In other news: another one of my most anticipated 2020 YA releases DEFINITELY lived up to the hype. The Henna Wars is truly can't-miss-fiction. (So, duh, get it together and check it out. After reading my review, of course.)



by Adiba Jaigirdar
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Release Date: May 12th 2020
 
As always, a copy of this book was provided by the authors in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.  
 
Give it up for you next sapphic swoon-fest The Henna Wars. Not only was this book everything I'd hoped for and wanted, it was so much more than even my best daydreams could have imagined. Let's just say this now to get it out of the way: Adiba Jaigirdar outdid herself in the most beautiful of ways and is a definite voice you need to be looking to in fiction.

(You may recognize her as a contributor for Bookriot.)

On a surface level, I knew that The Henna Wars was bound to be one of the most special works of YA fiction this year. The representation, the tackling of topics such as cultural appropriation, the ideal exploration of enemies-to-lovers. Jaigidar may as well have completed the novel and written all of our names on it. (She's really got our number, you guys. And she's got it good.)

What makes a good story is simple, and complex, all at once: the author is able to make fiction feel like non-fiction. In the case of The Henna Wars, this has never been truer. The characters, in particular our leading lady, Nishat, and the issues it tackles, are alive. The story never fails to pack a punch of emotional truths.

Keep tissues on standby. There were some moments where the gravity of it all really hits you full force.  Ultimately, the way Jaigirdar makes us feel is not unlike life itself. She writes, we listen. Nishat feels, and we feel secondhand emotions through her.

Looking back, all I can about The Henna Wars is that it's filled with a spark of something special and so very important. It's more than just an average coming of age story riddled with the questions of youth and where one belongs in a world as it so desperately tries to smother someone's flame. The Henna Wars is more than just a love story. It's a declaration of self-love, and development, and harsh realities.

The Henna Wars is, hands down, one of the best books you should be reading this summer.

All throughout The Henna Wars, I could feel my heart beating. In rhythm with the romance. In the rush of sympathy and frustration and gratitude and respect I had for Nishat. Nearly every emotion one can think of is there. And it can be heavy. But, it can also make us soar. I have no doubt that The Henna Wars will strike a serious cord with its audience.


Adiba Jaigirdar is a Bangladeshi/Irish writer and teacher. She lives in Dublin, Ireland. She has an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent, England and a BA in English and History from UCD, Ireland.
She is represented by Uwe Stender at TriadaUS.