4.5 stars!
This a book I'm recommending ya'll to read! It's an absolutely perfect rendition of Muslim and Indian culture in Canada just like the Biryani Poutine that Hana likes so much. Remember that it's a compliment, I like to try out weird combination of foods and surprisingly they turn out to taste pretty good and I think I would have like it.

I LOVED the occasional description of diff food items and I'll admit that some of those made me salivate and crave spicy Indian food.

My favourite characters were definitely Kawkab Khala and Rashid...I loved them so much-way more than the MCs which is saying something since I almost always love the MCs...And coming to our MCs, I loved how this book delivers on what it promises i.e. actually giving us what it promises- YES IT IS FOR FANS OF YOU'VE GOT MAIL. It had a cutesy romance but it was not for me and I actually felt the MCs to be bland and just not much of romance between them in the second half. It had all the great feels in the start with the anonymous texting and I did feel actual sparks between them....but they felt to be dying out in the end I had to dock half a star for this and how it has a very rushed ending and a very very obvious plot twist!

There were a lot of lough-out-loud moments, cute lines with a funny humor but it does have an undercurrent something darker when a few incidents happen marking it different from other romcoms!

It also delivers on its Muslim rep. It tackles on some very real life issues...so you should read it if you want to educate yourself on a new culture while reading an #enemiestolovers book....because who doesn't love an enemies-to-lovers? Would definitely recommend this to all who want to read a Muslim rep book!!

Headlines:
Small town feel
Racial tensions personalised
Strong female characters

Hana Khan Carries On was a grower of a read, you got to know Hana and the characters better and better and for me, that equaled getting sucked in more. This was a story that started off on the surface but delved deep into family issues and racial tensions of the city (read any city here).

This book had a very small town feel to it, which is weird to say when it was set in the bustling city of Toronto. Jalaluddin brought that small town feel by inviting you into the Khan family both nuclear and wider. This story centred on restaurant rivalry, podcasts, online friendships and in real life rivalries. There were some predictable moments but there was also one heck of a twist.

I really came to like Hana, she was a strong female from a line of strong females. She knew her mind, her plan until the plan went pear-shaped. There were side characters to really get your teeth into, one fav being cousin Rashid and of course, Aydin.

There was some compelling plot around islamaphobia, racial tensions and what that meant personally and to a community as a whole. I think this was really good representation but I do encourage you to look for #ownvoices reviewers, but do note the author is own voices from that city.

Hana Khan Carries On makes this two for two from Uzma Jalaluddin, so I will be looking out for her third book with anticipation.

Thank you to Corvus for the early review copy.

I enjoyed Umza Jalaluddin’s previous novel, Ayesha at Last, so much. I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Hana Khan Carries On.

I was pulled into the story as soon as I began reading. I cared about Hana and her family right from the start. The writing just flows so well, I forgot I was even reading - something that is very rare for me.

This story really packs a punch. Not only does it contain a delightful love story, but it also confronts some of the current issues, and it really hits home. I think it’s a wonderful tale of finding your feet when the world seems to be constantly shifting around you, and that it’s okay to seize your happiness, as well as caring about others.

Overall, this was an emotional, but oh so satisfying, story. Recommended, but keep the tissues handy!

Apologies for any incoherence in this review, and for it being a day late, I’ve got flu.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

It’s a lovely feeling when a book meets the expectations you set. Hana Khan Carries On did that and more.

Hana Khan Carries On follows Hana, an intern at a radio station, host of a podcast and part time worker at her mother’s restaurant Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, which isn’t doing so well lately. Everything seems fine until competition arrives in the form of a restaurant opening right across it and Hana’s determined to save her mother’s restaurant.

I adore the South-Asian representation in the book so much!! With Hana working in a restaurant we’re bound to get numerous delicious descriptions of desi cuisine that made me hungry in the middle of the night. It was a delight to read about Muslim traditions, tight-knit communities and religion. Though I thought it would be a cute contemporary, the author weaves in issues of Islamophobia and microaggressions faced by ethnic minorities and immigrants in an interesting way.

