Provocative, satirical, and wildly discomfiting. What a fascinating concept - and the writing did it justice! Younis's style is sharp and, unexpectedly, laugh-out-loud funny, reminiscent of Tom Wolfe, Priya Guns, and Lauren Oyler. While I'm not sure I fully bought the ending - perhaps a bit too pat? - I couldn't put Fundamentally down and haven't stopped thinking about it since. Looking forward to carrying this at the store.

What a great debut! I wish I read the authors note first, as it really tied into the story- the author took a lot from her personal and professional work to make up a fictional story. Overall, a fast-paced, funny novel about an un-funny topic- repatriating & deradicalizing ISIS brides- and the frustrating UN bureaucratic speedbumps.

A really strong and concise debut. It knew what it wanted to be, and forged a way through some out of the box elements to get there. I think it has a really strong concept and a quite straightforward plot that a lot of readers will get hooked into. It didn't quite work tonally for me and felt repetitive at times. Still I can see that there are plenty of people who would enjoy this more than me and would recommend it to people for sure.

Wow, it’s hard to know where to begin with this book other than to say that I loved the writing. When novels are described as razor-sharp, this is what they mean.

The story involves a well intentioned woman traveling to Iraq as part of a UN mission to rehabilitate ISIS brides. While it is a weighty subject it’s told with humor and hope, but also with a whole lot of bureaucratic red tape.

The book was a little out of my comfort zone but also very eye opening. I’m glad I took a chance on it.

A woman joins UN efforts to deradicalize ISIS brides in order to repatriate them. The book tackles themes of (white) saviorism, the difficulty of deradicalizing and how often it fails, why we help others, religion and family.

I think the author did a good job of weaving in her own life experience while keeping the story fictional enough to make a point. Obviously a fully realistic depiction would’ve been a bit less hopeful and impactful. Overall I’d recommend this book not just for an enjoyable (and queer) read, but for one that gets you thinking.

Fundamentally had me alternating between laughter and frustrated sadness.

Dr. Nadia Amin has a comfortable job as a lecturer at UCL, but the sting of her partner's rejection, and the frustration of her mother's nagging her to be a better Muslim have her wanting to leave England, and on something of a whim, she accepts a job with the UN in Iraq. She will be in charge of a program to de-radicalize ISIS brides. Nadia has no actual relevant experience, and unsurprisingly, she is completely unequipped to handle the job she has accepted. She is naive, and surprised by the bureaucracy and corruption she meets.

With all of this baggage, Nadia is a likeable character. When she befriends one of her clients, going to wild extremes to help her, I was unsurprised. Ultimately, the "bad guy" in this book is the United Nations and its complicity in the regimes where it operates. I'm not sure I'm willing to agree whole-heartedly with that assessment, but it does make for interesting reading.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What I'll say is that while FUNDAMENTALLY is an objectively good debut -- a novel that endeavours to pair a serious subject matter with a punchy and humorous narrative voice -- ultimately, I just didn't vibe with it. I certainly didn't hate it, but honestly, that's more because it didn't leave me feeling much of anything. The problem, in my opinion, was that the more intense, dramatic, emotionally resonant aspects of the plot felt oversimplified, if not underdeveloped, in favour of a tone and pervasive humour that felt better suited to a romcom or a beach read. While I certainly wouldn't want to suggest that writers shouldn't write about serious topics in funny ways, there was something about this one that strayed a mite too far over a personal line, and made connection with any of the characters -- but especially Nadia, the protagonist -- or the challenges they encountered difficult. But I think I just wasn't the right reader for it; I can see it resonating more successfully with commercial audiences.

When Dr Nadia launches a new deradicalization program for ISIS wives living in a camp, she quickly realizes that theory doesn't always translate into practice. Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis is a one of those rare novels that invites you into another world and asks you to view the things you thought you knew from a different perspective. I struggled to like Nadia at first, but the more I learned of her backstory, the more I understood her. I really enjoyed the invitation to view the plight of ISIS wives, in particular those who are from western countries and convert, in a new light. I walked away with some more nuanced thoughts than I had before. Overall, this is a good read and I would recommend it.

After a harsh breakup, Nadia unexpectedly finds herself with an opportunity to go to Iraq and lead a deradicalization program for ISIS brides. Once she gets to the refugee camp, she quickly finds herself latching on to a woman named Sara, who reminds her a lot of her younger self. When Nadia is unable to find a way to get Sara repatriated to Great Britain, she takes matters into her own hands.

This book was so unexpectedly funny. The characters were lovable and quirky, and even though the book touched on really heavy topics, the dark humor was just perfect.

I think Nadia in particular was a really great character. She had such an interesting voice, and seeing this story through her eyes was great. She grew up in a very religious household and then rebelled in college, so getting to hear her inner monologue regarding the girls in the camps was so interesting. Then putting her alongside of Sara and seeing these woman who were essentially two sides of the same coin was really impactful to the story.

The story made me laugh a lot, but I also wanted to scream at Nadia about a dozen times for the decisions she was making.

