Beautiful story about female friendship, and also religion, race, love, and family. The three women at the center of the story: Kees, Malak, and Jenna, are young Muslim women finishing university, moving into adulthood, and navigating life with and without each other. While the women each navigate relationships with non Muslim men in different ways, the themes of the book are universal - female friendship (the good and the bad), love, moving into adulthood. This is a wonderful debut novel: El-Wardany writes about heavy topics with a light hand. I laughed and cried.

"It’s always been Malak, Kees, and Jenna against the world. Since childhood, under the watchful eyes of their parents, aunties and uncles, they’ve learned to live their own lives alongside the expectations of being good Muslim women. Staying over at a boyfriend's place is disguised as a best friend’s sleepover, and tiredness can be blamed on studying instead of partying. They know they’re existing in a perfect moment. With growing older and the stakes of love and life growing higher, the delicate balancing act between rebellion and religion is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate.

Malak wants the dream: for her partner, community, and faith to coexist happily, and she wants this so much she's willing to break her own heart to get it. Kees is in love with Harry, a white Catholic man who her parents can never know about. When he proposes, she must decide between her future happiness and the life she knows and family she loves. Jenna is the life of the party, always ready for new pleasures, even though she’s plagued by a loneliness she can’t shake. Through it all, they have always had each other. But as their college years come to a close, one night changes everything when harsh truths are revealed.

As their lives begin to take different paths, Malak, Kees, and Jenna—now on the precipice of true adulthood—must find a way back to each other as they reconcile faith, family, and tradition with their own needs and desires."

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Malak, Kees, and Jenna have been friends since childhood in the tight knit and nurturing Islamic culture of the UK. As they embark on their adult lives, a sudden falling out one evening separates them temporarily. They begin to build lives apart, but, in crisis, are drawn back to one another.

This was yet another novel that took a while for me to engage with and really appreciate. Initially, I thought the friends, for their age, to be quite adolescent, or at least their conversation seemed so.

Beautifully written, the author tackles some very difficult topics. There is so much here…the pull of family and culture, gender roles, abuse, the strength of friendship, and what, to me, has always been the tyranny of religion. It is an engrossing, rewarding read. There is a technique the author employs that I really like. As she told the story from each woman’s POV, she also related what was going in other related peoples’ lives at the same time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing the DRC.

*****UNPOPULAR OPINION*****

I appreciate what this author was trying to do and how to represent 3 young women of the Muslim faith, but the execution was in poor taste and quite cringe-worthy. This book was not for me.

Cannot recommend. I have a hard time even giving it one star. I did like the cover.

Thanks to Netgalley, Salma El-Wardny and Grand Central Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 6/7/22

The narrative style of These Impossible Things is unique and impressive for a debut. It’s common to see an author add to a character’s story by showing you what has happened over time, but I admired how El-Wardany within a single sentence would show you what was happening over *space*. This further interwove the individual journeys of our leading ladies and added dimension to secondary characters. The narrative arc of the novel was well constructed and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

As Malak, Kees, and Jenna practice their faith in a way we don’t often associate with as the practices of a “good muslim girl”, I foresee this novel getting a lot of hate from the muslim community for “misrepresenting” Islam. However, as a muslim woman myself, reading this book made me cry and feel seen. Many of the romantic and familial relationship issues the women in this novel face are ones I experienced in my early 20s. Islam is not a one dimensional, and if you’re willing to understand Salma El-Wardany’s dimensions as represented in this novel, I believe it will deepen your understanding of muslim women. If you’re unsure if you’re up for this challenge, please notice the outlines of naked women on the cover and visit El-Wardany’s personal instagram - she’s not trying to fool anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced copy.

3.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

These Impossible Things is a story about three Muslim best friends: Jenna, Kees, and Malak. Their friendship takes a hit early on in the story and from there, they go on different journeys. We follow them over a period of around two years, from school to careers. This book covers a lot. Love, religion and faith, friendship, family, racism, and more. I thought it was well written with characters who had their own distinct personalities and flaws. However, I found it slow at the beginning. Things definitely picked up though and from there, I was invested.