Uzma Jalaluddin’s voice felt so authentic and fresh to read. Hana Khan, the titular character’s journey was fun to follow. I loved how strong-willed she was, a brown girl trying to find her footing in the world. Choice is a major theme in the book — from Hana choosing to pursue a career in journalism to choosing to not broadcast about only the stereotypes surrounding marginalised people. Hana’s persistence to stay true to herself and her community and her ambition was absolutely admirable.

Learning about the familial and friendly relationships was a wholesome experience. Her aunt, Kawkab Khala is a fabulous character with an inspiring backstory. Her cousin, Rashid who provided comic elements in the story and her father, who supported her dreams as well as her relationship with her mother, brother and sister in law added to the heartfelt-ness of the story. Kawkab Khala and Rashid particularly stood out to me and their scenes were so fun to read about. Though I do wish we got to see more of her friends, Yusuf and Lily.

Her rivals to tolerating each other to lovers relationship with Aydin was honestly so cute. They had me eagerly waiting for more interactions! Their romance isn’t central to the plot but I loved their conversations as anonymous virtual acquaintances and the banter as restaurant rivals.

One prominent aspect of was the importance of preserving family ties, history and stories across countries. The family and neighbourhood drama, secret family history that interested Hana and the effect that changes in relationships has, I loved it. Addition of Hana’s podcast episodes and commentary on attitudes and social pressures existing in South-Asian communities made it all the more engaging.

I really enjoyed reading Hana Khan Carries On! If you’re interested in a heartwarming story about Halal restaurants, family ties, empowering characters and great Indian-Muslim rep with a dash of rom-com, I highly suggest this book.

Wishing Toronto writer @uzmajalaluddin a great day on the publication of her second novel: Hana Khan Carries On. 🥂

Can we appreciate the beauty of this cover though?! There's something about vibrant colours isn't there?

It's a rom-com about rival Halal restaurants that can be compared to the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie, You've Got Mail but with mouth-watering dishes from 2 halal restaurants and much more.

Rom-coms aren't really my go-to but this had much more depth than I expected from the genre. There’s romance ok but I’m not sure comedy is very present.

The MC Hana is such a strong and determined 24 year-old who stands her ground and who I admired by the end of the book after all the racism and micro-aggressions she endured.

To be honest, I was stunned by the Islamophobia that is depicted in the novel and even more so because it mirrors the anti-Muslim attacks that Muslim-Canadians have to face in real life.

It’s certainly an important read and I will definitely be looking at stocking it in the library next year.

"My father says than trying to stop hate is like trying to stop the tides {...} The best thing you can do is take advantage of it. Don't stop the tide from flowing. Build a hydroelectric dam and make electricity instead, enough to power ten thousand houses. That's how you stop hate.”

Thank you to @NetGalley and @AtlanticBooks for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Hana Khan Carries On is one of those books that has left a deep impact on my mind long after I've finished reading it. It revolves around the life of a 24 year old Indiam Muslim girl in Canada who's trying it hard to balance her internship at a Radio Station and her mother's restaurant named Three Sisters. She retorts to a podcast of her own to find peace and makes a new anonymous friend there. However, her whole world turns upside down when Aydin Shah, the son of a wealthy businessman decides to open a restaurant just opposite to hers. As Three Sisters is about to shut down and a new found competition knocks their door, Hana faces new challenges everyday. Will she keep her family afloat? Is Aydin more than he lets on people to know?

I loved reading this book. It has one of the best portrayal of a Muslim Family and the challenges that they face in a foreign country on a daily basis. The author has touched on serious issues like racism, hate crimes, submissive workplaces, and so on.

**I was provided with an copy of the book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Uzma Jalaluddin has returned with a Muslim rom-com that will both pull on your heart strings and have you laughing out loud.

