**Special thanks to Recorded Books Media and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this audiobook, in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3/5🌟
Narration rating: 10/5 🌟

The premise: Frustrated and desperate for a way to express her feelings after a terrorist attack strikes D.C, Sabriya makes a post in an online journal, which her sister says is set to private by default. After finalizing her journal entry, she later receives notifications as other young muslim women respond to her post, which she soon realizes was accidentally made public. Early on, two other muslim teens join Bri to run the blog, and a community blossoms.

This book is one of those situations where you do have to suspend your doubts in the premise and resign yourself to it, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! However, if you have any experience with the average blogging platform, such as Blogspot or Wordpress, you would probably be able to attest to the idea that an otherwise unpromoted blog is unlikely to naturally become incredibly popular, because it is simply not the nature of those programs, so the blogging aspect may feel a little unrealistic to you.

Characters/Relationships: The characters are interesting and mostly realistic, although I found the dialogue a little clunky and unnatural at times. The main characters really shine when they interact with one another, over text and video calls. Their interactions are funny, real, and relatable, and easily my favorite aspect of the story. The central characters often have very similar voices, so I am grateful for the stellar narration of the audiobook, which distinguished each character effectively. I can’t speak to the representation in the novel, and from reviews I have read, there are differing opinions, so I encourage you to read reviews from others who are able to speak to the accuracy of the representation.

Topics/Themes: The story explores islamophobia and racism, and the impact of those experiences, especially on youth. Additionally, the story explores the power of an online community and the importance and value of friendship, which is really the star of this novel.

Plot: As I mentioned above, the blogging aspect wasn’t 100% there for me. I did do my best to suspend my disbelief at the way the blog grew, but in general I just wish the blog was covered more in the story. The blog itself was a bit of an enigma, and since it was so central to the plot of the story, I wish more of the story had been dedicated to developing it. However, the plot overall progressed well, with the blog tying each individual girl's story to the central plot. The story takes place over the course of approximately three weeks, and although I can anticipate that some readers may find such a timeline unrealistic for the relationships that resulted, from personal experience, three weeks can be more than enough for a friendship to develop, especially as the girls share exerperiences in their identities and lives following the terrorist attack, bonding them all the more quickly. Additionally, I appreciated that the ending of the story avoided loose ends, while still allowing each character to have aspects of their future undecided.

Although I found the plot to be fairly well paced, it was not as compelling as I had hoped it would be, and I constantly wanted to DNF the book. I think that the author has a natural talent for writing, but that the plot was underdeveloped overall and struggled to pull me in. Although several aspects of the plot were very serious moments with the potential for a lot of serious consequences, I often felt apathetic towards them, and feel that the novel's tendency to over explain in the place of showing ideas made caring about the events of the story all the more difficult.

Narration rating: The narration of this novel, split between three narrators, each reading for one of the central characters, was incredible from beginning to end. Each narrator executed the character they focused on flawlessly, and drew me into the story. I imagine that my rating/overall enjoyment of the book would have been lower in the absence of this beautiful narration, which truly breathed life into the story. I genuinely loved every aspect of the narration, and can’t imagine the story narrated any other way or by any other group of narrators.

Conclusions: Overall, the story fell short of my expectations. I didn’t overtly dislike anything about the story, and I adored the friendship between the three girls, which was my absolute favorite part of the novel. It set out to tell a story about a female friendship, and it did so very well. Although dialogue throughout the book was occasionally unnatural, dialogue between the three central characters was always spot-on. I wish the plot was more compelling, or was presented to the reader in a more compelling way. I think the story was unfortunately very two dimensional, and thus did not generate the impact that it strove to. I would still recommend that any reader explore the novel, because it has a beautiful story to tell, especially about the central friendship.

Thank you NetGalley and Recorded Books for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy of You Truly Assumed in exchange for an honest review. Disclaimer: these are just my opinions, if you loved everything about this you are entitled to your opinion too, but I won’t argue with anyone in terms of representation or anything else. There might be minor spoilers in the following review.

I’m not sure where to start or where to end. This book was so overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. It has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, however it was disappointing. Maybe it’s my fault for having expectations, but this book fell flat for me. I constantly wanted to DNF, but I kept pushing through and here we are. I am upset that I can’t give this a higher review, but this book was just not it. I’m sure there are people out there that loved it, but it was really really annoying.

My rating would have been lower if I hadn’t listened to the audiobook. It is so true that a narrator can make or break a book. The different voices brought the story to life.

