This just felt a bit too on-the-nose, the protagonist struggling between falling for a Muslim guy and a white guy . Felt like an 'Intro to Islamophobia' book that I actually don't think needed to be simplified in this way.

Samira Ahmed can do no wrong

I love every book written by her, and will continue to buy every single book that she releases. Her writing styles beautiful, her characters are full of flaws and so REAL, and her plots are *chefs kiss*.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

High school senior Maya hopes to study photography and film at college when she graduates, in New York, but her Indian family want her to go into Medicine or Law, and find a nice husband to settle down with closer to home. To her, she wants to be more like her independent aunt, and also explore her growing feelings for Phil. Just as she thinks her dreams might come true, a horrific terrorist attack in a major city, initially thought to have been by a Muslim man who has the same surname as Maya, brings the terror close to home, and her family are targeted. Will the actions of one terrorist be enough to derail Maya's plans, and will she always face Islamophobia wherever she goes?

I think I actually forgot I had this book, until I was tidying my shelves and realised I still hadn't read/reviewed it. I don't know why I put it off so long, because I really enjoyed it. Maya was a fantastic main character, so real and true to herself, and she grew so much throughout the book. She was one of the only students at her school of Indian descent and Muslim, so exploring her identity, and her wish to be independent - against the wishes of her parents - we saw Maya really face her own fears, and grow to understand her parents that little bit more. The horrific terror attack really affected Maya, and her whole family, and it was awful to see how the actions of someone she never met, who committed such evil, would have repercussions for her as an American teenager, and even people she'd known her entire life would start to turn against her. Going into the book, I didn't bother reading the synopsis - I rarely do after being approved/buying a book - so I hadn't realised it would discuss such hard hitting topics. I expected it to be a fluffy contemporary romance, and there were nice scenes between Maya and Phil, which helped to intersperse the upsetting scenes with some lightheartedness, which Maya sorely deserved.

This book was amazing! I had the chance to read it with one of my best friends and it made the experience that much more entertaining and engaging than it would've been if I read it alone. This book packs a punch in so many different ways. The nuance involved in writing about terrorism and how that can affect the specifics of the life of a young teenage girl is insane, but Ahmed handled it perfectly, so much so that the story is universal and I could connect with it on a personal level. Maya's coming of age and her growth led the story and it was the perfect way to engage me as a reader and leave me filled with so much love and fondness for the story. I can't wait to read more of her books!

This was a fairly short book but there's a lot to it. I really enjoyed reading Maya's story. She's struggling with who she wants to be versus her family's expectations of her. She's torn between the boy she feels like should be right for her but is actually interested in another boy (but it doesn't seem impossible with him). I liked that she was interested in filmmaking and her thoughts about Islamaphobia were interesting and relevant.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I loved this so much!! I adore the UK cover; seeing a brown girl who looks like me on the cover of a book makes my little Muslim heart so happy!

This book was so relatable to me. For the first time in a long time, I found myself in the pages of a book I was reading. I felt seen. I felt understood. This is exactly why representation matters, and why we need more #OwnVoices books.

This was a wonderful debut. I cannot wait to read more by Samira Ahmed in the future.

An interesting, cutesy read which I really enjoyed. The characters were well developed throughout and the writing style was basic but very readable. The kind of book which is just nice, emotional and warm to read.

If you love high school drama and romance this book is for you. The plot is split between Maya’s road to NYU and the act of terrorism that occurs near her hometown. Terrorism is used to discuss issues such as Islamophobia, xenophobia, and racism. I love how Samira did this in the book and it just made me fall in love with it even more

If you’re a fan of soft romances and high school drama, but also want a book that challenges racial discrimination, Love, Hate & Other Filters is the one to pick up.

The book centres on protagonist Maya and her struggles to accept her identity as a one of the only Muslim students in her school with Indian heritage. Her desire to follow her dreams of studying film at NYU is one of the driving factors of her character progression from uncertain, apprehensive student to confident, budding film-maker.