The story follows Hana Khan, a woman in her early twenties with a passion for telling stories, whose heart is set on a future in the broadcasting industry. However, she’s also big on family so juggles her internship at the local radio station and time hosting her own podcast with helping out at her mother’s restaurant, the Three Sisters Biryani Poutine which as of late isn’t doing so great. When competition arrives to the neighbourhood of Golden Crescent in the form of a new gourmet halal restaurant and its dashing owner Aydin Shah, and some family secrets as well as more hostile affairs cause further complications, with the help of her family, friends and her most loyal podcast listener Hana is determined to do whatever it takes to save Three Sisters.

I’ve personally not seen the film that this book is loosely based off of – You’ve Got Mail – but I’d say the storyline definitely has a unique narrative from your average rom-com. Set in a neighbourhood akin to Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow with a much more diverse set of characters, this book is delightfully jam packed full of Indian-Canadian culture and great Muslim rep that immerses you right in to the close-knit community at the heart of the story.

As someone who is of a very similar age I found Hana to be a super relatable character. Her spunky outlook on life and the segments of her podcast that were interspersed throughout the book were truly inspiring. In fact I loved that this book was full of inspirational and wonderfully written women characters!

The various relationships, both familial and friend related were wholesome and I thought it was refreshing to see Hana have such great parental support on both ends when it came to her life decisions. I really appreciated the commentary that was present on the attitudes and societal pressures, particularly towards women in South Asian communities, with regards to marriage and career choices.

There is also the exploration of racism and islamophobia in this book both on a more discernible, hate crime level as well as a look at the more subtle prejudices and microaggressions towards ethnic minorities in the workplace which I thought was all handled incredibly well. Hana’s persisting mentality of staying true to herself and her journey of self-discovery was absolutely wonderful.

Now I’m someone who loves it when characters give each other nicknames so I was down for the romance as soon as the words “Mr Silver Shades” came into Hana’s mind. I was surprised with how the romance plot wasn’t as central to the story as I expected but it was one solid rivals to lovers rollercoaster. The banter and the bickering, the sometimes glare sometimes longing glances was all just *chef’s kiss* (no pun intended)

Where this book didn’t have the full on South Asian serial drama feel that Ayesha At Last gave me, the family drama and a couple of the reveals were still on that level. However, despite the storyline being a little predictable it still felt pretty realistic, was hilariously entertaining and a really fun read. I’m even a little curious to have a taste of Biryani Poutine now too!

I can’t wait to pick up what Uzma Jalaluddin writes next!
Final Rating - 4.25/5 Stars

TW: racism, islamophobia

If you're a fan of You've Got Mail, chances are you will probably enjoy this.

Intern at a radio station, podcaster, and part of a family restaurant, Hana Khan is busy juggling everything in her life to make it work. None of it is going smoothly--her internship will end soon and she hasn't found a full-time job in radio yet. The restaurant is constantly losing customers, and it doesn't help that a new restaurant is opening up right across from them. What's worse is that the new owners, Aydin and his father, seem like terrible human beings with no sympathy for her family's situation. At least Hana has a friend in StanleyP, long-time listener of her podcast. Hopefully, with his help and advice, Aydin's restaurant will never open.

This was a fun and quick read. I love You've Got Mail, but at the beginning I was a bit worried that the book would stick to the movie too much because that seemed to be where it was going. The further you get in the book however, the more the differences start to become apparent, and by the end it's even easy to forget that this is a kind of retelling at all. I enjoyed all the characters in the book. Hana's family really shines, and I honestly felt like I got to know each and every one of them (Rashid is my favourite, what a fantastic character). Some of them are more familiar to me than Aydin, even though he is one of the main characters. Part of that is because the book is written in first person and we spend all of it in Hana's head and in her surroundings, but I do wish the author had spent a little more time showing us who Aydin is. It would have improved the flow of the story; as it is, I felt as if the romance developed a bit too fast. One minute they hate each other, the next they're mellowing, and I didn't fully follow the train of thought or events that led them to this new way of looking at each other.

