Apologies for the confusion earlier. Here's a revised review for "This Way Out":

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“‘This Way Out’ delves into a poignant narrative about identity, love, and family acceptance. Amar’s revelation of his engagement on a family WhatsApp group initiates a seismic shift, challenging cultural norms and sparking internal turmoil about love, faith, and familial connections.

Initially, connecting with the narrative proved a bit challenging, possibly due to the writing style. However, as the story progresses, it gains momentum, offering well-developed disputes and plot points that deepen the narrative's impact.

The progression in the writing style throughout the story becomes evident, evolving into a more compelling and captivating plot. The unfolding of Amar's struggle with cultural expectations and his relationship with Joshua resonates deeply, prompting introspection about the nature of love and acceptance.

While I personally cannot comment on the representation, the book’s ability to evolve and engage readers, despite the initial challenges, speaks volumes. ‘This Way Out’ is a thought-provoking exploration of love within cultural contexts, leaving readers pondering the complexities of familial acceptance and personal identity.”

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

Absolutely loved this book!

The writing style was really good and I look forward to reading any other books from this author in the future :)

This book took me a while to get into. The writing felt a little off, possibly because of the first person perspective, and I struggled with the narrative. That being said, the book picks up after a while. As the story develops, the writing strengthens, and I thought the disputes and plot points of this book were really well done, they were necessary and thought out, rather than something random and undeveloped.
I can’t speak to the representation myself, but I enjoyed reading it, and would be interested in more work by this author.

This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed is an impressive and emotional debut about coming out, family, grief and love that takes its protagonist, and the reader on a real journey of learning about self acceptance.
We meet Amar, a Bangladeshi Muslim born and raised in London's East end who is still coming to terms with the death of his mother three years before on the day that he decides to come out as Gay to his entire family by the tried and trusted method of group text. He knows that this decision could easily blow up in his face, his father and elder brother in particular are quite religious and unlikely to accept this new reality, but the reason he needs to do it now is that he is getting married to Josh, his boyfriend of the past few years. When he finally braves meeting with his family in person, the reactions range from supportive to completely disowning him and soon Ahmed is questioning everything he thought he knew about his family, his faith and his relationship.
I was totally engrossed by this powerful story set in a culture that I know little about, and really felt for Ahmed as a character. I was impressed by how the author tackled issues like racist micro aggressions and the value of self acceptance as well as the importance of allowing yourself to grieve the loss of a loved one. His growth as a character over the course of the book was what kept me reading and rooting for him as he gradually began to find himself, feel more comfortable in his faith and open up to Josh about the things that had been upsetting him that he had been bottling up.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This Way Out is an emotional yet also at time humorous contemporary novel about Amar, a gay British-Bangladeshi muslim man who comes out to his family after getting engaged.

I found Amar to be a realistic MC. Like yes, he's a bit of a mess and doesn't always make the right choices/ react the right way but, in his defence, he is also going through a lot for most of the story.

There were also another couple of aspects of this book I really liked. Firstly, Amar starts therapy in this book and, though he's quite dismissive of the idea at first, we see how it helps him to better understood his own actions and feelings, and encourages him to reach out to others who have had similar experiences.

This links to the second plotline I really liked, which was seeing Amar reach out and connect with other queer Muslims, and learning and contemplating how to reconnect with his religion and culture alongside being queer. (Though I, obviously, can't speak to the accuracy of this rep in these scenes.)

The main downside of this book for me was that the side characters were a bit bland, especially Amar's white fiance, Joshua, meaning I wasn't that invested in their relationship.

Overall though, this was still a good read, ideal for anyone looking for an emotive coming out story that also explores identity and culture.

honestly it’s not a typical storyline I usually ready but the blurb hooked me in and I read this in a day

Unfortuntely, while this book had a great, interesting start, it started to fall flat by the middle, and I did end up skim reading the last half. This book is great to get a deeper understanding of gay Muslims, and the challenges they go through, however from a story telling perspective, it's very tell, not show. There were a lot of inner monologue paragraphs I could easily skip without feeling like I'd lost a lot of the plot. So, while informative, I wouldn't say the writing was the most engaging.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm an own voices for This Way Out with the muslim representation. I feel like muslim rep is subjective and difficult to assess when you know that the book is also a self-insert. This way out is a cross between Crazy, Rich Asians and The Love Match. It's a cute book that's also good for fans of Becky Albertalli.

I loved all the characters in this book - they seemed so real and made me feel all of their emotions. It is a great love story but also covers so much more - family dynamics and religion and all the issues these cause to life and relationships. 5 stars!!

I do agree with some reviews that the book seems almost like it is meant for a white audience for the first few chapters--I think there was a lot of explaining that people with cultural literacy, regardless of background, wouldn't need, and I would've liked it a bit better if it got rid of some of that. However, I still really enjoyed the story, and like the writing.

