rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
You Truly Assumed is a debut novel about three girls who join forces and create a blog to share their experiences as Black Muslim women. It follows the perspectives of Sabiyra, Zakat, and Farah who are all complex characters. They start a blog called You Truly Assumed as a way to make a safe space for other young Muslim women.

this book is definitely a favorite of mine now! i was filled with emotions while reading this book. I had been very excited about this book and had certain expectations, it was even better than I had expected. Laila Sabreen is a very talented author who knows how to write and describe how the characters are feeling perfectly. While reading, I did cry a few times. I was incredibly happy that the characters' parents were supportive and that they had a great relationship.
My favorite character was Farah as I deeply related to her character and her family situation. The story brilliantly explores racism and Islamophobia. It also explores challenges that teenagers now go through. It tells a story not just about bigotry but about romance, family, and friendship. It tells a story about using your voice and a community standing together. I felt seen while reading this book and I am so happy that it exists. I definitely think everyone should give it a read! Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

Happy pub day to You Truly Assumed!

I honestly have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I'd definitely recommend this. On the other, this book just didn't work for me, unfortunately.

Firstly, the pros. The plot of You Truly Assumed is definitely the strongest thing it has going for it. I loved the idea of these three girls coming together through the blog, and the book kept me engaged and interested the whole way through. And that cover! Not to be superficial, but it may be one of my favorites of 2022 (so far, at least).

I do think it's important to say that, while I found the plot engaging and very well-written, I am a white person and don't think it's really my place to speak on the Black and Muslim representation of the story. I've seen some reviewers of color say it was excellent, while others think it could've been better, so I'd highly recommend looking at some of their reviews/reading it for yourself to form your own opinions.

Now, on to the cons. While this book's plot is extremely strong, I found the characterization to be slightly lacking. It was occasionally hard to distinguish between the three voices, and some of the dialogue just felt clunky and awkward. While that was really the only flaw I found, it affected my reading experience enough that my rating is lower.

Overall, while this book didn't live up to my expectations, I would still recommend it - the plot really was very good!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: You Truly Assumed

Author: Laila Sabreen

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: 3 Black Muslim female MCs, Hijab Wearing MC, 2 sapphic couples mentioned as side characters

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, social justice, Muslim, Black Muslims

Publication Date: February 8, 2022

Genre: YA Contemporary Social Justice

Recommended Age: 13+ (micro-aggressions, terrorism, racism, hate crimes, Islamaphobia, racism, language, romance, religion)

Explanation of Above: The book is a deep dive into how 3 Black Muslim teenage girls deal with the public backlash during the aftermath of a terrorist attack in which the bomber had an Arabic name (even though he was said to not be Muslim), so the book contains a lot of mentions and showings of micro-aggressions, racism, hate crimes, Islamaphobia, and racism against them. The book also has some instances of cursing and slight romance with two of the main characters and their respective partners. There are also a showing of Christian prayer and some Muslim prayer scenes. While I enjoyed both showings and I loved the insight into the Muslim religion, I do know that religion can be a bit of a trigger for some people due to religious trauma, especially with the Christian religion.

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 352

Synopsis: Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in color-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.

Soon two more teens, Zakat and Farah, join Bri to run You Truly Assumed and the three quickly form a strong friendship. But as the blog’s popularity grows, so do the pushback and hateful comments. When one of them is threatened, the search to find out who is behind it all begins, and their friendship is put to the test when all three must decide whether to shut down the blog and lose what they’ve worked for…or take a stand and risk everything to make their voices heard.