There are parts to this story that made me feel seen and heard, but it was generally a big no. This book tried to cover so many issues in such a short time and it triggered a long list of sadness.

I loved how Mr. Smith was called out by Sabriya. He’s such a horrible person and reminds me of some disgusting people I’ve known. I appreciated the way one of the girls’ dad shared a favorite ayah from the Quran. I liked the friendship aspects. The sisterhood was amazing.

But let’s get into EVERYTHING else.

Now yes, I know there are sects out there that say they are Muslim but they are obviously not, and that’s an issue for another time, but Zakat never said she’s part of some sect and the way she “practices” is very concerning. Actually let’s take a look at how problematic and annoying Zakat is overall, maybe even more annoying than the characters in Af*er by An*a To*d. Here’s a few issues:
- She attends a mosque with a gender neutral section, a female-identifying one, and one for male-idnetifying in order to be “more inclusive”. Really not something to be brought up in a Muslim narrative book and not something that’s ok to be part of our mosques.
- Zakat holds a grudge against a girl who said something slightly Islamophobic when she was 10, even though the girl has shown no signs of Islamophobia since. In Islam we are taught to always give everyone the befit of the doubt. We are supposed to forgive and give second chances. I felt so bad for Lucy, because she was never given a chance, whether or not she was evil, she might have been better if she was not constantly doubted. Zakat just sounded very judgemental.
- Here’s a note I made: “FEMALE IMAM WITH AWESOME WINGED EYELINER -- girl what”. Female Imams are not a real thing. We have so many female scholars we love and respect of course, but a woman can’t be an imam – period. That's a whole different story.
- Overall Zakat was just super annoying and I couldn't stand her.

Next, even though Sabriya and Farah have haram relationships they didn’t really bother me as much as everything else, which tells you how much I didn’t enjoy 90% of this story. None of the characters even try to think whether or not what they’re doing is permissible.

Also, why is Farah so upset when her step-mom doesn’t want her kid going to a vigil – that is literally a child. If a parent is not comfortable with their child attending a vigil in honor of a girl that was shot. The child just turned 13, and her mom is looking out for her. IMO Farah was just finding another reason to be rude. + What was it with that muslim girl in the Comp-Sci class with a girlfriend????? And the whole Comp-Sci camp seemed like a plot hole.

I really wish I could’ve liked YTA more, but it was difficult to get through. I need to stop getting excited when I see Muslim Rep books until I finish reading the book. :/

4.5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Recorded Books for an ALC of this one.

In the wake of a terrorist attack in DC, a rise in Islamophobia brings three Black Muslim teen girls together through the blog they start.

This was so good and the audiobook was--wow. With three distinct narrators, all of the POV characters really stood out to me. They were each so well-developed and original even though the book was highlighting many of their commonalities. The characters were definitely the best part for me.

I also loved that this had three separate storylines for each of the girls, but at the same time everything was connected through snippets of the blog and their facetime discussions with each other. I think this was done really well and it was also a unique way to write a book.

I also think this is dealing with really important issues and that a lot of people could benefit from reading--and will hopefully also enjoy themselves, because it is a truly spectacular book.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Islamophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Body shaming, and Hate Crime

'it doesn't matter what has been written in your story so far, it's how you fill the remaining of the pages that counts'

I recieved the arc in audio form through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I was so excited to give this story a chance.

That being said, first, I'm conscious I'm not the targeted audience who could probably feel represented by the characters, HOWEVER, I did take this chance to get an insight view on the struggles the Muslim community faces. Also, the following review will be a lot more about the plot, the characters, their development and how it made me feel since I can’t really speak about the accuracy of the Muslim representation.

+
Through multiple pov, we meet Sabriya, Zakat and Farah; three black Muslim teens who find in each other the strength to raise their voice against Islamophobia though a blog, right after a terrorist attack happens in DC . Together, they show us a powerful, endearing yet brave story on how the Muslim community is affected by racism, everyday micro and macro aggression and Islamophobia overall. All that through friendship, family and the social empowerment of a community trying to heal from within while also trying to protect themselves without leaving hope for a better future.

Maybe that’s why, somehow it reminded to Moxie, although in a way more YA form and different social topic.

Definitely enjoyed how not only our main characters but also how they found In ‘You Truly Assumed’ a safe haven to discuss, raise awareness and relate with each other.

