I can say, without a doubt, that All My Rage is one of the best books I have ever read. And because of that, I have a review to back up its greatness. Hence the length.

This is a non-spoiler review. A huge thank you to Penguin Teen for an ARC copy of this book.

Trigger warnings for AMR: drug and alcohol addiction, physical abuse, Islamophobia, mentions of repressed sexual assault, tense exchange with law enforcement, death, racism.

This was my first ever Sabaa Tahir book, and honestly I’m not sure whether that was ideal because now I have exceedingly high expectations for anything else she has written. I have never cried so much while reading a book, to this day. And never has a book effected me so much mentally or emotionally as All My Rage did.

My Pakistani Punjabi blood pounded at my veins when I opened to the first page of All My Rage and stayed there until the very end. I implore you, if you are Pakistani, Muslim, a child of immigrants, an immigrant, a fan of A Thousand Splendid Suns or The Kite Runner…read this book. Even if you are not typically a reader of the contemporary genre, I seriously recommend All My Rage.

All My Rage is a story about the struggle of coming to terms with one’s roots, the costs of the American Dream, and the reality of being forced to hide because of what it means to look different, all while trying to find comfort in friendship and love through it all.

It is a magnificent story that takes the reader through a journey of grief, love, betrayal, and forgiveness.

Every line of Urdu and Punjabi was like a blanket covering me, protecting me from the cold. It was warmth. It was comfort. All My Rage made me feel seen. It was everything I never knew I needed to read to be understood. Pakistan is my homeland. Just as it was for all of the main characters of this book. I have never read a book that focused so much on Pakistani culture while still highlighting the duality of the difficulty of being an American Muslim as well.

If you like to cry, then you need to read this book, no brainer. I think my tear ducts may have dried up after I was done, because I really did spend most of the book crying. It wasn’t even that every part was sad per say, but Sabaa Tahir is just so talented that every sentence has an abundance of meaning and emotion that it is impossible not to tear up just from consuming her writing. The connections made from beginning to end, the symbols, the love, the- I could go on forever, is what made this book make it on to my “top 10 books ever read” list.

One of my favorite aspects of this book, besides how much it reminded me of my roots and who I am, is the characters. Their stories will forever be carried on in my mind, as well as the lessons we must learn from hearing them. Misbah was my favorite character, as she reminded me so much of my mother.

Having recently travelled to Pakistan to visit my family, and now being back in America, this book hit me like a semi-truck in terms of relatability. However, the beauty of this novel is that no matter your background, you will be able to empathize with the characters. The writing makes it so that it is impossible to not understand where each character’s emotions are coming from.

I firmly believe that All My Rage should be taught in schools across the country, because it is just as good (even more so, in more opinion) as the “classics” that are currently studied nation wide. I genuinely believe we can make this a reality, as other books focusing on cross cultural identity, such as The Namesake, have made it to the AP list. This book being YA should not be a barrier to it being taught in an educational setting.

Finally, it is important to recognize that this story isn’t a representation of perfect Muslims, and I know because of that, many Muslim readers may shy away from reading it, but the reality is, none of us are perfect, and All My Rage should be read with an open mind. It is a story meant to be read as an understanding of the journey of the characters, not a guide to being perfect. Every Muslim is different, so keep that in mind when reading this. To any non-Muslims reading this book, just realize that, as said before, every Muslim is different and that this shouldn’t be your sole source for understanding Islam and Muslims.

All My Rage is everything I never knew I needed in a book. I know I will be recommending this for as long as I am alive.

Wow. This book was incredibly raw and powerful. It tore me to shreds and then built me back up again. I have no words for this one. It was truly incredible. I haven't read a book that hit this hard in so long.

The two stories of "then" and "now" were so masterfully interwoven and beautifully illustrated.

Noor's story and struggles were particularly impactful. I broke down in tears various times when more details of her life were revealed.

