⭐

While the book tackles important themes, the representation of Muslim culture lacks depth and authenticity. It feels more like a surface-level portrayal than a genuine exploration of the complexities within the community. Readers looking for nuanced insights may find this approach disappointing, as it misses an opportunity to reflect the rich diversity of experiences and perspectives that exist. Ultimately, the execution doesn’t resonate as intended, leaving much to be desired.

Sadly, I went on too many requesting sprees when first starting out on NetGalley and it has tanked my ratio. Now that I’m taking my role as a reviewer more seriously, I’m being more intentional with the books I request and clearing out my shelves of books that I’m no longer interested in.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. When I finally read it, I will come back and write a review.

There has been some mixed reviews about this book, a few people have said that the representation of a Muslim
Woman is not very good, that I cannot comment on as I personally do not know. I do like the fact that Fatima has a dream to change her life and to become something that is not expected of her from her strict family and that she does follow her heart romantically but that was about it. I didn’t like the writing style and it also had a lot of spelling mistakes. It read like a first draft so in the end I could not finish the book. I tired and I hate giving bad reviews so I’m sorry maybe go back and re edit it and it might be better.
Than you netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy and all opinions are mine.

A beautifully crafted debut that weaves a powerful narrative about a young woman’s struggle for self-identity and freedom within the confines of cultural expectations.

sinceramente, nunca confie em homem algum que diga que diga que oq você fará depois de casarem é de total responsabilidade dele. e nem quando a sua futura sogra quer controlar exatamente todos os passos da sua vida. isso nunca vai acabar bem pra quem tá no lado mais fraco da corda

fatima tate é apaixonada pela confeitaria e quer cursar culinária na faculdade, mas pra isso ela precisa convencer sua mãe que enfermagem não é pra ela mesmo que ela diga que isso é ma carreira estável… isso tudo enquanto um carinha no último ano da faculdade decide “cortejar” ela e deixa a mãe dele quase que propor o casamento deles antes de falar com ela. consegue ver a red flag?!!?1!

e digo mais, isso enquanto vivem a lei da castidade por fazeram parte da comunidade muslin, mas no momento em que “quebram” o celibato, quer fazer chantagem com ela. como se arrependimento não existisse para a mulher, no final, não importa a nossa fé, normalmente é o homem que se safa sem nenhum arranhão e a mulher tem que passar por esse abusos do cão por que por um momento decidiu confiar em alguém que sem mostra diferente depois que consegue “aquilo” que quer…

mas ainda bem que tudo terminou bem e por isso que vale a pena a montanha russa de emoções que esse livro trás

a história funcionou muito bem para mim. eu escutei ela com o audiobook e o inglês é bem acessível para quem tem inglês que equivalem as elementary ou high school grades (12-18 anos) par quem quer praticar o listening. eu amei essa protagonista, ela tem um força que me motiva e eu só quero que ela encontra mais pessoas que confiem em seu talento como a chef erica e sua melhor amiga s2

a nota final foi 5 ⭐️ e essa é a minha opinião sincera em troca da cópia avançada disponibilizada através do netgalley ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I genuinely wanted to like this book but the plot was very convenient and obvious. Them getting a shift at the same time. Her parents don’t like her baking so she goes behind their backs and there’s no consequences. The stereotypical gay best friend.

It just wasn’t for me

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

The writing itself was skilled, but the formatting was so full of typos that I was extremely distracted. There was victorious elements of this book, but they were overshadowed by the general ick of Fatima’s switch Raheem. I did love the relationships that were explored outside of the toxic romance.

This was a great coming of age story featuring a Black Muslim American teen who wants to be a professional baker despite her conservative parent's strict wishes otherwise. Fatima navigates her passion for baking through a teen baking competition while also getting to know a new husband prospect, Raheem, who ultimately turns into a controlling figure in her life who threatens to reveal her sexual history to her parents and their religious community. Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Sabina Khan or Farah Heron. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest revivew!

I would love to interview Khadijah on my podcast, Raisw Your Words. Fatima Tate Takes the Cake is the perfect book for Muslim readers. I’d love to interview the author about Muslim rep and writing.

I was initially drawn to this book for it's beautiful cover and the fact that it contains a FMC who's culture, religion and life is generally different from my own.

The book is told from the point of view of Fatima Tate, our FMC. Fatima is a seventeen-year-old, black-muslim girl and aspires to be a baker. While volunteering at the local soup kitchen she meets Raheem who is already out of high school and they begin to form a relationship that needs to remain a secret since her family wouldn't approve.

