I really enjoyed this book overall - from the jetsetting nature of it to the juxtaposition of the djinni story, it all flowed really nicely. There were parts I wish we lingered on, like Sy's relationship with his father and the fallout of the breakup with Farouk, but it still manages to be a fun read despite all of the complicated issues it touches on. There's so much homophobia and islamophobia throughout this book (purposefully so), and we get to see how the Muslim community view the radical sects they're often generalized to. From LA to Marrakech, the book flies by on a private jet and I just wish we had more time with it.

*Thank you to Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Thank you Bloomsbury, Naz Kutub, and NetGalley for this eARC!

What a ride. I just flew through this book! It was an incredible blend of whimsy and serious issues- leaving me both laughing and tearing up at various points.

Sy (Sayyed) is a 17 year old who is having a rough go of it. His boyfriend Farouk left him a few months ago, and he is still living at home with an abusive father. The one positive is that he gets to work with his bestie Dzakir in the coffee shop while he saves up for Santa Monica College. One day, though, Reggie blasts into his life- and grants him three wishes. Within the same 24 hours, Sy's absuive father kicks him out after finding out he is gay.
This ends with Sy and Reggie jet-setting around the world trying to track down Farouk.

Is Reggie magic, or is she just rich? Where is Farouk, and why isn't his phone working? Why is Dzakir the absolute best in his My Little Pony t-shirt?

Naz Kutub approaches serious issues in this book, notably islamophobia in the west and toxic family relationships. That said, he's obviously a funny person and the humor is so well done in the book.

I definitely recommend The Loophole!

As I mentioned above, The Loophole doesn’t deserve anything less than five stars. Reading this book hit close to home in ways I didn’t expect. Once I started reading, I did not want to put it down. I practically flew through it and experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, ending with me wanting to give Sy a massive hug. The book is so delightful, heartwrenching and so much fun to read.

Naz Kutub’s writing is charming and draws you into the story completely. You are endeared to Sy, you are endeared to his story and when the story ends, you are left wanting more. I think books that can do that are books of the best kind. We follow along with Sy as he takes a journey across the world, to London and then to Istanbul to hunt down Farouk, his boyfriend who’s disappeared. His father has kicked him out because Sy’s gay, which acts as the trigger for him to start that journey. Heads up, that scene was hard-hitting and I was on the verge of tears reading it. You feel for him, you cry for him and you wish that Sy is successful in finding Farouk. The journey he takes is both literal and figurative and his growth is wonderful to witness.

I don’t know how much I can talk about this book without spoiling, but know that this is a book that needs to be read. When I was in high school, there weren’t many books like this. Now, as I am about to start my master’s, I am so happy that those in high school right now have diverse books like The Loophole available to them. My high school self would have loved reading this and my present self adores this.

The Loophole is a fun, magical debut that takes you on a journey of self-love, self-discovery and growth alongside the characters, while tackling some heavy and extremely important issues. I highly highly recommend this!

The Loophole is an absolute delight of a book. I adored Syyed right from the start and I completely devoured this story in a day and a half.

The characters are loveable and fun- Reggie is a DOLL and incredibly relatable, on multiple fronts. The mysterious Farouk was someone I found *myself* pining for throughout the story, and I was so worried Syyed wouldn't find him, or that it wouldn't be a happy reunion when he did.

I loved how the story was intertwined with the myth of Hamza and the Djinn and it worked SO. WELL. Seriously, I ate it up and found myself hoping the next chapter would be more of that story.

The found/chosen family vibes are strong in this story, and it really hits close to home. I love the spin Naz put on that and I just can't say enough excellent things about this book, truly. I finished it and immediately went and preordered a (signed, personalized!) copy because I knew I had to have it on my shelf.

The Loophole is real, fun, at times heartbreaking and the idea of finding yourself and those you consider family will be so entirely relatable to many queer people. This is a joy of a book and you should absolutely be preordering it.

The Loophole is a modern fantasy about Sayyed, a gay Muslim teenager, trying to find his (ex-)boyfriend Farouk on the other side of the world. With the help of Reggie, who grants Sayyed three wishes, they go on a journey tracking down Farouk from London to Istanbul to Marrakesh - and find more than they were expecting along the way.

I really liked the concept of bringing the djinn/genie folklore to a modern setting, and I think Kutub does a great job of showing how it's not all glitz and glam for Reggie despite her resources. The camaraderie between Sayyed and Reggie was definitely my favorite part of the book, and I really appreciated the fact that we get to see their friendship develop throughout the journey.

My main critiques center around the plot. I found it to all be very polished and neatly tied up, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it felt a little off to me with this read. It was clear from pretty early on what the ending would be, and again, while that isn't inherently bad, there really wasn't a big twist at the end; the sequence follows as you'd expect from most books following the same general trope/line of plot.

Overall, this was a fun read! I do wish that there had been something I wasn't anticipating toward the end, but some readers may find this a pro rather than a con. There are definitely some potentially triggering topics discussed and shown in scenes, so if you're considering this read, please make sure you do so informed.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

Quite possibly the cutest book I will read all year - while ALSO being packed with representation in a really beautiful way

Okay this book was an absolute magical delight. The characters were deep and well-drawn, and from the first page I rooted for each of them. Dzakir is probably the most amazing person in literature and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. Sy’s family lives and breathes and they feel as tall as anyone else. Naz Katub is a master storyteller, at turns hilarious and heartwarming, tragic and uplifting. I enjoyed every single moment I got to spend in his journey. Reggie is…wow. Reggie is such a fun and amazing character, being an alcohol-loving djinn.

I really loved the deft handling of real world issues like homophobia, abuse and Islamophobia. The weaving of mythology with the main narrative was absolute genius, spurred my desire to read more about Sayyed and also made me eager to know what happens with the myth as well.

The ending is perfection, the perfect notes of bittersweet, uplifting and real. Finishing this made me instantly wish that Naz Katub had a backlist I could binge because I wasn’t ready to leave his wonderful writing style. I highly recommend this book

Content warnings: alcoholism, parental abuse, racism, Islamophobia, discussion of current political events

Naz Kutub's debut is a heartfelt story about chasing after what matters most in life - or at least in the life of 17-year-old Sayyed - love. After a whirlwind first romance, Sy is determined to do whatever it takes to get Farouk, his ex-boyfriend, back, even if that means traveling around the world with a mysterious woman with an alcohol problem and abandoning his friends and family in the pursuit.

The Loophole is packed full of real-world issues and touches on each with grace and respectful realism, while also keeping to the fantastical theme surrounding Sy and his three wishes. We quickly fall in love with our main character and his seemingly impossible journey and root for him the entire way through. 'Reggie - our aforementioned drunken genie - tugs at heartstrings in a way I wasn't expecting.

This book was full of yearning, grief, and mending broken hearts and I hope it falls into the hands of the exact readers who need it.

I loved this book! It was thrilling and the characters were to die for. The way this author writes characters is so authentic and their humour is hilarious yet age appropriate. The alternating chapters STUNNED me when I caught on to the tale it was telling. Over all this was an incredible debut and I cant wait to see what this author comes out with next! I am dying for his next one!!

Thanks NetGalley and Bloomsbury for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I’ve been so excited to read this book! It definitely lived up to the hype! I loved Reggie and Syyed! For me there were some things that were hard to relate to just because I don’t know a lot about Muslim culture, I found his situation with his family heartbreaking! But I did love the development of the found family that so many of us who are LGBTQ+ can relate to! I also found the side story of Hamza and the djinn very intriguing! The Loophole is a fun, heartbreaking, mystical adventure! This is definitely a must read! Can’t wait to read it again when it comes out!