Review: I extremely loved this book! This will be one of my forever favorites and a book that will stick with me for life. I absolutely loved the use of multiple POV and each of the main characters had very unique voices. The characters are well developed and the world building is simple but well done. The book was extremely well written and I’m having issue finding words to explain how much I loved this book. Personally, I will say to skip my review and read through the other reviews by Muslim readers, such as my friend Roha (I will have a link here to her review on my blog), because I think their words on the read are more important than anything I could ever come up with. I think the closest I can explain how powerful this book is, is to explain a personal story of when the book gave me my first reader pause. It was when Sabriya is narrating and her mother is telling her that she will be needed to volunteer because her father’s job was hosting this volunteer effort to help the families affected by the terrorist attack. She explains that she has to do it because her father worked so hard to get the promotion to his current job and not volunteering will reflect badly on her father. And that gave me my first pause because, as someone whose father was also promoted, I didn’t have to do any of that. Granted, it wasn’t a government job he held but the difference still remains. I didn’t have to work any events or volunteer my time to ensure my dad looked good to his bosses because my father is white and so am I, whereas the main character in this book had to and then had to endure Islamaphobia directed at her and multiple instances of micro-aggressions because she wanted to make her father look good to his boss. I will also say that my second pause was when, I think it was Sabriya again?, was asking herself “what is his name and what is his religion?” because that is an unfortunate reality so many POC and/or Muslims deal with when news of a terrorist attack happens because unfortunately if the attacker is POC and/or Muslim or anything other than White and Christian, the whole community will see an increase in hate crimes against them whereas if the attacker is white the narrative will be about how the white attacker had a “poor home life” and that will be that. Honestly, when the tagline said “thought-provoking” I didn’t think that it would have me lying in bed at midnight staring at my ceiling wondering how to process and proceed with this new knowledge. This book did SO WELL to put the thoughts and feelings of Muslims and POC into words and while the plots are very simple, it’s the blog posts and the small moments like what I pointed out up above that really drive home the important messages of this book. If you never read another book I recommend, I highly HIGHLY recommend this book and I urge you to read this one.

The only issue I really had with the book is that I wanted a little more time with Zakat and Farah. I feel like we didn’t get enough with them whereas we got a lot with Sabriya. I also think some of the timelines in the book didn’t line up exactly. There was some future events mentioned here and there in chapters with other characters and then it would happen in a present tense in the other chapters. It wasn’t a huge confusion though and the book can be read as is without issue.

Verdict: The highest of highly recommended reads.

I think this is a great YA book! I loved the dynamic of the three girls and how the intertwined. I also think the author did a great job of telling the story of a group that you don't often see or read about. I liked how all three girls had different issues of their own while also trying to figure out the blog and how at the end everything was rapped up nicely and loose ends tied.

This book made my heart hurt. From the very beginning it was awful to see how the girls got treated while doing nothing wrong. I think this is definitely a good book for anyone to read to really walk in someone else’s shoes for a second. It was truly heartbreaking that after each tragedy they already know their first question is “Do they know the attackers religion?” or some iteration of it. Outside of it being painfully true that the world treats Muslims and especially black Muslims the way they do in this book, it was wonderful to watch the girls come into their own under the pressure. Each girl went through her own struggle and managed to come out the other side stronger. For me, this was a 4/5.

Thank you to Turn the Page Tours for allowing me to be a part of the Bookstagram tour.

YOU TRULY ASSUMED by Laila Sabreen is a great example of a young adult book that can help build empathy in readers who are not Black and/or Muslim. The three protagonists, Sabriya (Bri), Zakat, and Farah are all very different in terms of family experiences, socioeconomic backgrounds, personalities, goals, and more. The author's decision to have three protagonists for this story is another way she reinforces intersectionality and the fact that not every Black Muslim experience is the same--even though, in general, the US likes to group people into generic stereotypes. When Bri hears the name of the person who set off the attack that kicks off the stories, she fears he will be Muslim and that fear is so resonant: there's no doubt many Muslim (or perceived Muslim) people will suffer because of that one person's actions. Bri's awareness sets the tone for the rest of the story as Bri, Zakat, and Farah come together to deal with events over the rest of the summer. I'll definitely be recommending this book to my creative writing students.

You Truly Assumed is a hard-hitting story that explores and breaks down Islamophobia. But it is so much more than that. It explores community, intersectionality and virtual friendships making this a fantastic book for this day and age. Following the separate stories of three young black Muslim teenagers, living in a society wrought with hate crimes and prejudice, they come together to create something powerful and cathartic. Their blog, which the book itself is named after, is both a place of sharing and connection. This book depicts both the dangerous complexity and the sense of togetherness that youth can find online.

Despite this, I did feel as though there was a lack of depth to the plot and characters. While there is certainly a lot of important themes presented throughout the story, there were relationships and character dynamics that I wish had just been pushed a little bit more.

**Please note that I am not a Black, nor a Muslim reviewer. Therefore I can not comment on the representation depicted in this book. Please seek out #ownvoice reviewers for more pertinent thoughts on this publication.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this opportunity!

This book was slow to start, but I think the message is truly inspiring, and is a Ya Contemporary to dive into.

I do want to say that those who wished that there was more exploration about being Black Muslim and facing Islamophobia or more character development-sometimes the length and premise of the book is enough.