In These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany, uni besties Malak, Kees, and Jenna live between traditional Muslim lives (massive weddings, nosy aunties, rules of modesty) and modern student lives.  They have each other, though, which makes navigating two worlds easier. It's a complicated tension between the two worlds, where both sides have advantages, it's not an easy choice for any of them.  I liked that the Malak also wanted the traditional Muslim wedding, even if she didn't fully want the rest of the lifestyle. Sorting out what each woman honestly wants, when she's not being pressured, is the heart of this story.  

This is very much a British Muslim story, but anyone with two cultures in their family can easily relate to it. Pretty sure everyone with immigrant parents or grandparents has wanted to join in with something her peers were doing, but that shocked her family. Some outfit or activity that was normal for her classmates, but isn't appropriate for good _______ girls.  Some of the other family themes, like not wanting to disappoint parents, or dealing with nosy relatives are pretty universal.  

Some of the conflicts really did feel impossible, at times. Sometimes it seemed like there was no way to reconcile the lives their parents expected with the partners and lives the three women want, and sometimes even no way to figure what she really wanted herself. But other times, the women are able to live with a technicality or a selective application of a religious rule, which created interested situations in the story.

As Malak, Kees, and Jenna mature and choose different paths, their friendship becomes strained. This feels realistic, because your bestie making the opposite choice can feel like a rejection of your choice. Their friendship, which seemed effortless in college, gets complicated and twisted over the years, but their affection for each other doesn't end.

Kees' rich, white, Catholic boyfriend is romance-novel perfect, which made me roll my eyes a bit at first. Someone Malak gets involved with is almost too evil to be believed, which made it harder to connect to that part of the story. (I have trouble following romances storylines while shouting DUMP HIM.) Some of the secondary characters in general felt slightly flat, but then it became clear to me that the trio's blood relatives and romantic partners are secondary to their friendship, so of course they won't be as fully developed.

There are solid women's fiction themes of friendship, marriage, and family conflict in These Impossible Things. Although some parts of the culture were completely unfamiliar for me, the strong, complicated friendship makes it a very relatable storyline with a moving ending.

The synopsis was so promising and had me very excited to read but I felt overall the novel was lacking despite the bones being there.

I appreciate the diversity of Muslim culture within the book as each character comes from a different background but I found each character very hypocritical of not only each other but themselves. Perhaps it’s my own lack of religion, meaning I’m not religious at all, so I didn’t mind the breaking and bending of the rules, but it felt unrealistic. Some of the traits each character displayed didn’t align throughout the book. Kees, for example, felt very judgmental of drinking and other aspects while having premarital sex and even technically living with a man prior to marriage. Her argument of it not counting because it wasn’t “official” was wildly frustrating. The break down of chapters felt uneven to me and I craved more of Jenna and the portrayal of white men versus Muslim men felt wildly biased and whitewashed.

However, I do believe that navigating traditional versus modern values while juggling individuality, relationships, and general growing of adulthood are key points within the novel that can stand out if you focus on them.

These Impossible Things
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (rounded to 4)
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 6/7/2022
Author: Salma El-Wardany
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 400
Goodreads Rating: 4.12

TW ⚠️: Sexual assault, domestic violence, abortion, and family rifts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing a digital copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Malak wants the dream: for her partner, community, and faith to coexist happily, and she wants this so much she's willing to break her own heart to get it. Kees is in love with Harry, a white Catholic man who her parents can never know about. When he proposes, she must decide between her future happiness and the life she knows and family she loves. Jenna is the life of the party, always ready for new pleasures, even though she’s plagued by a loneliness she can’t shake. Through it all, they have always had each other. But as their college years come to a close, one night changes everything when harsh truths are revealed. As their lives begin to take different paths, Malak, Kees, and Jenna—now on the precipice of true adulthood—must find a way back to each other as they reconcile faith, family, and tradition with their own needs and desires. These Impossible Things is a paean to youth and female friendship—and to all the joy and messiness love holds.

