It’d be a lie to say that I didn’t have high expectations for this book. (I mean, the premise is essentially “what if we were business rivals who may or may not have feelings for each other? and we were both girls?” so how could I not.) And I’m very happy to say that I was not disappointed in the least!

The Henna Wars follows a Bengali girl named Nishat, who just came out to her parents and has to figure out how to not crumble under the despairing weight of their rejection and denial of her lesbian identity. Among this, she has to deal with racism and homophobia at her school and a business competition in which her culture is appropriated.

What I want more than anything else in the world is to feel like being myself isn’t something that should be hidden and a secret.

While there are so many things to love about this book, I think I love Nishat herself the most. She’s an incredible character written so, so well, and the level of attention that the author pays to her is delightfully satisfying. Nishat yearns to be unapologetically herself in a world that will do anything to stop her, and it’s both heartbreaking yet inspiring to read.

There are two relationships that Nishat has that really stand out to me, the ones with Flávia, her crush, and Priti, her sister. The romance is so sweet and you want them to be together so much, and throughout the story Nishat wonders, Does Flávia like girls? Can I get together with my business rival who’s appropriating my culture? But even though the romance is a big part of the novel, it also doesn’t overtake Nishat’s own personal development, which I loved!

I also adored the way Nishat and Priti were close; in fact, I think their relationship was more prominent than the romance, which I appreciated. Their relationship is probably the closest sister relationship I’ve read, and as someone close to my sister, I loved seeing Nishat and Priti support each other throughout the story.

I wouldn’t call this story a cute fluffy story, though. It deals with racism and homophobia, and throughout the book, Nishat has to deal with her culture, henna, being appropriated by others for profit. But the author handles these intricately and effectively balances them out with more lighthearted content!

But sometimes just being yourself—really, truly yourself—can be the most difficult thing to be.

I can’t speak on the specifics of the representation, but as a sapphic Asian child of immigrants like Nishat, there was so many scenes that resonated with me. I’m incredibly fortunate not to have homophobic parents who come from a country where being gay is punishable by death, but I relate to Nishat’s grief over having to hide who she is like it’s a dirty secret, relate to Nishat’s struggle to reconcile her conservative homeland’s ideas about who she is, relate to Nishat’s heartache over feeling out of place in a majorly white world.

I also appreciated how the author critiqued Bangladesh and the homophobic beliefs the people there carry, but also celebrated and showed Nishat’s love for her Bengali culture. It represents a struggle for so many queer immigrants of color—to now live in a country where your sexuality is more accepted, but to still yearn for your homeland, even though they might reject you for your sexuality.

How can you feel fully loved and accepted when there’s a part of you that’s different and unwanted in both your homes? How can you feel whole when the separate parts of your identity are supposed to somehow cancel each other out? How can you be Bengali, and lesbian, and Muslim, and not feel like all those things are tearing at you? These are the questions Nishat has to find the answers to, and exactly why ownvoices stories are needed—I’m not sure a queer author or author of color may have captured the nuances of the QPOC experience as well as this.

“I love you, Apujan,” she whispers. “And I’m so damn proud of you. I hope you know that.”

There were a few times where I wasn’t quite in love with the writing style. I sometimes found it to be a bit bland, and I also wished we had seen a bit more from the side characters. These things might have been enough to lower my rating just slightly—if not for how much I absolutely adored Nishat and connected to her! I was just so invested in her and her journey, and I think every reader will feel the same.

Overall, I adored this book, and I cannot wait for more readers to get their hands on it, especially sapphic people of color. It’s a story I deeply related to, and one I know others will too. Beyond that, it’s a cute sapphic romance that manages to tackle social issues without making things too heavily, and while your heart will break at some parts, you definitely will find yourself smiling by the end!

The acknowledge for this book says that it is for "queer brown girls." I am not the audience for this book. I am a white woman who does identify as queer, but that's only a portion of it. In this beautiful book, there are nuances about Bengali and Brazilian culture, cultural appropriation, racism, homophobia, and how these all intertwine with family dynamics that I will never understand. There is a very diverse cast here for an all-girl Catholic school in Ireland, and Adiba Jaigirdar made every single character shine. Nishat and Flávia have a really interesting, complicated, adorable relationship that goes far beyond surface level. This book wasn't necessarily for me, but I am really happy I picked it up.

I dnf''ed this at first but after a while, I decided to give this another chance. I still didn't think this book was amazing and mind-blowing, but I did enjoy it. I didn't like the love interest at the beginning but she grew on me at the end. I liked reading about Bangladesh culture since I didn't know anything about it. Overall, this was a cute story and I'm glad I gave it a second chance!

