Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy of this book for my honest review!

I really wanted to love this book! I did enjoy it and appreciate the story, I just felt like it was too predictable and a little rushed at the end. I wish we could've learned more about what happened in Zainab's future, but maybe the author was giving space to come up with a second book! I would read more, just to see if Zainab truly captures her version of the American dream!

Representation matters!
It was a good book. I didn't LOVE it per se. It was some slow parts but it was still a decent book.

Stunning… Loved the story and the pacing and just everything about it… A great story that I couldn't put down! I loved this book…

I am confused about rating this book between 1 and 2 stars, but I guess I'll settle for 2 since I liked how it ended, however predictable the end was.

The title of the book intrigued me and especially since I've been wanting to read more Muslim authors, I requested for its DRC. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the same.

It's a story about a Ghanaian girl, Zainab, who has moved to New York to pursue her dreams of becoming an illustrator. As she begins her life in the city, she starts hearing her ancestors. With this premise, the storyline could have been interesting had the protagonist not been so desperate for sex. She made every muslim girl raised in a practicing muslim family sound like a girl deprived of all that is supposedly "fun".

"Over the years, she'd found a way of seeping into my thoughts, stopping me from trying what most people went to college to experiment with: sex, drugs and alcohol."

No, most people go to college to study and earn their degrees! Only a few go to college for all that.

"Because what was the point of coming to this city of hot men if I wasn't going to tangle legs sooner or later?"

The amount of desperation in her tone was enough to put me off. Her whole purpose in life was to have sex and lose her virginity before marriage. I won't be too surprised if this gets adapted into a movie. A Muslim girl wanting to find meaning in life by drinking alcohol and having sex before marriage - isn't that what the Film Industry would want to promote to aid the liberation of the "oppressed" muslim women.

Zainab moves to New York City to complete a three-month internship before attending a masters program at an art school. She’s originally from Ghana, is somewhat naïve, but is eager and open to new experiences, wanting to shed her old self.

She reunites with two of her Ghanaian friends, both of whom she’s known from childhood, becomes friends with her roommate, and falls in love. Zainab also makes many mistakes, but gains a better understanding of her friends and herself through the words of three of her wise ancestors, and begins to grow into who she wants to be.

It’s a cheerful, hopeful book. Zainab’s humour and openness to everything make her a fun character to follow, and her occasional stumbles in her relationships, as well as her heartbreak over a failed romance remind me of how much fun being twenty-one could be, as Zainab navigates the freedom of adulthood in a new country and city.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Headline for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I’ve read this authors YA and loved it.this one was a departure from their usual style but i really enjoyed it. New adult is hard to pull off as a genre but the way that ancestral memory and young persons journey to find love and themselves.

Zainab Takes New York is a classic coming of age story of a girl trying to make it in the big city while navigating young adult life: responsibilities, relationships, friendships and family.

Zainab, a Ghanian-American girl moves to the Big Apple like so many, excited to start adulting and ready to make her own way. When her first real "New York experience" (falling for a Craig's List ad of a low rent living space) turns out to be a bust, she realizes that the city life is not all glitz and glamour. As if life at the moment isn't enough, she can't escape her family as she literally starts hearing the voices of her ancestors who guide her through the madness of it all.

Anyone growing up in an immigrant and/or more conservative household can probably relate to this book about experiencing so many new things at once when you leave the nest and all of the conflicting feelings that come with it. While I appreciate the angle and honesty of the book, it reads very YA. There is not much depth to the writing or characters and there is nothing that really draws you into the book.

Finally, this book is a love letter to NYC. The descriptions take you right back to the sights, smells and emotions of walking through the big city, which is lovely.

I really had high hopes for this book, however, I struggled to connect to the characters and the story.

It gave intentions that Zainab’s, only focus was to lose her virginity and be irresponsible. Twenty-something’s in today’s world don’t even think this way collectively. It wasn’t relatable at all and came off annoying.

I feel like the characters could’ve been fleshed put a bit more and explain the cultural significance of ancestral connection as it’ll be lost on anyone outside of the African and African American communities.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

I appreciate what the author did here, it's very different from their usual style. Am I a fan? No, but it's interesting. I like it when authors reinvent themselves.

A coming of age story learning to navigate life, stand on your own two feet and be your authentic self.
This book was great in some place, slow and difficult in others. At points I found the message confusing and a little anti-feminist. I think perhaps I am not the best suited target audience but the writing was concise and well done.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me access to this title in exchange for a review.

I had high expectations from this coming-of-age story but unfortunately, I'm going to DNF at 26%

The MC, Zainab, was interesting at first but is now coming off as a snob. I understood her decision to move out of her uncle's house but with Denusa, it was really annoying. Along with the cooking thing when Denusa asks her to cook her food herself and not order out all the time since she's concerned about the money. And Zainab replies "She's not grooming herself to be anyone's wife" and that was just so immature. Cooking is a basic life skill and if you're concerned about money, you probably should be trying to save it. I won't be surprised if she moves out of Mary Grace's apartment as well. It's just a long string of moving in and moving out at this point.

