I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

I think this was a fine book, but the writing style didn't exactly work for me. I'm not sure if I'll pick up more novels from Tanaz Bhathena in the future.

This was very captivating and it was enjoyable to read something not based in the US. It was very dark but compelling enough to keep on reading.

A depressing, compelling story. The story begins with its tragic ending: the car wreck that kills Zarin and Porus outside of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Then, from multiple viewpoints, it tells what led to that moment. Zarin fights the tragedies of her life, from her mother's murder by her father in her birth country, India, to her dysfunctional aunt and uncle to the unfounded rumors from which she can't escape. Although I've never been to Saudi Arabia, having lived in its neighbor, Jordan, I immediately felt like the author knew the culture, from the tension that exists between boys and girls segregated by gender who are still obsessed with each other, to the everyday indignities faced by young women in many male-dominated cultures, as well as the everyday life details of food, school, shopping and picnics near the ocean. Bhathena, who like Zarin was born in India and lived in Jeddah, tells an "own voices" story that is sadly universal.

A beautiful, powerful must-read! Took me a little bit to get all the characters straight (so if you struggle at the beginning with this too--KEEP READING) but once I did I was in love. These characters are so real and believable, and Bhathena is a phenomenal writer. I can't wait for this book to come out!

This was really well done and unique. I liked the multiple perspectives, and thought it was interesting to see how the different characters (Zarin and Mishal especially) were dealing with the pressures put on them by society. One of my favorite books that I've read so far this year!

When Zarin and her friend Porus die in a car accident in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, everyone, from the religious police to Zarin's classmates and neighbors, is suspicious. What were Porus and Zarin doing? Was Porus one of Zarin's many romantic liaisons? Only the deceased teens know the truth, and as their spirits hover above the wreckage, they look back on what led up to this point.

Zarin has been doomed since her illegitimate birth. She is the daughter of an Indian gangster and a bar dancing "loose" Parsi mother. Her origins are a shameful secret to her family and follows her like a black cloud over her head. Raised by aunt and uncle, Zarin moves to Mumbai, India to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for work and hopes of escaping rumors of Zarin's mother's death. In Jeddah Zarin's domineering, abusive, and paranoid aunt fears Zarin will follow the same path as her mother, keeps a tight grip on Zarin, removing all signs of physical femininity from her haircut to her clothes and shielding her from boys and men, to no avail. Zarin defies convention, dating boys and smoking, developing a bad reputation at school. It was only after reconnecting with Porus, a Parsi friend from Mumbai, whomoved to Jeddah for work, that Zarin began to reconsider her behavior—and her capacity for love.

Bhathena's debut tackles rape culture in Saudi Arabia and for the most part does it quite well. The book addresses double standards and the gender expectations among men and women. Men are expected to demonstrate their masculinity by taking what they want and being aggressive. Women are expected to be "pure" and submissive. The narrative is split between five points of view: Zarin, Porus, Zarin's ex-boyfriend Abdullah; his righteous sister, Mishal, and Farhan, Abdullah's best friend and the popular student on whom Zarin nurses a crush. All of these points of views attempt to give the reader a multi-layered view of Zarin's reputation. Due to the numerous voices, it was hard to distinguish between the many voices and witness character development especially from Mishal and Farhan when they want to repent for their actions. The timeline between past and present jumps around and was confusing to follow.

What I found troubling with A Girl Like That is the treatment of its Muslim characters. With the exception of the angelic Porus, the Muslim males are stereotyped and one dimensional. Abdullah follows his father's behavior of tossing one girl aside and moves on to the next when he is unable to have sex with her. Farhan takes this behavior to the extreme and uses the date rape drug to make scores on his "man card" even though he seems to be desired by virtually every female he sees. The drug dealer who supplies Farhan is also Muslim. While rape culture is unfortunately not limited to one country, due to the lack of wide range of male characters the book dangerously implies that it is limited to one group of men.

Similarly, Muslim women are not complex characters either. Mishal is Abdullah's sister who bullies and harasses Zarin by spreading rumors about Zarin around social media and in school. The other female classmates are also bullied for their wayward actions and some are survivors of sexual assault though their stories are not talked about nor are they believed. It is also hinted at several times that Zarin's aunt suffers from mental illness but it is also not addressed in the story. Overall A Girl Like That tackles an important subject and gives the reader a lot to think about. I just wished it was more nuanced, fleshed out, and balanced.