My Thoughts: The characters were developed so well, that if I knew them in real life, I would want to be friends with them. There were three different stories going on with each of the women. You could feel their heartbreak, their sadness, their love, their joy, and every other emotion they exhibit throughout this book. There have been mixed reviews on this book but personally I enjoyed it. Some of the religion may not be accurate based on some other reviews I read before getting the book, but I still thought the writing was creative and engaging. It is a book that I would like to get the physical copy and read. Overall, an l enjoyed this book.

These Impossible Things
by Salma El-Wardany
Pub Date: June 7, 2022
Grand Central Publishing
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. A razor‑sharp debut novel of three best friends navigating love, sex, faith, and the one night that changes it all
I personally did not buy into this book. I found it disrespectful of religion and the Muslim faith. I cannot recommend it.
3 stars

Wow, this book really. got me. I can think of a handful of books that have affected me the way this dead. I was extremely invested in each of the three characters: Malaka, Kees, and Jenna. Each one of their stories was unique, but all showed how easy it is to give away little pieces of yourself until you no longer recognize yourself of the situations you find yourself in. There stories revolved around hypocrisy, the challenges of being a woman, dealing with family expectations and loyalty and how inertia can take you down the wrong path. I wanted so desperately for each of the three to be happy. This is an excellent book that will stay with me for a long time.

Three best friends - Malak, Kees and Jenna - grapple with growing up and trying to be “good, Muslim women” while living in a modern, multi-cultural world. It took me a while to really get into the story, but it is beautifully written. I was the most invested in Kees’ plot - she’s in love with a white Catholic man and has to figure out what will make her happy or at least the least miserable - losing the love of her partner or her family.

I really appreciate how this book lives in the gray areas. Each of the three main characters faces complex issues that don’t have one clear, right answer. They are flawed women doing their best in a world that isn’t built for them.

This novel touches on some heavy topics, but has a light and blithe tone, which, honestly doesn’t completely work for me. Dealing with different takes on Muslim beliefs, some of the portrayals felt a bit cring worthy.

This is a coming of age story of three modern women grappling with love, friendship, grief, religion and racism.
The pacing is a little slow, However, Salma El-Wardany's has an ability to bring together these characters who are so different from each other and make them feel so real and relatable! Through these specific women, we are shown not only the details of a community that may be outside of our own, but they also serve as examples of all women, in society in general. I love when characters are made to be so accessible and real.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book!

This book was painful to read. The moment she called The Quran a lifeless green book I knew this was going even more downhill, and it did. I know people practice faith differently, but as a practicing Muslim this made me cringe and throw up. I like the drama style in this book, but the book took me forever to get through and I did not enjoy a single moment. I really wish faith wasn't treated like this, but 2 stars because hey different perspective I suppose.

“A woman has a way of screaming with her whole body that only other women can hear.”

In These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany we read the story of three close friends Malak, Bilquis (Kees), and Jenna who are all navigating womanhood while holding on to their shifting ties to each other. Friendships on the page make for some of the greatest love stories. This is one of them👌🏾

The interwoven narratives of each friend connect present day experiences to their hopes for the future. This brings about conflict between their own values and the desires of their parents. In the storytelling are both poignant reflections on women’s rights in Islam and rights overall.

“Of all the books Kees has read…no one has ever taught her how you react when your childhood friend tells you she’s been living in a war zone.”

Kees is the first phone call Malak makes in a moment of personal crisis. Malak moves to Egypt and goes over a year without speaking to Kees. She is quietly suffering from intimate partner violence and no one back home knows about it. Her boyfriend doesn’t give her physical blows- his blows are verbal, psychological. He is jealous, insecure and controlling. When Malak breaks her silence and reaches back to her friend, she finds safety and a way back to herself.

Mo is the first Muslim man Jenna has dated and as their story unfolds we learn the truth about the reason for their engagement. When Lewis, who has been in love with Jenna for a minute, wants to intercede, Kees and Malak have a decision to make as they learn about a painful secret Jenna has been hiding from everyone.

Kees is in love with Harry but paralyzed by shame that he isn’t Pakistani which makes it difficult to truly internalize the joy of a healthy, reciprocal love. When Kees wins her first case in court the first person she wants to call is her father but she can’t. Her family has pulled away following her decision to marry a man who is not Muslim. One of my favorite parts of the story is when Henry promotes healing between Kees and her mother. A masterful plot twist.