As was the case with Ayesha at Last, the author manages to balance the cute and romantic elements you'd expect from a romance with more serious undertones that are especially relevant to the Muslim community. In this book the characters end up dealing with violent racist attacks, and I was really impressed by how she wove it so seamlessly into the story and how she dealt with that throughout the book. The effects of that incident on the characters felt realistic and vivid.

I still love Ayesha At Last more, but this was a great book and definitely one I'll reread.

I received this arc thanks to Kate from Atlantic Books/Corvus Books. I also recieved an e-arc of this thanks to NetGalley.

Before I received this book, I had the chance to read the preview via Readers First which included the first 3 chapters. This was my first impression of the book:

I am just loving this! My first instinct was that I wouldn't be keen as it's categorised as romance which i'm not a big fan of. However, these first couple of chapters have me invested in Hana and 'Stanley' - I want to know where their friendship will lead! There's a little voice in the back of my mind saying that 'Stanley' will end up being fake - whether that's him being a girl, an old man, a close relative of Hana's, i'm not sure. I'm really rooting for them both as well as the family restaurant! I actually had a brief moment where I thought Mr Silver Shades would turn out to be 'Stanley' but who knows!

Having now read the full book, this is my full review:

Ok first off:

THAT ENDING. I AM SHOOK.

Second, what a fantastic book! I absolutely adored it, I never wanted it to end!

With it being a romance, I didn’t have high hopes as i’m not a romance fan.

I honestly surprised myself by rooting for Hana and Aydin. They were the classic enemies-lovers trope - though that’s not quite how the story went. The fact that their relationship was a whole ass rollercoaster is what drew me to them.

I adored Hana; she’s a very strong-willed character who’s figuring everything out but knows what she wants in the future.

I absolutely loved this book, i’d 100% recommend it!

Hana is trying to figure out where she fits in with the world around her, but it’s not so easy when life has so many hiccups and untruths. The unexpected can sometimes lead to wondrous opportunities but at the moment, it just seems to be more chaos and impending doom for her family. But she’s determined not to take any of these obstacles lightly and fight for what she wants, if only a rival wasn’t starting to seem so appealing.

You may think this is going to be a predictable love story but scratch beneath the surface and there are many important ideas subtly woven through Hana’s dilemmas. She doesn’t want to be a cliché, and you never feel like she is. The romance part is entertaining and yet doesn’t distract from the other elements of kindness, tolerance and standing up for what you believe. I would love to sit down with Hana and try some of that biryani poutine!

The bold jacket design perfectly fits the story and is very eye catching.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed this sharp and witty story with plenty of heart. It was refreshing to see a diverse story that did not adhere to the traditional tropes. The characters are unique and quirky with plenty of relatable moments. The love story was sweet and I just wanted more from the 2 MCs. The author death with difficult issues such as Islamophobia well and with gravity.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a read out of the ordinary.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the characters, and there were some really good moments, I wanted to rate this book higher, but it missed the mark on a few things for me. I liked all the storylines in this book, they were all interesting and provided different tensions. However, a lot of these plot points were often forgotten for chapters at a time, which made it frustrating to read. The romance was cute though it did not follow through on the initial tension set up at the beginning of the book. I gave this book three out of five stars, and it was overall enjoyable to read.

I was really hoping I’d like this book but I just couldn’t finish it.

My expectations were so high, but the more I read (which was a total amount of four percent of the book) the more I disliked it. I just couldn’t get into it.

I was so taken aback when I opened it up and the first thing you read is part of her podcast, and then a whole bunch of texts from Hana and StanleyP. It just felt so uncomfortable, and I had to find the energy just to continue to the four percent mark.