Noor and Salahudin's relationship was just perfectly executed. The way they interacted not only with each other but also the way they talked and thought about each other was perfect. Both of their characters were wonderfully fleshed out and made perfectly complex.

I will be thinking about this book for a while. So so so incredible.

“Rage can fuel you. But grief gnaws at you slow, a termite nibbling at your soul until you’re a whisper of what you used to be.”

Tahir’s Ember series is one of my favorites. It’s fantasy and full of adventure. When I heard she was writing a contemporary novel I was hesitant to read it. However, I cannot see the same author in this book. They are wildly different. Different genres, different characters, different feelings brought about. That's pretty amazing to be able to do!

YA Contemporary is very hit and miss for me. I like the escape of fantasy where it entertains me but isn’t heavy. This book dealt with very heavy subjects. The characters are so well written that it’s easy to feel their pain. For that, Tahir is an incredible writer.

“I know addiction isn’t logical. Abu loves me. But right now, his need for oblivion is greater than that love.”
It is beautifully written. A foreword described it as "beautiful and consuming" and I completely agree. The ending wasn’t perfect which made it perfect I liked the realism of it. “There’s more to life than the things in front of you,” Santiago says, and now, finally, I listen. “Sometimes we hold on to things we shouldn’t. People. Places. Emotions. We try to control all of it, when what we should be doing is trusting in something bigger.”

I have no words. Sabaa Tahir has done it AGAIN and she has made me weep with rage, hopelessness, grief, and still yet hope. I will never go through or experience anything like what Punjabi and Urdu do, the story itself is one I and many others will relate to. I'm amazed at what this book accomplished, and how beautifully written it was. Bravo.

Salahudin and Noor haven’t spoken in months. Not since the Fight, which continues to hang over both of their heads, even when they try to ignore it. Unfortunately, they’re all each other has. Sure, Salahudin has his parents, but his mother is very sick and his father is always passed out drunk on the couch, so they’re no help. Noor has her uncle, who saved her when an earthquake killed the rest of her family as a child. But he’s determined that Noor will stay and look over the liquor store after she graduates, rather than go to college. In secret, Noor applied to seven colleges, daring to hope that she might finally be able to get away. These are two teens who are desperate to survive, to escape, but with so many forces against them and with them at odds with each other, will they make it through?

I received an advanced reading copy of All My Rage in exchange for an honest review.

All My Rage is a young adult novel by Sabaa Tahir. If that name sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because she’s also the bestselling author of the An Ember in the Ashes series. I read An Ember in the Ashes some time ago, and I knew that Tahir was good at writing fantasy. I was curious to see how she’d do writing something else. And, honestly, I was blown away.

I don’t even know where to start! Well, maybe with a few trigger warnings. The copy I read also had them at the beginning, which was nice, since there’s several sensitive topics in the book. I’ll list them here too, in case you’d rather avoid this review (since I may touch on these topics): addiction and alcoholism, abuse (physical and sexual), and racism (specifically Islamophobia).

From the very beginning, this book had me hooked. We start off with two characters who already find themselves in desperate situations: Salahudin with his sick mother and drunk father, and Noor with an uncle who doesn’t want her to go to college. But the more you read, the further into the story you go, the more you’re just caught up in their stories. Told through alternating POVs between Salahudin, Noor, and Misbah (Salahudin’s mother), we get to learn more about their lives in the small town of Juniper. We learn about their connections, their past, their hopes and fears. And how much the world is determined to keep them down.

This is really the story of what happens when two desperate kids want to survive in a world that is against them from the start. Not only are they both barely scraping by, but they have to deal with racism and bigotry, as well as their own and their family’s pasts. Yes, this is a story of two kids, but really their families form up so much of them, and a lot of their problems too! We have Salahudin with his parents, wanting to take care of both of them, save them. And we have Noor, who lives with the knowledge that if it weren’t for her uncle, she would have died too. She owes everything to him, and he reminds her of that, often. And there’s one thing I want to bring attention to regarding Noor and her uncle, but it would definitely be a spoiler. There’s something that will stand out in their sections, specifically something that at first I thought might be a mistake, but then I realized what it all was. Again, I don’t want to say anything, because when I realized what it was, I was aghast, so I want you to find it yourself. Just keep an eye out for it.

