I am so so grateful for the opportunity to read this book. As a Palestinian myself, I am always searching for people who are telling our story. I was so excited when I stumbled across this book on Netgalley. After reading it, I definitely had some conflicting thoughts. I want to begin with the overwhelming positives about this book. I really enjoyed the narration. The writing style worked well for me and it gave off the feeling of being an internal monologue without being super informal. I also found some beautiful passages in this book that I see myself returning to in the future.

“If heaven is not a concept, if it is materialized by a physical place, then I imagine Mother’s celestial body is now enjoying oranges in Yaffa.”

There was so much beautiful prose and well thought out lyrical moments. I felt as though, for the most part, these characters were real people with real struggles and real passions. Which makes it hard for me to fully articulate what exactly went wrong for me here. I felt as though there were important moments in the book that received a glossed over explanation and there were others that were perhaps less important to the overarching plot that received more time on the page. While I appreciated that the focus was on his relationship with Ameena (his best friend and the girl he’s in love with), at times it felt like because of that lens we were missing out on some of the special moments between Waseem and his community. He discusses how his disability impacts him but we never fully see him come to terms with it. He discusses his dream with Ameena about seeing Palestine but we never see that dream realized for him. The aftermath of Ameena’s wedding wreaks havoc on his life but instead of fully seeing that we get a two year jump cut and a chapter from Ameena’s perspective. I will say I did enjoy the scenes where Taha writes about Waseem’s day to day life. It added a level of humanity and calmness to the story that I appreciated.

Overall I truly did enjoy the prose and would consider reading more from this author but some of the narrative choices didn’t work well for me. I’m still so excited to have more Palestinian literature to recommend.

This was very interesting. I had never read a book like this before, so I'm glad I did. This story was, in fact, a little out of my comfort zone, so that explains a little why I didn't absolutely love this book, but I enjoyed it, for sure.
Waseem is a very intriguing character and I'd say throughout the whole book he reads like a real person. Actually, all characters read like real people, as if this book wasn't fictional at all.
It's a very interesting (but often sad) coming of age story with a unique main character who I thought it was very easy to empathise with. To follow his growth and point of view from his teenage years into adulthood was painful, most of the time, but also hopeful and there are some lighter, romantic and funny moments, too.
I requested this book because the art cover intrigued me, and now I'm glad I gave it a go.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and to the author, for providing me with this ARC.

This was a hard read, not in a bad way, only because the story is so sad and dark. It moved me much more than I had thought it would.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Arcade for the eARC!

I loved this book. And at moments, I hated it. But it's only because it was so true that was it was hard to look at. Taha created such a beautiful cast of characters in such terrible circumstances. And we get to watch them make the best of everything. We watch them hold onto hope so hard. We watch them appreciate each other, annoy each other, work hard to change their circumstances, make decisions we might disagree with, and love each other - sometimes fiercely, sometimes in the only way they know how. I loved the exploration of home vs homeland and family vs found family. I loved the depictions of grief and how different people handled it. I have the feeling this is the type of book that will teach me something every time I read it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for the eARC.

There are not enough tissues in the world to prepare for what Waseem will do to you. Heart breaking, gut wrenching, devastating.

This is a heartwarming yet sad story. I’m not sure if I particularly “enjoyed” it but it was a beautiful read.

This book this book this book! I could not put it down. Thoughts about what would become of Waseem were a constant and this book was woven together marvellously. I love how it depicts a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people displaced from their land and yet bound to it, inextricably, nonetheless. There is also disability representation in here as well and I thought it was overall well done. One aspect of it that I found especially well done was how the author depicted Waseem’s family depriving him of the autonomy to choose how he lived and what happened to his body. It really is emblematic of the continued marginalization of disabled people and reemphasizes the need to promote the self-determination of disabled people, and to reject their infantilization. So many thoughts of this book and I loved it!

Fair warning, you will need tissues while ready this book.
Waseem is the main character that is living with inability to walk or move his tongue well. He struggles with his disabilities that are made even more difficult due to the fact the he's living in a Palestinian camp in Lebanon. Life in that camp is brutal at times and it was hard to read. But there was also beauty and laughter in Waseem's life. His friendship with Ameena is his anchor and the two of them share a lovely dream of going back to their homeland. The writing in this novel was rich and colorful, and the characters were fully fleshed out with their own distinct voices.

This is one of the most hopeful things I've read all year.

Waseem has a disability due to which he can barely walk or talk, and he's stuck in this crowded Palestinian camp in Lebanon. His best friend Ameena is basically the opposite of everything you'd expect. She neither pities him nor walks on eggshells around him. She's actually kind of a smartass, which makes their friendship feel so real. They spend their days dreaming about Palestine, this place they've never been but somehow feel like home.

There are parts of the story that'll wreck you. Life in the camp is brutal. But Taha somehow manages to show you all these tiny moments of joy that just exist alongside the pain. Like when Waseem's making sarcastic comments about the camp drama, or when Ameena's teasing him about something ridiculous. It reminded me that people find ways to laugh even when everything sucks.

The writing doesn't feel like it's trying too hard, which makes this an easy and enjoyable read. Taha just tells you what's happening without getting all preachy about politics. Sure, the situation is messed up, but she's more interested in showing you who these people actually are. Waseem's story is indeed one of determination and transformation. By the end, I was completely invested in these characters and their impossible dream.

If you like books about family dynamics, community, friendship, sacrifice, resilience, and healing that don't sugar-coat reality but also don't leave you totally depressed, definitely check this out.