I’m not a big fan of books that feature pop references either, so I cringed a little inside when she started dancing to ‘TSwift’. Add in the use of hashtags and I wanted to vomit.

The book just wasn’t my cup of tea, and I was not going to force myself to continue reading a book that made me so embarrassed and uncomfortable. Which is such a shame as I really expected this to be a high rating for me. Oh well.

When I saw that the author of Ayesha at Last was releasing another book I just had to get it. Hana Khan Carries on is so much more than a romance, it has fascinating family dynamics, addresses the Islamophobia many Muslims face and has a protagonist with strong values even if it means sacrificing her dream. This book has much going on, it’s amazing Uzma Jalaluddin fit it all in – but it never feels too crowded.

Hana Khan is a 24-year old intern at Radio Toronto. When she’s not at the radio station she’s working on her anonymous podcast or helping out at her mother’s restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, named proudly by Hana when she was a child. The restaurant is already struggling financially when a shiny competitor opens a new halal restaurant nearby and threatens to hit the final nail in the coffin. Hana is determined not the let the owner, Aydin, finish off her family’s livelihood, but with a growing attraction to him, what will she do?

I can start by saying that I absolutely loved Hana Khan as a character. She has such strong values, cares so much for her family and her anonymous podcasts were filled with so much emotion. She was juggling so much – her family’s financial struggles, her unpaid internship where she was being forced to compromise her values, putting time into her own podcast, visits from family members from India and the new guy Aydin who keeps getting under her skin. I honestly don’t know how she didn’t explode at some point during the book.

One of my favourite relationships in the book was between Hana and her Dad who had been in an accident. They are both big fans of radio and it was really heart-warming to see him support Hana’s dreams. It was also really emotional to read about Hana learning to stop sheltering him from the hurt that was caused to the family.

Racism is very prominent throughout the book. Hana is verbally abused by far right extremists, and the far right extremists also target all of the businesses on Golden Crescent. Some of the crimes featured in the book are absolutely awful and it was really upsetting, especially because these attacks happen to Muslims every day.

To be honest, the only thing that didn’t really capture my attention was the romance. Aydin wasn’t particularly interesting and I found that he didn’t really redeem himself for not standing up to his Dad sooner. Some parts were definitely better than others though, and I thought it was cute when Hana and Aydin started working together to help their community.

Overall this was a great book – it has a fantastic protagonist and a whole lot of interesting side characters which makes for interesting relationships and dynamics. It really doesn’t hold back from exploring the racism Muslims face, even in countries the world seems to idolise as progressive like Canada. I will definitely be reading Uzma Jalaluddin’s next book!

Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Uzma is such a great writer I adore her so much. After Ayesha at last I was super excited to read some more of her Muslim hijabi MC romance contemporaries.

Hana Khan was an enjoyable read, with beautiful family dynamic, amazing food, and a soft build enemies to lovers romance. It’s very rare I actually enjoy Muslim representation in contemporary fiction however Uzma really excels as this, islamophobia was addressed well and the characters response towards it. Overall this a great read I recommend to everyone!

Recently, I read several books that deals with competing restaurant and I think I really like this plot now! Hana is a 24 yo girls who works as a waitress at The Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, a halal restaurant located in Golden Crescent. She also work at a local radio station.

As a hobby, she post podcast anonymously. Hana often chat with one of her followers, the mysterious Stanley P.

A new halal restaurant opens and threatens her restaurant, and her sales keep plumeting, Hana will have to make choices, for the better… or the worse.
I really enjoy this light-hearted rom-com! It was really enjoyable, and I loved every character, and even the side character left an impression on me, which does not happen a lot!
Moreover, I don’t know how to explain but I think that almost for the first time in YA, my muslim self felt… seen? Which is kind of weird. I already told you about. empty shell in representation, but here guys, this is not the case! There were several terms used of habits that I didn’t knew I needed before reading it!