This is not my first book about a gay romance. The best one I've read, though, is unquestionably this one.

Ahmed starts off kind of stumbling. Thoughts of him being anxious while writing the story initially pass through your mind (seamlessly), and you soon find yourself drawn into the narrative.

My familiarity with Muslim culture is limited because I'm a biracial woman from the Caribbean. I can honestly admit that, despite my understanding of the struggles faced by LGBTQ+ persons who come out to their families, I never really gave the cultural aspects of it much thought or considered how they may make an already challenging situation much more challenging.

The experiences Joshua and Amar have in this narrative are eye-opening. Again, not in the conventional "gay coming out of the closet" sense, but rather the entire impact of how far it extends, how it crosses cultural boundaries, how to incorporate cultural differences—things you don't necessarily consider when reading a coming out romance.

I became so invested in Amar's journey in this book that I started crying, laughing, and yelling aloud.

Even the most cynical among us can learn from this lovely tale that we never truly glimpse the broader picture. This book did educate me to be cautious and to consider both the individual and their culture. Additionally, don't hesitate to ask questions. People prefer that you make an assumption rather than ask.

I heartily endorse this book. Truly. It was out of my comfort zone for me, and I was quite uncomfortable at first, but I'm pleased I sat through the awkwardness and learnt.

Please. Read this now. You might perhaps learn something in addition to the fascinating plot and fantastic characters.

This was an interesting and intriguing story about a man who is same gender loving and comes from a Muslim family. Amir has the daunting task of telling his Muslim family that he is getting married. To another man. And a white man at that. Amir was one of my favorite characters. This was an engaging and sometimes sad story. And one that can be read any time of the year, not just during pride month. I loved some of the themes that were presented throughout the story. I also enjoyed some of the cultural references presented in the story. I am anticipating the next book from this author. I enjoyed this read very much. This will not be my last read from this author

Thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for this eARC.

This story centres a gay, Muslim, Bangladeshi man’s journey to acceptance. It explores themes of grief, culture, love, religion and family. The characters were so beautifully written and well-rounded.

Because of the themes discussed in this book, I wouldn’t consider it a romcom as Amar’s romance isn’t really a main focus topic, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this read. I’m excited to see more from this author!

A love story that is grounded in reality, 'This Way out' explores religion, culture, family, love and grief in glorious technicolour.
Real, vivid characters who are three dimensional and make you swoon and rage - what a brilliant read

I liked this book. The premise of the story was really good, but I feel as if the execution could have been a little bit more refined.
The story followed a queer Bangladeshi man and his journey to acceptance.
A good read, and I will definitely keep an eye out for more books from the author

3/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc

This Way Out is one of my favorite reads this year.

Amar's getting married and it's time to tell his family. The only problem? Amar's family doesn't know he's gay.

This LGBTQ+ story is centered on a Muslim protagonist that finds his place in the world. I've never read a story quite like it before. Grief, loss, family ties broken and possibly mended, plus learning to communicate with your partner like you never have before. What's not to love?

Tufayel Ahmed's writing is extremely down-to-earth. While Amar's experiences are unlike anything I'll ever endure, the way Amar's hardship is described is perfect. Our protagonist is teetering on losing his religion. The clear descriptions and Amar's point of view make this section of the story extremely endearing.

I must say, Amar's quick wit and self-reflection were a few of my favorite parts of this lovely story.

Special thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

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3.5stars
The blurb is completely misleading, it is shown as fun romcom but the romance takes little space in the story and it treats way deeper and darker themes.
It is a story of coming out (prompted by the upending wedding) in a traditional muslim family, his story of loss, mental health and spirituality and where does his relationship fit in all that chaos. In order for Amar to be ok with his relationship, he needed to take care of himself and solve where he saw himself in all that mess, how could he combine being gay and muslim.
I couldn't stand the all too goodie white savior mother-in-law, Amar's family wasn't backwards because they were muslim, but because they were deeply religious and you would find those issues in any deeply religious person from any religion. Other spirituality is possible and Amar finds it possible.
It was a good coming-out story dealing with religion and mental health really well.
The main issues were with the pacing and narration, which sometimes derailed and became more an internal monologue than a narration. Amar was really self absorbed and selfish, he needed to work through his issues: the loss of his mother, his family's acceptance of his sexuality. It was a great evolution. It ended all too well, that opposed to the beginning doesnt sound plausible.
I didnt buy Amar and Joshua as a couple because Joshua was the most bland character ever with no real depth but the ending kinda worked out.

I found much to enjoy, appreciate, and learn about This Way Out — a richly-explored story with memorable characters.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.