Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin- BOOK REVIEW

Synopsis 

Hana Khan's family-run halal restaurant is on its last legs. So when a flashy competitor gets ready to open nearby, bringing their inevitable closure even closer, she turns to her anonymously-hosted podcast, and her lively and long-lasting relationship with one of her listeners, for advice. But a hate-motivated attack on their neighbourhood complicates the situation further, as does Hana's growing attraction for Aydin, the young owner of the rival business. Who might not be a complete stranger after all...

⭐️ 5 stars ⭐️ 

Before I begin my review (which is going to be long because I have things to say), let me tell you about some things that you can expect from this book:-

• Enemies to Friends to Lovers

• Rival Halal Restaurants 

• Secret online identities

• Amazing, Badass women with wonderful and inspirational stories to tell

I went into Hana Khan Carries On without any expectations because I hadn’t read Ayesha at Last (which is a popular favourite on bookstagram and  amongst my friends) but this book surprised me in the best possible way!

There isn’t just one big thing that I loved but so, so many small ones.

Hana was such an amazing protagonist to read about! She is smart, funny and unapologetically herself. She spoke about the things that bothered her, she uses her voice to be heard! (Honestly, she’s my super hero and I want to be just like her) I’m not saying she’s perfect, she isn’t. There were mistakes that she made but she understood them and made amends. She was also such a caring person who did everything for the people she loved. I loved that (and her) so, so much!

Aydin was 100% Mr. grumpy but I loved the fact that once we got to know him, he had a sweeter, more caring side to him. But let’s be honest here, I loved him from the start lol.

Hana’s best friends Yusuf and Lili were also nice, though I wish we got more of these Three Musketeers together. I especially wanted to see more of Yusuf because (I’m sharing a secret here) I’ve always loved the name Yusuf and I’ve had a very particular description in my mind to go with the name and guess what? This Yusuf was the EXACT same!!! I was so shocked! But then we didn’t get much of him on page so I was disappointed.

BUT, I haven’t yet talked about THE best part of the book aka the two people from this book that completely stole my heart: Rashid and Kawkab Khala!! I didn’t think I’d love these two as much as I did and you’ll see what’s so special about them when you read the book! Rashid made me laugh on every page and every scene he was in! He was quirky and funny and all around just THE best! Kawkab Khala was our very own heroine who was intriguing from the very first page she was introduced on and her story in the end did not disappoint. I loved how open and bold she was, how she stood up for not just herself but others as well.

The romance was so cute and heartwarming that I was 100% rooting for our two MCs to be together from the beginning!! I was so relieved to see that they didn’t have the kind of misunderstandings between them that usually happen between the couple before the end of the book in most of contemporary romances. 

Can we also talk about how perfectly everything was described in this book? I loved the fact that we got descriptions of so many delicious South Asian dishes that made my mouth water. I was salivating on my phone (thank god I wasn’t reading from a physical copy) 
But not just this. I also loved how Islam was explained, how all the little things that are part of our (a Muslim’s) daily life was explained so perfectly and in such simple words that everyone would get it. I loved it!! This is exactly the kind of Muslim representation I want to see in books! I felt so happy (and emotional) reading it!!

There were also some very wonderful themes in this book that I loved reading about! It was a story of a beautiful, loving family with a close- knit community of supportive people that made me wish I lived in such a neighbourhood. It also discussed the struggles that people of colour and different ethnicities face everyday living as immigrants. This book spoke to me on a different level!! Not only because I’m an Indian Muslim girl who wears a hijab, but also because of how familiar it was. I felt so many emotions: fondness, love, anger, happiness but most of all, hope.

I really hope everyone reads this book atleast once  in their lifetime in order to understand our lives and struggles better.

I want to keep this review spoiler free so I won’t be going into any details regarding the plot but of course my dms are always open for discussing this beautiful book and you can also share your spoilery thoughts in the comments below (with a spoiler warning)!