I loved learning more about Ramadan and the Muslim faith. But the story and the characters left something to be desired.

This sounded like fun and I like reading stories about cultures and experiences outside my own, but things I saw make me side-eye some choices, especially in a book set during Ramadan. In the end, not a book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy of “Salaam, With Love” by Sara Sharaf Beg. All opinions are my own.

This book follows Dua and her family as they go to stay with relatives in Queens NYC during the month of Ramadan. During this time we get to see her strengthen her relationships with her cousins and her family, recommit to her faith, begin a blossoming romance, and learn about herself and what she wants to do with her life.

Lovely book that covers a lot. I wish I could’ve read this when I was younger, as it is a YA novel and I’m not that target audience (though I can definitely see younger me being obsessed with Dua and her relationship with Hassan.)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was a well written, well developed YA book and I loved the main character and her journey and her family

I’m so glad this book exists! I had a hard time getting into it, because Dua does start the book very much a teenager in a way that exhausts me, not a teenager. But it picked up pretty quickly and I loved seeing her discover herself and her family.

Thank you to Random House Children's and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I was worried that this book wouldn't be the right age range for me, but I'm really glad that I read it! It was not only cute, but also had the kind of depth that is so refreshing in fiction. As someone who grew up as a Christian in the South, I am so glad that I read this and got such a wonderful perspective on Islam from someone who actually practices the religion. This is the kind of book that the world needs, one that will actually foster empathy and kindness to those around you.

The romance was super cute, but it also didn't feel like it was the main focus, and I'm really glad of that. I'm glad that the focus was religion and Dua's personal journey and improvement. She is such a relatable character, and watching her work through her own relationship with religion was very refreshing and something that I feel like so many older teens need.

There are themes of Islamophobia in this book (that are very intense at times), so please be aware of that. But I do think it was something non-Muslims needed to read and feel. The book is so good at immersing you and relaying all the emotions to the reader.

Everyone needs to read this, point blank!

This book was wonderful. Despite not being a Muslim, it was a beautiful and enlightening experience to follow a character who is and to be inside her thoughts during Ramadan. I have no say in whether or not the representation was accurate; for the benefit of Muslim readers, I hope it was, but the familial dynamics, her relationship with her love interest, and her relationship with her faith were all fascinating storylines to follow. It taught me things about Ramadan and Islam that I would not have known otherwise, and I believe that even if your beliefs do not coincide with theirs, it is vital to know and comprehend it, as well as to have empathy for people who are different from you. All in all, a lovely story.

Even though there were some instances that seemed exaggerated or dragged to me. It's a nice and breezy read.

Please, PLEASE read this book. I'm not sure what I thought I'd expect when going into this book but it doesn't even matter because the author did it better. I'm obsessed.

Heart warming story! The cover drew me in and I'm happy I read it. I love to learn about different cultures and religions and this definitely paved the way for that as a book set during Ramadan.

The story centers around Dua, a high school student who travels with her parents to NYC to spend the holy month of Ramadan with her family (whom she doesnt know very well). I loved following her journey as she learned more about herself, her religion, family, love and belonging in the world.

As someone who is not a Msulim, I cannot speak for the authenticity of the authors story as far as Islam and Ramadan goes. But I learned a lot and really loved the characters growth.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read for my opinion!

This was such a heartwarming book about belonging, religion, and hope. I loved that it was set in the holy month of Ramadan -- I've never seen a book like it and I loved it for this reason and so much more. Sara Sharaf Beg is truly a talent to behold and I hope more people can get their hands on this wonderful and sweet debut. Full review will be over on my bookstagram page once I acquire a copy of this book! Thank you for the chance to read it early!

My Thoughts:

Although Dua, the main character is older than the average middle grade protagonist, this first love, Ramadan book is appropriate for middle grades readers as well as YA readers.

Dua, her mom and her dad spend her senior year summer in New York City with her father's brother and his family. For Dua, who is used to growing up as the only Muslim kid in her school, she has been content to spend Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims, as a "sort of Muslim" who is allowed to let her faith slide to her convenience. But when her family visits her more conservative uncle, aunt and cousins, she must figure out who she is as a Muslim and what being a Muslim means for her.

