I really enjoyed Internment by Samira Ahmed so I thought I would love this one. I just thought it was okay, I don't think romance is exactly Ahmed's thing and it felt a little fake or forced so I wasn't a fan of that. I enjoyed the setting of Paris, I felt like I was there. I did like the alternating points of view as well and the representation this book provides. Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley for the advanced copy!

17-year-old Khayyam Maquet is American, French, Indian, Muslim, and she’s at a crossroads. It seems like her kind of boyfriend has ghosted her, she’s maybe blown her shot at her dream college, and even though she’s on an annual trip to Paris with her family, she’d rather just be at home in Chicago. Her summer gets interesting, however, when she meets a descendant of Alexandre Dumas and may just uncover a cool historical mystery about a woman whose story should be told. Across the centuries, the reader watched not only Khayyam’s story unfold, but that of the mysterious Muslim woman whose paths may have crossed with some of the most remembered writers of their time (men, of course).

I loved the dual narrative, the twist on history, the characters, and the intersecting stories. The jump in POV is a tough choice, and when it’s not done right, it takes away from the story. No such problem here. I loved the back and forth. The stories complimented each other, and I loved Khayyam’s chase for the story.

Only one drawback here, for me. I’m not a huge fan of love triangles, and this one has two of sorts, but the other elements of the story were amazing. I had so much else to focus on, so I didn’t mind it too much. Also, though Khayyam’s caught up in her feelings for two boys, the mysterious woman and the quest to know that woman’s story is what really drives Khayyam, and she’s not some besotted teenager at the mercy of these guys. She makes some hard choices and doesn’t always let her emotions get the best of her. She’s pretty strongly realistic in that way, I think, and I admired her more for it.

This one’s out now in print and audio, so if you’re looking for a summer getaway to Paris from your couch, definitely pick it up.

I'm just letting y'all know that whilst I'm so grateful for receiving this arc especially as an OwnVoices reviewer and this being my most anticipated release of the year I never got to this cause I was about 15% through and then Corona threw a huge dent in my life. My apologies and I will no longer miss a deadline this late.

I will say the 15% I did read I thought was intriguing, well-paced, and thoroughly enjoyable. It's such a unique concept and was so rich in research and atmosphere. It's also a rare story cause you do. not often see books with POC, especially desi characters set in Europe in the modern-day.

Will pick this up soon but I just wanted y'all to know

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Khayyam is on her yearly trip to Paris with her parents and is frustrated with life. She was denied a prestigious Art award (and belittled while being turned down) and a guy, who never said he was her boyfriend, is not contacting her. So, while she's out, hoping to prove the Art award committee wrong, she happens to bump into a descendant of Alexandre Dumas-his great, great...grandson. The two of them pair up, finding clues that will lead them on a hunt that delves into the history of Dumas, Lord Byron, and a Muslim young woman, named Leila. Mixed in with the hunt for Khayyam's answers are letters between Byron and Leila, as well as some of Leila's history and how she impacted the men.
I enjoyed the story line, but felt that the overall storytelling was a bit weak. Perhaps it was a little bit too much of the exposition that could have been shown, or the fact that Khayyam, who is very focused on her award, did some stereotypical waffling between two boys. It also reminded me a bit of one of my favorites, Jennifer Donnelly's Revolution, as it also moves between time periods-however, again, not quite as strong.

I tried twice but just can't. It simply didn't work for me. The synopsis sounds great, the concept, premises, title, everything seemed so intriguing until I start reading this book. It was just not my cup of tea.

Samira Ahmed never disappoints. This was a lovely read, and I look forward to when I can share it with students who are fans of her work. I think they'll enjoy this new facet.

A brilliant combination of historical fiction, romance and mystery, told from the perspectives of two young women 200 years apart...seriously, what's not to love?!
Leila and Khayyam's interwoven story was a joy to read and I definitely want to read the author's other works now after this.

This was a title that had many worthwhile plot points. I loved the art history aspect as well as the incorporation of the Alexander Dumas' heritage. There were times when Khayyam's character felt overly strident--especially given her own behavior. Other plot points that concerned me were Khayyam's insistence that Leila's story had to be heard, but only Khayyam was qualified to tell it. There were multiple assumptions that had to be made--including the idea that Leila's story was not "written" therefore, Leila was discounted, when it could be as simple as a culture that values oral tradition rather than writing.

Overall, this is a great title for introducing teen readers to the skill of reading using feminist theory, it's a fascinating art mystery, and is likely to be a story that encourages students to research further and even read some of Dumas' works.

Loved this book and its use of alternating story lines in different periods.

What I enjoy most about Samira Ahmed's writing is that each book is grounded in history that makes it feel like you're living events right alongside the characters. I would recommend this book for an intermediate high school classroom (grades 9 & 10). It would pair nicely with a chat around the danger of a single story and how narratives shift based on time, space, and the individual.

Worth the read.