Nishat is a Bengali living in Ireland with her family. She's doing well in school and has recently discovered her love for henna tattoos. She also has an amazing sister and friends. There is just a teeny-tiny bit of problem -- she is a lesbian. And while there's nothing wrong with that, it's extremely difficult for Nishat to come out because of her conservative Muslim family.

Flavia, a Brazilian-Irish who has recently come back to Ireland, sees Nishat in a Bengali wedding. While they aren't exactly close friends, they'd been classmates when they were younger, and they still recognize each other after all these years. A deeper friendship blooms since that wedding encounter, but it flops as soon as it begins. One reason is that Flavia is the cousin of Chyna, the biggest bully in school who always has her mean eyes for Nishat.

When their teacher tells them about a business competition where the winning team gets a thousand euros, Nishat thinks of doing a henna business. And guess what -- so does Chyna and Flavia's group. The game is definitely on. Who's the better artist? Is art cultural or can anyone make anything these days as long as one is good at it? All these and more in Adiba Jaigirdar's coming-of-age novel, The Henna Wars.

Funny, compelling, heart-warming, and full of vivid imagery, this book is as unputdownable as it is informative. It discusses relevant themes such as cultural appropriation and homosexuality. The characters and setting are written well that it's so easy to relate. A source of strength and hope, Nishat sets a good example to all the young girls, lesbian or not. While there have been predictable outcomes and several loose ends, The Henna Wars is a pretty great story, nonetheless.

2020 is turning out to be the year of sapphic books and I am living for it. When The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar starting popping up on my feed I was really excited that there was this #ownvoice diverse sapphic story that I could get a chance to read. And I was not disappointed.

I can't stop gushing over how pretty this cover is. I absolutely love it. The colours, the artwork everything speaks to me in it. I also think it goes really well with the story. I want to say also that I cannot speak for the representation of Bengali culture or Islam that are in The Henna Wars as I am not an #ownvoice reviewer. But I personally loved learning more about this culture. I definitely googled a lot of the dishes that were mentioned and bookmarked a couple recipes to try out later. I wished there was a restaurant closer to me that I could go grab a couple of take outs too.

When I started The Henna Wars I was on the hunt for a cute swoony f/f story but I got so much more. Don't get me wrong there is a love story there but I wasn't expecting the story of Nishat to hit me as hard as it did. Nishat is the kind of character that doesn't see how strong she is. Through all the adversity she encounters in life because of her sexuality and her culture, she faces it all head on and always stays true to her self. She could've decided to repress a lot of her feelings and who she is but she didn't. Instead she met every challenge that was thrown at her head on and I love her for it. Being different when you are a teen is so hard. Kids are cruel and any reasons seems good to bully and ostricize people. The Henna Wars was much more about Nishat looking to find where she belongs in her country, her culture and her family.  

One of the most important person in Nishat life is her sister Priti. The bond between them is absolutely wonderful. The love and support they bring to each other is heartwarming. Even in their disagreements and fights, they have each other's backs. I think it's one of my favourite sibling relationships in YA this year.

This story gave me such a rollercoaster ride when it came to emotions. I enjoyed it so much and can't wait to see what Adiba Jaigirdar does next. If you liked books like from authors like S.K. Ali or Sabina Khan, this one could be for you.

Love has no boundaries, especially in "The Henna Wars". Nishat, a gay Muslim-Irish girl, attends Catholic school with her little sister Priti, and falls for Flavia, a Brazilian-Irish girl who may return Nishat's crush. However, amongst a business school competition AND coming out to her parents, Flavia and Nishat end up running rival henna businesses. Despite Flavia appropriating Nishat's culture, Nishat can't quite shake off her feelings for her outgoing classmate.
This book is very fluffy, but focuses primarily on the MC's culture as a plot point. It is done very well and I feel seen by this book as a white-passing person of color.

I have all sorts of tender feelings about this one! 5 stars for diverse representation. I don't think I've read a YA book that so effectively explains cultural appropriation. I also really appreciated how the narrative so elegantly demonstrated the complexity of coming out...showing it accurately as a developing process, both for the self and others, which can't often be told in the neat, capsulated way it has been in other stories and media.
Excited to reccomend this one!