-

Unfortunately, I can not deny it feels like it takes rather to long for the actual plot to start developing. Also, as much as I adore how friendship, family and raising our voices against racism and in this particular case, Islamophobia; is the center of the entire plot through the blog; truth is we don’t really get to see much of the blog itself, the real impact it had on people nor an in-depth detail on the struggles to push the blog through in terms of content.

Now, about the character themselves, I love the multiple pov and how their friendship reminds us that even if in the same community, each member has its own story, struggles and circumstances. Sabriya, Farah and Zakat might have so much in common but also, they’re so different. So, on that topic, I wish the personality of each of them would have been developed a lot better so that the reader can truly differentiate them no matter the format they are reading the book. Personally, I found myself kind of confused for at least 25% of the book on who was who and who did what exactly because of that.

Other than that, I believe it’s safe to say ‘You truly assumed’ opens the door to a 2022 where I hope we can get a lot more books representing not only the Muslim community but also set awareness over topics such as racism and many more affecting different groups.

Thank you Inkayard for the arc once again.

This was a really good story. It was modern and interesting, and I really enjoyed learning about each of the different characters and their individual relationships.
The characters could have been more deeply developed, as could the relationship between the main 3, but it feels like a decent balance for YA.
I have seen mixed reviews about the representation in this book, and I can't comment on that, but it is great to see a YA book with this leading cast, addressing such important issues.
The audiobook format itself was narrated beautifully and kept me engaged in the story throughout.
A book I definitely recommend, and I hope to see lots more like it in the future.

If you are a Muslim, you have probably noticed that Muslims are rather underrepresented in English literature. And misrepresented, to boot. So a book that exposes Islamophobia is a welcome change. But I will not generalise that this book is about Muslims— it is specifically about Black Muslim women who are oppressed for all three aspects of their identity.

Sabriya, Zakat and Farah live in different parts of the United States but have one thing in common- they are Black Muslim girls about to enter college. Sabriya is a ballerina, Zakat is an artist and Farah is a computer whizz. But a bomb blast in DC upends the girls’ plans for the summer and they are forced to face the reality of hate and hostility that their identity brings about. They end up being a team and run a blog that provides a virtual space for Black Muslim women.

Though the book focuses on Black experiences as well as Muslim experiences, I could relate to most parts of the story. Being from India, whose current right wing government is openly hostile towards its Muslim population, I know how stifling Islamophobia is. We have had apps that auction off prominent Indian Muslim women! It felt good to see the issues that we combat with in our daily lives in fiction for once.

Being a practising Muslim, I identify more with Zakat the hijabi, but the issues faced by the other two point out that it’s the Muslim identity that’s the problem for some. No matter whether you wear the hijab, pray the five daily prayers, refrain from dating or not, if you have a Muslim name or even a Muslim sounding name, you are in for hate. Period. We have all heard the All-Muslims-are-terrorists slogan one time or the other. In India, if an attack is by a Muslim, it’s a terrorist attack by default and if it’s by others, the guy probably carries a laminated insanity certificate in his pocket. Talk about double standards.

A great book, highly relevant in our times, but quite fun too. 4 stars!

I listened to an audiobook and really enjoyed the narration, particularly Sabriya’s part! The voice modulations for different characters are absolutely brilliant. 5 stars to the narrators!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the free audiobook. I look forward to more works by this amazing author.

This book was amazing from the beginning until the end! Not only was You Truly Assumed inspiring, but it was a necessary story in the times of injustice affecting our youth of color. The main character was one you can root for as well!

I absolutely loved reading this book and learning about a different culture. You just do not realize the way some people are treated and it’s heartbreaking

Fabulous narrators! Heavy subject but so so good and interesting. I really enjoyed the story, I loved Farah, Sabriya, and Zakat. Amazing young Black Muslim women. Even if I have nothing in common with the characters or plot of a book, I can still be open-minded and have compassion for them and what they go through. I'm so disgusted by Islamophobia and what these fictional teenagers had to endure, and where real-life teenagers experience it every day. But on a happy note, the cover is so beautiful!! Also, how do people <i>not</i> think consent is sexy? Maybe not <i>sexy</i> in this instance but so very cute!! Even among a pair of teenagers in this book, when someone asked quietly, "Hey, can I kiss you?" I blushed! I swooned! It was so cute! Consent does not make things awkward or uncomfortable. It's fucking romantic y'all!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this opportunity!

This book was slow to start, but I think the message is truly inspiring, and is a Ya Contemporary to dive into.

I do want to say that those who wished that there was more exploration about being Black Muslim and facing Islamophobia or more character development-sometimes the length and premise of the book is enough.

