I loved this story and I haven't stopped recommending it ever since. One of the best YA romances I have read in a long while. If the gorgeous cover only doesn't make you want to pick it up, I can guarantee the story will.
10/10 would and will always recommend
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Adiba Jaigirdar can do no wrong in my eyes! I’m a bit late to the game on this one but absolutely devoured this from my backlist.

The Henna Wars is a proper emotional rollercoaster seeing all of the heartache and rejection that Nishat faces from her family and her peers - simply for wanting to be herself. The book does not shy away from difficult issues. There is frank inclusion of racism, cultural appropriation and homophobia - all of which makes you stop and pause whilst you digest Nishat’s reality with elements I could relate to and many I could learn from.

I adored the sister relationship between Nishat and Priti. It felt so genuinely written with them rooting for each other so wholeheartedly but with some more difficult moments too.

I don’t want to say anything that spoils this for future readers but I adored this book. It has definitely cemented for me that I will need to read everything by Adiba Jaigirdar!

Thank you to Hachette, Adiba Jaigirdar and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest (late!!) review.

Read May 2021.

Nishat has just come out to her parents but they are traditional Muslim Bangladeshis who absolutely do not approve. Be who you want, except a lesbian. Then at a family wedding Nishat re-meets Flavia who she went to primary school with. Flavia is biracial Brazilian and she and her mum moved to get to know her white Irish side better, especially her cousin Chyna.

At the wedding there was an instant connection but things soon sour when both girls choose doing henna for their school's business competition. Nishat is angry at Flavia's cultural appropriation and her friends lack of support. Things deteriorate further when someone outs her at their all-girls Catholic Irish school.

I loved Nishat's relationship with her sister Priti but I wish the side characters had been developed a little more. There were family things I loved but then a couple of plot points were abandoned. I loved the writing style, it just could have done with more length and a touch more finessing.

Thank you. This was featured in our article “ Booksellers recommend fantastic fiction set across Britain and Ireland”.

Gabbie from Dubray Books in Dublin, Ireland: The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
Set in south Dublin (partly our vey own borough of Dun Laoghaire!), Adiba Jaigirdar's The Henna Wars is one of those books that never leaves my mind. This coming-of-age novel explores some of my favourite themes: identity, community, culture, growing up and first love. Jaigirdar looks at the way multiculturalism in practice fails to serve those who it is bound to celebrate; she uses cultural appropriation and toxic friendships as starting points for broader conversations, complimenting the more light-hearted plot points with this additional depth. Equally thought-provoking and fun, this is one of my favourite reads by a local author.

Really enjoyed this book, it was cute, interesting, quick to read and the writing was good. I just didn’t love the characters (especially the love interest) and I think it’s aimed towards a younger age bracket of the YA audience. I would definitely read something from this author again.

This book seems to have been all over Twitter and it definitely deserves the hype. A diverse YA contemporary with a w|w relationship that completely engages the reader.

- Trigger Warnings: racism, being outed, bullying and cultural appropriation -

- Contains minor spoilers -

2.5 stars

Bengali teenager Nishat loves her family, but she is keeping a secret from them.
When Flávia, a girl from Nishat's past, reappears in Nishat's life she finds herself falling for Flávia instantly.
Then their school announces a business competition. Nishat and Flávia both decide to start henna businesses and things become strained between the two of them.
How far is Nishat willing to go to beat Flávia?
Will anything come of Nishat's crush?
Can Nishat's family accept her for who she truly is?

I had been looking forward to reading this book ever since I first heard about it - despite contemporary novels not being my favourite genre - as it sounded like an enjoyable and unique read.
Nishat was a likeable and relatable protagonist, but I did find her a little frustrating at times. I could understand why Nishat was so upset with Flávia and I felt sorry for her, especially with the way Nishat was treated by some of the people at her school.
My favourite thing about the novel was Nishat's relationship with her younger sister, Priti. They were very close and supportive of each other.
I found the plot enjoyable to begin with, but after a while it became a little repetitive and my interest waned. I also wasn't particularly surprised by anything that happened.
I thought the topics of racism and cultural appropriation were handled well and the novel did make me think a lot more about cultural appropriation.
I really liked the diversity, especially that the main character was non-white and a lesbian.
The romance wasn't one of my favourites but it was quite sweet at times.
The writing style was easy to follow but failed to hold my attention for the entire book.
I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but I think this was an occasion where the book didn't quite reach its potential for me. However, I can see other people enjoying this more.

Overall, this was a mixed read.

I received the digital ARC of this book from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

Triggers warnings: racism, islamophobia, sexism, homophobia...

The follow Nishat's a teenage queer girl who just came out to her traditional Bangladeshi parents. Her story is set in a school in Ireland where most people are white , though they are used to seeing POC around the streets, most students aren't used to interacting with minorities within the school.

I love the story and all the complexities that are brought up to the table in such a short book. One of the main subjects is cultural appropriation, hence the title of the book. The fact that we need to explain that our cultures aren't "fashionable" or a "fad" always upsets me, and it's brilliantly executed in various chapters of the book. I found very relatable the sisters relationship and the family dynamics.