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this novel from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Henna Wars

Author: Adiba Jaigirdar

Book Series: Standalone

Diversity: Bangladeshi characters, Black Brazilian love interest, Queer Bangladeshi main character, Korean side character

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: May 12, 2020

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Pages: 405

Recommended Age: 14+ (romance, racism, homophobia, language, and getting outted TW)

Synopsis: Nishat doesn’t want to lose her family, but she also doesn’t want to hide who she is, and it only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life. Flávia is beautiful and charismatic, and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat decide to showcase their talent as henna artists. In a fight to prove who is the best, their lives become more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush, especially since Flávia seems to like her back.

As the competition heats up, Nishat has a decision to make: stay in the closet for her family, or put aside her differences with Flávia and give their relationship a chance.

Review: I really enjoyed this book! I thought the characters were intriguing and well developed. The romance was cute and I was here for it! I loved the world building and I loved how the book was written. It was an amazing read and it was so swoon-worthy! I loved that the author wrote this as well! You don't see a lot of queer representation with POC and Bangladeshi and Brazilian are both those I've never read before to my knowledge. I hope that the tides will change in publishing were we get more stories and more ownvoice from POC and minority writers. The book also does well to talk about the importance of culture and how certain things/activities (like henna) are very important to a culture. The book did well to show how ignorance can make someone accidentally culturally appropriate something, but also didn't shy away from showing that some people are just blatantly racist and/or homophobic.

My only issue is that I wish some of the words were explained. I got the gist of most of them, especially the terms of relationship and endearment used in the main characters own language, but there was a scene where our main and her love interest speak French to each other and I wish that was explained, but again I got like 60% of what was said. I'd also to have liked to see the person who outted our main character get punished, but the unfortunate reality of our current lives is that some people get away with their actions because it causes more harm on the victim to come forward than to not. This definitely needs to change, but then again I think people's closed mindedness needs to change as well.

Verdict: Definitely worth the read!!

- I absolutely loved the representation in here
- the sweetest sister relationship!!
- the topics addressed felt a little surface level; even though they are difficult topics I didn't think they were explored as much as they could have been. this wasn't necessarily bad as I still enjoyed the read & this made it feel a lot lighter than I was expecting but I would have liked this to be a bit more hard-hitting!

Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club for this review copy and for choosing me to be a part of this blog tour.All opinions are my own.

This book follows a Muslim girl who just came out to her parents as a lesbian and how they react to her revelation. It also follows her entering a business competition and her and a fellow classmate choose the same business and how she thinks that's appropriation.

I like that this was told in first person as we could be in Nishat's head and really understand what she was feeling. I liked the writing style and it was done really well.

This focuses heavily on the cultural aspect more than religion.It shows how important mendhi is to her and why she is upset when someone who is not South Asian decides to do mendhi. I really enjoyed seeing the Bengali/south Asian culture as I could relate to it as I am south Asian. It didn't focus on religion much as they're not very religious but some small details were mentioned.

In terms of plot,I liked the competition aspect but I felt that it wasn't focused on as much as I would have liked it to.It was kind of background noise at times. That being said,I think this book was a lot more than just about a competition,Nishat faces a lot of homophobia,and racism and has to overcome it.It shows her parents coming to terms with what being a lesbian means. They are very adamant that it's a phase and this book does a good job in showing how Nishat feels and how her parent's think.

Nishat as a character was very interesting and could be very frustrating at times. I think she wasn't very good at communication and could have solved some problems by talking about them.I really liked Priti, and the sisterly reationship her and Nishat have.She was a very supportive sister. She listens and tries to help her in any way she can. I also liked her friends by the end but they didn't understand why mendhi was so important to her. I think it was explained well why they couldn't relate to her. I liked Flávia and how it showed that she had her own challenges and problems she had to deal with. 

In terms of the romance,I thought it would be enemies to lovers which it wasn't. I felt that it was very hot and cold. I felt that it was very sudden when they would become friends and then not. I feel like there wasn't much substance to it and it felt rushed  but I grew to like the relationship a lot more by the end.

I liked that the ending was a bit different than what I had expected. It was done very well and I liked the direction it went in. I am glad that everything was sorted and it had a happy ending.

I recommend this book if you like coming out stories and I defiantly agree with the Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens agenda and When Dimple Met Rishi comparisons. I would recommend this if you enjoyed them.

3/5

This was such a sweet, lovely, coming-of-age diverse queer book! I read it fairly quickly and fell in love with many of the characters, all of whom are incredibly realistic with flaws and strengths alike. My one qualm is with the pacing, which seemed sometimes a bit rushed while other times too slow. But it didn't bother me for a large bulk of the novel, as I was impressed with the important lessons learned - such as with cultural appropriation and selective bullying based on differences.