There is so much emotion in this book. This is a story about pain and grief, about fear, but you can’t have all of those emotions without some good ones too. There’s so much hope here, even when everything looked darkest. And, trust me, things definitely become dark as the novel progresses. In fact, things got to a point where I literally could not put the book down. The second day of reading this, there came a point where I really had to make myself dinner, but I couldn’t. stop. reading. I honestly completely forgot about how hungry I was, about what time it was. I forgot that I owed my parents a call, and that I had other chores to do. I refused to stop reading until I finished the book. And this wasn’t too near the end either, but I just needed to know what would happen.

I devoured All My Rage. It put me through every emotion too, and I sobbed for at least half an hour while reading this. Anger, devastation, but hope. And when I finished the book and put it down, I just sat, stunned. Overcome by how amazing it all was. It’s early in the year, but I have a feeling this is already one of my top ten books of 2022.

I would recommend All My Rage to anybody teen and above, as long as they are OK reading about the potentially triggering subjects mentioned above. It is a book that will rip through you, give you a major book hangover, but you’ll be unable to forget it and the wonderful characters that Tahir has created.

All My Rage will be released March 1. You can pre-order your copy from Razorbill here.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Penguin Teen, for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is just raw, emotional and so well done. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect with this story but it is so well done and I need everyone to read it when it comes out.

Here are the content warnings that I can think of for this book: loss of a loved one, grief, alcoholism and racism.

All My Rage is unapologetic angry with the unfairness in the world and I adore it for that. I think we need more books that express the rage that people have with the world, the lives that they live, the families that they are born into, all of it. This book feels so personal and I appreciate the author, Sabaa Tahir for writing this book. I found myself unable to stop flipping the pages and wanted to devour the book as fast as possible to know what was going to happen next. It is a phenomenal read and one that I think everyone needs to read. It is one of the best books that I have read that explores grief and it made me cry at the end.

PLEASE READ THIS. It is fantastic and I adore it with all my being!

Initial reaction: This book was EVERYTHING. I cried so much and my heart is still aching. I felt so raw reading it and I can’t imagine having the strength to write it. Sabaa already had all my respect and it’s since tripled.

I've been reflecting on this book for a while, wondering how to write this review. I read this book in November, and since then, not a day goes by where it doesn't cross my mind. Sabaa said that All My Rage took her ten years to write. It very well may take me ten years to recover. When we say books have the power to change us, it's books like this one that do just that.

All My Rage is a story of struggle. It's a story of loss and love, of failure and success, and of rage and the mercy of forgiveness. This book will leave you raw. And aching. With puffy eyes because you started crying around page 50 and you never stopped. But it's a story that needs to be told. The struggle of the "American dream", of two teenagers stuck in a town with their own individual problems and who somehow still need to lean on each other.

I'm going to speak very briefly on the Muslim rep and leave it at that. These characters have a deeply complex relationship with their faith and while it may not be an experience I completely relate to, that doesn't make it any less valid. The rep is written with the utmost respect for the religion and other Muslims.

There's a particular scene near the end where a character turns to their faith at their lowest moment, and friends, this scene broke me. There are tears running down my face as I write this review because the amount of grief and emotion in this book is enough to keep me crying months after I read it. I feel as though my soul was shattered by this book, but in a way that I know I'll be a better person because of.

I always recommend Sabaa's books, but this is the one. If you only take one book recommendation from me for the rest of time, let it be this one.

TW: drug and alcohol addiction, mentions of repressed sexual assault, physical abuse, Islamophobia, racism, death, law enforcement, grief

I'm so overwhelmed with emotions. I can't even begin to unpack them. Beyond moving, powerful, eloquent, miraculous, desperatation, love, etc. etc. etc.