I am tired of diving into Black books or POC books where the forefront is always pain and a easy cheat sheet for nonpoc to grasp and understand what it is like to be in our skin.

This is a good book, and I cannot wait to add this to my classroom library.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

First and foremost I want to point out that my rating very much comes down to my personal reading experience so don’t let it detract from the fact that this is still a very inspiring and empowering book.

You Truly Assumed follows three Black Muslim teenagers of differing backgrounds, living in different parts of New York who come together through an online blog page to speak out against Islamophobia in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. It also has a much more personal focus for each of the protagonists with them tackling their own issues with family, friendships, and the future.

I enjoyed following them on their individual stories and the exploration of racism and microaggressions will without a doubt resonate with a lot of people.

However, it is a book not without its debut hiccups.

The main one being that even though the 3 girls had their own primary storylines their voices didn’t really stand out from each other enough. The way they each interacted with other characters and went about expressing themselves, quite often overstating their feelings through inner monologues, became indistinguishable at times. A lot of the dialogue between characters felt very scripted too.

I also feel as though we didn’t really get to see the relationship between the three girls develop, it all just seems to happen off page which made it felt unrealistic. In fact the blog which brought them together didn’t have enough of a focus on it, we got a few generic snippets and then the protagonists just individually talking about how much they loved being involved with it. It would have been great if we could have had more interactions between them discussing the blog to just see more of their friendship forming.

Overall, this is a book with great concepts and a lot of heart that sadly didn’t entirely hit the mark for me. Though for its representation and overarching message I would still recommend giving it a read.
Final Rating – 3/5 Stars

This one was SO good. When I started it, I really didn't know what to expect. I was looking forward to the friendships the synopsis promised, but other than that, I wasn't sure what was coming. I'm so happy I took a chance on this one though, it was amazing.

I feel like I need to start this review by saying I've never gone through anything like Farah, Zakat, and Bri, and I likely never will. I don't have to face the prejudices they do. Regardless of that, this book really spoke to me. It both opened my eyes and forced me to look at things with a different perspective. I loved it for that, as it was both an enjoyable read, but also an enlightening one.

Other than that, I really loved the friendships all of our characters developed. They didn't know each other, they didn't even live near each other. Despite this, they found a family in each other. Their shared experiences brought them so close together, and it was incredibly touching to read their friendship. I also loved watching them confront their issues. They backed each other so well, and even when things got hard, they were there for the other. This book hit so much harder because of the bonds it showcased.

The ending was also spectacular. It almost brought tears to my eyes, it was that inspiring. Watching Bri, Zakat, and Farah reclaim their power was amazing. They refused to be silenced. They refused to let their voices be ignored. They fought as a team, and although things weren't magically fixed at the end, things were moving forward. I loved the realistic take this took. Life tried to knock these girls down, but they kept fighting through it all.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for Sabreen's future works. This one was the perfect mix of fluff and seriousness, and it was a read I'll be thinking of for quite some time.

Thanks for Turn the Page Tours for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

If i want to embrace the [muslim] community, my Blackness is rarely taken into account. And those two identities are so tangled I can't separate them."

cw // racism. bombing, islamaphobia
rep // Black Muslim MCs

You Truly Assumed follows Sabriya, Zakat and Farah, three girls find each other through the creation of a blog, You Truly Assumed. The words of Sabriay, the drawings of Zakat and the tech skills of Farah bring it to life. A space that originally started as a private blog for Sabriya thoughts after a terror attack in DC and the following hate crimes against the muslim community, it transforms into a space for young Black muslim women in a world where islamophobia is growing bolder.

While the girls have similar identities, they could not have more different home lives and engage in their faith in different ways. Coming from different backgrounds of wealth, home lifes and social activities, there are lots of moments where the reader gets to see the community not as a monolith.

Some of the sub plots in this book do wrap up a little "too" nicely, but I think this book is good for giving a win all around to its characters. Between arcs of a budding enemies to friends romance, meeting an estranged father and hate crimes in a community, we are told the moments of love, hope and friendship. I also like how this book centers on the girls and their experiences and not showing us both sides of the perpetrators actions. There's no need for that.

While activism can be a challenging topic to put into a YA book without it getting too preachy, You Truly Assumed balances the line well. I loved learning about these characters and I hope for a spinoff one day!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advanced copy to review. This book was a great read that handled Islamophobia, racism, and intersectionality very well. While it was a shorter read, it was a heavy one. My only critique was that I had a hard time distinguishing between the three character's voices. Because each of the character's story was unique, it made it easier, but the voice sounded the same. I do wish it was a little longer as well to flush out the ended better but overall very good.