Have you ever read a book that is cute, heartwarming, and heartbreaking all at the same time? The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar has the cuteness and heartwarming parts of a Desi romance that you loved about When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon with a queer romance that is the f/f equivalent of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. Added to this mix, I would add that Nishat's experience has a dash of heartbreak, which makes it an emotional, but realistic, read at times.

In many 2SLGBTQIA+ YA novels where the characters aren't already out, such as Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, the coming out moment is one that the main character isn't ready for and the tension about whether they will tell anyone, who they might tell, and whether they'll be publicly outed first drives the narrative.

In The Henna Wars, Nishat has already come out to her younger sister, Priti. However, the novel opens with a fast approaching Bangladeshi community wedding and when Nishat realizes that her parents are imagining the joy they'll experience when their daughters get married in the traditional way, she decides to come out to her mother, Ammu. This moment and the tension it causes within their family unit drives a lot of the narrative and makes Nishat hold off on coming out to her school friends. It also leads to a very emotional moment in the book between Nishat and her mother, which caused me to cry while I was reading, because Ammu couldn't accept that who Nishat was wasn't a choice and was a cause of shame.

Beyond the growing familial tension caused by Nishat coming out as a lesbian, The Henna Wars centres around the romantic tension between Nishat and Flávia and the racism and, eventually, the homophobia that Nishat experiences at her all-girls Catholic school in Dublin, Ireland. Flávia is, for some never clarified reason, at Sunny Apu's wedding, the same one where Nishat and Priti are bridesmaids. At the wedding, Nishat and Flávia recognize one another even though they haven't seen each other since primary school. While Nishat is attracted to Flávia, a beautiful black, biracial Brazillian-Irish, bisexual girl, but assumes that she won't see her again, but all that changes when Flávia starts attending the very same school.

Unfortunately, Flávia is also the cousin of a white girl named Chyna who is the bane of Nishat's existence ever since she started racist rumours about her at the beginning of secondary school. Similarly, Nishat experiences tension between her friends Jess and Chaewon when Jess rejects Nishat's suggestion that Chyna's comments are racist and Chaewon doesn't back up Nishat's understanding of the experience. Finally, when it comes time to create and run a business for their transition year class both Nishat and Flávia end up running rival henna businesses even though only Nishat's culture would traditionally use henna, which opens up the theme of cultural appropriation.

Yes, there is a lot going on in The Henna Wars, but in my opinion, the disparate tensions and themes that they force Nishat to contend with make for a better, more realistic and nuanced story than would otherwise be the case. While I already had a lot of empathy for how much more difficult it could be for people of colour to be out to their families, friends, and communities, I found that seeing Nishat's experience made me even more aware of the challenges that queer people of colour could face.

At the same time, I loved that things come full circle over the course of the novel and ultimately, leave readers with a sense of hope and many very swoony moments. The romantic connection is super cute from beginning to end, and readers will be rooting for Nishat and Flávia to find a way to get over the miscommunication and the obstacles in their way to finding love. Of course, this romantic connection isn't Nishat's only relationship that grows and changes in positive ways, but I'll let you experience it for yourself.

Finally, one of the things I enjoyed in the eGalley version I read was that, Adiba Jaigirdar doesn't make it easy for people, like myself, who are outside of the Bangladeshi culture to understand every detail. She doesn't explain what a particular tradition garment looks like or food is, so people who are of the culture have an insiders view, and people, like myself, might have to work a little harder to get a deeper understanding of it. I, personally, looked up a bunch of words, especially in the first few chapters, both through the Kindle app and on Google to be able to visualize the world I was being given the privilege of entering.

Similarly, there are moments later in the book between Nishat and Flávia where they exchange insults in French, which I could easily understand, and moments where Flávia and her mother speak in Portuguese in front of Nishat and Chyna, where I had to look up the meaning of the exchanges via Google Translate to get the most out of the book as the eGalley didn't provide a translation to readers. While I can't say whether all readers will appreciate these aspects of The Henna Wars, for me, the work I put into reading the novel made for a better experience and allowed me to learn more. That's a win-win in my book.

If you're interested in picking up a really cute, debut f/f romance that also tackles some important issues for queer teens of colour, then don't miss The Henna Wars. It's a book that you will, inevitably, want on your bookshelf and will recommend to anyone and everyone...just like I do.

4.5/5 stars

This was a lovely book about two girls with rival henna businesses who fall for each other. It's set in Ireland, which was a great surprise because I've read so few books set in Ireland and it was a wonderful setting.

Overall, I loved this book. I thought the arcs were really nicely thought out and everything came together well in the end. At times throughout the book, I personally felt like the main character, Nishat, was being treated poorly and not standing up for herself enough, but that's just me being a mama bear I think.