I am tired of diving into Black books or POC books where the forefront is always pain and a easy cheat sheet for nonpoc to grasp and understand what it is like to be in our skin.

This is a good book, and I cannot wait to add this to my classroom library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.
Synopsis
In this compelling and thought-provoking debut novel, after a terrorist attack rocks the country and anti-Islamic sentiment stirs, three Black Muslim girls create a space where they can shatter assumptions and share truths.

Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in color-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.

Soon two more teens, Zakat and Farah, join Bri to run You Truly Assumed and the three quickly form a strong friendship. But as the blog’s popularity grows, so do the pushback and hateful comments. When one of them is threatened, the search to find out who is behind it all begins, and their friendship is put to the test when all three must decide whether to shut down the blog and lose what they’ve worked for…or take a stand and risk everything to make their voices heard.

Wow! An absolutely brilliant book. I note it’s on a lot of reading lists for black history month and rightly so. I can also see a very valid place for it within school curriculum. The book comes with a necessary trigger warning for racism and anti Islam abuse. You may want to be aware of that.
This book pretty much gave me everything I want in a novel. A powerful storyline, well carved characters and timelines, but more than that I really learned a lot. We follow 3 black Muslim girls, who’s paths are entertained following a terrorist attack in dc, we learn about their lives, their values their fears, we journey with them through extreme racial abuse, and then through the journey of their blog and we see their hope and courage. It’s fantastic, I’m finding it hard to write a better description without adding spoilers. Add it to your reading list. You won’t regret it. Release date 8th Jan.

This is a really great book about standing up for yourself and others and the fear that comes along with that but also the validation when people relate to your experience. It's about finding communities where you feel safe and valued and leaning on those communities in times of pain.

I'm going to start my interview by saying that I was able to listen to an advanced audiobook copy and from what I've read in other reviews I want to mention that I think the narrators brought this book to life. I've read a lot of reviews where people say that the characters were two-dimensional but I had the opposite experience. They use three different narrators for the book and I was actually really impressed with how each of the MC's felt fully fleshed out and like a complete person despite this book being split into three POVs. It is a feat to have a multi POV book and have each of your POVs be complete and complex. The narrators did a fantastic job and I was constantly engaged.

So this book follows three Black Muslim teenagers and different areas of the US. Sabriya starts a blog called You Truly Assumed where she talks about her experience as a Black Muslim after a terrorist attack. Zakat and Farah join the blog and the three of them become fast friends. I kind of love this book highlighting that online friendships can be just as fulfilling and motivating and full of love. There was never any moments of them thinking that their online friendship was less than a in person friendship.

So basically You Truly Assumed gains some traction and in return also ends up having some islamophobic bigots trying to take them down. Each girl deals with this in a different way and each girl has different life experiences happening at the same time. Sabriya is volunteering to help families of the terrorist attack will also navigating some new romantic feelings for a boy. Zakat is spending the summer with her best friend and an unexpected old acquaintance who had been bigoted in the past. She is dealing with islamophobic and racist vandalism in her city and personal attacks. Farah is navigating how she and her boyfriend can do long distance and ends up going to spend a month with her semi absent father and his family. There's just a lot of things happening but it didn't get muddled in my opinion.

I do think it got a little bit predictable at times and things cleared out a little too easily but as a whole I think this was a stellar book and one that I would recommend. This is a debut and the author is like only 21 and so I am impressed. I'll definitely be checking out her future work.

Three talented narrators truly bring life to three incredible Black Muslim teenagers. The narration (and story) are both incredible. Well-written story, with complex, believable characters who experience tremendous growth. Even though this is a work of fiction, sadly, it's firmly grounded in the truth. Highly recommend this novel (and audiobook); it's engaging, entertaining, and allows a peak into a different culture.

this book is equal parts powerful and heartfelt. you truly assumed follows three Black Muslim teens who created a blog to fight Islamophobia in the wake of a terrorist attack. this is a book about helping the community, finding refuge in friendship and family, and fighting for the right thing despite all the hate and discrimination in the world. i love that it's full of heart and delivers an impactful message to its readers. the narrators also did a very great job with the audiobook. this is a solid YA contemporary that will resonate with a lot of people, especially Black Muslim teens.

* I received this audiobook as an advance review copy on Netgalley.

