I literally could not put this book down! It was so good that I read it in a day. Yousra is so honest and open with everything she went through while growing up in the Middle East. She painted a picture of her desperation and difficult home life that broke my heart as I read the book, but I could relate in so many ways. Also, her personal accounts of dating within a patriarchal society were interesting, as I love learning about other cultures and countries. Yousra Imran is a champion for Muslim women and her story needs to be read by all women - Muslim and non-Muslim alike!

Ok so first of all a massive thank you for Yousra Imran for writing this story.
As a woman who has grown up around different cultures all my life I feel that this story will do so well educating people on Muslim culture and how modern day cultures have effected people's views on women in Muslim households. It's nice to be able to read a story from someone who tells it like it is.

This story gets 5 stars for me as it's so eye opening and educational at the same time, while also not being a lecture is a massive plus.

This is about girl called Sara who is trying to find herself within her culture growing up. While her London life was strict already under her father's rule, but once her father uproots the family into the Arabian Gulf. She begins to see that life is going to be even more confined with more and new rules to obey in the Gulf along with living with her father's idealistic ways of how to raise good Muslim children.

I would so recommend reading this even if it's just for the story. I wish I had more books like this growing up so I could become more educated sooner on my friends cultures.

Thank you netgallery and publishers for allowing me to read this book.

I got an ARC of this book.

I am a big sucker for coming of age stories, especially about women or queer people. So between that and this cover, I needed this book desperately.

The premise of the story is that Sara is telling her story of growing up to a reporter after she has struck out on her own. The story she tells starts with her family and who they are. This really sets the stage for everything that happens later. Sara’s age and her father’s determination really clash over and over again.

Her father is such an interesting character. He is both strong willed and weak. He will impose his will over his family, but will do anything it takes to please those around him that he has deemed acceptable. He is abusive and protective. He is full of what appears to be contradictions. It is never clear what will set him off or how bad it will be. He is this constant force of stress for everyone. This story wouldn’t exist if her father were any less of himself. He is a raging force that appears to be unstoppable. I both loved and hated him. I really understood where Sara’s complicated feelings for him came from.

There was so much intense family dynamics. Sara was sold enough to see how much her dad changed when they moved. She was old enough to be ready to rebel like only a teenager can pretty much from the start. She seemed to have the hardest time adjusting to the huge cultural changes the move brought and the huge family changes her father caused. It was fascinating to watch the changes. Some of the changes were things that Sara rebelled against, but others she shrugged and moved on. Those moments really defined Sara as a character for me. Sara as a character was complex and detailed. I wanted to know her every waking thought. I felt like I knew her as well as I knew myself at times. Incredible character development.

There was both a sexual assault of a minor (under 18) and a rape (over 18). Just as a heads up, both of these are described in detail and there is backlash towards the victims. This was difficult to read. I have been raped and assaulted, also been blamed for it each time but not to the degree that these women were. So if this is something that will be triggering, it is near the end of the book.

Overall, this book focuses on character development and the cultural/social dynamics of family. It was a wonderful read and an enjoyable one. Highly recommend!

Hijab and Red Lipstick by Yousra Imran
Hijab and Red Lipstick
by Yousra Imran
1401819
Dianne Socci-Tetro's reviewOct 12, 2020
it was amazing
bookshelves: galleys-arcs, netgalley, 2020

Trigger warnings ---> sexual assault, rape, physical abuse.


This book was an eye-opener for me. I knew through media how many of these Gulf countries treated their women, but I have never read anything more in-depth and to my Western upbringing, horrifying.

I learned much but I still had issues. I realized that this was a semi-biography (the author explains this). My main issues were due to my Western upbringing and the fact that I'm in my 60's - one was the teenage rebellion, and the other was that the author never tells us what Gulf State she was writing about. The rebellion I can understand a bit since this was a half British teenager, so the Gulf States customs and rules are more difficult to deal with.


Right now this book can only be found in the UK (I think-since I cannot find it on Amazon US), I sure do hope to find it in the USA very soon. This was very much worth the read.

*ARC supplied by the publisher and the author.