Adiba Jaigirdar is author worth following.

Really cute read. I enjoyed the book and getting to know the main character. The book had some important things to say about racism and homophobia which I thought was important to hear.

Really enjoyed this book, felt it covered a number of diverse subjects with great representation.
Even as an adult reader I felt I learnt alot from this YA novel and it has a lot of take home merit.
Deffiently a good one to have in secondary schools!
Thanks to netgalley for allowing me a copy of this ARC in return for an honest review.

This book has an abundance of importance and teachable moments inside.

TW: forced outing, homophobia, racism, cultural appropriation, bullying

I read this in a day. It’s seamlessly written, and for a book that holds such important content it was so easy to read.

It’s hard to know where to start with this review, I just feel like stressing again and again how IMPORTANT this book is.

I can’t even BEGIN to comprehend how it would feel for someone to take a private part of my identity and share it with the world without my permission.
Now, that being said, I’m white. While homophobia scares me, I’m privileged in the sense that racism is something I’ve never had to consider worrying about.

A huge aspect of this book is cultural appropriation. I’m always very careful not to appropriate any cultures that I do not belong to, but I know that others are not so careful, that others at times may not feel like cultural appropriation is a bad thing. I’ve heard people say it’s “flattering” to said culture, or even that it doesn’t exist. So if you read this book for anything, read it for the lesson that cultural appropriation is NOT flattering, it IS real and it’s NOT ok. I can never understand how it feels, but seeing it from Nishat’s point of view really had a powerful impact in terms of helping me further understand how harmful it can be.

The story was powerful. Nishat’s relationship with her sister was nothing short of beautiful and despite it being a work of fiction I felt myself relieved and glad that Nishat had the support of her sister, if no one else.

Honestly, a beautiful, beautiful book. Executed so brilliantly and so incredibly important.

I spent a lot of The Henna Wars angry or sad on Nishat's behalf - a Bengali-Irish lesbian teen dealing with coming out to her parents, bullying at school, cultural appropriation, wavering friendships, & (maybe) first love - a nuanced & heartfelt page turner YA from debut @adiba_j https://t.co/J5wdYvTYLN

This book felt like the perfect combination of serious topics and sweetness, covering everything from coming out, sisterhood, cultural appropriation, bullying, homophobia and family issues, whilst still, at its heart, being a cute love story between two girls who are figuring it all out.

I actually really enjoyed the way that Flavia, as the love interest, had her problematic moments and grew throughout the book - it felt a lot more real that way. The bond between Nishat and her sister Priti was also a really lovely part of the story, and I loved that Nishat always had that solid base to come back to - because she otherwise was navigating some incredibly choppy waters both at home and school. My heart broke for her on more than one occasion.

Although there's a lot of heavier subject matter packed in, this book still maintained a lightness in parts that made the romance shine - it was the perfect mix for me, and I'm excited to see what the author does next!

I thoroughly enjoyed this sapphic story of Nishat and Flávia, two teenage girls in a Dublin secondary school, engaging in a transition year model business competition with culture wars, artistic differences, family relationships, coming out, being unwillingly outed, and so, so much more. It's a very sweet story, perhaps a little bit too sweet, filled with miscommunications, typical teenage angst, and a lot (I mean a LOT) going on. That said, though, perhaps I'm just too far removed from my teenage years, and this is what life is like. I loved reading a book set in Ireland, as so much of it rang true and familiar - it's not until I read an Irish book that I realise how much of Ireland is unique and distinctive, and how lovely it is to see those things in the media you consume. This particular book, written by a Bangladeshi-Irish author, perfectly juxtaposes the experiences of being an immigrant and loving where you live, but also the difficulty of being intrinsically 'other'. I have a little experience of that, having grown up as an Irish person in England, but of course, without the additional layers of race and religious differences. Flávia and Nishat both have their own experiences of Irish culture and Irish intolerance, and it's really refreshing to read about that in a way which isn't presented as the centre of the story, but merely another layer of the two girls' experiences. As well as the lovely story, the cover art for The Henna Wars is absolutely gorgeous, and it's lovely to see queer stories being centred. The combination of Irishness and queer stories is wonderful, so I found this book really like a warm hug that I wanted to return to when I needed a bit of cheering up. Reading this felt a bit like pulling on a pair of fuzzy socks when your toes are cold. Just comforting.

This is one of the best queer YA books I've read. It tackled some really huge themes around racism, homophobia and cultural appropriation in a way that honestly made me delighted that there are books as good as this for teens these days. Thank you Adiba Jaigirdar for writing this book!

Some key things I really adored about The Henna Wars:
- the fact that it's dedicated "to queer brown girls"
- the relationship between Nishat and her sister. It was such a beautifully complex dynamic to see come to life on the page.
- the way Nishat holds space for herself when no one around her understands what cultural appropriation is and how their ignorant behaviour is affecting her. I thought this section was especially well written.

I love this book so much that I just ordered a copy as a gift for one of my favourite queer brown girls. Really recommend giving this book a read even if you aren't a young adult.

