All My Rage is Sabaa’s best work yet. So rarely does a book quite so personal touch the literary world and leave in its wake a trail of self-reflection quite like this one does. I lost myself in Sal and Noor’s pain, hope, love and grief, desires and fears, and of course, rage. This is a story so richly written that I firmly believe that it can be told by no one other than Sabba Tahir.

All My Rage follows Salahadin, a boy with a sick mother, an alcoholic father, and a dying motel in a desert. We also follow Noor, a girl who lives with her uncle who doesn’t want her to recognize any part of her Pakistani heritage and certainly doesn’t want her to go to college. Together, they have to navigate the complexities of their lives and face the consequences of their actions. And in several journal entries scattered throughout, we have the perspective of Misbah, Salahudin’s mother, as she meets Sal’s father in Pakistan and falls in love.

“Today is a poltergeist I’ll chain to the back of my brain, one forever linked to freezing desert wind and dirty asphalt and a loneliness so deep it shouldn’t belong to this world.”

I love how many aspects of Tahir’s own life are present in this novel. I know that she grew up in a motel in the desert, loves older rock music, and is proud of her Pakistani heritage. Each and every one of these elements plays an irreplaceable role in forming the threads that keep this story intact. I can’t stress enough how his book is clearly a love letter to Tahir’s own life, and how personal it makes the story.

Salahudin and Noor are essentially Pakistani children, even if Salahudin is born of immigrants. The love Misbah (Salahudin’s mother) has for her culture seeps through the pages, into both of our main characters and their lives. I’m a Christian, and although this book focuses on the Islamic faith, I really loved the theme of faith and hope.

“Sometimes we hold onto 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 cried so much reading this book and I know that I will cry again upon rereading it. There is something so profoundly human in this story that twists and turns as you can’t help but root for these characters, these characters full of grief and rage and hope, stuck in impossible situations, struggling to make impossible choices. This is about two best friends trying to survive and figure out who they are, all while dealing with an insurmountable range of emotions.

“You were my world. But to your father, Salahudin? You were the solar system. Bigger. The universe itself.”

I’m going to be honest: if I had to give one fiction book recommendation for the rest of my life, it would be this one. This isn’t just a story for YA lovers, or for contemporary lovers, or even those who just like a good tearjerker. I truly think that this is one of those books that will be one of the pillars of the book community for years to come because it deserves to be. If you love your culture, read this book. If you love your family, read this book. If you love music or friendship, if you’ve gone through hard times, if you just want to immerse yourself in a beautifully written story that will steal your heart...I can say nothing else except this: read All My Rage. I think that there are few stories so intrinsically perfect that they can be universally loved, but this is surely one of them.

Thank you Penguin Teen for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! Quotes are subject to change in finished copy.

can sabaa do any wrong???? i dont think so and this book was a refreshing look at the way her mind works. i will read anything she writes!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an advanced copy of this to review! One of my most anticipated releases of the year, I’m so happy this lived up to my expectations. It’s not always an easy book to read, but it definitely is a necessary one. And one that fills a bit of a hole in young adult literature.

I believe this is loosely based on Tahir’s own life, and you can feel it in the emotions that fill the pages. Something we knew from An Ember in the Ashes, Tahir is an expert at writing emotion, and at writing characters you care about. That’s something that shines through this book. Sal and Noor have great chemistry, even when they’re not talking. Giving us snippers of Sal’s mom’s story also adds to the history and the context of their story.

This book also deals with a lot of tough issues, racism, immigration, sexual assault, drug dealing. However, it doesn’t feel like there’s too much going on in one book, which can sometimes happen. All of these issues in this story are interelated, and through her characters, Tahir shows how that’s true. It’s a story that feels realistic and shows things that many teens deal with on a daily basis.

Even though this is different from Tahir’s fantasy series, you find a lot of the same elements of hope, family, and love. It’s a strongly crafted book, all emotions and all.