I enjoyed reading “A Girl Like That”, by Tanzanian Bhathena. It’s not your typical YA book, yet it is. It’s definitely a #weneeddiversebooks title and have been recommending to readers.

I started reading this book and made it to page 50 before deciding it wasn't for me. However, I may try it again in the future in hard copy.

When I received a copy of A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena in the mail, I decided to read it because of the author (born in Mumbai but raised in Riyadh, Jeddah and Toronto) and setting (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia). The book begins with sixteen-year-old Zarin, dead in a car crash with eighteen-year-old Porus. The story is then told through a variety of perspectives and flashbacks, leading to the moment of the characters deaths. It’s definitely one of those stories where you keep hoping for a happy ending, despite knowing from the beginning how things turned out––but not exactly why.

Despite the bright and cheery looking cover, A Girl Like That is a very dark and emotional book. It deals with a lot of serious issues, and they are handled thoughtfully, but the book as a whole felt a bit scattered and just had a very difficult time keeping my attention. I ended up taking almost 2 months to read the book. That said, I really appreciated the perspective and I felt like I learned a lot about a different culture and life through Zarin’s story. There is a lot of complexity to this story, and I really liked that Zarin was not who you might have expected. I’d definitely pick up a future book by Bhathena, whose second novel, The Beauty of the Moment, releases in 2019.

I'm not giving anything away by acknowledging this begins with the crash on a highway outside of Jeddah, which hooked me right away. The somewhat disturbing story then unfolds from a few points of view, Zarin being the main character. She is an orphan, very tough on the outside, as she doesn't trust anyone. Raised (and abused) by her mother's sister and husband, she is a constant reminder of the unmarried sister that didn't toe the line. All three are a bit out of sorts, even though they moved to Saudi Arabia from India for Masa's work years ago and Zarin has attended the same school with the same girls for years. These young women have 21st devices, but still understand all the rules and customs of their faith, as well as the gossip and rumors that go with high school age girls. Even rebellious Zarin won't go too far as she tries the limits of Saudi law and her aunt and uncle. What goes with that, is an immense amount of abuse by the young men, who aren't held to quite the same rules. There were so many heart wrenching parts. And pretty much every maternal character in the book wasn't very helpful, all seemed to be depressed and on medication.

I’ve never quite read anything like A Girl Like That. I know there are books out there set in other countries, but they are very hard to come by in YA and the ones out there are often written by white Americans who can only write from an outsider perspective. Reading this was both refreshing and challenging. This one is an investment for a couple of reasons. I spent some of my time researching some things I didn’t totally understand about Persian culture, Saudi Arabia, and Zoroastrianism. It also covers some very emotionally taxing topics. It’s an honest and raw look at traditional gender roles, cultural tradition, religious fundamentalism, and rape culture. What I found most interesting about this book is that it’s told from several different perspectives and they each give a comepletely different view of what happened. In the beginning, all the reader knows is that Zarin and Porus have died in a car accident and that people are talking about how scanadalous it is and that it was only a matter of time because of the kind of girl Zarin is. As book progresses, though, the reader learns about events in Zarin’s life from different perspectives and begins to piece together the whole picture. It’s a clever way to explore prejudices and how the way people present themselves doesn’t always reflect what’s happening in their lives. I did appreciate how straightforward Bhathena was when exploring rape culture and misogyny. It was hard to read, but worthwhile.

Unfortunately I did not really enjoy this book. It did open my eyes to a world I was not too familiar with but I just could not get into this story. I had high hopes for it based on the description but ultimately was disappointed. Many others on Goodreads have enjoyed this book so you may enjoy it, I just did not.