Nishat’s traditional Muslim Bangladeshi parents don’t take her coming out as a lesbian very well, but she’s glad to have the support of her sister. Nishat isn’t expecting the return of Flávia, a childhood friend, and she can’t help but fall for her. When a school business competition begins, Nishat can’t wait to show off her henna skills—but she’s crushed when she finds out Flávia is doing henna designs too. Nishat must balance her feelings for Flávia with her anger at her for appropriating Nishat’s culture amidst a flurry of competition and sabotage.

The Henna Wars was an absolute delight to read and will undoubtedly be on my favorites list at the end of 2020. I completely adored the romance between Nishat and Flávia, and felt that Adiba Jaigirdar did a superb job of balancing a sweet swoony romance with heavier themes like identity, culture, and family acceptance. Nishat comes out to her parents at the very beginning of the book, and her parents have a hard time accepting this revelation; in their eyes, Muslim girls can’t be queer. Nishat struggles with knowing that her parents are unable to accept this aspect of her identity, and her pain was palpable and authentic. 

This YA contemporary is about so much more than just family acceptance: it’s about first like, sisterhood, culture, and identity. Nishat has a beautiful relationship with her sister, and I loved the amount of support and allyship her sister offers her. I didn’t realize going in that The Henna Wars is set in Ireland, and it was refreshing to read a YA novel set outside the US. This is also an intersectionally diverse novel: Nishat is a lesbian who is both Muslim and Bangladeshi (all of this rep is #OwnVoices, which makes me so happy!), and her love interest and rival Flávia is biracial (Black-Brazillian and Irish) and bi. There were several other characters of color who played supporting roles. 

The Henna Wars is definitely a celebration of identity and culture; Nishat is proud of her henna and is heartbroken when this important element of her culture is appropriated by her crush Flávia at the urging of her white cousin (who is also the resident mean girl). I love that Adiba Jaigirdar addresses cultural appropriation, a topic I would love to see discussed more in YA and kidlit. Nishat is incredibly hurt by Flávia’s actions, especially when she fails to see why borrowing elements of another’s culture is problematic and harmful. The two girls enter into a cut-throat competition full of sabotage—each is determined to have their henna business be the winner. 

I loved Adiba Jaigirdar’s writing and felt that the structure of a school business competition worked perfectly for this story. The pacing was spot-on and I loved reading about Nishat and Flávia’s budding romance amidst their competition. This book so perfectly balances light-hearted romance, fun competition, and complex themes of race & culture. Nishat has so many complicated feelings about Flávia, herself, and her family. The Henna Wars is also set at a Catholic school, and definitely deals with the experience of being a queer Muslim girl of color in a primarily white & Catholic setting. While struggling with feeling like an outsider, trying to win the competition, and dealing with her complex feelings for her crush, Nishat is also grappling with her parents’ lack of acceptance. The Henna Wars has a lot going on, but every storyline is handled with care and attention, weaving Nishat’s story together perfectly. This novel carries so many important and touching conversations that need to be happening in YA.

If you couldn’t already tell by this glowing review, I loved The Henna Wars. Like, really loved it. Like, I’m gonna be recommending this to every teen at my library and screaming about it for the rest of the year. It is everything I want and love in a YA book: swoony romance, complex family dynamics, a fleshed out story, intersectional diversity, and just plain all-the-feels. As the synopsis suggests, fans of Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and When Dimple Met Rishi will adore this, as will fans of Sabina Khan, Amy Spalding, and Jennifer Dugan. Those who like F/F romance as well as enemies-to-lovers or rivalry/competition tropes will adore this novel. Readers should be aware that this novel deals with coming out, homophobia, racism, bullying, and cultural appropriation. 

The Henna Wars is a new favorite for me that I’m so thrilled to add to both my personal and library collections.  It’s a perfect balance of light and heavy, romance and competition; it tackles so many important questions and I’m forever here for the intersectionally diverse representation it delivers. I’ll be ecstatically screaming about this one, and waiting to see what Adiba Jaigirdar writes next—she’s definitely a new YA voice to watch.

Thanks to The FFBC for including me in the blog tour for this wonderful book, and to the publisher and author for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

4.5 stars. Ever since I first saw the cover, I've been so looking forward to reading this book and I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed it! I wish this existed back when I was in school because I would've definitely related to it more, but saying that, I still found it very relatable as a 30-something-oldie. It was refreshing to read about a queer muslim girl living in Ireland, and I loved the diversity, the queer rep, the cultural rep and the discussions on appropriation and religious hypocrisy. I wouldn't think all of this would work wrapped up in a YA romance, but ... It really did! Sure, there were some things that bugged me but on the whole of it, it didn't make a big dent in my overall enjoyment..