Sabaa Tahir made a masterpiece, and without a doubt, I believe it will become a classic someday. I swear with my entire heart and soul on my grace. It is a masterpiece. She placed everything within her into this book, and it shows 110%. Every emotion flew through me like every color in the rainbow, and it's simply just a very powerful book in the YA genre.

I'm so honored to have reviewed it early. I'm usually not a big contemporary fan anymore, so I was unsure at the beginning how I'd feel at the end. Obviously, it's incredible, so no need to worry there. I cannot wait to hold a finished copy in my hands and recommend it until the ends of time. Get ready to find tear stains on any and all copies because it's going to be a pandemic of sobs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for a review copy.

And the award for first book to make me cry this year goes to....

Seriously though, All My Rage is an incredible book. Heartbreaking and hopeful, a story about pain, loss, family, and forgiveness. I have enjoyed fantasy from this author and was curious to see how she tackled a contemporary story.

Told in two timelines, this book primarily focuses on current day but also includes flashbacks to a young woman coming of age in Pakistan and getting married. In the present day, two Muslim Pakistani teenagers who were childhood best friends are dealing with really difficult circumstances. Salahudin's mom has died, leaving him and his alcoholic father with a mountain of debt and an aging inn. He knows selling drugs is wrong, but it seems like the only option for keeping his family afloat.

Noor is desperate to escape their small town and the racialized bullying she faces, but her uncle- her only surviving family who saved her when a bomb killed the rest of her family in Pakistan- wants her to stay and work in the liquor store he owns. He doesn't want her getting what he had to give up- a college education. And he hates that she is religious.

This book is beautifully written and will rip your heart out before piecing it back together. I felt so deeply for these characters and Tahir navigates very sensitive issues with grace and compassion. I loved this so much more than I expected it to. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings include addiction, drug use, medical scenes, physical abuse (on page), child sexual abuse (off page), racial and religious slurs, panic attacks, grief, death, police interactions, probably others but those are the big ones.

This book! Gosh, this book, what has it done to me? CRY. IT HAS MADE ME CRY. I understand now, when in interviews Sabaa said it took her ten years to write, and how it is the book of her soul. It's painful, beautiful, at times both hopeful and hopeless. It wrestles with the nitty gritty, grief, mourning, and everything in between. Sabaa lets you get to know these characters slowly... And then all at once, things happen. It's quick and brutal. It's hard and it hurts. But even in the midst of all the hardness and the pain, there is hope. I feel like that is a resounding mantra in Sabaa's works: there's always hope, even when it seems like everything is lost.

The story of Noor and Salahudin and of Misbah as well, it digs and clings to your very soul. It is so incredibly hard to lose a best friend the way Noor and Salahudin did, and the try to overcome what happened in the past to be who they are in the present and future. God, I kept thinking to myself, "When will we see goodness?" It's there, in the cracks and crevices.

I'll admit, I had my hesitations about this book. I'm not much of a YA contemporary fan, and I didn't know what Sabaa would bring to the table, but I knew it would be good. (Hello, I'm still recovering from A ​Sky Beyond the Storm!) I love all the music references (though I often didn't know half of the songs or bands, lol), and I love the Easter eggs to her own books and the ones to her author friends (many of which I think fellow readers of YA will recognize). Knowing Sabaa writes heartbreakingly beautiful contemporary, I'm eager to see what else she will write (and what other genres if she chooses to).

I will say I was really surprised at the events that lead to the ending. I'm afraid saying more or why will be considered spoilers. But I believe there are good things ahead of Noor and Salahudin even if I simply have to imagine it in my head.

I highly suggest being in a good mental state to read this book. There are times I had to put it down, to read something "fluffier" and then return to it because the subject matter is intense.

Ughhhh my heart! I feel so many emotions after reading this. Mental health is a huge issue and this book delves into it and the helplessness we sometimes feel from drowning in it.