A GIRL LIKE THAT by Tanaz Bhathena (February 27; Macmillan; SLJ: Grade 8 up) has another very compelling cover and insightfully explores some heavy themes. This story, told from multiple viewpoints, offers a look at life in Saudi Arabia for a young orphan girl named Zarin Wadia. Her aunt criticizes and restricts her actions constantly and, as Kirkus says, there are "graphic descriptions of assault and sexual abuse." Zarin has difficulty establishing friendships (unlike her Muslim school mates, she is Zoroastrian) and she rebels, acting out by smoking cigarettes and sneaking around with male friends. Readers will feel compassion for her and anger at her difficulties coping with such a controlling and often sexist society. A GIRL LIKE THAT received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal. Read an excerpt here.

link in live post: https://us.macmillan.com/excerpt?isbn=9780374305444

I don't remember when exactly I stumbled upon this book, but ever since I first lay my eyes on it, I knew I had to read it. Therefore. I was extremely elated when I managed to land myself an e-ARC, and I dived into this unique story that promised diverse characters, a gripping storyline and more. Did this book deliver what it promised? You bet it did! As with most things, though, there were both things that I liked and things that didn't quite work for me, so let me list out both for you, and then you can decide for yourself if you should pick this one up! (Hint: You should.)

Things I Liked:

• The story starts with both Zarin and Porus, the two main characters, dead, and it is only then that we see all the events that lead to it. The story is narrated in multiple POVs, and we see the whole story unfolding through many perspectives. This helped give the story more depth and also helped us understand each character more.

• The characters themselves were wonderfully complex, flawed and...human. I don't think I'd be able to name a character I loved, since I wouldn't exactly call any of them likeable, but that's also exactly where the author scored. The characters are all so real- they mess up, they try to make things right again, they succeed, they fail, and then we see others stumbling through the same all over again. Relatable? Quite very.

• The setting- the book is set in contemporary Saudi Arabia- Jeddah, to be precise- and the author does a great job in conjuring up the world for us. At times it's too raw, too real, but this book provides an unflinching look at things, and the author should definitely be lauded for that.

• Extremely important topics and issues are dealt with throughout the course of the story, with religion, bullying, sexual abuse and rape culture being a few of them. The author doesn't shy away from dealing with heavy topics, and while it might come across as too harsh at times, these are things that absolutely need to be talked about.

• And oh- need I mention that it's diverse, and #ownvoices for Zoroastrianism and expat life in Saudi Arabia at that? This was my first time reading about a Zoroastrian main character, and it was enlightening, to say the least.

Things That Didn't Quite Work For Me:

• The writing. While I'm not looking for purple prose in a book such as this, I couldn't help but feel the writing could have been better, especially given the format of the book. This could have been because the author was trying to make us understand the characters more, but things felt a tad bit over-descriptive at times.

• The other thing that slightly bothered me was how predictable the story was- not exactly because we already knew what was in store for the MCs, but in terms of everything that happened in general. The plot was quite ordinary, once you strip away the diverse elements, and well...let's just say I like being taken by surprise.

• That brings to my other point. Being from a very conservative culture, quite similar to that depicted in the story, I couldn't help but feel the setting and culture was used too...negatively? It's the way things are, I agree, but don't we already have way more than necessary portrayals of this side of Islamic societies? It would have been nice, for once, to read of the other side of such societies- the side that isn't given as much attention. A fresh perspective?

• This last point is more my fault than anything else, but on reading the blurb (and seeing the cover- the hijab) I was expecting a Muslim protagonist. This wasn't a problem per se, but it would have been better if I had know to expect it beforehand?

All said, this being the author's debut, I'd say A Girl Like That was pretty freaking amazing. It was real, raw, unflinching and relevant, and if at all anything I mentioned here appealed to you, don't think twice! Pick this one up as soon as possible!

Plot: 3/5
Romance: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Enjoy factor: 4/5

Final Rating: 4/5

A Girl Like That is a wonderful, hearbreaking book. I was captivated by the author's writing style, and the beauty of the words helped me get through some profoundly sad parts of the story.

This is an important book, and it also asks a lot of it's readers as it unflinchingly takes on topics like rape culture, religious expectations, domestic abuse.

I think it is an eye opening and very needed work. It’s also an #ownvoices novel, which I especially appreciate.

Review posted at BookBrowse: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr237888

May Contain Spoilers

This is a hard book to review without giving out a lot of spoilers, but I’m going to try my best. I was initially attracted to the book because of the setting, and the premise sounded intriguing. Was Zarin really a troublemaker, a deviant girl who leads her schoolmates astray? How did she and Porus end up in the deadly accident? Just bad luck? Someone looking to get back at her for some slight? Once I picked it up, I found it compelling and hard to put down. Did I like it, though? I don’t know. This is a hard book to like, because when I finished it, I like I had been fed through a wringer.



