Muslim Women's Friendship and Identity

Strengths of the book include its rich character development and the authentic portrayal of the struggles faced by young Muslim women. The exploration of friendship and cultural identity is handled with sensitivity and depth. However, some readers might find certain plot points predictable or the narrative pacing uneven. Despite these minor flaws, These Impossible Things remains a compelling and important read, offering a window into the nuanced lives of its characters.

Salma El-Wardany's These Impossible Things is a powerful debut that skillfully weaves themes of friendship, faith, and cultural identity into a touching and memorable narrative. It's a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary fiction that explores the intersectionality of personal and cultural identities.

I really enjoyed this story of friendship and first loves. Watching the characters navigate the “adult” world after graduation was relatable. As a resident of Dearborn, Michigan, a community with a large Middle Eastern population, I appreciated the Muslim perspective and the obligations the characters experienced regarding their family and culture. Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

These Impossible Things is why we should read books about and by people who are not just like us. This book is about women and friendship, family and religion, love and abuse. It's a lot, But the author has written in a way that makes the reader understand while giving them a peek into a world that may not be theirs.

Malak, Jenna, and Kees are friends since childhood. They have faced life together forever. But adulthood brings all sorts of complications. One night at the end of their college years turns their world and their friendship upside down. It will take everything they have to regain the love and joy they once knew.

This is not an easy or fun read. There are difficult topics like abuse and religious and familial traditions. Be prepared to feel some things. It is a really clear glimpse into the lives of these women, and you'll be pulling for them to thrive.

My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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

This is a tricky book to review. I found These Impossible Things compulsively readable with many instances of gorgeous writing. I am extremely looking forward to more from Salma El-Wardany.

However, it's not going to be a book I widely recommend. There were a lot of character decisions I found cheesy or jarring. The number of times these women opted for sex instead of actually having a tough conversation with their partner was frustrating and left me wondering what actually made these relationships so great... because I didn't get to see any of their interactions or personalities. I also think it's harmful to write off toxic behavior as "that's just Arab men" because men of all backgrounds can be abusive... dating a white guy isn't a guarantee of safety. Finally, I just really wanted more from their friendship! An early-book altercation leaves these women estranged for the majority of the read... so I wouldn't necessarily describe this as a novel about friendship.

I read this book a while ago and wasn’t surprised to see mixed reviews after the fact. While I loved the premise, and tend to love friendship stories, the characters were rather horrible to each other and remained that way almost throughout the story. I did appreciate the honest exploration of complications that arise in intercultural relationships, but the treatment of Muslim men in this novel left a bad taste in my mouth. Though I’m not a member of the Muslim community myself, I was troubled by the very negative portrayal of just about every Muslim man in the book, while white men were saviors or long-suffering, loving partners. The result just felt unbalanced.

A fantastically satisfying young-adult, coming-of-age story about three, young, Muslim-American women growing up and coping with parental expectations, their own nascent desires, and the push and pull of friendships and familial relationships. I just loved this novel and I especially wanted my young friends who have parents who want to tell them who they should marry to read it so we could discuss it. I really appreciate how books and even TV shows recently have helped me understand better the culture of judgmental aunties and cultural expectations in the Muslim culture. This is the Fiddler on the Roof for the modern Muslim woman--but with a more nuanced, feminist understanding of patriarchy and male oppression. :)

I am gratefully to Netgalley for providing me with an advance review copy of this novel.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to finish so won't be leaving a full review at this time.

I was given a NetGalley widget for this one a year ago and I just got around to reading it and dangit it was so good. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have consumed this wildly relevant fictional tale, which felt not at all fictional, more like historical fiction, due to the times. The cover initially was what drew me in, but I'm so thankful to have stuck with it because the outcome was magical.

"These Impossible Things" was a departure from my usual murder mystery. However, I'm so glad I gave it a shot! This book dives into the depths about the important of love, friendship and the trials and tribulations of growing up.

These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany was almost a DNF for me. I picked it up and put it down so many times I wasn't sure I would power through.

Three best friends.
They are smart, modern woman. The first half of the book was a real snooze for me and I had a hard time staying with the book. The second half engaged me a bit more but not much. An OK book that left me wanting more,

These Impossible Things was not only picked as one of the celebrity book club reads but also by my own book club. It's described as a "razor‑sharp debut novel of three best friends navigating love, sex, faith, and the one night that changes it all."

And while I didn't totally love this one (some of the characters were just not my favorite...) I thought the writing style was really well done and there was a lot to take away and discuss with others regarding the connections of friendship.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central for my gifted review copies.

I was eagerly anticipating this book and was excited for the author having it picked for a celebrity book club. However, I felt that the book missed the mark in terms of good representation of Muslim women navigating life in London. I was dismayed at how the white guys were angels and the Muslim men were stereotypical abusive jerks. There was no nuance- just good and evil. Not a favorite for me
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I hadn’t let this sit on my shelf for so long, because it was so excellent. Despite being a Jenna pick, it didn’t get the attention it deserved! This is an intelligent, intuitive and heart wrenching story about friendship. The characters are empathetic (mostly) and very, very well written. I enjoyed this book, and the story very much, and hope that the author’s next novel gets more attention.

I read this one for my IRL book club this month. The first three quarters of the book I was bored and could not get invested in the characters. It felt long winded and I almost didn’t finish it. However, I will say that by the end it was much more engaging and I bumped up my stars because it made for a great book club discussion. We discussed this one until nearly midnight because there were so many topics to touch upon.

It is the story of three Muslim women and how they reconcile their religious beliefs with sex, alcohol and their romantic relationships. It is also about the bond of female friendship.

Pick this up if you want a lively book club discussion!

This was a wonderful book about friendship. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t know if it was just me but it was kinda difficult remembering who was who. Thank you NetGalley for the privilege of reading this.

Malak. Kees. Jenna. What beautiful, well rounded, complicated characters. It often takes me at least 20-30% into a book to truly care about characters but I loved these three from the beginning. I wept with them and for them. I felt solidarity and empathy in their struggles between the worlds they lived outside of their families and the ones they lived inside of them. The expectations, the challenges, the love they felt they couldn’t bring home. I felt it all. I wish I could forget it so I could back and read it again for the first time.

This story grabbed me from the start and I found myself desperate to know what happened to these three best friends who find themselves on different paths after an argument comes between them. My favorite character between the three women changed throughout the book, but I loved each and every one of them - not in spite of, but largely because of their flaws. These young women had so much heart and their obstacles - and reactions to them - were profound and I loved how they turned to each other when they needed to, even when it was hard for them. These women felt multidimensional - so real that I feel like I could go to London and join them for dinner. There are real, serious topics discussed here - major content warnings for abuse and rape - and El-Wardany handles them with nuance and grace.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I found this one very challenging, but though provoking. Not a real standout for me this year, but I look forward to seeing more from this author.

A captivating story of friendship, coming of age, love, and identity. Three friends navigate life through the lens of their Muslim faith and their family culture. A slow burn, character driven story that's thought provoking. Well written with rich character development.