fatima is a sweet character with a lot of heart. She also goes through a massive amount of character development as she is put in challenging situations. I also really enjoyed that she had multiple supportive minor characters such as her best friend Zaynab, her father, her chef mentor Erica and Sarah Baker (Zaynab’s mother). I do feel like the relationship between Fatima and her mother could have been explored more.

The character of Raheem was well written too! His charm oozed through the dialogue while also maintaining an almost sleazy vibe. I believe his character should have faced more repercussions for his actions.

I also enjoyed the LGBTQIA+ representation and the cultural aspects within the novel. As someone who isn’t Muslim, it opened my eyes to parts of the religion that I didn’t know about. I also enjoyed that characters such as Brian weren’t afraid or deterred to ask questions about the Muslim faith within the book.

Overall, the book was a fantastic read that I couldn’t put down! I can’t wait to see what Khadijah VanBrakle writes next!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within this review are my own. Thank you!

This book started out fast into the drama, and it was honestly painful; I think because every person has found themselves in a relationship that is less than ideal or downright abusive, and they know they should get out but everything feels too big to tackle, and here those big things include parental disappointment, which most of us can relate to. I did find the immediate jumping into things intense, but I realized that is exactly what younger people sometimes do, and sometimes naiveite or cultural expectations make things worse. The entire story I was screaming inside that Fatima has to get away! The main focus is definitely Fatima's personal struggles, but it's nice to have the lighter distraction of the baking competition which plays into her personal identity. This book has a good examination of the dynamics that can play out between parents and children, especially only children and a lack of stable finances. This book is worth reading, as it has such a great character perspective, and supportive friendships, and life scares that make you think. If you are expecting the main focus to be on the baking, it really isn't, but the baked goods are still often front and center, representing hopes and dreams.

This book was such powerful and also have so many interesting topics about feminism,independence, growth...even tough slow paced,I've really get so affectionate for Fatima and her struggles with her community and them stricter rules.

Fatima Tate is a brown Muslim girl who enjoys baking and dreams of becoming a pâtissier, but her passion is being refrained by her own mother who wants her to become a nurse. At the same time, Fatima also has a crush on a Muslim guy she met at a place she volunteered in, but never did she expect to be betrothed to him in such a short time.

I'll start with a few good things that I appreciate from this book:
- The beautiful cover itself.
- A ride-or-die kind of friendship between the Fatima and her best friend, Zaynab. Zaynab was always there for her, supporting every decision.
- Fatima standing up for herself at the end, even if it causes her grief and shame.

But these were not enough to cover the ick feeling I felt throughout the story. Firstly, what's the author's point of making Fatima's best friend a lesbian? This is normally a cliche plot for a Western contemporary book–but this is a character with Muslim reps. A book centering around Muslim community. I don't usually voice out my opinion on matters related to LGBT because I'm not knowledgeable enough for arguments, but it's clear as a day that Muslims aren't supposed to support LGBT. Call me conservative or old-fashioned, but if the Quran and Hadis say it's wrong, it is wrong. I can't believe I had to read a Muslim author writing "Love is love, and who the Hell are you to say what's haram", clearly trying to normalise this. Well, who are you to try making something haram into halal?

It's pretty much in the synopsis of the book itself that Fatima and her crush, Raheem, end up getting sexually involved before getting married, and it irritated me to no end. Raheem is definitely is the most wrong here; him being an adult made him able to groom and manipulate Fatima into letting him touch her. But I would say that Fatima has her faults too. I have no idea how Muslims these days are so casual with men and women touching each other (ie: hold hands, hugging, etc), and the author seems to want to try normalising that as well. No. If you're not married or blood related, it's not even necessary to touch each other accept when medical attention is needed (or something alarming that may be permissible). Yet, Fatima gave no second to think about it. She simply let him kiss her, and in no time, took off her hijab and let him do her. It disappointed me so much.

I know that this is the case of so many Muslims of this generation, and the author is depicting something real happening out there, but I still think the author could have written a better way to deal with it. When Fatima confided with Zaynab about what she did with Raheem, there did not seem to be any remorse or much fear of a sin so big. She asked Zaynab if Zaynab did it with her girlfriend and the conversation that follows end up in a laughter. I understand that these characters are minors, but I still feel uncomfortable with the way the author is trying to portray these things.

There are so many issues regarding matters that the author tried to paint as Islamic "tradition", when it's really non-permissible in Islam; I really just wanted to get this book over with. It did not help that the author's writing style is also rather on-the-surface. There was no depth and details at all. The story literally jumped into Fatima already having a crush on Raheem, and there was no build up to it. There was no reason for readers to root for her affection. Apart from the Muslim rep, I had also looked forward to the baking parts since it seemed like the main essence of the story, but every scene of Fatima baking felt like reciting a recipe. There was no magic in it, no sweet aroma or taste being described enough for me to imagine how the desserts she baked would look or taste like. It pains me that I had to skim all the baking parts.

At this point, it truly feels like I'm hating on this book. Perhaps I am, but with good reasons so. I can tolerate bad Muslim characters, but I can't tolerate authors who try to normalise the bad things.

To answer the question that some of the characters questioned in the book:
- Muslim female and male are allowed to be friends, but there are limits to it. Touches are non-permissible, whether innocent or friendly.
- Some Muslims do date before getting married, but it's advisable to have a chaperone in order to avoid any unnecessary issues arising.

As a Muslim reader who wants more books with Muslim rep by Muslim authors, this book really disappointed me.

This story was well executed, well written, and I loved watching Fatima grow as a person. I feel like there were also important conversations/topics in this book as well.

this was a beautifully done young adult novel, it had what I was looking for from this description. It worked well overall and I was hooked in what was going on. I enjoyed what I read and can't wait for more from Khadijah VanBrakle. Khadijah VanBrakle had a great writing style and the characters felt like real people.

"It is true,” I force out. “Muslims aren’t supposed to date—but some do it anyway.” I paste on my best fake smile to hide my nervous energy. “I’ve never had a boyfriend, but I’m talking to a parent-approved guy right now.”

I'll give this book a 3.5 rating. I did enjoy reading this book and seeing Fatima grow as a person. Fatima wants to be a pastry chef but her parents wants her to be a nurse instead. Fatima has a crush on a guy name Raheem, a older guy who works at the soup kitchen with her. They hit it off and begins a secret relationship . Everything is going perfect until her parents and his parents decide to arrange their marriage. Cracks start to show once they're engaged, and she realize he isn't perfect as he seeher parents and his parents decide to arrange their marriage. ms. Fatima push herself to do what she always wanted to do , despite her parents disapproval. She has to decide to stand up for herself against her parents, Raheem, and what's expected of her to flourish. I did like how passionate she was about baking , she's a such a sweet charactercharacter. But it was a little bit slow in pacing . The errors in the book made it hard to read . But overall, it's a good book.