review: hana khan carries on

 

Title: Hana Khan Carries On

Author: Uzma Jalaluddin

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Chic-lit, Muslim Fiction

Rating: 4.25 stars

Trigger Warning: Islamophobia

Synopis:

From the author of Ayesha at Last comes a sparkling new rom-com for fans of “You’ve Got Mail,” set in two competing halal restaurants

Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighbourhood. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job. In the meantime, Hana pours her thoughts and dreams into a podcast, where she forms a lively relationship with one of her listeners. But soon she’ll need all the support she can get: a new competing restaurant, a more upscale halal place, is about to open in the Golden Crescent, threatening Three Sisters.

When her mysterious aunt and her teenage cousin arrive from India for a surprise visit, they draw Hana into a long-buried family secret. 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 restaurant—who might not be a complete stranger after all.

As life on the Golden Crescent unravels, Hana must learn to use her voice, draw on the strength of her community and decide what her future should be.

Source: Goodreads

Thank you to Atlantic Books and to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book!

This was such a delightful read. Firstly, I am LIVING for more hijabi representation in books, and I especially appreciate Hanna Khan Carries On so much because I'm in the same age group as the main character, which i guess makes this book an Adult Contemporary Fiction. I've read a couple of Muslim rep and own-voices books before, my favourite Young Adult ones being the books by S.K. Ali, and I think Uzma Jalaluddin is now my favourite author for the Adult category for this genre.

Secondly, I love all the delicious food descriptions! I'm married to a British South Asian guy whose family cooks many of the dishes that Hana and her family serves at Three Sisters, so it definitely made me really hungry and homesick but also so pleased to be familiar with the references. I also love how MUSLIM the book is, though personally I did wish the author didn't need to explain what every single Muslim/Arabic/Urdu word meant, but I know it's for non-Muslims to be able to understand and i guess it's just a personal preference.

I really enjoyed all the themes that this books explores. At first i thought it was mainly going to be a light contemporary Muslim romance, which I was very excited about, but along the way the story delves into more serious issues surrounding Islamophobia, which are very real issues that happen in real life. And I really like the way the author intertwined the negative events that happened, with the main character's passion for podcast and radio. It was an interesting way to have this heavy topic discussed.

I wasn't too fond of Hana Khan's character if I'm being honest, but I do think she's a witty, brave and relatable MC and I really like her selflessness when it comes to her family and friends. Aydin Shah isn't the most swoonworthy love interest (i know this is just a personal preference though, I attended the author's virtual launch event and a lot of people loveee Aydin lol so it's just me) and I think the romance seemed a little forced (maybe I'm just not that into the enemies-to-lovers trope lol), at least to begin with, but in the end I definitely ship the two. I do think that this might be because we do eventually learn a deeper layer about Aydin and his past, which I really didn't see coming but like, whoah.

There were some very emotional scenes that really moved me. One involved the community Imam (oh, my heart!) and another was a line that Big J said that I found very inspiring: "Keep chasing the story in your heart, Hana, and you'll go far." I love this so much because I'm in the middle of writing my first novel, but also because I feel like that's exactly what Uzma Jalaluddin did by writing this book.

The only thing I wish we got to explore more about is the relationship between Hana's best friends Yusuf and Lily, and also her friendship with both of them. It felt a little unresolved in the end, and Yusuf and Lily have such an interesting and unique relationship that I really hope perhaps Uzma would write a spin-off novel about the two!

All in all, I really enjoyed Hana Khan Carries On and would recommend it to everyone who enjoys Contemporary Fiction. This would definitely be a great read to those who enjoyed Saints & Misfits and Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali (i discovered that these two authors are good friends and are critique buddies, how cool!!) and Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik (Hana Khan Carries On is better in my opinion). I'm intrigued now to pick up Uzma's first book, Ayesha at Last. This one gets 4.25 stars from me 🌟