Zarin is an orphan, and the circumstances behind her mother’s death are shady. Zarin was there, a young child, and she had blocked all memories of the incident from her mind. She remembers blood, and her aunt’s overwrought reaction, but not much else.

Sent to live with her mother’s younger sister and her husband, Zarin’s childhood sucks. Her aunt is beyond overprotective, attempting to keep her from all contact with boys. Since Zarin was born out of wedlock, and her mother’s questionable job decision brought shame on the family, her aunt is determined that Zarin will do no wrong. No gossip will sully her door. What she gets instead is a belligerent teenager who only wants to be understood and loved. Her uncle exists in the background, allowing his wife to raise Zarin as she sees fit. He objects to the physical abuse that is doled out, but after a few futile attempts at interfering, backs off again, abandoning Zarin to his wife’s unstable tantrums and questionable mental state.

The sad thing about this book is that every adult in Zarin’s life turns their back on her. They aren’t there for her, accuse her of being a bad influence on everyone around her. Parents warn their daughters away from her, and Zarin makes some bad decisions in her desperation to feel normal, like she has a right to be loved. She has no female friends, and is isolated from her classmates by her unapproachable attitude, which is understandable since she is often the subject of unsavory gossip. To her, skipping school and hanging out with boys in their cars is worth the risk of getting caught by the religious police in Saudi Arabia. All she wants is an escape from her crap life, and she is willing to risk anything to get it.

When her childhood friend, Porus, moves to Saudi Arabia after the death of his father and takes a job at a local market, he offers a stability that has been missing in her life. Unfortunately, she rejects his comfort time and again. He is boring. He is too nice a guy. He wants a commitment, maybe, she doesn’t want anything to do with that. Instead, she makes things rough for Porus, putting him a bad spot with his mother, his employer, and even her aunt and uncle time and time again.

The story starts with Porus and Zarin dead and mangled after a car accident. The gossips whisper that the awful girl finally got what was coming to her. Too bad she took that nice boy with her. The examination into the events leading up to her death is painful and traumatic, and includes verbal and physical abuse from her guardians, as well as sexual abuse. Zarin had no one in her corner, and by the time Porus arrives, she has spent most of her life being beaten down and molded into a proper member of a strict, repressive society. Her attempts to find respite for herself lead to even more grief. While I found the writing compelling, this isn’t a story that I can ultimately say that I loved. It’s dark, and sad, and in the end, Zarin doesn’t ever get to catch a break.

Grade: 4 stars

Wow, this is definitely an amazing book that had me thinking about it long after I finished it. It touches on so many important and relevant issues for teens, and people in general even, today. I loved how the author really managed to convey the atmosphere and the setting and made me feel as if I was there. While I wasn't a fan of the beginning of the book (which starts at the end of the story and then goes back to the start) I was okay with it by the time I reached the end and felt like I understood why it was set up that way.

Rating: 4.5 This book broke my heart. I mean it does start with our two main characters dead from a car crash before it backs up to the events that lead up to this tragedy. But even knowing where this story was going to end up, the story kept my attention. The setting of this book was refreshing because it was not set in your typical American town. Saudi Arabia was quite unfamiliar but interesting to read about. Our main character Zarin is a girl from India who lives in Saudi Arabia and has to deal with no only being a girl in a country where her rights are limited but also an outsider in her own community based on her background, family, and religion. She is a girl with a reputation, some of it earned but some of it not. But as many of us know, once a label has been placed on you it is hard to break from it. "To live in this world, you needed to follow a certain set of rules and behave in ways society deemed appropriate." This book tackles complicated issues of race, identity, class, and religion, There are powerful messages here about oppression of women, mental health, bullying, rumors, slut shaming, abuse, rape culture, and how religion can play a role in this. Our main character had a rough life but she finds a kindred spirit and friend in Porus---who I loved. He is definitely the type of guy character we need more of. Bhathena doesn't shy away from uncomfortable scenes or topics. Overall, this book was intense at times but many of the messages are important and need to be heard.


I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.