The only thing that bothered me is a thing I can’t tell you because it’s kinda spoilery. But I did not like how things turned at a moment! I would’ve preferred Hana to chose another path to try to fix her issues.

This book is more than a romance that’s why I hesitated saying it’s a rom-com. It deals with so many interesting and important topics such as working toward our goals, dealing with grief etc.

Nonetheless, I highly recommend it to you if you love light rom-com, with a plot predictable yes, but that we love to read during rainy afternoon.

Hana Khan Carries On is such a wholesome book about family, food and a community that brings people together. It's also about fighting for what you love as well as surrounded by the warmth of your loved ones. Be warned, this book will make you hungry and crave for the food mentioned but seriously it's so worth it.

I had so much fun reading this heartwarming book. From the mouthwatering food, the Golden Crescent that fought for their community and especially the cute-sometimes-hate romance between Hana and Aydin. They went through a roller coaster ride of emotions from anger, revenge and guilt but it all ultimately leads to love. It was so obvious to me that they were talking virtually with each other and it was so clear how much they're destined to be.

Rashid is definitely my favourite character. He's so funny and always takes me by surprise. He isn't at all like the teenager I thought he was that at times he is wise and far sighted. I'm so glad that the restaurant stayed in the family.

This book is an eye opener too as the characters had to deal with a hate crime. What they went through and others who deal with this deserved so much more. Why can't we just live in a world in peace where everyone can practice their faith and religion freely without being chastised. Humans, we are better than this so let us grow together and bloom to be better individuals Insyaallah.

I absolutely love this book so much and I highly recommend everyone to go and pick it up.

Rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

This book combined so many things I love reading about: food, radio/podcasts and the Muslim experience.
Overall, my thoughts on this book were mixed – on the one hand, I thought the Muslim representation was really well done (which is the thing I’m always the most hesitant about when reading books with Muslim characters, as unfortunately more often and not they play into stereotypes and end up disappointing). I also really liked the main character, Hana, who is a part-time intern at a radio station, a part-time podcaster and also works part time at her family’s halal Indian food restaurant. Hana is driven, not afraid to stand up for her beliefs and witty (her sense of humour was one of the highlights of this book for me; her banter with some of the other characters was brilliant). The rest of the cast of characters were varied and interesting, and I thought the author did a brilliant job of showcasing different relationships, such as the strong, individual relationships Hana has with each of her family members and friends, as well as the wide variety of healthy, happy Muslim couples depicted throughout this book (the bar is so low with Muslim representation that this felt like a pleasant surprise to come across). A short aside: on the topic of the characters in this book, this feels like such a minor and insignificant point to make, but I found it really weird how Hana almost always refers to her friend as “Beautiful Yusuf” – was that just me?!

However, where this book fell short for me was in the execution of the various “plot twists” throughout this book. First is the plotline of the mysterious identity of Hana’s internet friend, StanleyP. I really enjoyed the portrayal of internet friendships in this book. Hana and Stanley have such a strong connection and I think many people these days can relate to the experience of getting to know someone online, sharing so much with them and feeling so close and yet not knowing some very basic things about them. In this case, Hana and Stanley do not know any personal details, such as real names, jobs, and where they live, about each other but as their relationship grows stronger, they start to wonder about each other’s identity. All of this, I thought, was tackled really well – except for the fact that pretty much from the very first chapter it’s very predictable who Stanley is going to end up being, which becomes more and more obvious as the book progresses. I started to get quite frustrated at the way the author kept stringing this “mystery” along and Hana remained completely oblivious until the reveal, which we don’t get until the very end of the book and is severely underwhelming. I really wish Stanley had been somebody more unexpected, or even that some red herrings had been thrown in to make us suspect it was somebody else.