Definitely a great debut from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Reparations Books for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Nussaibah Younis for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nadia, a young academic reeling from a bad breakup, finds herself working in Iraq for the UN rehabilitating ISIS brides. Struggling with her teammates and work politics, Nadia forms a friendship with Sara, a young British-Afghani Muslim ISIS bride with a daughter she has been separated from. Nadia and Sara share a rebellious attitude, crude sense of humor, and tumultuous relationships with their parents; Nadia knows she could have been duped by fake love in the same way Sara was.

Fundamentally is filled with larger-than-life characters. Nadia’s colleagues range from a snooty French man to a body building security guard (who is Nadia’s friend with benefits) to a California, surfer-boy Sheikh named Jason. Nadia - with her dark sense of humor, tendency to make mistakes, and single-girl ways - is almost an academic, Muslim sort of Bridget Jones. Nadia is navigating life as a young, bisexual, British-Muslim female balancing the demands of a complicated humanitarian career with late twenty-something exploits.

At times, Fundamentally was difficult to read, uncomfortable. As a white, American woman more familiar with Christianity than any other religions, I wasn’t sure I should be laughing about Iraq, ISIS, UN humanitarian work, or Islam. Fundamentally is Dr. Younis’s first work of fiction, but Younis has extensive experience as an academic with expertise in contemporary Iraq. Ultimately, I let myself trust Dr. Younis and enjoy the hilarious, fictionaly, touching, and complex world she created in Fundamentally.

This was a pretty good book! When meeting the characters, i really liked some, like Sherri, but found others, like Nadia herself, a little meh at the start. Nadia grew a lot though. The political situation was done well. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was an absolute powerhouse. I had no idea what to expect, but I am sooooo glad I was invited to read this one. I've never read another story like this, and it truly blew me away. Obviously it's a delicate plot, but the author handles it with grace, humor, and care like I've never seen before. Check the trigger warnings before reading this one, but you won't regret it!

Thank you again for the ARC!

I wasn't sure about this book being pitched as hilarious given its subject matter, but when I started to see the building buzz for the novel, I decided to check it out. This is one of the more unique book summaries I've ever seen, and I was excited to get to read about a setting and a place (her work at the UN) that I don't know much about. Immediately, though, I struggled with the writing. There was just something I didn't mesh with in the tone and descriptions, but I wanted to give it a fair chance. The book lost me at the description of the first character she meets on her first full day, which after a long romance novel-like description ends with "Holy mother. Imagine coming back to London with this specimen on my arm. His leg was bigger than an average man's torso." The paragraphs that followed didn't help change my mind. This just compounded my feelings about the voice trying way too hard in a way that doesn't work for me. This has definitely resonated with some readers and will likely appeal to a more commercial audience maybe, but the voice and tone is just not for me.
This review is just for NetGalley.

I so wanted to like this. It sounds right up my alley- a queer academic heads to the Middle East to distract herself from heartbreak- but I couldn't settle into the humor. There plenty of good elements and character arcs, but my mind kept wandering and I never actually got excited to read this. I would try this author again though!

My absolute favorite thing about this story was the mix of humor into the storytelling. I love the diverse representation mixed in with the popular women on a journey story. This one was really special.

I wish this novel took itself a little more seriously because I had a really hard time trying to reconcile the gravity of the book's subject matter with the overall tone. I think maybe the point is to reach a certain kind of reader who maybe would not be familiar with UN policies, ISIS brides, or world affairs in general and to have a teaching moment. It seems from the author's note that the author actually has experience on these topics, but I did not really get that from the pages of this book. The outlandish characters really proved a distraction of what this book is supposed to be about. At 75% I found the absolute drama of it all pretty difficult to get through. I really struggled to finish this one.

I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I only read half of this book before I gave up. I think I could enjoy a book about an inexperienced lecturer trying to free captive ISIS brides, or I could enjoy a relationship book full of crude, immature humor, but trying to do both in the same book was extremely distracting. Some of the humor was laugh out loud funny, and some of the conditions these captive brides live in hit some serious emotions. None of the characters resinated with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tiny Reparations Books for an advanced reader copy.

This book is perfect for readers wanting to learn more about diverse cultures in an entertaining and educational way. There were heartbreaking scenes and hilarious scenes and through it all, the author gracefully tells the story of something few of us will ever experience. But the universality of trying to figure out your life professionally and personally comes through with the adventures of Nadia. The author notes mentions she worked in Iraq for ten years, so there is an authenticity to Nadia which I appreciate even more knowing about the author’s experience.

Thank you to Tiny Reparation’s Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This kind of evened out to a 3.5 for me. The first half or so was less enjoyable, as it felt like a lot of adjusting to a new life by saying how much the main character missed her ex. It wasn’t as plot-driven or reflective as the second half was. And I thought the second half was great. I think the author’s note explained this though, as the author has experience with this type of work and she was trying to be as accurate as possible; I think she could’ve taken more artistic liberties to benefit the plot pacing.

Regardless, I do think this is a fascinating book to pick up and a good subject matter I knew next to nothing about.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was really enjoying this book. The monotony of government/NGO work makes for a comedic backdrop to this story. However, I felt like there was a major tone shift in the ending that really seemed out of place.