I always admire characters with weighty aspirations and can really invest in the route they take to achieving their goals. This definitely happened with Maya; not only did she have to go against her parents’ wishes to follow her chosen path, but also had to endure discrimination and fear while doing so, made her an underdog that I could really get behind.

The main plot is split between Maya’s road to NYU and the abhorrent act of terrorism that occurs near her town. Terrorism is used as a springboard to discuss issues such as Islamophobia, xenophobia, and racism, that are often the repercussions of such events, but is also balanced by Maya’s life as a high-schooler. Her brief love triangle (which is thankfully too short to become tropey) and growing romance with Phil remind us that at heart she’s teenage girl, and should have the same rights as every high school girl: to worry about prom and crushes and her future without having to be concerned about the safety of her family.

Love, Hate & Other Filters is own voices and Ahmed creates a powerful representation of the intersections between Indian and Muslim cultures. She challenges racist ideologies again and again throughout the novel, dismantling stereotypes and discussing their harmful impact on POC. Ahmed weaves subtle microagressions into the plot that are part of day to day life for Muslims and the effect is both raw and sobering. There are also discussions of Maya’s parents’ expectations for her, and how pigeonholed she feels by their hopes, as well as moments of intense clarity about white supremacy western world views.

This books hits the right notes of soft romance, character progression, and important social discussions. Samira Ahmed has done a great job of highlighting issues of discrimination and raising a call to arms while giving us an enlivening coming-of-age story with characters you can root for.

A timely and important read, this was at times utterly heartbreaking. However, it was also tremendously fun.

This book was hard hitting and cute at the same time. Samira wrote about some serious topics in this book and really made you feel what maya was feeling after the events that happened in the book. It makes you think about how innocent muslims feel after all the different terroist attacks that have happened over the years. I thought Maya was a strong character who didn't let the events beat her and knock her down. if anything i think they made her even stronger. I loved the building relationship between maya and phil. i felt they were perfect for each other as she was able to adventure and try new things with him and be herself. Also he really took her religion and culture to heart and was aware of the do's and donts that Muslims follow which i felt was super sweet. I also like her friendship with Kareem. He turned out to be a big brother figure for her who she could ring when she was troubled.
I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars.

Wasn’t an enormous fan of this one, felt I was meant to be getting a story about a Muslim teen facing islamophobia as that’s how it was sold to me, that was just a background aspect of a mushy love story. Nothing wrong with that it just wasn’t what I signed up for and thus I was a little disappointed.

I was excited to read this book. As a white Christian teen, I realize I need to learn about other people's experiences in the world. This book helped. (I obviously have a way to go, but this opened my mind a bit.) The story itself wasn't the most page-turnable, but I still loved the book overall.

I was sold on this book because of a Muslim teen main character. I am a Muslim teen? I'm nineteen so I count that as a teen.

I was so excited when I started this book because I thought I'm finally being represented. I started this book and was so happy that I understood the references and that I understand what's it's like but that is it.

I was very disappointed by the representation. I know this is an own voice novel and i understand the authors experience is very different to mine. It just doesn't represent me.

Maya never talks about her religion and that was really frustrating because I got the impression that this was Muslim rep. She doesn't pray, she doesn't really discuss religion. I might not be the most practising person, but I still think about religion and what is allowed in religion and what is not. I'm not perfect at it and could definitely be better. She mentions prayer in passing and that she doesn't go to pray but not why she doesn't or if she even believes in God.One part that irked me was Kareem and drinking wine. That is seen as a sin and its not an option on whether to drink or not. He makes a joke about eating pig but both are equal sins. There was also Indian rep which I actually got. My culture is quite similar to Maya and I grew up watching Bollywood films so I understand the references to that and the food.

Another thing I want to mention is her relationship with her parents. She was very disrespectful and got angry at them for speaking Urdu. I can speak Urdu and I live in the UK. It shouldn't be something to be embarrassed about. Her parents keep talking about marriage and what will the community think but that's not how all Asian parents are. Yeah, marriage is mentioned but not when someone is barely 18. I don't think it's focused on too much in a western country. Her parents can be overbearing and protective but she low-key hates them for the way they are. That's what it seemed like. I feel like when she was disowned it was too dramatic and like a hollywood movie. I'm sure people don't really do that. Options are normally discussed.

