I don't really know what kind of book I was actually reading.

It was classified as LGBTQIAP+ | Mystery & Thrillers | Romance.

As far as the LGBTQIAP+/Romance part. It is ok the book is based in Pakistan during the 70s but as a work of fiction I was expecting something more than dovey eyes and hands holding.
It's like a journal from 2 different people of the same event most of the time, but far far away from romance.
It is boring as the only thrill happens at nearly the end when Sarah has to flee if she wants a chance of life with Tanya.
It's mostly about the formative years as a surgeon.

As for the Mystery & Thrillers part.
Sarah seems to have some psychic abilities, but they are just there, there is not much of a story to them nor do they push the story further. They help in some cases, but they are 'treated' like any other abilities one could have (speaking a remote dialect, a foreign language, being a diver etc...) but there is no much mystery to them.

This book was a DNF for me, I tried many times, but couldn’t connect with the book from the beginning. No particular reason, it just didn’t grab me. So it feels unfair to leave a rating, but I’ve decided on a neutral 3 star one - I am what booktok has deemed a ‚mood reader‘ so who knows what the future brings. The premise is captivating, I will definitely give this another try, I feel like it has potential to surprise me.

I really enjoyed this book. It delved into complex issues both religious, societal, and within a relationship. I would definitely recomend

This a gay story from Pakistan. Sarah and Tanya meet when Sarah is beginning medical school and Tanya is a police captain. Sarah and Tanya develop a relationship that is not welcomed by Sarah's family. The story is told by POV of Sarah and Tanya. Also, throughout the book, there are stories about Sarah and Tanya involving medical and criminal cases.
The plot develops the relationship and the problems they encounter with the lack of acceptance of gay lifestyles and the pressures that are caused.
I recommend this book for those who want a different kind of love story. I just reviewed Lifelines by Shireen Magedin. #Lifelines #NetGalley

I'm not gonna lie, it was sort of a struggle to get through this book. But I liked the premise so I told myself I wouldn't DNF so I did finish it and now I'm glad I did. While it is a book that is not really up my ally due to the very very slow burn and endless details, I do believe some people will enjoy this.

We follow Sarah as she embarks on her journey to become a doctor through medical school. On her first day of college she has eye contact with a cute police woman named Tanya. Their paths intervene a lot which causes them to grow closer to each other.

I will be honest I skipped some parts of the medical college stuff. It was just not interesting to me.

The way that we see the same event happening throuh Sarah's an Tanya's eyes could have been excecuted better as we went back a little in time when the new POV started and it took the pacing out of the story. Like we see Sarah going through something and Tanya being in the same scene and then when we get to Tanya's part we'll first hear her thinking about Sarah up until she is going to the shared scene with Sarah. A bit confusing.

But overall not a bad read.

◦ Lifelines
◦ Author Shireen Magedin
◦ MC Sarah & Tanya
◦ 1975
◦ NetGalley


It's 1975 in Nawabshah, Pakistan. Sarah and Tanya have fallen in love in an ancient land. Can they withstand the fierce opposition to their forbidden love in a city of deeply held beliefs and cultural traditions?


Sarah leaves home to begin a new chapter. She attends medical school at all girls school.
This is a unique story. The romance moves nice and slow. Tanya is an investigator. You are kept hanging on to every word in every chapter.
I really enjoyed the book and it’s a story told in a different era.


I will definitely keep an eye out for the author‘s upcoming work. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an Arc. I highly recommend this book 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DNF 20%

I felt like this was going on too slow for my liking and it was just so hard to read, I wish I could've read more but i was just so hard so, yeah, maybe I'll pick it up another time!

This was a slow burn read but I still read it quickly. It was well written with an interesting storyline purely based upon the setting and time it was set in and well developed characters especially the two protagonists, Sarah and Tanya who I was rooting for. I also liked the psychic element to the storyline.
I found all the cultural elements and descriptions in the book fascinating as it isn't a culture I know a great deal about, I enjoyed reading it and will look for more formthe author.

dnf @ 8%

I wish I'd liked this better, because the concept sounds AMAZING. However, I just didn't jive with the writing style at all, so I decided to dnf.

I initially picked this because I know very little about Pakistan and wanted to learn more about the culture. Additionally, when I saw it was a sapphic romance I was really interested in it. While these parts are great, the writing style really didn't jive with me. By the end of the first chapter, there were things I found irritating. I found it hard to tell if the narrator was living in the moment as it happened or reflecting on it as if telling someone what happened. It seemed to alternate between present and past randomly. Additionally, I found that too many things just happened. Instead of relationships or events happening organically, we learn things about people or events because the author point-blank tells us.

Very interesting story set in 1975 Pakistan. It starts with Sarah Shah arriving in a remote area at the age of 17 to start medical school at a women's only college. On her first day she see police inspector Tanya Kareem. It is also Tanya's first day on the job as head of the small police department. She has to be smart and work extra hard to make it in a traditional mans job. The chapters alternate POV's first with Sarah telling a story or event that will inevitably require the help of the police and Tanya. Everything from beatings, poinsening and murder crosses their paths as Sarah goes through her schooling. Tanya's chapter will tell her version of the same event, being called in and maybe what happens in the investigation. Their friendship turns into feelings but they don't act upon them till Sarah is graduating and returning to her home city and to work in a hospital. Sarah is also clairvoyant which occasionally helps her work.

The descriptions of the school, food and other cultural references are very interesting. The writing feels very "own voice" although it isn't promoted as such. (The writer does say all of the cases are things she has experienced in her medical career.) It is gentle and slow burn as for the romance. It is more about the characters and the culture of Pakistan. I did find it odd that in most of the cases told it would include information about what happens to the person or family in the future and I wasn't sure the two MC's would always be aware of those things. I liked the book but I enjoy police and medical stories. It isn't a traditional romance novel. Thank you to NetGalley, Ausxip Publishing and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.