Can you fall in love in a week? The question is posed on the cover of the book. Is it possible? This story attempts to provide aReview copy: Purchased
Can you fall in love in a week? The question is posed on the cover of the book. Is it possible? This story attempts to provide an answer through the eyes of Noori and Aamir. There are cute rom-com tropes and humorous moments within their journey, but there is also grief and pain to be found.
Noori believes she knows what she needs next in life and is pretty set on her path. She’s finding comfort with Rumi quotes and her dream to go to school in Pakistan. Before she can actually set her plan in motion though, she and Aamir cross paths.
As you might guess from the title, the book is divided a part for each day with one additional portion at the end. It is further divided between the main characters. It was very helpful to have the dual perspective as we can learn about each character through their own thoughts, but also in the way they are viewed by the other. The author still managed to provide slow reveals of their backstories though.
Both of them are having issues with their families and as they spend time with each other and share, they help each other see things they may not have been considering. The storyline is somewhat predictable, but in a comfortable way for the most part. The ending has a twist and then skips to the future kind of abruptly, but otherwise, it followed a typical rom-com arc.
Recommendation: This is a romance, but is also a book about identity, family, hope, and how to move through the world even when things seem out of control. Readers who have faced loss may connect with the characters and anyone can appreciate the smiles and chuckles along the way....more
One of my favorite activities for relaxing is reading rom-coms. With school recently finishing for the summer, The Breakup LiReview copy via library--
One of my favorite activities for relaxing is reading rom-coms. With school recently finishing for the summer, The Breakup Lists was the perfect book to pick up. It inspired a lot of laughter and giggles as Jackson stumbled through his roller coaster of a school year.
Jackson’s talents in the theater were fun to behold, but his humor and the growth he has in many of his relationships over time were a true delight. He has a life that he enjoys for the most part, but he has done very little to move beyond the few folks he has close relationships with already. He’s hard of hearing, but interacts with very few people in that community. He’s also queer but has very little contact with other queer young people beyond his best friend. His world is mostly confined to his family, best friend, and the school theater. Readers get to see both the difficulties and joys he experiences growing pains and his world is shaken up.
Khorram and Jackson have quite a few things in common such as theater, Iranian heritage, and being queer, but Khorram is not part of the deaf community. It seems that he did a lot of work to portray that aspect of Jackson’s identity in a realistic manner though. I am also not part of that community, so there may have been things that I missed, but I appreciated the way that readers could see ways in which it affected his daily life and how that was part of him. When Jackson would miss some of the words people said, readers also miss those words. We could see him become tired and turn off his hearing aids and learn that he was frustrated by the fact that his family still hadn’t learned sign language. We can also see how meaningful it is when some characters begin to learn sign language. This is not the focus of the book, but definitely shapes who he is and how he interacts with those in his circles.
Since we see the whole story through Jackson’s eyes, we meet Liam little by little. Liam is a sweetie and it’s cute to watch them get to know each other. This is obviously a complicated relationship as their friendship is deepening, but Jackson’s sister is also becoming more and more interested in Liam. As with most rom-coms, there are a lot of clues that lead one to believe certain outcomes are coming, but there are road-blocks and miscommunications.
My Recommendation: Get it now especially if you love a good contemporary rom-com or if you are/were a theater kid. There are so many reasons to smile and laugh in this book even though there are some rough moments to muddle through too. Be prepared to yearn for a smoothie while you read. I am dreaming of a mango smoothie as I type....more
**spoiler alert** [Note: There are two deaths that impact this book, both off page: the recent death of an adult from cancer, which puts the plot in m**spoiler alert** [Note: There are two deaths that impact this book, both off page: the recent death of an adult from cancer, which puts the plot in motion, and the past death of a child due to a hit-and-run accident. Additionally, Tiwa, who is Black, faces on page racism from within the Muslim community in a few scenes. The review copy of this book was purchased by the reviewer.]
Even though a funeral is what puts the plot in motion, Four Eids and a Funeral is on the lighthearted side of the contemporary romance spectrum. Authors Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar crafted a cute, fast-paced story about childhood friends rebuilding their relationship despite various problems popping up in their community and personal lives. Tiwa and Said have distinct narrative voices, and I appreciated seeing life in New Crosshaven from both their eyes. I especially enjoyed the contrast between Tiwa, who stayed and maintained close ties to the community, and Said, who left and started drifting away.
One of the strengths of Four Eids and a Funeral is the breadth and diversity of the cast. The Muslim community in New Crosshaven is varied; Said is Bangladeshi American, and Tiwa is Nigerian American. Said and Tiwa relate to their community and their religion differently, and Said’s sister, Safiya, has a cute lesbian romance subplot. Tiwa faces some anti-Black racism within the Muslim community, too, and the small-town politics plots highlighted divisions within larger town. New Crosshaven felt like it had life to it, which was no small feat when you’ve got just two POV characters.
On the other hand, I think there were actually a few too many plot threads in this book for its length. There were some things I felt should have gotten far more page time than they did, like Tiwa’s younger brother’s death and what happened to her family afterward. I wanted those events to have more emotional impact on me. The truth behind why Tiwa and Said drifted apart and how they reacted when they uncovered that information was a little disappointing to me as well.
That said, the authors did say right at the start that Four Eids and a Funeral was a love story. I got distracted by my desire for additional drama and tragedy and forgot that the epigraph quoted Much Ado About Nothing. This book is solid craftsmanship with a pair of engaging protagonists, and the bits I was dissatisfied with were largely an expectations mismatch on my part.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a contemporary romance this summer, you should consider adding Four Eids and a Funeral to your list. Authors Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar created a cute romance about childhood friends reconnecting against the backdrop of vibrant Muslim community....more
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