And then there's the whole Sam thing, isn't the dude like 30? And Zainab, 20? Plus, I just dislike how overly concerned she's about losing her virginity asap. I get it, some people think that's the ultimate "in" to adult life but it's tiring to read.

I was actually really interested in the voices in her head and what it meant but unfortunately, I can't keep reading just for that when we're only getting crumbs on that front.

I'm sure it has its own audience who will like and enjoy the book but it is just not for me.

A charming coming of age story with Zainab getting her footing as she navigates moving to New York.
I really enjoyed the concept of Zainab’s ancestors commenting on various situations she finds herself in. And I’d be very interested to see her comic as a real life graphic novel.
The writing itself was a little lacking and was a bit slow and tedious at times.
Overall quite enjoyable.

This was okay. I enjoyed the representation and seeing Zainab really come into her own in the big city. Seeing her adapt and get used to freedoms she did not have whilst living with her family was also really interesting. I think the main issue with this book is that Zainab is a bit one dimensional and not a lot of audiences are going to appreciate the conservativeness depicted in the book.

Zainab Takes New York is about a young Ghanaian woman trying to find herself in a hot summer before grad school. She's trying to navigate the highs and lows of relationships, work and friendships, with the expectations of her culture weighing heavy on her - literally, with the voices of three-generations of her grandmothers in her head.

Zainab is a sweet, but naïve character. She really came to life when the book focused on the the strong female friendships she has in her life - Densua, a childhood friend who's following the path that's expected of her, and her brand new friend, Mary Grace, who has created her own. Attah does an amazing job of showing how these friendships can change your life and help you become your true self.

I would have loved the book to have went deeper into the ancestor's storylines as the grannies Jamila, Zeina and Fati really brought some extra dimension to the story, but it didn’t feel fully developed.

Overall, an enjoyable read but it took a little too long to get going and really fulfill it's potential.

This is a novel about Zainab - who is Ghanaian and is moving to New York - to become an illustrator. When she arrives in New York she begins to hear voices from three different women, one of them is her grandmother Fati but who are the other two and why is she hearing them now?

This book shows the struggles of a (sometimes very naive) young black woman, who grew up in a conservative household and is trying to find herself in the big city.
It is an easy read focusing on the complexities of friendships, first love, her heritage and the Western culture.
I really liked her ancestors:

'He/she has good home training'.

I could hear my own grandmother saying this!

The detailed description of New York City was written wonderful. Having visited NYC a couple of times I could imagine myself being there again and especially admiring all the artwork!
However, I didn't feel as grasped as I would have liked, and the ending felt a bit rushed. I would recommend this book for someone starting a new chapter in their life at the beginning of adulthood.

Thanks for the ecopy of this book!

Zainab Takes New York explores the life of an international student from Ghana. She has secured an internship in the city and is lookin forward to starting grad school, where she'll take a step further towards becoming a renowned illustrator. The book explores her new beginnings in New York City, as well as her rich family history that predominantly features female ancestors. It also explores female friendships, and love life. The writing style is simple and easy to understand. It was an okay read.

Summer in New York - the summer of Zainab!

I really enjoyed this funny and quirky read about a young woman finding herself in the big city. Zainab is used to being the good girl, but she wants to shed her old self and discover who she is without her family.

Reading about Zainab's struggles concerning friendship, love and her career was a lot of fun. Yes, she makes a lot of choices that aren't always the best - but isn't that what young adulthood is all about? It felt like catching up with a friend you haven't seen in a while in the best way possible.

The novel is written in a very slice-of-life style which I highly enjoyed. I felt the atmosphere of the city, the ups and downs of Zainab's time there and everything else like I was right there with her.

My favorite part, which I don't think is a spoiler because it is mentioned in the synopsis, is the voices of Zainab's ancestors that she hears inside her head. I found that very relatable and an interesting take on intergenerational psychology. This plot device gave the otherwise very realistic story a quirky charm that I loved.

I would definitely recommend this book as the perfect summer/vacation read!

(Thank you to NetGalley, Ayesha Harruna Attah and Headline Accent for providing me with an eARC for this book in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions in this review are my own.)

Zainab Takes New York was a fun coming-of-age novel.
It did take a bit for the story to get going for me.
And I personally wanted a little more from this one, but overall I liked and enjoyed the story.
This book was good. It’s a very eye-opening read and I believe most will probably connect with our main character.
This was a new author for me. And I hope to read more of her work.in the future.

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

Headline Accent,
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.

Original Review Posted to Goodreads

I was really excited about a coming-of-age novel starring a woman of color and it left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. DNF-Did Not Finish at 67%. Zainab, the main character, had a one-track mind revolving around her virginity. I can understand the how virginity is important but yikes. The comment from another character basically calling her pathetic for being a 20-year-old virgin didn't sit right with me either. Sexual peer pressure has always been a societal issue when it surrounds the construct of virginity and the way it's used to control a woman's body and even the way they perceive their own bodies. This book was just not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Accent for the access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5

I really liked how Zainab's ancestors were a major part of the story and how they were incorporated. I would like to know more of what happens after the story is over but I feel like it ended in a good spot.

I received an arc through netgalley.