Who is the mysterious woman who inspired Byron's poem The Giaour, which then inspired Delacroix's The Combat of the Giaour and Hassan paintings? And what is the link to Alexandre Dumas? Fascinated by the Delacroix, Kayyam has written a paper about her belief that there is a missing painting - this paper should have gotten her into an exclusive art school but instead has lead her to an incredibly dejected and lost summer with her parents in their apartment in Paris.

On her way to see the Delacroix at the Petit Palais, she meets Alexandre Dumas (the many greats-grandson of the famous author). They pair up to find some mysterious treasure related to the paintings and Dumas' book <i>The Count of Monte Cristo</I> and somehow Byron's poem. The places they go to are real: any reader could do a tour of Paris based on this book. Is the story of Leila real? Well... there's no evidence of that. However, it is not implausible given women's lives at that time and the way that <i>some</i> female managed to inspire those three works.

Many are comparing this to Byatt's <i>Possession</i> but I see it more as akin to Donnelly's <i>Revolution</i>. The blending of history, mystery, real artifacts and the effects of religion and race on art and society are well done; if only the characters had been just as well-rounded.

eARC provided by publisher.

There is much more than meets the eye in this book. It was more than just a teenage girl and her summer in Paris. Khayyam is young but brilliant and multifaceted , I enjoyed the depths of her character and world. I also liked how she was confronting real, adult issues while also balancing teen love in a typical YA style. This book was very much like a history mystery novel which was fun. I liked how it was in Paris so we learned more about another world and culture.

See my review on YALSA's The Hub, where Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know is a Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA21) nominee:

http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2020/06/12/best-fiction-for-young-adults-bfya2021-nominees-round-up-june-12-edition/

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know is both smart and fun, and I'd forgotten how rare that is. The mystery of the rumored painting Delacroix gave to Alexander Dumas is a tantalizing puzzle, and Ahmed adds to the fun with smart characters and a budding romance, all set against the backdrop of summer in Paris. The strong feminist themes give the work an even greater depth. This isn't just a story about two dead dudes who were famous--it's a story about women's voices and their ability to tell their own stories. A must-read!

MAD, BAD & DANGEROUS TO KNOW by Samira Ahmed is the first YA book that I have read in a while, although I have plenty on my "to be read" list and plan to post about more soon. Ahmed's earlier works (Internment, and Love, Hate & Other Filters) received multiple starred reviews and I have recommended those titles in earlier posts. MAD, BAD & DANGEROUS TO KNOW is not quite the same quality – I particularly disliked the way that the protagonist seemed defined by her relationship with a former boyfriend and a potential new one. However, this book, too, could have appeal for young adult readers – in much the same way that the show Never Have I Ever gained wide popularity while offering a somewhat distorted look at high school experiences and a young girl's struggle to define herself.

In MAD, BAD & DANGEROUS TO KNOW Ahmed has chosen to tell the story of Leila, a woman oppressed centuries ago, contrasting it with the adventures of Khayyam Maquet and a descendant of Alexandre Dumas in modern day Paris as those two work together to solve the mystery and to search for Leila's story and her connection to Dumas and painter Eugène Delacroix. Khayyam's objective is to learn enough to rewrite an art history application for college while Alexandre wants to help preserve his family's estate. It seems that each may be using the other and that is even more complicated due to the appearance of previous romantic partners. Leila and Khayyam alternate as narrators in a novel that works due to a large number of coincidences while telling the story of a brave, resourceful woman, and of a young girl who comes to appreciate that strength and the need to tell a previously hidden story. 3.5 stars

This book had a lot more to offer than I was expecting from a teen story. Trying to be yourself when surrounded by people who want to classify you by your race and culture is a thoughtful subject to tackle. Using two voices from two different generations and places also makes the reader think about how often women are judged by their cultural attributes rather than their personal attributes.

I tried reading this book on three separate occasions. I just couldn’t get through it. I love the concept and the characters but constantly found myself getting pulled out of the story when it moved to Khayyam’s part.

I really should give up reading Samira Ahmed books.  This is the third one I've read, and while she is definitely getting better, I still don't know why her editors don't fix her flat notes.  Like in Internment, the premise in this book is amazing, but other parts are just cringe-y and painful and really, really unnecessary.  My guess is, she would identify herself as a romance YA author, and yet consistently in her works, that is the most lacking part: the character building and forced romances.  The art history mystery, the inspiration and "real" life of the characters from the past, the setting of Paris in the summer, the fight for woman to be heard are all so well done and compelling and interesting that this romp that blurs fact and fiction might deserve a read, but you have to overlook the forced love triangle, excessive kissing, be willing to suspend reality regarding Alexandre Dumas, Eugène Delacroix, and Lord Byron, artifacts and sleuthing, but if you can do all that, this 337 page book for 9th grade and up, is definitely fun and hard to put down.  