Overview: The novel narrates the story of three Muslim Black girls, Sabriya, Zakat, and Farah, living in different parts of America. A terrorist attack at a metro station in DC, perpetrated by a person initially mistaken as a Muslim, sets off a chain of events that leads to the creation of a blog called 'You Truly Assumed' by Sabriya. The blog aims to show how the teens feel as Muslims face hate and backlash. Zakat and Farah end up joining her in running the blog. The story narrates how their lives are impacted and how they eventually face their fears, stand up to bullies and navigate future plans as a Black Muslim.

Review:
The novel is an average young-adult novel that falls short of providing the Black Muslim angle to the story that it promises. The story makes the reader wonder whether the terrorist's mistaken identity as a Muslim can lead to anti-Muslim sentiment, backlash, and rallies in different parts of the country. At times it seems that this premise is very forced.

The novel might describe the discrimination a Black person faces well but the Muslim part of the girls' identity seems missing. Apart from Muslim names, a few Arabic phrases, and mention of an Islamic high school, the author does not offer anything that would make the reader feel that their identity as a Muslim is not just in name. Their thoughts, actions, and life are that of a typical American teen including parties, having boyfriends, etc. The reader is left wishing that there was some discussion of what goes on in the girls' minds with regards to their Muslim identity in daily life.

Moreover, in listening to the audiobook it is easy to get confused between the stories of the three girls, the back and forth and the narration does not make it easy to follow.

Overall, this novel does not provide the story that the reader is promised and in some parts, it reads as a very cheesy typical young-adult novel.

First of all, this premise is *chefs kiss*. I was so happy that I was able to get an ARC of this through netgalley. Despite this being an important read it sadly was just OKAY for me. I also think I'm not a fan of multiple POVs. I found myself getting very attached to Farah and her story.

Bri and Zakat's pieces of the story weren't as memorable to me but their voices and roles with the You Truly Assumed blog was very important. Yet, I feel like the racism and islamophobia that each of them were experiencing would've been better off as a solo story in a series versus trying to mesh it all into one.

Like others have mentioned, the pacing of the story was off and I think that's what caused me to lose interest in certain parts of the story. Overall, this was just an okay story that I wished would've been separated into multiple stories vs three different POVs in one. I hope to read more of Sabreen in the future!

I was provided an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback. Thank you Laila Sabreen, Inkyard press, and NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you to netgalley and Inkyard Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

3,5 stars!

TW: racism, Islamophobia/anti-Muslim hate and online harassment

After a terrorist attack Sabriya, a black muslim girl decides to write down her feelings on a blogpost and then accidentally makes it public - it then goes viral and she recruits two other muslim girls, Zakat and Farah. Their goal is to use the blog to spread awareness about islamophobia and to create a safe space for people who are apart of the community. We follow the girls separately as they overcome different things within their personal life and their communities, while they try to navigate their world after the attack.

I absolutely loved the plotline and what this book revolves around, and how it must be to be apart of muslim communties during times like these. I also enjoyed the characters to some extent.

However, despite the concept it felt a bit flat to me. I felt as though the characters were lacking some dimension and some personality. I wish we would have seen the girls interact a bit more, ant not just the last 1/4 part of the book.
The situations and problems that they were facing were a bit too easily fixed and the whole thing was very underwhelming. The message of the book got a little lost in my opinion.

I of course cannot speak to the representation and accuracy of the muslim community, but I think it’s very important to be knowledgeable about these things, and for a second walk in someone else’s shoes. I feel like despite my personal problems with this book, its definitely a book that everyone should look into, because it tackles very real problems. I think many young YA readers would enjoy this.

I loved the theme of friendship in this book and how the three main girls stuck together through the ups and downs of their blog, and how they triumphed in the face of racism. I did at times struggle to remember who was who as two of the characters sounded very similar - not sure if it was the same narrator or not.

You Truly Assumed is a young adult novel by Laila Sabreen. Three black Muslim girls have to deal with the aftermath of a terrorist attack. When the increase in islamophobia consumes their lives, they turn to a blog, You Truly Assumed.
(arc from netgalley)

thank you to RB Media for giving me access to an advanced audio copy of this in exchange for an honest review

3.75

as a white atheist i’m not the target audience for this book and i can’t say anything about the representation. i really recommend reading reviews from people who can!!

i really enjoyed this audiobook! it took me a bit to get into, but i think it was mostly because there were three different characters and voices i wasn’t familiar with.

i liked the three main characters, their stories and how they became friends. while some of the writing wasn’t my favorite and some parts felt awkward i do think it’s a story that will stay with me for a bit. it’s a beautiful story about hope, activism, friendship and family.