Zara Hossain and her family moved to Texas from Pakistan when she was three. Ever since then, she has called Corpus Christi her home. Zara is a seventeen-year old Pakistani Muslim and is the only one at her conservative Catholic school which makes it hard for her to fit in. Tyler Benson constantly torments her with racial and offensive comments. One day, Zara goes to school and finds a racist statement spread across her locker. When Tyler finds that he’s getting suspended, he and his friends execute another hate crime as revenge which puts Zara’s family at risk of losing their home. Zara must face a difficult decision that could lead her to relocate to the other side of the world away from the only family she has ever known. 

Zara is a character whom so many immigrants in Western countries can relate to. This book takes a deep dive into the immigration system in the U.S. One of the main topics explored is Islamophobia. Zara talks about the struggle of being the only Muslim at her conservative school and how she feels as if she represents almost two billion people. Whenever a there’s a crime being reported on the news she prays that the criminal is non-Muslim or else she’ll have to face the dirty looks in the hallways, as if she herself committed the crime. Muslims in Western countries can relate to that and what it’s like being stereotyped as some sort of terrorist. I can imagine how many people would feel represented while reading this as Zara is a South Asian Muslim who is also part of the LGBTQ+ community. The author really explores how it’s hard to feel like you belong even in your own culture and community. 

As for the writing style, this book is very fast-paced and I wish that some aspects of Zara’s life were written more in depth. This book is pretty easy to finish quickly and I would recommend this to someone who would want a quick but also insightful read!