The other main issue I had with the book is the same as the issue I had with the author’s debut book, Ayesha At Last. The author seems to favour big, dramatic scenes at the end of the book, which personally I’m not a fan of. Honestly, the last 20% of the book felt like it went from 0 to 100 really quickly, with completely overdramatic revelations and a few good-old info dumps knocking off at least half a star from my rating. I imagine, though, that some readers will enjoy those kinds of scenes and so by all means don’t let this put you off reading this book. Personally, I would prefer if the author didn’t overdo it with the dramatic endings, but overall, I did enjoy this book and the way it touched on so many important and relevant topics and tackled them well, from the struggles of second generation immigrants to standing up for your values and beliefs to experiencing Islamophobic attacks. I feel like there was a lot of improvement in this book compared to the author’s debut novel, so I’m excited to read any future work of theirs and see how they continue to grow as a writer and the stories they decide to share.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this. Which is why it's now 2:30am and I've just read it all in one go. Rip my sleep schedule.

This book does a wonderful job of being hilarious and serious in all the right places. The characters were really well formed and felt so realistic. The pacing was absolutely brilliant and kept you engaged right the way through. And the romance was so much fun.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and Uzma Jalaluddin for a free e-ARC of the book in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Atlantic Books and to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book!

This was such a delightful read. Firstly, I am LIVING for more hijabi representation in books, and I especially appreciate Hanna Khan Carries On so much because I'm in the same age group as the main character, which i guess makes this book an Adult Contemporary Fiction. I've read a couple of Muslim rep and own-voices books before, my favourite Young Adult ones being the books by S.K. Ali, and I think Uzma Jalaluddin is now my favourite author for the Adult category for this genre.

Secondly, I love all the delicious food descriptions! I'm married to a British South Asian guy whose family cooks many of the dishes that Hana and her family serves at Three Sisters, so it definitely made me really hungry and homesick but also so pleased to be familiar with the references. I also love how MUSLIM the book is, though personally I did wish the author didn't need to explain what every single Muslim/Arabic/Urdu word meant, but I know it's for non-Muslims to be able to understand and i guess it's just a personal preference.

I really enjoyed all the themes that this books explores. At first i thought it was mainly going to be a light contemporary Muslim romance, which I was very excited about, but along the way the story delves into more serious issues surrounding Islamophobia, which are very real issues that happen in real life. And I really like the way the author intertwined the negative events that happened, with the main character's passion for podcast and radio. It was an interesting way to have this heavy topic discussed.

I wasn't too fond of Hana Khan's character if I'm being honest, but I do think she's a witty, brave and relatable MC and I really like her selflessness when it comes to her family and friends. Aydin Shah isn't the most swoonworthy love interest (i know this is just a personal preference though, I attended the author's virtual launch event and a lot of people loveee Aydin lol so it's just me) and I think the romance seemed a little forced (maybe I'm just not that into the enemies-to-lovers trope lol), at least to begin with, but in the end I definitely ship the two. I do think that this might be because we do eventually learn a deeper layer about Aydin and his past, which I really didn't see coming but like, whoah.

There were some very emotional scenes that really moved me. One involved the community Imam (oh, my heart!) and another was a line that Big J said that I found very inspiring: "Keep chasing the story in your heart, Hana, and you'll go far." I love this so much because I'm in the middle of writing my first novel, but also because I feel like that's exactly what Uzma Jalaluddin did by writing this book.

The only thing I wish we got to explore more about is the relationship between Hana's best friends Yusuf and Lily, and also her friendship with both of them. It felt a little unresolved in the end, and Yusuf and Lily have such an interesting and unique relationship that I really hope perhaps Uzma would write a spin-off novel about the two!

All in all, I really enjoyed Hana Khan Carries On and would recommend it to everyone who enjoys Contemporary Fiction. This would definitely be a great read to those who enjoyed Saints & Misfits and Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali (i discovered that these two authors are good friends and are critique buddies, how cool!!) and Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik (Hana Khan Carries On is better in my opinion). I'm intrigued now to pick up Uzma's first book, Ayesha at Last. This one gets 4.25 stars from me 🌟