Told in different years, we meet Misbah who runs away to start a better life with her husband Toufiq by opening a hotel. Clouds Rest Inn is the perfect dream of Misbah, but as her health is failing, her son Sal steps up to help. But what can you do when you’re father is an alcoholic and your best friend and your in a fight of the lifetime.

Poetic, that’s how I describe Sabaa’s writing. She takes family conflict, turns it on it’s head and adds more unimaginable damage to a persons heart. We all struggle and it’s truly the love and friendships that fuel us. But sometimes we have to hit utter rock bottom to be able to see clearly and pick ourselves back up. Forgiveness is love.

So if you choose to read this, make sure you have a box of tissues and a some water, because my heart broke in ways I didn’t know it could

All My Rage is such a powerful story with several important themes: immigration, racism, family, forgiveness, friendship, loss, and love. What I especially loved about this book is that it's a character-driven novel. You really get to know Salahudin and Noor on a deep level—their dreams, weaknesses, struggles, and their relationships with others. I also loved the perspective from Salahudin's mom, Misbah, and seeing how her immigration from Pakistan to America affected her as a wife and mom.

This book needs to be read by everyone. Seriously. The story added to my perspective and it made me want to be a better person who's quick to forgive and quick to love. I think this book has special value for teens too in how they view and treat one another and how they achieve their dreams. Absolutely loved it!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Thank you, Razorbill, for the ARC!

I've just finished this book and I'm both at a loss for words and don't have enough to say. This was an incredibly powerful, hopeful, and heartbreaking story. I went into it knowing nothing but the characters' names, and I urge you to do the same. We follow Noor and Salahudin where they live in the desert, each with their own demons to haunt them. We also follow Misbah, who, in the past, leaves Pakistan for America with her new husband. This is different from Sabaa Tahir's Ember quartet, obviously, but it holds the same themes of love, duty, and hope that her other series did. It is told with a beautiful, easy-to-read prose; I read this book in three sittings (two if I hadn't had to work, lol) because I simply couldn't get enough. There is discussion of faith and service, friendship and family; also heavier topics like domestic violence (there is a list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the ARC, so I assume there will be one in the finished book as well). While the book did have me crying at three separate points, it was a beautiful and promising novel. I will be thinking about this book for weeks and months to come, and I know I will come back to it in the future. I highly, highly recommend this beautiful story.

Devastating, beautiful, and absolutely heart-wrenching. I am without words right now. Noor’s, Salahudin’s, and Misbah’s stories speak for themselves. Sabaa Tahir has me screaming, crying, and breaking down with her characters through all their rage. This is a story of struggle with forgiveness, loss, faith, and the American Dream dealt with such nuance and maturity. Tahir’s love for the desert, Pakistan, and music bleed through these pages. I can see All My Rage being taught in schools and becoming a classic.

Sabaa! You’ve literally wrecked me once again. I didn’t think I’d ever recover from the Ember series, but here I am, sobbing like a baby after reading about Sal and Noor.

First, can we take a moment to appreciate the music in this book! I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard mentions of some of these artists and songs in my life, artists that also shaped my tender adolescence… Sigur Ros, Street Spirit (fade out), I mean…!!!!! Those mentions honestly left me speechless!

Now let’s move on to the book’s title. It’s simple, just three words, non-specific, however, the title selection could have only been dreamed up by a stroke of genius. All My Rage holds such profound meaning to the layers of the characters… characters who are so tender, vulnerable, complicated and altruistic, characters only Sabaa could create and give life to. My own emotions went through the ringer with this story!

All My Rage is an intimate portrayal of two teenager’s lives. Lives seen as otherwise mundane, yet a series of events threatens to destroy their futures in so many ways. The story is written using different POV’s which felt necessary to deeply appreciate each character’s struggles and intentions, and an unexpected POV that slowly exposes more to help the reader understand the trauma they have gone through. Throughout the book, there were so many moments of hope, inspiration, grief, and yes, rage, that at times felt completely heartbreaking yet simultaneously uplifting.

