3.5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Four Eids and a Funeral is about two people who used to be best friends, Twia and Said, that are brought back together in their hometown after the death of a beloved Librarian of the town. Once the Islamic Center, a place that means a lot to them and the community catches fire, these two once best friends now enemies have to team up in order to save it.

Two reasons why this story got 3.5 stars.

1. The Librarian Teacher-Didn't really have an emotional connection with the Librarian teacher who was supposed to be instrumental in Said, Tiwa and countless other people's lives. For being the catalyst that started our story off to get our MMC back to his hometown, she didn't have an emotional impact on me. The fact the authors didn't used the flashbacks (which was done well in this story) to have one or two flashbacks dealing with showing the connection and impact she have with our two main characters would have helped the story. Especially since her death was one of things besides the Islamic Center helping bring the main two characters together. Also the fact she left her cat with them so she got to have a very special relationship with them but the fact we was shown but just told left it feeling flat

2. The conflict- This book was looking at four stars until the real reason why our main characters went from friends to enemies. I swear I felt like the authors forgot why the main two characters was didn’t talk to each other anymore mid- through the book and just slap that in the book. That was the most ill- contrived conflict I have ever seen which hurted one of the best characters of the book besides the main two characters. Which made the actions of this character through the book as if they were trying to atone for what they did and not just actively trying to get the two main characters together. Then when confronted about it they give one the weakest excuses as to why they did it and all was forgiven.

For the most part this was an ok story if you want a cute short Rom-Com story with low stakes, a little hint of racism, dealing with grief, and saving the community. The narration of the story was good as well. So I recommend this if you need a palette cleanser and something quick and light to read.

This was SUCH a sweet read that incorporated
a lot of deep issues dealing with religion and ethnicity. The narrators voice was very appealing and differentiated characters well so that I was easily to follow who was speaking.

The relationships within this story were well written and I loved seeing them mend in the current day as well as see where they originated from in the flashbacks. I love a tragedy bringing people together story and this one really delivered. The dialogue was written very well, which I point out because there was a lot of it and this can sometimes be done poorly and feel fake and overdone, but that was not the case at all here. I loved the incorporation of art and baking, and communities coming together even with the lines in the sand that were drawn between some families.

I also really loved the brother & sister dynamic, I don’t feel like I read that dynamic much and this was really well done in this story and reminded e of the complicated (hot and cold, love and hate) way you feel about your siblings as you’re growing up - then one day you look at them and your best friends. And, being the younger sister who always adopted my older sisters friends, I also really connected to the dynamic between Tiwa, Said, and his sister.

Overall this was a heartwarming read about grief, family, friendships, and the complicated act of coming home and seeing how much not only you have changed, but your home has as well. And, how much has stayed the same.

i really liked this, and i usually don’t like straight romance books (sorry straight people)
My only complaint is that I wished that we could have seen more of them being together or more pinning for each other throughout the book.
but both authors are so good at building up characters and making the readers care about them very early on

A lot goes on in this story, as the main characters Said and Tiwa navigate cultural discrimination, hurt feelings, grief, and parental expectations. The book begins with Said coming home from boarding school to attend his favorite librarian’s funeral. It moves on to a not so happy reunion with his ex-best friend Tiwa, and the burning down of their community’s Islamic Cultural Center. Told in two voices of both Said and Tiwa, they ultimately put aside their differences and set off together on a mission to have the Islamic Center rebuilt, much to the chagrin of the town mayor. Not a lot of plot twists and the ending tied up way too easily, but otherwise this was a solid read.

this was a good read! this follows two old friends who have to begin working together to save the Islamic center in New Haven. the story of them working together to save such an important part of the city was so beautiful. hometown heroes if you will. the authors also did a beautiful job discussing the racism and colorism in the community and overall this was just a beautiful story.

i'm an enemy to lovers girly down and friends to enemies to lovers is even more delicious. i will say that i was a bit confused about what their beef was about until the end and then everything began to fall into place. his sister's reasoning is still a bit fishy to me and i wouldn't have forgiven her so easily but that's #me. i loved the writing and the banter between Tiwa and Said. what a cute storyyyy

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Honestly, this was such a fun mash up by two authors I love (Adiba Jaigirdar + Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. I was so glad I received both an e-ARC and an ALC. The audio narration is amazing all three narrators added a little something to each character. I definitely recommend listening!