From my review for the Seattle Times:
Don’t judge All My Rage by its cover: behind the teen romcom-ready geometry is a heavy story of loss, mistakes and forgiveness. Best friends Noor and Salahudin (“Sal") grew up in Juniper, a small town in the Mojave Desert where Sal’s parents own a motel and Noor works in her uncle’s liquor store. Come senior year, they’re fighting, Sal’s mother is ill, the motel is struggling and escape from Juniper looks near-impossible as Noor tries to apply to college without her uncle’s knowledge. All My Rage has a domino feel—everything that can go wrong goes wrong—but far from feeling predictable, it reads as carefully orchestrated dread. Noor and Sal jump off the page; even as they make realistically bad choices they’re compelling and impossible to root against. Also well-drawn are the side characters: a high-school mean girl is a nuanced depiction of how racism can be disguised by civility and pettiness. The book is a bit of a downer, but also a powerful statement about survival and new beginnings. And it’s gripping: I finished All My Rage at 2AM, enthralled by Noor and Sal’s story.

Wow ! All the emotions that I got while reading this book. Not gonna lie, check the TW before reading.

For the content of the book, it’s well written, it broies my heart a million times, I really wanted to protect Sal and Noor. We talk about grief, love, family and also dream. I love the way Sabaa always give us Hope in every book she writes. They always have the choice to redeem themself and learn to grow and it’s so beautiful.

It’s probably so messy right now but I fell in love with this and I’m not gonna stop talking about it.

This book is absolutely EXCEPTIONAL. i sobbed harder than i ever have in my life. Though i am not pakistani and have not had many of the experiences these character struggle with, i still found myself relating to them. The trauma and pain these characters endure and SURVIVE is astounding. the themes throughout this book have opened my eyes to so much. I truly believe this book should be taught at schools for all time. PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS!!!!!! this book is not for the faint of heart. Thats said, Sabaa has done it again. She has broken me and pieced me back together. thank you for this masterpiece.

Thank you Penguin Random House and netgalley for an e-arc of this book!

There’s those moments when you finish a book and you look up and realize that the world is still spinning, but you don’t understand how everyone is still moving forward.

Don’t they know what you’ve just borne witness to? Don’t they feel the remnants of Noor and Salahudin’s journey in their bones? Does not the wise speak of Misbah call your mind at random points in the day? Does the rage in you meeting the rage of the characters in this book not flare when you think of it?

These are the things I feel in the aftermath of All My Rage.

This book stabs you in the heart from the very beginning, a slow fissure spreading as you continue, but the pain feels so good you cannot turn away. I would expect nothing less from Sabaa Tahir.

One of the best books I have ever read. Snag a copy on March 1st, 2022. You don’t want to miss this one.

I was lucky enough to get an advanced readers copy of All My Rage (thank you penguin teen!)

Tahir is a master at creating characters that worm their way into my heart and refuse to let go. All my Rage is a masterclass in creating an immersive contemporary world that felt nearly as rich as her fantasy. There are a lot of heavy topics in this book--and thankfully there is a content warning at the beginning of the book--but there is so much humor and heart in it, too. A new favorite.

I don’t think i can ever entirely manage to articulate the feelings and thoughts i had while reading this book. reading it during the month after my grandfather’s death allowed me to understand my grief through this book, and i think because of that All My Rage will literally stay with me forever. it’s a tender story telling of hope and love and forgiveness but also anger and despondency all alongside religion. salahuddin and noor ended up being so much more important to me than i ever expected.

I'm struggling to find the words to say how powerful, impactful, moving, heartfelt, and healing this book it. I'm at the point after finishing an incredible book where words fail me and I'm just left with emotions and deep love and empathy for our characters. This books is stunning. Hands down one of the best books of the year!

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir is a story that is told throughout generations.

In the past, Misbah is newly married to Toufiq in an arranged marriage. They have come from tragedy in Pakistan to the United States and open the Cloud’s Rest Inn Motel for a fresh start.