I'm so sorry for what I'm about to write but this is 100% MY honest review.

This is a story about 3 Muslim Black young woman who team up to run the blog for a safe place for anyone who feels the same way as them. That blog is called You Truly Assumed. But eventually things get rough and not everything goes the way they planned.

The premise was really interesting. I wanted to love and enjoy this book, but I couldn't, however hard I tried. It's so dull and boring, literally like diary entries about daily life but nothing exciting. I couldn't feel any emotional attachment toward the characters too even though they're all amazing in their own way.

But there's one point I got from this book: you can have different responses from the same stressful situation and it's ALL valid. Your feelings always matters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing this ARC!

A terrorist attack rocks Washington DC and despite the attack not being carried out by a Muslim, the assumption of his religion has devastating affects on the lives of 3 Muslim teens.

Sabriya has her summer all planned, but the terrorist attack changes everything for her. To deal with her thoughts and feelings she turns to writing an online journal to express herself. She never thought that her words would resonate with so many other Muslim teens, or that they would attack the level of hate she experiences from online comments.

As Sabriuya's words go viral, two more teens, Zakat and Farah, join forces with her to turn You Truly Assumed into a force to be reckoned with and a way for the voices of other teens to be heard.

As the friendship between the 3 teens grows, so does their strength and their determination to make a difference in shutting down the hate and Islaophobia that colours their worlds.

This books talks of experiences that I can never personally experience and it is all the more valuable for doing so.

This important book highlights the power of words, friendship and being true to yourself.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the advanced copy of this book to review.

DNF @ 50%

I was really looking forward to this read: the cover is gorgeous, and tells a story by and about Muslim girls; something SO underlooked in the publishing industry right now. I think perhaps the younger side of YA is a better fit than the older one for this book, however, because I found this book to be too simplistic in writing style to enjoy.

I felt as though the dialogue was very stilted for the age of the characters: if felt too formal to be believable, yet simple in what the characters were saying. I couldn't imagine any teacher talking the same way these characters talk.

I also felt as though the writing did a lot of telling, and not showing; characters often stated their motivations instead of letting the reader get to know them through more showy sequences which gave the book a very simplistic tone.

That said, I do believe there will be a huge audience for this piece, and is so important. Black and/or Muslim women NEED to be given more of a voice than they are currently being given in the publishing industry, and I think it's great that this book is being traditionally published with hopefully lots of marketing. Just because this book wasn't for me, doesn't mean many won't find lots of value in it.

Absolutely amazing and showstopping!! You Truly assumed follow the lives of the Black- Muslim teens and how their live moves on after the terrorist attack at Washington DC.

The book carries on with 3 three perspectives of the lives of Sabriya, Zakat and Farah. But eventually their lives tie in together through the blog “ You truly assumed” created by them for a safe space for more people like them. The blog brings them together and seeing their friendship bloom was so mesmerizing and comforting to watch. I absolutely adored how all of them came together to create a platform a safe haven for people like them and they poured their hearts into it and even when there hardships and problems they pulled trough having hope and courage all this time. We see each character dealing with their own experiences, Sabriya’s journey where she stands up against people who have been harming others. Zakat’s love for her town and doing everything she can to protect it and Farah reconnecting with her father and his family. The character development was absolutely perfect and realistic with each character with their unique charming personalities and their story lines. Each of them had such a beautiful story and grappling story which makes you genuinely love them more and you don't wanna stop reading about them
Overall this book was amazing to read, the message and theme of this book was so beautifully portrayed with a few times when I wanted to cry and with moments where I laughed my heart out.

"Was the terrorist Muslim?"

Like the characters in this book, it's the first question I ask when I hear news of an attack, followed by a silent prayer: please don't let them be Muslim. Please don't let me watch and hear people bashing the religion I love with renewed fervor. Please don't give right-wing politicians another reason to further restrict the rights and freedom of Muslims.

Please don't let there be more hate.

With this introduction, the author made the characters instantly relatable because I intimately understood their fear.

Sabriya, Zakat, and Farah live in different cities and under different circumstances. Sabriya's father is Muslim but her mother isn't. She's a dancer, she dates, and she wears a necklace with the name of Allah around her neck.