Three young and modern Muslim women, best friends since childhood, must go through a painful period of separation as they step into the world to become who they are meant to be. The rhythms of Muslim family life are lovingly portrayed, as is the anguish when ritual and custom are denied.

These Impossible Things shows us that romantic love sometimes makes loving and honoring family very difficult. Kees, Malak and Jenna always have each other's backs, but when romance comes, things get complicated. Only Jenna seems to have the most realistic answer: enjoy your dates, but remember that in conservative Muslim families it's going to be the parents who choose your partner for life. To their peril, Kees and Malak fight that, and even Jenna has troubles.

The families of these women are well-educated and generally well off, and non-Muslim characters are depicted positively. A beautifully told story, this novel would probably be quite different if this were not so.

These Impossible Things reminded me strongly of a seminal novel from 1958, The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe. Both books follow three young women as they begin to make their way in a world where their choices and even their desires are constrained by the cultural expectations of the world around them - expectations so ingrained that they enforce them upon their friends and, sadly, even upon themselves. The earlier novel's protagonists are dealing with the casual misogyny of 1950's America, while the women in These Impossible Things contend with the strictures of modern-day Muslim families in London. Trying to live authentic lives within these strictures proves nearly impossible for two of the friends, but defying them proves only to bring a different sort of misery for the third. All three must learn what truly matters to them, and what only seems to matter because their society says it should, and all three pay dearly for that knowledge. While the characters were deeply sympathetic, the book as a whole was slightly unsatisfying, as each individual resolution seemed unlikely to eliminate future conflicts down the road. The book does provide an intimate look into a culture, with a clear-eyed tone towards its faults as well as its benefits, and overall is an enjoyable read.

This novel takes you on an emotional roller coaster through the lives of three Muslim women and their journey of friendship. All three women take their religion very seriously at the beginning of the novel and the storyline shows their struggles with remaining true to their faith but also living the lives they want to be living.

I started this book not thinking it would be for me. However, the author truly pulls you into the lives of Malak, Jenna, and Kees. I was rooting for all three on their journeys through adulthood (individually and together) and suffering as they suffered. I got to experience what it is like to live with families who are devout Muslims, which is not something I have experienced before. The struggles each woman faced to please their family, while also staying true to themselves was valiant. Each character faced their own challenges and each overcame them in their own way.

I honestly loved how fresh and emotional this novel is. It is something I will recommend to anyone.

This was awful! The Arab/Muslim sayings and phrases peppered thoroughly were annoying. On the first page I hi-light EID because I have no clue what Eid sex is. So in the event you know a lot about the culture then maybe you will care to read it. I live in Southern California, surrounded by many Muslims. One of my best friends is from Jordan. I do know a decent amount about the culture.

I for one think the author throws in a lot of Americanized behavior, dreams and wants to grab attention but it was an epic fail. Good devout Muslim people don’t drink, eat bacon or have sex before marriage The expectations of "good Muslim women" is slammed down your throat from page 1 and this has no bearing on any behavior these girls/ladies exhibit. If you are of the Muslim faith then the author wants us to believe that half are really not true to their religion. If you are of faith, you don't break all the rules. It is as if a Catholic went out drinking every other night, having sex and then affairs but is deeply religious.

Don’t bother reading unless you care about religion and faith being trashed. This is not something I would recommend. The cover is horrific too.

A razor‑sharp debut novel of three best friends navigating love, sex, faith, and the one night that changes it all

Malak, Kees, and Jenna have been childhood friends.
But while they are in their last year of college, one night will change their paths forever. As the truth and secrets come out the close bond these friends had are tattered.
Now in adulthood and living their own lives they have to find a way to mend what got broken in the past.
Can these women find happiness and there way back?

I loved how Salma El-Wardany exploded these characters with their faith.

And working on their friendship, loss, love, religion, racism and navigating their families struck something inside me... Something true.
The writing here is simply ravishing.
It speaks volume and for this to be her debut novel... She absolutely killed it.
This book will made you smile, tear up and really make you think! I sure did me!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Grand Central Publishing,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.