In the present, Salahudin and Noor have grown up together as outcasts in Juniper, California. They understand each other more than anyone else ever could. That is, until the Fight destroys everything. Salahudin struggles to run his family’s motel while his mother is gravely sick and his father is an alcoholic. Noor works at her wrathful uncle’s liquor store and is hiding the fact that she applied to colleges so she can escape him and this town. When Salahudin’s attempts to save the motel get out of hand, he and Noor must face the consequences together.

This novel is beautifully written. It is unforgettable and emotional. I can’t stop thinking about this book.

This story holds so many different emotions, it’s hard to explain in words how it made me feel. I was sad, i was happy, i was hopeful and i was scared. You are immersed in these characters lives and just want the best for them from the very beginning. Sabaa takes this story to a whole new level of her writing journey and I’m so dang proud and can’t wait for what she writes next.

It's such a different book with characters that have perspectives that I think a lot of teens will be drawn to. Like for the right kid, this will be a gamechanger.

All My Rage is a novel that not only captivates the reader but brings them through the tragedy and suffering life has to offer. Salahudin regrets turning down his best friend Noor after confessing her feelings to him. He now dates another girl, lives with a sick mother, and an alcoholic father. When his mom, Misbah passes from kidney disease, Sal reconnects with Noor to fix their friendship. However, that friendship soon turns into desire and lust for her. Noor is dealing with the struggles of getting accepted into college, the trauma of her past, and her uncle's anger. While dealing with his mother's death and the inability to pay off the motel she loved running, Sal resorts to drug dealing. When Sal gets caught red-handed, Noor gets implicated in the crime. Now Sal and Noor have to understand the true nature of their relationship. They both have to learn the unfairness of life and the weight God places on them.

This book was a fantastic start to the year. I smiled, cried, and even yelled at the book for being so brutally cruel and lovely. Sabaa Tahir has managed to create a novel full of the struggles Pakistani teenagers deal with. Her depiction of racism and the wicked nature of the world is realistically portrayed throughout the book. Even though it is a work of fiction, it tackles many obstacles and occurrences that happen daily. I genuinely could not put this book down because it was so intriguing. When parts of the story got dark and difficult for the main characters, I continued to read because of the truth presented in Tahir's words. Plus, the main characters go from friends to enemies to friends to enemies to lovers! How much better does it get!!!

I hope everyone has the chance to pick up All My Rage. Whether it is to educate yourself about the racial injustice and the problems society faces or to just read a good story, you will not regret it.

Please be mindful of these trigger warnings before reading.
Drug and alcohol addiction, physical abuse, Islamophobia, mentions of repressed sexual assault, tense exchange with law enforcement, and death

Thank you to PenguinTeen for sending me an eARC of this book!

First and foremost – Sabaa, thank you so so much for this artistic masterpiece. It’s truly a gift coming from the heart. So when I started reading the story I felt like I was peeking into someone’s secret diary. Someone pouring out to me their personal life experiences and I was thinking to myself, am I worthy of this? Is this OK? I mean, from the start, this was clearly something special. Also, from the onset, you know that Sabaa is not taking you into fantasy worlds with mystical creatures where magic will cure nearly anything. By somewhere around the last 125 pages, where it all comes down to a boiling point, the book is a straight read through well into the early morning (i.e., I simply could not put the book down). The story is Reality 101 about being viewed differently just because your heritage is different from the majority of the people living in your community. It is a hard life in the Mohave Desert and the themes are gut wrenching. Some of the topics in this book are not for the faint of heart. But the story is most certainly for anyone who has a good heart and a soul to read it. I thought in the beginning that maybe this was going to be autobiographical in nature but as I read on, and the characters spirits were being severely tested to their limits, I was saying, dear Lord please let a good part of this story be fictional because I could not wish any of what I read upon anyone. But whether true or representative in the form of fictional characters, this was an in your face look at someone’s life that we otherwise would not have been aware of. Many a reader may come away with a better understanding and appreciation as well as feeling fortunate about their own personal lives.

