Title: A Girl Like That
Author: Tanaz Bhathena
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 369 (Paperback - ARC)
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers
Publication date: February 28th, 2018
Synopsis from A Girl Like That's Goodreads page
A timeless exploration of high-stakes romance, self-discovery, and the lengths we go to love and be loved.
Sixteen-year-old Zarin Wadia is many things: a bright and vivacious student, an orphan, a risk taker. She’s also the kind of girl that parents warn their kids to stay away from: a troublemaker whose many romances are the subject of endless gossip at school. You don't want to get involved with a girl like that, they say. So how is it that eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia has only ever had eyes for her? And how did Zarin and Porus end up dead in a car together, crashed on the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? When the religious police arrive on the scene, everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is questioned. And as her story is pieced together, told through multiple perspectives, it becomes clear that she was far more than just a girl like that.
This beautifully written debut novel from Tanaz Bhathena reveals a rich and wonderful new world to readers. It tackles complicated issues of race, identity, class, and religion, and paints a portrait of teenage ambition, angst, and alienation that feels both inventive and universal.
Sixteen-year-old Zarin Wadia is many things: a bright and vivacious student, an orphan, a risk taker. She’s also the kind of girl that parents warn their kids to stay away from: a troublemaker whose many romances are the subject of endless gossip at school. You don't want to get involved with a girl like that, they say. So how is it that eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia has only ever had eyes for her? And how did Zarin and Porus end up dead in a car together, crashed on the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? When the religious police arrive on the scene, everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is questioned. And as her story is pieced together, told through multiple perspectives, it becomes clear that she was far more than just a girl like that.
This beautifully written debut novel from Tanaz Bhathena reveals a rich and wonderful new world to readers. It tackles complicated issues of race, identity, class, and religion, and paints a portrait of teenage ambition, angst, and alienation that feels both inventive and universal.
THOUGHTS
I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review -- Thank you Raincoast Books!!
When I first started this book, I had no expectations. I don't mean that in a bad way, I just mean that no one I know had ever even heard of it, so I had no people telling me that it was good, or bad, or mediocre, or just any thoughts whatsoever. I also had very little knowledge, which was a nice change for once. It was nice to be able to go into a book, with no expectations, no thoughts from other people, and no real knowledge of what the book was about.
Saying that, I really enjoyed this book. I don't see a lot of diverse books around - which has been changing lately and I'm super happy about it - but there still aren't a lot of diverse books. It was refreshing to be able to read a beautiful, diverse book, and to be able to submerge myself into a culture that I know very little about.
Onto the story itself! The plot of this book was beautiful and heart-wrenching, it made me feel happy and sad (mostly sad) to see how some of the girls were treated and to see how Zarin especially was being treated by the other girls in her school. It was heart-wrenching and so sad and made me just want to be friends with Zarin to try and just help her through all of the things that she was going through in her life. At the very least, she did have Porus, who I adored in every single way. He was so sweet and kind, and he was basically Zarin's knight in shining armor, even if she refused to believe it.
The characters were all also amazing, with every single character being believable, from the good ones to the bad ones. It's very hard to create a contemporary character who is a bad person seem not TOO bad, without it being believable, but Tanaz Bhathena did an amazing job of it. Every single character was written perfectly, being believable the whole way through, and the development of every single one of them making them even more so.
The only reason this book wasn't a 5/5 stars for me was because I found Zarin to be a little bit annoying at times (which I completely understand is one of the most important parts of her personality, and is a major influence in the book and the story itself) but it was just a litttleee bit too much for me. Other than that, it was perfectly written. This was a beautiful, powerful story, and I am privileged to have been able to read it.
A Girl Like That came out just last week, and everyone should read it!
Overall - ★★★★☆
When I first started this book, I had no expectations. I don't mean that in a bad way, I just mean that no one I know had ever even heard of it, so I had no people telling me that it was good, or bad, or mediocre, or just any thoughts whatsoever. I also had very little knowledge, which was a nice change for once. It was nice to be able to go into a book, with no expectations, no thoughts from other people, and no real knowledge of what the book was about.
Saying that, I really enjoyed this book. I don't see a lot of diverse books around - which has been changing lately and I'm super happy about it - but there still aren't a lot of diverse books. It was refreshing to be able to read a beautiful, diverse book, and to be able to submerge myself into a culture that I know very little about.
Onto the story itself! The plot of this book was beautiful and heart-wrenching, it made me feel happy and sad (mostly sad) to see how some of the girls were treated and to see how Zarin especially was being treated by the other girls in her school. It was heart-wrenching and so sad and made me just want to be friends with Zarin to try and just help her through all of the things that she was going through in her life. At the very least, she did have Porus, who I adored in every single way. He was so sweet and kind, and he was basically Zarin's knight in shining armor, even if she refused to believe it.
The characters were all also amazing, with every single character being believable, from the good ones to the bad ones. It's very hard to create a contemporary character who is a bad person seem not TOO bad, without it being believable, but Tanaz Bhathena did an amazing job of it. Every single character was written perfectly, being believable the whole way through, and the development of every single one of them making them even more so.
The only reason this book wasn't a 5/5 stars for me was because I found Zarin to be a little bit annoying at times (which I completely understand is one of the most important parts of her personality, and is a major influence in the book and the story itself) but it was just a litttleee bit too much for me. Other than that, it was perfectly written. This was a beautiful, powerful story, and I am privileged to have been able to read it.
A Girl Like That came out just last week, and everyone should read it!
Overall - ★★★★☆
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