Plot wise, I really enjoyed Tiwa and Said's childhood friends to haters to friends to lovers romance. They each know each other so well and it makes their past heartbreak all the more emotional for it. It also takes time for them to grow comfortable with each other again... which I loved because it gave me the moments of learning each other again.

An ode to Muslim communities, Tiwa and Said join forces to help rebuild their local Islamic center after it gets damaged in a fire. I am a huge fan of YA stories with political elements because teens are so powerful! AJ + FAI capture teenage struggles amidst so much other happenings for the characters so so well.

The commentary on anti-Blackness within the Muslim community is so so important. I hope this book gets into the hands of teenagers everywhere!

This was such a cute YA book, and I am so happy to see such positive South Asian representation in the YA genre! I expected it to follow a similar storyline and chronology to Four Weddings and a Funeral, but it did not. Instead, this is primarily set in "present day," and has flashbacks to Eids past that shaped the main characters' friendships. It is a typical YA in that the characters' main conflicts are about college, family expectations, and friendships changing. What stood out to me with this was how spot on the representation was, from a South Asian perspective at least. I saw little quirks from my own family members in here, and I didn't expect such care to be put into the supporting characters. I also love any story that shows a supportive family and community for young people, as opposed to the usual generational and cultural clashes that one expects to see with stories of children of immigrants. Reading this, I was happy to think of young kids like me having a positive story of their culture to look on.

The audiobook was a fun listen. The narrators had great performances, and I only caught two very minor mispronunciations ;) (Laddoo for one narrator, and Malayalam for the other, and I only caught that because I am Malayalee)

I would recommend this to students for a fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC!

I really enjoyed this YA romance! It's MORE than just a romance, and that's what makes it great! I enjoyed the reps and the realistic way these two kids experience the world. Their differing families, school experiences, and feelings about the future were all so unique and genuine.

It took a LONG time to actually feel the romance, but I enjoyed their journey anyway. It's a great audiobook! Highly recommend listing to this one.

This was a cute 🥰 little love story ❤️

You know how you like someone.. but you're scared they don't like you back?

That was Said and Tiwa they were best friends but there was more there. When Said was sent to boarding school Tiwa felt as though she lost her best friends and they would never be "friends" again.

But

Love always wins 💖

With the mysterious fire and the mural brought the two friends back together. And the two also realizing they were inseparable.

So cute!! I loved this and although it was very YA, it had such great diverse themes and representation of the South Asian community. A beautiful story on friendship!

Four Eids and a Funeral follows two ex-best friends, Tiwa and Said in a lovely slow-burn young adult romance about friends with potential. It starts when Said returns to his hometown to attend a funeral and a fire breaks out in their beloved Islamic community center. The story includes flashbacks to show the history of their relationship and how it unraveled, and the present day story of what happens next when the mayor wants to tear down the Islamic community center to build apartments, and Tiwa and Said try to prevent this. Both of the main characters as well as their friends and family are well developed and interesting, and it was a great way to learn more about Muslim life and Islamic culture.
The full cast audiobook narrated by Farah Kidwai, Sandra Okuboyejo and Shahjehan Khan was fantastic, they did a great job of portraying all the emotions in this story!

In #FourEidsandaFuneral we follow Tiwa and Said as they do everything they can to save their local Islamic Center from demolition. While this is a love story, with two ex-best friends figuring out emotions, the reality of local community spaces serving minority communities being demolished is something that we could easily see in the news today. Four Eids and a Funeral is a celebration of family, culture, civic action, and the importance of protecting community spaces and places of worship.