I'm quite surprised to know this is Jaigirdar's debut because I think she handled many sensitive topics very well and in an easy to digest and accessible way without losing any of the weight behind it. I also thought all of her characters were very authentic and believable--the teenagers acted and sounded very much like teenagers! The writing also took me on an insane emotional rollercoaster ride! I was constantly laughing at the banter between Nishat and Priti, but I was also swinging between anger, frustration, and sadness in turns. I love a book that can "make me feel the things" and this certainly didn't fail in that!

I thought Nishat was an interesting MC. I wouldn't say that I loved her character because her attitude frustrated me at times but she was also very relatable and I really felt for her and everything she went through in this book. It made me surprisingly emotional because I understand that feeling of loneliness and wanting to fit in in school and a community, and to be accepted for who you are. My heart broke for her after she came out to her parents and they gave her the choice of either being who she was and losing them, or being a "normal Bengali Muslim girl" and keeping them "free of shame". The religious hypocrisy was maddening but I'm also glad it was pointed out. While not always likeable, I thought she was a well portrayed teenager! The other characters don’t get much development except for Flavia, the love interest. I got a little “insta-love” vibes from their romance which I’m not usually a fan of, but again they’re high schoolers and … I was pretty much the same. I couldn’t really figure Flavia out and I’m not sure I warmed up to her as much as Nishat. I loved her open relationship with her mother, but she was pretty hot/cold throughout the book, though I’m glad she took a stand in the end (not just for Nishat but for herself).

One of my favourite parts of the story was definitely the sibling relationship between Nishat and Priti; their sister-ship reminded me so much of my own with my sister and the wisecracks and banter between them really had me rolling with laughter at times. You can tell how much they love and support each other and I kind of wish that Nishat had been more considerate with Priti, especially when she herself realised she hadn't been there for her but then still didn't really step up. That said, their dynamic was really spot on and it made me like this book even more! Another aspect I really loved was the rep of Bengali culture, particularly with the food! I thought it was quite accurate with the aunties and the uncles and weddings! Fun fact: I lived in Bangladesh for 9 years and even graduated from the American school in Dhaka, so reading about the food especially was like taking a walk down memory lane. It was wonderful and also made me desperately hungry!

In the end, everything was obviously resolved nicely although it was realistic as peoples prejudices didn’t all of a sudden change over night. I'm glad that Nishat got a good ending though because she really deserved it and it warmed my heart to see how Ammu took the steps to educate herself about LGBTQ+ people and issues. I think this is a book that I will definitely be adding to my physical shelves, not only because that cover art is gorgeous, but because I hope more people will read it! I’m very much looking forward to seeing what else Jaigirdar will come out with in the future :)

The Henna Wars is a slight tug at one's heartstrings with a sapphic romance budding through the fields of authentic cultural and religious representation along with an excellent portrayal of a young desi lesbian girl challenging the evident cultural appropriation around her.

Representation: Bangladeshi-Irish & Lesbian Muslim MC + Brazilian-Irish & Bisexual MC.
Ownvoices reader for: South-Asian representation.
Trigger warnings: challenged racism, homophobia, bullying, cultural appropriation, and character being outed.

Let's shine a deserving spotlight on the inspiring protagonist who is coming of age.


Nishat is a gem. It's never easy to create a young character who stays realistic with the societal doubts setting in but also depicts the inspirational traits of standing up for what's right, but Nishat is the perfect mix. She believes in her perspective and the love for her culture, for her sexual orientation, and for her religion. There is nothing that stops her from enlightening, educating, or explaining these perspectives—and others—to those around her that have wrong different opinions. And this makes for a protagonist who not only deserves support but also demands it.

The perfect South-Asian family portrayal—a sister who becomes a source of strength, conservative immigrant parents, and relatives invited to celebrate academic results.


Priti, Nishat's younger sister, is a ball of sunshine and the one who genuinely has our main character's back. She's the epitome of every sister we all wish we had or some might be lucky enough to already have: she teases her elder sister but also opens up her arms & heart for her Apujan to know the love she'll always get from this bond.

Nishat's parents have their walls up—like many Asian immigrants—when the idea of changing systems or accepting what they had unexpected is put forward. Their elder daughter comes out as a lesbian and their response is predictable but as hurtful as any reaction that involves cold shoulders and communication suspensions would be. The consequential anxiety that Nishat experiences is indicative of the mental impact a 'suffocating' South-Asian culture can have.

