Hana Khan Carries On

What a treat! People talk sh*t about “chick lit” - but it can be deep, educational, entertaining and enjoyable. Hana Khan Carries on is all this and more.

Beautifully written and expertly planned out, the novel tells the story of Hana Khan. She’s Canadian, Muslim, the daughter of first generation Indian immigrants and an absolutely spectacular character. There’s a You’ve Got Mail plot line (but better, and not as white), poutine biryani and timely discussions of white supremacy.

One of the best books I’ve read this year.

I absolutely loved this book. I love romance books and there is a severe lack of Muslim romance novels so reading this was like a breath of fresh air. I had so much fun reading the adorable romance between Hana and Aydin. I also loved how it wasn't purely focused on the romance as it also dealt with family dynamics and Islamophobia. I loved Hana's family, every single member was well-developed and played an important part. I also loved the radio aspect of this story and how Hana was determined to only create things that she believed in. The only issue I had with this book was the climax. I felt that the reveal of the 'big twist' to Aydin could have been dealt with better and I wish we saw more of the fallout with it, since it is such a major piece of news for him. Overall, this was an incredibly cute, diverse romance novel and I want more of those.

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.

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.

(4.5/5 stars)

At 24, Hana Khan is a busy bee. During the day when she's not interning at her local radio station, Hana helps out at her family's struggling restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine - the only halal restaurant in the Golden Crescent neighbourhood. But being a lover of storytelling and also needing an outlet, Hana uses her spare time to start a podcast under a pseudonym: "Ana's Brown Girl Rambles". With her loved ones busy with their own lives, Hana's only comfort is her growing friendship with one of her podcast listeners, username StanleyP.

But things take a turn for the worse when another, more trendy, halal restaurant is on the verge of opening in the neighbourhood. Worried about her family's livelihood, Hana tries to sabotage the competing restaurant's opening - which would be a lot easier if she didn't find the owner so attractive.

Hana Khan Carries On has quickly become one of my fav contemporary romance reads. I devoured this in one day and instantly fell in love with the fun characters, their witty banter and the intriguing subplots.

- The romance is super cute and I really enjoyed the enemies-to-reluctant-allies friendship between Hana and Aydin.
- Love the intra-family relationships and the emphasis on community.
- Hana's an Indian Muslim so there are a lot of cultural and religious references that Jalaluddin weaves in and subtly explains for the non-cultured and non-Muslamics.
- Despite Jalaluddin exploring Islamophobia, I really appreciate that it doesn't consume the whole book and manages to remain a fun, cute read.
- Also, the fact that Hana doesn't question her faith at any point is a win in itself. No "Muslim girl falls in love and realises she's been oppressed by Islam all along" over here! (Wow the bar is so low.)

Highly recommend this book to my fellow romcom lovers because this will give you all the feels!

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 🌟

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.