I understand the fear of a terrorist attack and worrying about whether the attacker was Muslim or not. Her fear was very real to me. I liked that we got a third person perspective of what the attacker was thinking but I feel as though the book could have gone over the topic more. Maya acknowledges that girls with Hijabs are targeted as well as Muslims all around and I think she could have talked about that more. I think it's more focused on the romance than the terrorist attack that happend. The attack happened, then it went back to her and her crush.

I liked the romance but I feel like she moved on too quickly. I feel as though she didn't view dating as wrong because of her religion, but because of what her parents would do. Dating in islam is not allowed. Yeah, some Muslims still date. I feel as though the only thing that made her a muslim, was her last name.

Overall, I did enjoy the book but it was too frustrating for me in terms of religion. I think it could have included more discussion about religion and what being Muslim is.

A book with a powerful message, it's uplifting, slightly heartbreaking and very timely in the world we live in today. It begins in full-blown technicolour, with a wedding you are swept into, a big family and Maya at the centre of it all. Her mother is trying to introduce her to suitable boys, she is trying to find her voice and all with the backdrop of modern day America.

This is the first own voices book I've read from the perspective of an Indian muslim girl living in America in YA, and I do hope it won't be the last.

This book follows Maya who dreams of attending film school in New York, while her family have different plans for her. At  This is an own voices story of growing up as an Indian Muslim in America in the 21st century. At this point, I will note that obviously I am from a very different background, therefore I apologise and please let me know if anything I mention is either wrong or considered offensive.

I absolutely adored this book, from start to finish! From the very beginning I fell in love with Maya as a character, which was only improved with her character development throughout. It was clear that Maya was a caring individual, who truly wanted to please her parents, but she was also strong-minded and didn't want to give up on her dreams. This, to an extent, I believe is quite a relatable feeling for many teens  but becomes even more apparent with the pressures that Maya obviously feels to maintain certain cultural traditions. I was also deeply impressed with how the love 'triangle' was an integral part of the story but it never eclipsed the wider messages. Throughout the entire book it never felt like the boys were being pitted against each other, and I never felt like I had to pick a side, which you often find in YA.

One thing that I have noticed is that not everyone was a big fan of the slight bildungsroman of the story of the terrorist. I did find it a little difficult to get into the first time, but that was more just training my brain to understand it was from a different characters perspective - sometimes I get almost too engrossed in a characters perspective! Although, after that I really really liked it and I thought it was a smart idea of a way to build up momentum for the twist. I don't think it would have had the same impact if the whole events around the attack had only been narrated by Maya.

Overall, this truly was an incredible book and I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat!

An insightful look into issues still relevant to this day. Maya’s story was certainly inspiring and it’s brilliant to see such a diverse book become so prominent within the YA world, however, I didn’t think the romance added too much to the story.

I went into this with expectations, I haven't read a book with a Muslim lead character and especially in dealing with Islamophobia, especially in todays society where it is becoming more present. On top of that it is an own voices story which I thought would be very interesting to see from this POV.

What I enjoyed was the aspect of culture, we got to see Mayas family life and how that affected her life while dealing with other things.

However an aspect I didn't enjoy, was that for me personally was the Romance, it just seemed that Maya was dependent on a boy at all times, and even in the epilogue she was with another guy, I dunno, For me it wasn't what I wanted (but that's just a persona preference)

Although saying that, I did enjoy Maya as a character. She didn't want to give up on something that she was passionate about and for me that was a real Girl Power Moment.

I'd recommend others to read this.

I got an EARC on Netgalley. I must say, I really enjoyed the plot of this one. It’s very topical and a very important read. Maya’s life is turned upside down when a suspected terrorist attack happens, and the alleged perpetrator shares her last name. It highlights key issues like Islamaphobia, culture and the importance of strong, female protagonists! I loved the style of having small windows into other storylines, it really enhanced the reading experience.

Rating: ★★★★