I couldn’t help but think that although they’re not connected, Salahudin and Noor’s lives reflected so much of the author’s previous work. Like embers in the ash, they each burned brightly… and like a sky beyond the storm, they both found hope.

I absolutely recommend this book for anyone who loves an emotional story, loves complex characters, and appreciates brilliant storytelling. But especially… if you love Sabaa’s previous books, this one is absolutely a must-read!

Thank you to @PenguinTeen and @Razorbill for my advanced e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is already a favorite of the year and I am absolutely certain it will go down in history. Sabaa Tahir's writing evokes such powerful emotion. As the reader, you truly feel everything her characters endure whether or not it is an experience you can directly relate to.

The story follows Salahudin Malik and Noor Riaz during their last year of high school. Their struggles are established quickly as Salahudin's mother passes and Noor tries to hide her college applications from her controlling uncle. Interspersed throughout is Misbah's tale of an arranged marriage and starting a new life in America. She is so full of hope and patience, it's inspiring.

The plot moves along at the perfect pace, nothing is rushed and there are no lulls. once you get into it, this book is hard to put down. Every character is the perfect sum of depth, pain, and rage. They are all trying to fight through their own trauma, for better or worse.

I cried so many times throughout this book but it was so hard to read the last 10% because I could barely see through my tears! It was just a sad cry, it was happy crying, angry crying, and hopeful crying. Tahir's writing is screaming to be read and understood. You can feel that she put her whole heart and soul into All My Rage.

I feel truly honored to have been sent this arc. I am not of color or Muslim so I cannot speak those specific experiences. I am agnostic but I have truly never understood the call to religion more than when Noor and Misbah spoke on it.

If you only read 1 book this year or in your life, make it this book.

A provocative novel that brings together two families and two sets of time together seamlessly. Sabaa tahir writes another amazing novel. This story was poignant and the characters all had their own issues but together they learned to preserve in times of struggle and great loss.

Sabaa Tahir has done it again with All My Rage. It is an absolutely gorgeous YA novel that spans over two generations and covers themes of love, grief, and family. I cannot recommend ALL My Rage enough--it is a MUST read!

If you are familiar with Sabaa Tahir's writing and the type of plot she writes, you will enjoy this but be prepared to be up in your emotions about this. All My Rage is very slice of life that will leave you sitting still after the impact of reading it.

All My Rage is told through the eyes of Noor and Salahudin, two high school seniors balancing the burdens of education, futures and adult problems they shouldn’t even be close to thinking of. And Misbah, Salahudin’s mother, a woman who’s desperate to hold it all together while feeling like she has failed.

This book is brutal in its nuanced portrayal of the consequences of forcing adult problems on young adults. So much of this book feels like waiting for the tsunami to hit. The earthquake has happened but the wave is what will bring the greatest devastation. And make no mistake when the wave hits it is devastating.

These characters felt so incredibly real. I say that because there were so many times I had to remind myself that this was fiction. Noor and Salahudin were so special. They had their problems but they also had their hopes and dreams. They had their humour and sorrows and while the sorrows often overwhelmed me their humanity is what tends to shine through most.

Grief is a major theme throughout the book. Loss of a parent, friend, dream… it’s always there lurking behind a smile or a pun. It fuels addiction, poor choices, brave ones and foolhardy ones. It felt genuine throughout.

Sabaa Tahir is not kind to her characters. She puts them through hell and they in turn take the reader with them. But by the end you cannot help but sit back and think, wow… let’s do that again!

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for a copy in exchange of an honest review!






Trigger warnings
- drug addiction, alcohol addiction, death of parents, earthquake (off page), domestic abuse implied and on page, racism, bigotry, death of a mother on page, assault of a child (off page), criminal trial, drug dealing, jail/imprisonment