The story is cute and the one month of Ramadan is eventful not only because of some unforeseen events but also because as Dua learns more about her Muslim faith, the author opens a window for non Muslims to also learn about Ramadan, the culture and the religion. There is ugliness in this book, but like the love interest, Hassan, the ugliness is tempered with patience and kindness.

If like me, this is a new cultural experience, you may also want to have students read Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, edited by S.K. Ali and Aisa Saeed. Salaam with Love shows a Pakistani American Muslim family, but in Once, the editors show how Muslims are even more diverse, so this is a great ladder book. Salaam ends on Eid, which is the end of Ramadan's month of fasting (like Lent) and is closer to maybe a western Christmas with feasting and gifts, so again, the two books will pair well together.

From the Publisher:
Being crammed into a house in Queens with her cousins is not how Dua envisions her trip to New York City. But here she is, spending the holy month of Ramadan with extended family she hasn’t seen in years.

Dua struggles to find her place in the conservative household and to connect with her aloof, engaged-to-be-married cousin, Mahnoor. And as if fasting the whole day wasn’t tiring enough, she must battle her hormones whenever she sees Hassan, the cute drummer in a Muslim band who has a habit of showing up at her most awkward moments.

After just a month, Dua is surprised to find that she’s learning a lot more than she bargained for about her faith, relationships, her place in the world—and cute drummers. . . .

i feel so bad dunking on this book because i think it's good representation of south asian muslim culture, but on the other hand, the story itself, and the writing are so bland. none of the story elements stuck out to me, i didn't see much chemistry between the main character and love interest, plus i thought their age gap was kind of weird. college students should not be falling for underage high school girls, even if the high school girl in question is very close to being eighteen. i know i might get flamed for this, but i don't think i could ever get on board with it, even if it's just the "culture". fix the culture because nothing's wrong with islam and i wish this book didn't normalize it, even as marginal as it is.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. This book is one I would highly recommend. Content warnings though, for terrorist prejudice, racial slurs, and a shooting. There is a romance in this yes, but it's on the backburner for sure. It discusses a lot about someone renewing their faith of Islam (during the Ramadan season) and because of that, I personally learned a lot about the season and more about the culture as a whole. I also believe that even if you are not Islamic but are religious in some way that you would benefit from this. Its a journey of self-discovery along with learning about how strong familial bonds can be or not. It is also written in a easily consumable way for all ages to read it. Overall, I want as many people as possible to read it. Because of these points, I have to give it a 5 out of 5 stars

"Salaam, With Love": 4🌟

A beautiful, enchanting story of family, love and faith. The cover was what first draw me into this book but then, as soon as that first paragraph hit, I was hooked.
The representation of this book was flawless, beautiful and so touching! I love the protagonist and her friends and all the praying, it made this book super special and particulaly beautiful.

I absolutely devoured this book! Not only is it extremely sweet and romantic, but it gave such an educational insight into the Muslim faith and how they are treated in our society. It broke my heart at times, made me cry, laugh and squeal and I just couldn't put it down!

This was really good. Great Muslim reprisentation. Beautiful writing. I think the author did a really good job. Good YA contemporary with first love!!!

It's wonderful to see more and more books about a range of ethnicities and religions. This is a young adult book that any young woman would enjoy--and also learn more about Islam and the ins and outs of Ramadan. It has romance, family relationships, a bit of intrigue, and a universal theme of generational differences when it comes to a young person going out in the world to college. The family members are interesting and many different relationships are featured. It's a sweet read and I'd recommend it to any young person. As an adult, I found it to be good reading and it held my interest from beginning to end.

Salaam, With Love starts off with Dua’s parents telling her that they are going to spend the month of Ramadan with their extended family in Queen, New York. Dua is reluctant to go because she hasn’t seen her cousins in many years and doesn’t know what to expect when she gets there.

When they arrive, Dua first feels out of place, but then slowly starts to find herself while connecting more with her family and faith, as well as finding new friends in the city!

I really enjoyed reading this book. Before getting into this book, I didn’t really know much about Ramadan. But, reading this book gave me a new perspective in a different culture and religion. I definitely loved learning more about Ramadan and the Islamic faith. The way Dua was at the beginning and then slowly becomes closer to her faith and finds herself at the same time. It was all about personal growth, which I love. It was soo good. I need a second book.


Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.