Congratulations Faridah and Adiba on a wonderful novel. Happy to give this novel 5 stars!

Thank you Net Galley for this audio e arc. Faridah Ábiké - Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar have made believe in love again. The story involves two teens one a future lawyer and the other a future artist (or maybe not lol) who are trying to survive the summer after losing a beloved librarian, inheriting a cat and trying to save their Muslim temple. Oh did I mention they were besties turned enemies turned lovers. This book is truly beautiful and great palette cleanser for the summer. It also touches on religion, relationships and racism within religion. Truly this book can do no wrong in my eyes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ALC of Four Eids and a Funeral.

This book was an absolute delight. Readers follow the story of Said and Tiwa, and the ups and downs that pull them apart and bring them together again and again. The story tugs on your heartstrings from the beginning, with great humor scattered throughout.

I highly recommend this title for library collections serving young adult populations, especially in collections where romance thrives. Not to mention, the Muslim representation and culture is rich in this novel, and serves as an excellent piece of diverse literature.

Oh wow such a cute second chance love story 🤭 I really enjoyed this book! I will definitely recommend this one for teens and young adults ❤️❤️❤️❤️ ! Super cute 🥰

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited when I saw Jaigirdar and Àbíké-Íyímídé announce they were working on a book together! I really enjoyed the Dos and Donuts of Love and Where Sleeping Girls Lie.

Four Eids and a Funeral follows two ex-best friends, Tiwa and Said, across the history of their friendship to their blossoming romance. Together, they must work to save their community’s Islamic Center from being torn down.

Said wants to be an artist and has ideas for a mural in town, but is scared to tell his parents he wants to pursue art. Tiwa faces prejudice within the Islamic community and is grieving her broken family.

Through brainstorming, bake sales, and petition signing, they hope they can convince the mayor to stop the demolition.

I found Said and Tiwa to both be very likable characters and was rooting for them to find their friendship again. The diverse cast of characters is so lovely and refreshing.

The plot relies heavy on the miscommunication trope which I don’t always like. But I felt it fit the themes of this book well and didn’t bother me so much. I also think it shows young readers the dangers of assuming things without clear communication.

I did think the jumping back and forth in time wasn’t quite as seamless as it could’ve been. I wonder if a more chronological approach to the story could’ve helped with that. I just kept wanting to get back to the present day story.

Overall I think this story was so sweet and emphasized important themes of community, standing up for what you believe in, and forgiveness. I definitely recommend, especially for the eighth-tenth grade age range. Four stars and 8/10!

This book is too cute. I had no doubts about it because I read all the other books by this author and her writing is so comfort for me! This book is no exception.
It’s really a cuddle, a Linus cover and I liked it so so much!
I loved the trope (second chance, friends to rivals to lovers) and the story is so well written! Love it love it love it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Thank you Macmillan Young Listeners for the free audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a very sweet, very halal romance.

Four Eid’s and a Funeral follows the life of two main characters, Tiwa and Said. A misunderstanding led to a multi year feud that causes them to both finish high school without each others support. They are Ed together when their Islamic Center burns down and they petition the community to rebuild. The narrator was great and the book flowed fine.

♡𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 &| 𝐞𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰♡
3.5 🌟
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𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 :
•second chance romance
•ya
•Muslim religion
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𝑰𝒇 𝒋𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒃𝒚 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝑴𝑬! Because this COVER is everything it needed to be! The premise of this story is amazing. It's about two ex bestfriend who are trying to save their Islamic Center from demolition. I did enjoy this story, but at the same time, it wasn't holding my attention like I wanted it to.
This is a duel narration audiobook. Which I highly LOVE! The narrators did a great job bringing this story alive!
♡𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 June.4♡
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Thank you, Netgalley, MacmillanAudio for the (ALC)-audiobook and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the (eArc)-eBook for my honest review.