All My Rage takes the reader through Sal and Noor’s emotional journeys of loss, grief, and love. Sal’s mother, Misbah is ill and she is running their family inn all by herself, while taking care of her alcoholic husband. Noor was saved by her uncle after and earthquake in her home in Pakistan, but is forced to work in his liquor shop and discouraged from going to college. Sal and Noor have been childhood friends until a recent fight between them. After Misbah takes a turn for the worse the two of them come together again to help each other make it through the rest of high school, Sal trying to save his family’s inn and Noor trying to find a way into college far from Juniper, CA.
The prose, the characters, the setting, is excellent. The story switches between Sal, Noor, and Misbah’s viewpoints and “One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop is intertwined throughout. This book is heavy in a lot of ways dealing with addiction, abuse, Islamophobia, and sexual assault that’s been repressed. It is a beautiful and emotional story that leaves an impact. I loved every second and didn’t want it to end.
I’m going to be thinking about this book for the next year and recommending it any chance I get.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second time reading All My Rage and I am sobbing as I type this because this book is so raw and beautiful and it tore me apart and put me back together with the stitches to show. And I shall show them proudly.

First of all, I am a big Sabaa stan and I would read anything that she writes. I was desperately desperately hoping for an arc of AMR and I am super grateful to Penguin Teen for giving me access to the eARC on NetGalley! Also, Sabaa has penned this amazing essay called The Ghosts of Our Motel on vox.com and I highly recommend that you read it before starting AMR. You’ll thank me later.

So…this book. Two South Asian Muslim teenagers/best friends/strangers go through some sh*t that will hurt you to the core. Because this isn’t some ordinary teenage romance or immigrant story or literary contemporary work. AMR transcends all of that.

I’m not trying to be pretentious or vague here. Without giving away spoilers, all I can say is that this book deals with generational trauma and immigrant life like no other book I’ve ever read before. I fell in love with everything about it but was also terrified of finishing it because I was too scared about how it would end. With four chapters left, my fingers trembled every time I had to turn a page. But it was worth it and I’m glad I didn’t stop because I think the best way to read AMR is to read it in one sitting, so that you forget everything else outside of the novel. It’s okay though, because even if you don’t finish it all at once, you won’t be able to think about anything else for a long time after you’re done reading it.

You know that feeling in your chest like you can’t breathe because something has wrapped itself around your heart and consumed you whole? Or that feeling when you love so thing so much that you want to consume it and make it a part of you forever? That. That’s the feeling I get when I read, and think about, AMR.

Okay, that sounded a little crazy so I’ll stop. But before I go, I’m South Asian (and I understand Urdu and Punjabi, if that makes a difference) and I am extremely grateful to Sabaa, our Kehanni, for telling our stories and making them so beautiful. I can’t wait for AMR to get out here and stun everyone!!!

Ahhhh! Will AMR be the last book I read this year and the first I read next year? Yes. Yes! I’m going to read it as many times as NetGalley will let me! But I have to sleep now because it’s 4am and my tears have finally dried. K, bye!

Such a great story about two Pakistani-American teens and everything they go through. Betrayal, forgiveness, assault, racism. There are so many layers to this that it's hard to wrap it up, But trust me, if you like Sabaa Tahir's other books, you will love this one. Definitely worth the read.

4 stars ⭐

I've wanted to read Sabaa Tahir's other books but still haven't gotten to it.

I really liked this one. I thought going in I would be bored or something but this is such a beautiful story with such very leveled characters and I definitely will be getting a physical copy when it comes out!

I will be definitely thinking about this one for a while

Thank you Penguin Teen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm going to start this review out by saying: I was not in the right mindset for this. If you want a good cry and an altogether heart-jerking book filled with trauma , then this is the book for you.

I'll also be honest anf say that in general I'm not s fan of Sabaa Tahir's writing style, although I was curious if it would change at all for a contemporary. This is definitely an important novel not just for the Muslim community, but specifically Pakistanis.

Pace was a bit stop and go and the story telling style was unique. I think fans of her books will really enjoy this one, just definitely be sure to check trigger warnings.