I've been really lucky recently, as I've been able to read a string of really good queer YA romances, and The Henna Wars was another one. It tackles some difficult concepts (racism, cultural appropriation, and homophobia among others), but it does so in a really satisfying way, and the romance is lovely. There are a lot of obstacles in the way, but it works very well as a story.

NIshat isn't the nicest person - she doesn't really think about others and what might be going on with them, and she makes some very dubious decisions - but it is kind of understandable, because what happens to her is truly awful, and it's good to see her grow as a person over the course of the book. I also liked that she refused to let the bullying and abuse get to her as much as she could. Flavia is also flawed - it takes her a long time to realise Nishat is correct about something, although she does apologise once she does realise. I loved Priti, Nishat's sister and confidante, who knows NIshat's a lesbian before anyone else, and gives her the support she needs when their parents don't. They have a lovely relationship for most of the book, even if Nishat isn't always aware of what her sister is going through.

The setting of The Henna Wars was a really interesting one, with the business competition turning Nishat and Flavia into rivals. It meant that there were legitimate reasons for Nishat ending up isolated for part of the book, and provided some tension.

I really enjoyed The Henna Wars, but the last 20% or so was my favourite. I'm not going to lie, it did make me cry, but I loved the way Adiba Jaigirdar tied all the loose ends together. It felt very satisfying, and if I'd had a physical copy of the book, I think I would have been clutching it to myself. I definitely recommend The Henna Wars to anyone looking for a queer YA romance!

I loved this book! It’s been a while since I enjoyed reading a book so much that I lose track of the time and before I know it it’s the middle of the night and I’ve finished the book and I don’t know what to do with myself anymore, but that’s exactly what happened here. It’s such a great feeling, 10/10, cannot recommend enough!

My heart ached for Nishat at various points throughout. Nobody deserves to go through some of the things that she goes through. Racism, homophobia, and bullying are awful, and these things are even more awful when they come from people who are supposed to love you. Without going too much into spoiler territory, the way the book ended made me really happy! Things obviously weren’t perfect, not yet, but there was a lot of love there and the promise of things getting better in the future.

Something that I really loved about this book was the relationship between Nishat and her younger sister, Priti. They are each other’s best friend and they have each other’s back no matter what! Their interactions were a delight to read, and personally I’d say that this was the true emotional core of the book, which I adored!

The rivalry between Nishat and Flávia was fairly short lived which I appreciated, even though what sparks it is serious. Cultural appropriation isn’t something that’s solely done by white people, and it’s not any more okay if a poc does it. Jaigirdar does a great job of showing that and exploring the impact that it has.

Other than this, Nishat’s romance with Flávia was really sweet! I could genuinely believe that they liked each other, and it made me smile loads! Jaigirdar also does a great job of showcasing the difficulty that can arise when people in a relationship are out or closeted to different people. It’s a topic that requires a lot of nuance. It’s not fair that someone should be forced to come out to everyone just so they can be in a relationship, and it’s also not fair that someone should be forced to keep their relationship a secret when they don’t want to do that. Both of these things are true at the same time, and neither party is in the wrong here. Jaigirdar handled this element of the plot excellently. At no point did I feel like either Nishat or Flávia were being forced into doing anything they weren’t comfortable with in this regard, and that made me really happy!

The Henna Wars is a masterful celebration of Bengali culture and sisterhood with a childhood-friends-to-rivals-to-lovers romance that I defy anyone not to enjoy.

I received an e-arc through Netgalley in return for an honest review

Cute read. This was a sweet teenage coming out story of Nishat and what she faces and overcomes. Loved how this covers aspects of Bengali culture along with few Korean and Brazilian cultures as well. I found Nishat’s family to be so close especially Nishats bond with her sister Priti. Flavia is a lovely character as well but I didn’t have any particular character that I absolutely loved. There were times I disliked Nishat as well but then it’s a teenager’s story so I guess it’s ok. The only character I still dislike is definitely Chyna. So if you want to read a quick cute queer romance with diverse culture then this definitely is the book.

The Henna Wars is a master class on how to write satisfying relationships in a novel. It was lovely to watch the relationship unfold, seem then tackle and work out the obstacles that lay before them, as they began to figure out their relationship and feelings. Really lovely and enjoyable read!

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Children's Group for the arc.

Wow. This novel was breathtaking. A sapphic novel we all need to read! I adored the enemies-to-lovers trope and loved the school setting. I wish I had this book during my sexuality crisis growing up.

I appreciated how Jaigirdar did not hold back on the important topic we as a society need to discuss, i.e. cultural appropriation. As a Latina, I saw our culture become trends and it was so hard to hold your peers accountable when trying to fit in was hard enough. It was so satisfying to see a our main character, Nishat, shed light on it.

All my fears from when I was a teen finding out I was bisexual rushed back to me during this novel. I wish I had this book to make me feel less alone and understood, from the bullying to the fear of your parents and religion.

It was an emotional read with heartwarming moments and I recommend to all my sapphic sisters.