14 Nov 2022

#Review: YOU TRULY ASSUMED by Laila Sabreen

YOU TRULY ASSUMED

Author: Laila Sabreen

Series: N/A
Source: Audio from Libro.fm
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Summary:

In this compelling and thought-provoking debut novel, after a terrorist attack rocks the country and anti-Islamic sentiment stirs, three Black Muslim girls create a space where they can shatter assumptions and share truths.

Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in color-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.

Soon two more teens, Zakat and Farah, join Bri to run You Truly Assumed and the three quickly form a strong friendship. But as the blog’s popularity grows, so do the pushback and hateful comments. When one of them is threatened, the search to find out who is behind it all begins, and their friendship is put to the test when all three must decide whether to shut down the blog and lose what they’ve worked for…or take a stand and risk everything to make their voices heard.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Content Warning: Islamaphobia, terrorism

This book was good, and had a lot of good representation and conversations, but it had something missing to be 5 stars that I can't quite put my finger on. It might have been the over the top positive ending and how everything so easily came together. I loved the premise and the characters, but a lot of times I felt the writing didn't match the energy of the book itself.

I also thought that the characters' voices didn't feel unique. The only reason I could even tell we switched perspectives was because the narrators changed. Each girl absolutely had her own story, and her own background, so that isn't what I mean. Rather, all of their internal voices just felt very... generic, perhaps, is the best word. I could tell them apart based on their circumstances, locations, families, etc., but not necessarily on their voices and personalities, and that was kind of a bummer.

But the discussions around Islamphobia as well as intersectionality and how identities are more than just one thing were fantastic.

I think this is one that will really resonate with people and if you're a fan of Angie Thomas or Sandhya Menon, you'll enjoy this!