There wasn't a whole lot of character development and the relationship between Fatima and Raheem moves really quick. However, from what I've seen from friends and people in my life who are also Muslim, this is something fairly common. With that being said, there's still the fact that she's seventeen while he's quite a bit older. Raheem is just an overall gross human...

It was great to see Fatima work through the trials and tribulations of having Raheem in her life and discover who she is on her own and with the help of her support group. I can't speak to the Muslim representation, but it was refreshing to read a story from a different lifestyle, religion, and culture and still find ways to relate with the FMC.

Thank you to netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink for a complimentary earc to review.

Thank you net galley for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for a honest review.

I There were many parts which I did enjoy such as the easy to read writing, making it hard to put the book down. The portrayal of female alliance (especially between the main character and her best friend) was also wonderful.

The characters themselves felt realistic,as they all had different quirks, personality traits and flaws.

The topic of self discovery and following ones dreams along with the emotional manipulation, possessiveness and imbalance of power regarding financial status in unhealthy relationships was also well done.

However what I did have issue with, was the plot itself,which at some points did feel like the author was struggling regarding how to properly balance out both the storyline of Fatima taking part in the Baking competition, while also focusing on the aspect of her struggles regarding the relationship with Raheem. I think that this is most likely due to this being the authors first book, and I'd be very open to read anything else she might write in the feature.

Overall a fun and easy read perfect for anyone wanting to get out of a reading slump.

let me start by saying I'm not Muslim and therefore can't comment on that particular aspect of the story (although some things seemed weird even to me, especially for a character trying to strengthen their faith). Now I also want to address some of the most recurring comment on Goodreads concerning Fatima's BFF Zaynab who's a Muslim AND a lesbian which, according to some, is a sin, and bad rep, and yadi yada, especially since she has a girlfriend. You are bigots, thank you, bye. Now for the story itself, well. Unfortunately, it was bad. Not a lot made sense, Fatima was annoying and very childish. The elements mentioned in the summary aren't introduced until half of the book which at this point is a spoiler. The baking was barely there, the other characters were plainly annoying or boring and the writing would've needed a bit more work. 1.5 stars

The cover is gorgeous and unfortunately that's where my positive feedback on this book ends.

A disappointing story laden with overused Islamophobic stereotypes with no character development. It reads like a second draft which required a lot more editing. There was no character depth or growth.

This is an interesting coming-of-age story about a Black Muslim American young woman and the societal constructs she defies to reach her dreams. Fatima feels pressured to be the perfect Muslim daughter. She wants to make her parents happy by studying to be a nurse like her mother even though her true dream is to be a baker. She gets to practice her baking at her friend Zaynab's house or if it's to donate to her place of worship but her parents are against this becoming her career. While donating, she also meets Raheem, who relentlessly pursues her, only to pressure her into a relationship she wasn't sure about. As she realizes he's not what he seems, she fears dishonoring her family. Eventually, she realizes that her family will support no matter what and that everyone makes mistakes.

Fatima is raised in a strict muslim house hold and wants to be a baker, but it's not what what her parents wish for her. To keep baking, she volunteers at a local soup kitchen, where she meets her crush, Raheem, and a secret romance starts to bloom. Eventually, she secretly competes in a baking competition and becomes betrothed to Raheem, and that's where it all goes south.

I really felt sorry for what Fatima had to go through, and in this story, she went through a lot. I changed my mind about Raheem as the story progressed. And his mother was a true piece of work. The story was beautiful, heartbreaking and emotional all at once. I especially enjoyed the slow pace of the story. The author did such a good job of pulling all of it together.

I received a copy of the book via the publisher through NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

Wow. VanBrakle created a beautiful, heartbreaking story with Fatima where she explores the intersection of faith, passion, young love, familial expectations, and manipulation. She attempted to balance a lot and does it well. I loved this book.

Thank you for the e-ARC to read and review. DNF at 30%, the ARC itself had a lot of formatting issues, words and letters missing etc to the point that I wasn't sure if plot was missing or it was the author or the review copy itself. Will not review for these reasons.

Great insight into a culture that I'm not familiar with and a GREAT examination of an abusive relationship. Only criticism is that there is a lot going on in this book and some additional time for the characters to breathe and react emotionally would have been appreciated - the latter parts felt a bit rushed.