Not only was the immediate family portrayal on point but even the relatives and far-away acquaintances have their presence marked by realistic, common, and annoying dialogues or unsolicited advises they would deliver—whether in a Bengali wedding or in a get-together meant to celebrate academic results.

An applause for the cultural essence and important themes that flow through the modern narrative.


The Henna Wars commendably incorporates the intricate details of a desi culture in Nishat's narration and creates a story that clearly stands on the foundation inspired by a community the protagonist belongs to. From a recitation of the Bangladeshi delicacies lining a wedding food stall to mentioning jilapis and from the amazing smell of henna to the wholesomeness of daal, this book is a crown jewelled with cultural gems.

This contemporary also pulls important themes to the centre stage in a manner that can be marked as raw, honest, and brave. Whether it's the cultural appropriation of henna in order to flourish a business a project or bullying that stems from racist assumptions disguised as school jokes; whether it's the mispronunciation of desi names and the tinge of anger that follows or the disappointing attempt at blinding a queer's eyes to their sexuality by imposing culture or religion, The Henna Wars does it too well.

Sapphic romance that starts with an instant crush and grows through competing henna businesses disguised as a war.


Flavia is Brazilian-Irish and a new admission to Nishat's school, which makes our lovely protagonist smile wide but also warns herself to stay far away because this new admission is Chyna's—the bully—cousin. Though, this doesn't stop Flavia from letting those butterflies flutter, leaving subtle hints, and showing an interest in Nishat. Nor does our lovely Nishat stop stealing quick glances at the pretty girl, wonder what she's like, and blush at Instagram comments by her crush. Yes, super cute. Yes, super sweet. Yes, you get all the feels.

However, a business project based on henna designing soon becomes the reason for this potential relationship to reach the dead-end before it could even start. There's a rift between the two, an understandable one since Nishat is protective of her love for henna—simple flowery designs taught to her by her maternal grandmother: Nanu—and considers the opposite team's idea a result of cultural embezzlement. Yes, lots of tension. Yes, lots of sadness. Yes, you will be struck with emotions.

Throws a much-needed light on racism in a setting meant for diverse young students to be educated.


A large part of The Henna Wars is dedicated to executing important conversations around racism, microaggressions, and blatant ignorance towards a culture. But the most absurd notion it absolutely condemns is that of a privileged white eyeing diversity as a 'trend' they can either downright shame as a spur of the moment waiting to die down or use to build their mountains of profit on. As a reader of colour, I personally appreciate this book's narrative.

I'm in no place to give detailed comments on the representation of sexual identities or the religion of characters in this book so please pay heed to the ownvoices reviews for these representations above mine. I'm only positive about my opinions regarding the culture depicted and racism challenged.

This book was a fluffy, readable f/f romance that I devoured in a matter of days but it’s also really important since it tackles difficult topics and it gives people who have been quite for a long time a voice. This book plays off in Ireland and I could relate to some parts of Nishat’s experience since I moved to Dublin from South Africa to pursue my Masters degree. Being away from extended family and proper sunshine is quite difficult and video calls are essential! I did, however, expect to read more about the city itself and how the characters navigate their different struggles using Dublin as the backdrop. The story mainly plays off at school or in Nishat’s house and we don’t always get a lot of descriptions.

Beyond our shared international status, Nishat and I did not have a lot in common which meant that reading from her perspective, I learnt a lot about Bangladeshi culture and about Muslim culture and how both of these interact with Nishat’s sexuality. Coming from quite a diverse country and moving to Ireland was a shock to me because of the lack of diversity so I am happy that this story is being told specifically in an Irish setting. Representation in YA literature is now needed more than ever and I know for a fact that so many young girls will feel SEEN by reading this story. The plot itself is quite typical of a YA contemporary but the racial and homophobic topics make this book an important piece of writing to talk about.

The romance in this book was not as well developed as I would have expected. Nishat’s relationship with Flávia is quite surface level and I wasn’t as invested I thought I would be. I do, however, feel like Nishat’s relationship with her sister, Priti, was exceptionally written and developed so well throughout the pages of this book. I loved seeing their connection bloom and their support for one another is inspiring. Their connection was definitely one of my favourite parts of the book!

Other aspects of the book that I adored are the lush descriptions of food. I was constantly craving comfort food that my Ouma makes such as Bobotie (Cape Malay curry dish) and I was snacking whilst reading all the time. I also laughed at the struggle other people had with the pronunciation of Nishat’s name since I could relate to that so much. No one ever knows how to pronounce my name or my surname correctly and it’s always such an awkward experience trying to get someone to say it correctly. I did feel like the book dragged in some areas and some of the more mundane descriptions and activities could have been cut.

