Seema Yasmin’s Unbecoming is told from the perspectives of best friends Noor and Laylah, two Muslim teens living in a near-future United States in which abortion and birth control have been completely criminalized. The friends are passionate about publishing a teen guide to safe abortion, but each of them is keeping a secret that could derail their project or even end their friendship. Noor and Laylah are smart and courageous, complex and human, and their story is an important one in our current political climate. While the topic can be scary, enraging, and difficult to think about, their story is told with warmth, creativity and humor. I loved everything about this book from the beautiful cover to the satisfying ending.

Unbecoming is a must read for everyone!! I honestly loved the plot & the characters. It talks about taboo subjects in a way that has not been done before .

I don't even know if I have the words to describe how I feel about this book. It was truly fantastic, but heartbreaking. Absolutely wild and eye-opening, while also being not shocking at all. It's crazy how much the US has changed from the time Dr Yasmin started writing this to it now being published -- we are definitely not far from the reality being described in this novel. Absolutely chilling. I will be thinking about this book for awhile!

Best friends Layla and Noor are writing a guide for Texas teens to access abortion information, an illegal act. Layla's unplanned pregnancy leads to a desperate search for chemical abortion medication. Too many plot lines make for a confusing story.

Aside from housing this book and displaying it in my classroom, I would not use this book as part of my school's curriculum. However, I could definetely see myself using this as a book club title selection for students to pick from.

Thank you Netgalley for the gifted copy. I really enjoyed this educational read. This book is very heavy but necessary. I highly recommend it!

Told from Laylah and Noor's perspectives, this captures the terrifying reality that people seeking abortion face in more than half the country. The tension can be felt throughout the book, to the point where I literally found myself gasping aloud and devouring the story in one sitting. In addition to showing the hoops you have to jump through just to be able to make choices about your own body, I appreciated that it shows that unwanted pregnancy can happen to anyone and isn't some sign of a moral failing or promiscuity. I also enjoyed the musical interludes with Bollywood style scenes that echo Laylah's predicament. It's a nice way to add some levity to an otherwise tense topic.

This book contains in depth discussions of abortion and medical treatment, and instances of sexism and racism, so take care of yourself when reading.

Unbecoming is a stark story about what it means to be a woman in today's world. Though set in the not so distant future, it eerily mirrors today's political climate and shows what it means to be a teenage girl coming to terms with faith, friendship, and beliefs. Follow best friends Layla and Noor as they set out to make their goals of being an OBGYN and journalist a reality.

My sincere apologies. I requested this title without noticing that it isn't available in Kindle format. Amazon is evil, but I'm stuck with my kindle because it's the one kind of ereader I find compatible with my visual limitations. I'm giving this four stars because I think my rating would have been at least this high.