Zakat is a hijabi who often goes to the mosque, but her parents are very strict and don't easily give their daughter permission to step beyond what they consider safe. And even though Zakat could have been full-on rebellious, she loves and respects her parents even as she struggles to redefine the boundaries they've set for her.

Farah was raised by her Muslim mother. Her non-Muslim father left them when she was young, and has now invited her to spend a few weeks with him and his family. Even though she doesn't want to be away from her boyfriend this summer, especially since he will be leaving for college after, this might be a good way for her to see if a long distance relationship would work out.

Despite their differences, all three are united by the blog Sabriya inadvertently starts when she publishes her private journal, full of her anger at the Islamophobia after the attack. I really liked seeing their friendship, which was very solid despite what the official synopsis seems to imply. Rather than threaten to break them apart, when one of them is threatened, the other two show nothing but love and support. It was an amazing depiction of online friendship and how strong it can be, even if you've never met face to face.

I do think that the book needed some polish. None of the characters truly stand out, the writing is somewhat uneven, and the storylines are all tied up just a bit too neat for such a heavy topic. I also wanted more from their friendship than we ended up getting because the separate storylines never felt like they really came together. The three young women each deal with their own challenges on their own rather than uniting to solve them together. Yes, they offer each other encouragement and support, but that and working on the blog is where the collaboration ends.

The last thing that bothered me a bit was how they all used Western nicknames for the blog. We have three young Muslim women with beautiful, Arabic names, and they get condensed to Bri, Kat, and Rose. Yes, they should have used aliases, but making them so blatantly English rubbed me the wrong way.

I am happy this book exists, and I hope young, Black Muslim girls will feel represented by the characters here. I look forward to more books from this author.

I finished this book earlier today and I finished it with a feeling of completeness. It was a book that was multiple perspectives, which I love and within those points of view, there were these really great story lines. I appreciated how separate and yet together their stories were and how these characters came together. I understood these characters from the standpoint of being a Black Female Teen in America and while I'm not Muslim, I felt their irritation with the world that we live in not being open to this integral part of their being. This was a wonderful book that so many teens will be able to see themselves in!

This is a very important YA contemporary about modern activism, dealing with hate, being a Black Muslim Woman, and just empowering yourself and those around you. It was such a wholesome story, too, the friendships at its core a highlight for me. All three protagonists were really individually fleshed out with their own motivations and struggles, and I enjoyed reading from all of their perspectives.
I did feel like this book was a bit too much tell not show, with certain relationships popping out of nowhere, like a father or imam being suddenly a major support for a character. I really like the different forms of support the characters had, but they often needed more development for me. Also, I feel like the book often said "the blog and the friendship it has created means the world to these characters" but it wasn't totally believable because we didn't see enough of the blog and the main friendship.
Nonetheless, I still found myself smiling at the ways our three main characters connected virtually and found a safe space in each other, and that is huge to me. I love when a book can make me smile so naturally like this book did, because it was empowering and powerful to read as a teen who does a form of activism. With Covid, too, I've worked in multiple teams virtually and it was cool to read about teens texting each other to find times to have video meetings and overall just healthy, thoughtful communication.
I would recommend this to anyone looking to gain insight on a Black Muslim woman's experience, anyone who loves supportive friendships and families, and anyone who is interested in contemporary activism.
I can't speak to the representation as I'm not a Black Muslim woman, so I encourage reading reviews by Black Muslim Women.

First I want to thank NetGalley and Inkyard Press for giving me free access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

It took me two tries to get into this book. But that was because the content matter is heavy and when I first started reading I wasn't in the right headspace to appreciate what Sabreen wrote. However, once I got into the book, I was hooked. I literally stayed up to 4am reading because I just could not put it down. (I don't think I've stayed up that late in over a decade!)

To anyone who loved Angie Thomas' "The Hate U Give," you need to read this book. Whether you are a young, black Muslim woman like the three protagonists or not, I feel like this is an important book to read. For some it will be a mirror to see their experiences reflected and for everyone else it is an exceptional window to see and understand what some people have gone through.

While the book does focus a lot on how Sabriya, Zakat, and Farah deal with Islamophobia, the book is able to hold the complexity of their lives by also showing their personal growth, friendships, family dynamics, and romantic relationships.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough - though, because of the Islamophobia the main characters face, I do advise people to practice self care as needed while reading. I hope Sabreen continues to write because I want to read more of their books.