On an emotional level I really felt for Nishat. I felt her pain, her disappointment and her shame. It was hard to read the bullying scenes and her interactions with her friends at the beginning of the book were hard to digest but it shows the level of skill Jaigirdar has at rousing an emotion within you by just using a few choice words. The incident towards the end of the book was also so difficult to get through but it made me feel something deep inside. No one deserves to go through what she has but I’m glad she had the support of Priti, her teacher and her friends.

Overall, I’m glad I got to read this book. It’s a story that will stay with me for a long time. Although I do not share the same experience as the main character, I still felt for her and was immersed in the story.

This book is sweet and heartwarming and absolutely amazing. Let me scream about my feelings on why this is a five-star read!

It starts off with Nishat, a Bangladeshi-Muslim teenager as she comes out to her parents as lesbian. They aren’t particularly accepting of her identity and the book deals with her shifting emotions as she tries to process their reactions.

There are so many different aspects to this book which I love, starting with Nishat’s bond with her sister, Prithi. They have a very strong relationship–practically best friends–and I love how they both are there for each other and ready to support the other. Prithi is totally read to throw fists at anyone who’s being mean to Nishat & I love her energy. Their dynamic is so wholesome and pure and *clenches fist* makes me really wish i had a sister.

The book is set in a Catholic school in Dublin, Ireland. It revolves around the business competition where Nishat and Flavia both decide to have henna designing stalls. There is a lot of discussion focused around cultural appropriation because Nishat is doing henna since its a part of her culture and Flavia, who is Brazilian-Irish, just considers it art and is trying to profit off it.

That’s one of the reasons why the novel has so much tension because the competition escalates Nishat’s alienation from her friends and having to fight back against Flavia’s racist cousin, amongst other things.

I devoured this book so fast and I really did not want it to get over. It’s completely unapologetic in the way it brings out Bengali culture and explores the struggles of being brown and having to deal with people butchering your name and so much more. The dialogue and the pure longing between the Nishat & Flavia made this a truly spectacular novel.

It’s a warm book. A book you want to clutch to your chest novel about two girls falling in love. You can literally tell that the author poured her entire heart into it.

I hope I convinced you to read this because its LITERALLY AMAZING!!

This is the story of Nishat, a Bengali girl living in Ireland with her parents and younger sister. She is also a lesbian who has come out to her family only to have her parents not support her. They are traditional and Muslim and believe that sexual orientation is a choice, and a bad one at that. Nishat reconnects with an old friend, Flavia, who just started going to her school, and sparks fly.

The Henna Wars is what happens when their business class project is a competition for best business idea and both Nishat and Flavia decide to start mehndi shops and create henna designs. For NIshat, mehndi is part of her culture; for Flavia, it is beautiful art. And in the midst of this, someone outs Nishat in a text to the entire school.

This book has so much going on. There is sexual identity, cultural appropriation, bullying, and what it is to be 'foreign.' It is well-told and the romance is sweet. No bad language, nothing more intense than a kiss, and a story that could spark a lot of conversation all add up to a pretty great book!

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar from Page Street Kids through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The Henna Wars was released today on May 12th!
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When Nishat runs into her childhood friend at a wedding, she thinks it'll be the last time she sees Flávia. She doesn't expect to see Flávia in the hallway on the first day of school. Flávia has not only transferred to Nishat's school, she also happens to be the cousin of Nishat's enemy, Chyna. As Nishat deals with her growing feelings for Flávia, a class project pits them against each other. Nishat loves to do henna, so when she needs to start a business for her school project, she immediately wants to open a henna stand. Unfortunately, Chyna and Flávia have the same idea.
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This was a really good #ownvoices narrative featuring two LGBTQIA+ POC main characters. I really loved that Nishat felt like a teenager without being overly angsty. I love the window into Bangladeshi culture and what it's like to be an immigrant in Ireland. Nishat's relationship with her sister is one of the highlights in this book. Nishat's coming out story in this book is a hard one, but her sister Priti is a true gem and the type of sibling we all wish we had. I wish we got to know Flávia better. It's hard to understand why Nishat falls so hard when we don't know the love interest that well. Trigger warnings for: homophobia, racism, the outing of an LGBTQIA+ character, and bullying (no physical violence). If you're looking for a good w|w enemies to lovers romance that addresses serious subjects like cultural appropriation and the difficulties of being outed, this one's for you!