SYNOPSIS:
The protagonist is 17-year-old French-Indian-Muslim-American Khayyam, who is spending her summer in Paris with her professor parents like they do every year.  But this year is different as she is being ghosted by her boyfriend Zaid back in Chicago and has just been humiliated by her poor research attempts to link a missing painting from artist Delacroix to author Dumas in an entrance essay competition to her dream school.  Khayyam's story is really just beginning though as she steps in dog crap and bumps into a descendent of Alexandre Dumas as she wipes it off.  A cute descendant, who shares the name with his distant grandfather, and viola' the two of them are off on a whirlwind adventure of clues and attraction and mystery solving.

Khayyam's story is interwoven and told between small glimpses of Leila's story.  Leila is a Haseki, a chosen concubine of the Pasha in Ottoman Turkey, but the lover of Giaour and friend of the jin.  As we learn her story from 200 years earlier and her struggle to break free of her gilded cage in the harem, only to be defined by the artist and poets and author men around her, her story and Khayyams collide.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I know precious little of art history, I can name drop a few artists and paintings, but that is being generous, so the fact that I have no clue what is real and what is fake and what is possible, made this story all the more fun and engaging.  Yes, I researched, aka Googled, stuff as I read and am perfectly content to accept the fictional what ifs that the book offers.  I love how the art world and literary world are one in the book and that they inspired each other. The way the sleuthing, the finding of artifacts, and unraveling of it all is presented is indeed a romp.  Realistic? Not a chance, but fun.  I also love how both Khayyam and Leila had to define themselves and ultimately not do it in the reflection of a male.

The rest of the book, is a bit of a stretch.  Leila's story naturally has holes in it as it is told in broken pieces, but Khayyam's story does too.  I just didn't care about her past boyfriend/ex-boyfriend/friend, whatever Zaid is or was, and clearly after moping about him for 300 pages and then not even giving him a proper goodbye, means that the author and character didn't really care either, which made the already forced, cringe-y annoyingness all the more grating.  As for the relationship, the other piece in the triangle, with Alexandre, was fine in that there was angst, but they put it aside to solve the mystery, so it didn't bother me too much.  Of course the fact that Khayyam is a practicing Muslim who seems to have no problems with boyfriends, and making out and that her parents don't mind either, makes the faith aspect all the more befuddling.  I guess practicing might be a stretch, her mom and her go to Jummah prayer on Friday, thats about the extent, and she mentions she doesn't drink.  Zaid, sets up a tutoring program at the masjid, but his instagram has him hanging all over girls too, so not sure why the characters are even Muslim.  I suppose it is good to have that diverse representation, but it doesn't seem to make much necessary sense to the overall story.  

FLAGS:

Implied concubine activities, with the Pasha and the lover.   Lots and lots and lots of kissing, nothing graphic, but annoying amounts of it being mentioned.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I want someone to discuss it with me and point out where the facts end and the speculation starts and when the full on fiction takes over.  I don't think I could use this book as a book club book because of the center stage of the haram romances in both Khayyam's time and Leila's.  But if you have read it, talk to me about it, I'm curious!

I recieved a free copy from.neygalley in exchange for an honest review. Mad bad and dangerous to know is different from a lot of the books I have been reading lately in a food way. Khayyam is on vacation in Paris with her parents when she meets Alexandre the descendant of Dumas. Together they go on an adventure to uncover the past and find a missing delacroix gifted to Dumas. Part of Alexander's family legacy and the opportunity for Khayyam to write and essay that will get her the art history scholarship prize after being humiliated by her last essay. The book was fun to read and really holds your attention. This was the first book that I read by this author by have already put some of her past books on the to be read shelf.

I'm clearly not the target audience for this novel, but one of the reasons I wanted to read it is to give myself a booster shot in remembering what it was like to be a teenager, simultaneously struggling with expectations and self-definition and love and friends and figuring out my moral truth. It's something that I don't want to forget as my kids get older and I approach the potentially turbulent adolescent years form the other side.

That said, I can tell that I'm coming at it from the other side, not only because I identified more with the modern protagonist's parents than her, and found her thoughts about love and ambition more exhausting than insightful. But I think that's on me!

One of the things I found interesting about the book were the parallel structure moving back and forth in time between modern Paris and the 19th century Ottoman Empire and Paris. The book is a love letter to art and Paris and to feminism and letting women's voices and stories be heard, and I love that. I also, without spoiling, loved how the relationships in the book were resolved. It was not done in a standard, expected way, and I really appreciated that.

Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know follows Khayyam Maquet, a 17 year old America, French, Indian Muslim girl who is spending her summer in Paris. She is doing some research looking into old known writes and painters of Europe, and her path might connect with a woman two hundred years before called Leila.

I go much deeper into the synopsis in my video review btw, because it is about so much more than that! I really liked this book and the themes it held. Khayyam is a wonderful character to follow, determined and funny. I love the idea of finding women in the past that were defined by the men who knew them, that they were not a story on their own. I liked the romance, and see how she grows as a character while reflecting on her old romance and finding all these things for herself. My main issues with the book was the writing, that sometimes felt disjointed. And that fact that these two teens are the only ones who could solve this mystery haha. But overall a very enjoyable read, with great themes, characters and just the right amount of cuteness! Would recommend. 3.75/5 stars.