Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was supposed to have reviewed this a long time ago but had failed to post the review.
This book is incredible. Lamya H's writing is lush and beatiful and deeply relatable, even though I am not muslim or butch. But the unique and get still relatable story of the struggle to fit in to different communities and what do you owe to tell others of your experience. This is a book that should be required for anyone. I have learned Lamya's story as well as more interperatians of Islam and a new view of my own lesbian community.

"Hijab Butch Blues" was an insightful read into the complicated life of a queer Muslim women. I found the duality of the Quran and how it relates to her life and experiences really unique. As a straight, white woman who grew up learning Christianity, I learned a lot from this book. The Quran is the Bible with just different names - the stories and lessons are all the same. So, I can understand how difficult it can be to be part of a religious community but also be queer. Historically, religious groups - whether that's Islam, Christianity, or Judaism - have not been as accepting of the LGBTQ+ community. This book, and the author's story, just reiterates how backwards and hypocritical that is. The fact the author shows that religious text is an interpretation and there to help you, not control you was powerful. It shows that religion is what you need from it, not what people tell you to make of it. I'm very glad to read that the author was able to create a community and life around her that fulfils her life and doesn't force her to change or hide her true self. Is that not what most people want?

I oddly found this book to be easy to read, but long to get through. At first, I felt the chapters were jumping back and forth to different times in her life, making it difficult but you soon realize the book is following Surahs from the Quran and how they relate to her experiences. It's almost as if you are growing with the author.

Hijab Butch Blues offers a nuanced exploration of Lamya's intersectional identity as a queer Muslim woman, and I appreciated her honest and thoughtful examination of her queerness alongside her Muslim and immigrant backgrounds. My favorite theme was the parallels between the Quran stories and her own. Being raised Catholic, my engagement with the church over time was directly inverse to the assumption of my queer identity, so I was really fascinated by Lamya's deeply personal interpretations of her holy texts. My main nitpick is the relative book-report-like nature of her writing style. The memoir’s structure—presenting an issue and its resolution in a repetitive manner—felt predictable, which detracted from my overall engagement. Definitely not literary prose if that's more your speed, but otherwise a very thoughtful and well-mapped journey, and a terrific debut!

<i>I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I'd give this 6 stars if I could.

I don't know how to express how much I love this book, how much it spoke to me. Reading this at the end of Pride Month in 2024, a year rife with anti-trans laws and financial struggles and uncertainty, was perfect for me. This deeply personal yet widely accessible rumination on religion and queer identity and belonging rekindled the hope I've felt slipping away.

Thank you for inviting us in, Lamya.

I was slow to getting to read this memoir/exploration of faith/exploration of gender and justice... but saw a great review that inspired me to catch up on it and I am so very glad I did. I know only surface-level information about Islam, and obviously have little in common with the author. But I found it provocative and beautifully written, and Lamya's exploration of identity, gender, religion, and racism is bold and gorgeous. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read it, and feel like I was learning right along with the author. We may come at religion from very different sides, and I am one of those white women who often appear as foils for the beautiful people of color in her narrative- but I think Lamya and I have much in common and have a similar drive to help repair our world and move us towards a more equitable and progressive world space. Five stars and an incredible read for anyone willing to engage with challenging subjects in a thoughtful and exquisitely described manner.

"Hijab Butch Blues" brings a fresh perspective to the exploration of identity, reminiscent of the heartfelt narratives in classics like "Stone Butch Blues.” Lamya H's writing at the intersections of immigration, queerness, and Islam solidly places this book a place on my teacher's shelf as well as my home library. This memoir sparks rich classroom conversations, challenging students to think deeply about the lineage of stories and the layers of personal and cultural identity. It's a compelling read that adds depth to discussions on literary analysis diversity and inclusion, resonating with anyone interested in the complexities of living authentically in a multifaceted world.

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H is a beautiful rendering of a queer life lived through an Islamic lens. Told by a practicing Muslim, through the lens of beautiful stories pulled from the Quran, it is a book that will in equal measure break the heart, soothe the soul, and enlighten the mind. The author’s point of view and the interpretations of the passages are beautifully done. Lamya folds the reader into her world page by page, guiding them through her experiences of family, religious experience, and the expectations she has placed on her life and how she is expected to live it. It is an eye opening, wonderful read, that I can’t recommend enough!

