Hello, friends! I’m back with a blog tour review for The Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy. Special thanks to the TBR & Beyond Tours team for organising the tour and including me in it!
Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the fantastic bloggers on tour!
The Next New Syrian Girl
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 14 March 2023
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
Rep: Syrian, Muslim
Panda Rating:
(4 pandas)
π SYNOPSIS
Khadija Shaami is a Syrian American boxer fed up with the expectations of being the perfect Syrian daughter. Saddled with a monstrous ego and a mother to test it, she will stop at nothing to leave Detroit and travel the world with her best friend.
Leene Taher is a Syrian refugee enraptured by the lavish lifestyle of the Syrian girls in Detroit. America is her fresh start, if only her haunting past will let her move on.
When their worlds collide, the result is catastrophic: To Khadija, Leene embodies the tame, dutiful Syrian ideal sheβs long rebelled against. And to Leene, Khadija is the strong-willed, closed-off American who makes Leene doubt her place in the world.
But as Khadija digs up Leeneβs past, a startling discovery brings the two of them closer together. As the girls secretly race to unravel the truth, their blossoming friendship challenges what each knows about the other and herself. And what they find takes them all the way across the world, back to the place of Khadijaβs memories and Leeneβs nightmares.
β οΈ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Islamophobia, the Syrian Revolution, depression, suicide (off-page), reality of socioeconomic gaps, generational trauma, PTSD, Syrian refugee.
π BUY A COPY!
Note: The quotes below are taken from an advanced copy and are subject to change in the final version.
TL;DR: This was a complex and emotional coming-of-age story about family, identity, and belonging. It shines a pointed light on the impact of the Syrian War on the Syrians in Syria, Syrian refugees, and Syrian Americans. This story is rich in culture and is packed with love for Syria as highlighted by the experiences of Khadija and Leene, two Syrian teenagers whose families may come from the same country but have entirely different life experiences. I loved how they learn from each other and grow together and the strength of the friendship that they form was really heartwarming! This took me on a complex journey of emotions and overall, I thought it was a great debut novel!
Read More »
dinipandareads 