Hijab Butch Blues is a memoir made up of several essays as well as discussion of people and values described in the Quran. Lamya discovers she is a lesbian as a young adult, but knows that in her family and culture, this is not something that will be easily accepted. As an adult she moves to New York and attends university, it is once she is there that she finally finds her way and is able to live a life more closely related to the one she dreams of (though she still faces many challenges with being muslim and a lesbian and can never fully be herself with her family and more conservative friends or acquaintances).

I enjoyed this book and felt connected to the author as she shared her story. As far as memoirs go it was well done, relatively easy to follow and despite having essays it was generally in chronological order rather than simply based on theme. At first I really appreciated the sections discussing the Quran, primarily because I know very little about it and wanted to learn more. That being said, I did get a little tired of it eventually, in the same way I would when reading a book with Christian bible verses. I did stick through because I really appreciated the other parts of the writing and understood the connection between the quran verses and her experiences as a muslim woman.

Overall, it was a great book with lots of new perspectives for me to explore. I am really glad I got a chance to read it and would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC copy!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Available now.

Whew, I cannot think of a better way of starting 2024 than with Lamya H's incandescent Hijab Butch Blues. I have never felt more seen, loved, or understood by a book as I did reading this coming of age story of a Pakistani by way of the Middle East queer Muslim. What I loved the most was reading Lamya's modern interpretation of stories from the Quaran. Figures like Maryam, Yunus, Nuh, and Hajar are revisited and brought to life as Lamya interrogates them with a modern set of values. I lauughed, I cried, I felt like I learned more than I did in therapy. Read this book ASAP!

This is a gripping memoir - one of the best books I've read in 2023. It should be required reading.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This was such a nuanced, gripping, character-driven story—I left feeling like I knew the cast inside and out. Excited to read more by this author!

I enjoyed this a lot. It was eye opening and was a catalyst for conversation I never really thought to have. I’m curious to learn more about the author and have since started following her on IG.

First, thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for an eArc for this title in exchange for a fair and honest review!

About "Hijab Butch Blues," though... What can I say? It was as close to a perfect read as I've gotten lately. I'm genuinely speechless, but this one is a definite reread for me for sure. The writing is absolutely beautiful, the structure is fantastic, and I can't wait to purchase a copy for myself soon!

This is one of the best memoirs I’ve read. The weaving of Quran stories and her own life experiences was fascinating. This is also one of the best examples of intersectional feminism I’ve read and from a viewpoint I hadn’t read before. I really appreciated Lamya letting us into her thoughts and telling us her story. I now want to go read other essays and whatever she comes out with next

An arresting memoir that will definitely be a re-read in the near future. The author's introspection and unfiltered honesty, with the use of Quranic scripture and stories, contributes profoundly to this unique memoir of the queer experience and radical love. I could not get enough of this and have even bought my own physical copy!

I loved this very important book. It was a sometimes-heartbreaking, deeply honest look at the process of coming out in a culture and society that makes it very, very difficult. It also beautifully and painfully displays the difficulties of coming out to oneself-and the lengthy process this can. be. This is such a wonderful addition to the LGBTQ+ storytelling canon, and I hope to always have a copy on my shelf.

I first came across Lamya as a poet in Haymaket’s Halal If You Hear Me collection, and I was inherently interested when this came up as an arc. Lamya’s writing and the way she weaves her personal beliefs together with her experience as a butch lesbian and her larger cultural experience. I ended up tearing through this in the space of a few nights, and I can’t wait to see more from her.

One of the best queer memoirs I have ever read. The structure/format of it is so unique and like nothing I have ever read.

Wow. This book was just so beautifully written. I deeply related to Lamya's struggle to grow past her abandonment issues and make a life for herself where she views herself as someone valued. The deeply religious parts of this book throughout was really interesting to see, as many LGBT people have religious trauma. It was a bit refreshing to see such a positive, woman-focused badass narrative added to this deep faith. I enjoyed learning more about the Quran and it's stories as well. Lamya is a phenomenal writer with beautiful prose and narrative building abilities. I think the author really put their heart and soul into this book.

I ended up really loving this!! The structure of the book worked for me as each section referred back to a specific figure from the Quran. So many of the author’s reflections around queerness/faith/family/love resonated and I appreciated the care and insight with which she wrote this book. I appreciate a memoir that is both self and socially-reflexive, and found that the stories Lamya chose to share about their life had a “here is how and why I orient myself in the world this way” and I feel like I could have read so much more of this as the depth of insight kept building throughout the book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the e-ARC!!