Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I've been really trying to broaden my selection of reading and I am so happy I requested this novel. It was eye-opening, educational, heart-warming, and really gave me something to think about when I was done reading. It was a fast-paced read that I found myself really enjoying.

When the novel began with the introduction of a reporter to record the interview, I assumed there'd be more back and forth and not solely a complete replay with a few interjections. It wasn't a bad thing, not at all, it just wasn't what I expected. The story flowed naturally as if someone was telling it to me while we were out having coffee and a few times I had wished I could have jumped in with questions to ask the narrator, haha.

Overall, a great read that I recommend.

This was such a fast-paced read! Once I started reading, I couldn‘t put the book away. I seriously enjoyed every single page. I highly recommend reading this book if you enjoy coming of age stories.
If I could give more than 5 stars, I definitely would!!

This book was unputdownable. Hijab and Red Lipstick is one woman’s memoir of growing up between two cultures, finding out who she is, and having the courage to stand up for herself and follow her own path.

Sara is half British half Egyptian who was born and lived in London until the age of 14 when her father moved the family to Qatar. Being a teenager is hard enough without all of a sudden being 100% under your father’s control. Having to ask permission to leave the house, not being able to talk to boys, and even having to hide when her father’s friends come to the house all become the new normal for Sara and her sister Saffa. Slowly they start to rebel, a little at a time, (a hidden cell phone, coffee with a boy, a red lipstick) but they soon learn the punishments not only fall on them but their mother as well. Sara tries to conform, to be a good girl, to please her father who’s love she finds is conditional, but she can’t escape. There are lots of triggers in the story though, rape, sexual assault, domestic violence.

This book is amazing, and tearful, and inspiring. I’d like to thank the author for sharing her story. At the end she talks about how she returned to Islam and realized that the patriarchal society that she had been living on was cultural and not religious. I think this is an important message as well. It seems that many people blame religion, and not just Islam, but others as well, for things that are actually culturally derived.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to be able to give a positive review to a own voice novel and one that came from a similar background from me but this book just didn't work for me.
This book was a DNF. The writing style didn't work with the jumps between scenes. The writing felt boring. And the framing of this being an interview..
There are plenty of positive reviews so please check it out but it is just not for me.

A captivating and honest portrayal of life for a woman in the Gulf.

This story was compelling and honest, and I really felt for the narrator, Sara, as she struggled to find her own identity while being tethered down by a society that told her how she should act, and in many ways kept her from expressing herself.

Though I found the content important and engaging, it was negatively affected by the writing. It was very difficult to connect with the writing style, it was choppy and jarring and at times honestly seemed a bit childish. I think that this style could have been done well since the story is in first person and much of it is the mc recounting past events in her life, it would make sense that she cannot tell everything smoothly. However, it just was not done well. The jumps between narration and the part of the story that was being told was unnatural, and it made me want to take numerous breaks in between reading.

However, I do appreciate the subject matter and the author's willingness to shine light on these more difficult topics.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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3,5*
Pros: A portrait of the life of a Muslim Londoner as a female immigrant woman in the Gulf. Refreshing PoV on how it is to grow up in an Arab country as a girl, under the fists of patriarchy and religious dictatorship. Helps understand the difference between Islam and Arab culture, and how men and the patriarchy are manipulating Islamic laws and beliefs in order to subjugate and control women. Talks about rape, sexual abuse and physical violence, about how important it is to get proper help in order to heal.
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Cons: Judging and pitting women against women trope. Abrupt and "unfinished" ending.

3.5 stars

This book was a difficult read, not just because of the trigger warnings (please pay attention to them if you decide to read this book), but because it felt so deeply personal. I knew going in that this book would have an impact on me. I didn't expect to be up until midnight because I couldn't put it down.

Hijab & Red Lipstick follows Sara and her coming of age in the Gulf area. Sara has an Egyptian father and a British mother and a pretty tumultuous childhood. Things her friends at school take for granted are forbidden and sometimes severely punished. And this doesn't get better when her father decides to move them all to the Gulf area. There Sara has to contend with even stricter rules and the constant conflict between her and her father.

The first half of this book felt like I was reading the story of my life very accurately portrayed by someone who wasn't me. Everything from the strict rules, the double standards, the ban on music, the sudden move from Europe to the Gulf--it hit home, and not in a pleasant way. I found myself dwelling on old childhood memories, more bitter than sweet. And that wasn't the hardest part of the book--after I got beyond the stuff I could personally relate to, Sara's story actually becomes even more heart-wrenching.

In my experience, a lot of Muslims living in the West see the Gulf as some kind of Muslim utopia. Surely everything will be better there, in a Muslim country, where there's no discrimination against Muslims. But the experience of women and immigrants is often discounted in these fantasies. And to be fair, when you're living there, especially as a child, it's all fun and games. It isn't until later that you start to discover the rot underneath the shiny veneer. I still remember the first time I read an article that detailed the deplorable circumstances under which most live-in maids (extremely common there) work. How their passports are taken so they can't leave, how they are abused and forced to work under horrible conditions. And that's just one example of the list of things that's wrong with the Gulf countries. The details in the book don't feel exaggerated even as it sounds impossible for a country to be that backwards, or to interpret what Islam says in such a wrong way.

Yousra Imran mentions in her note to the reader that "it is important to remember not to discount the experiecne of a woman if it is not an experience of your own". I think this is worth remembering more often.

Not everything in this book worked for me. I thought the whole "Sara gets interviewed to tell her life story" bit was unnecessary since it added nothing. The book could just as easily be a fictional autobiography and it would've worked fine. I also didn't like the way Arabic words were used within the text as they were usually followed by "this means ____". I've been seeing this trend in books recently where the words just aren't explained and readers are left to either guess at the meaning from context or to understand them because they happen to speak the language. I admit I prefer that style to this because it feels less infodumpy. The writing itself was also a miss for me, especially regarding the often very sudden transitions between scenes.

The story also ended kind of abruptly where Sara ends the interview with something along the lines of, "and now __ years and relationships later, here we are". I would've been interested in reading more about that.

Overall though, I still recommend this if you're looking for a book that can put you in someone else's shoes and will make you reflect.

This book was totally captivating and to me just as interesting and culturally foreign as any fantasy novel. Sara is a compelling character who is kept from everything she wants because of her strict father. And that's before he moves them to the Arabian Gulf.

“You cannot do anything in this country without my permission.”

This is the coming-of-age story I didn't know was missing, and its a great parallel to stories like A Very Large Expanse of Sea.

Ok so first of all a massive thank you for Yousra Imran for writing this story.
As a woman who has grown up around different cultures all my life I feel that this story will do so well educating people on Muslim culture and how modern day cultures have effected people's views on women in Muslim households. It's nice to be able to read a story from someone who tells it like it is.

This story gets 5 stars for me as it's so eye opening and educational at the same time, while also not being a lecture is a massive plus.

This is about girl called Sara who is trying to find herself within her culture growing up. While her London life was strict already under her father's rule, but once her father uproots the family into the Arabian Gulf. She begins to see that life is going to be even more confined with more and new rules to obey in the Gulf along with living with her father's idealistic ways of how to raise good Muslim children.

I would so recommend reading this even if it's just for the story. I wish I had more books like this growing up so I could become more educated sooner on my friends cultures.

Thank you netgallery and publishers for allowing me to read this book.

Hijab and Red Lipstick is an intense story about a young woman's struggle to be herself in a culture where women are not allowed the same freedoms as men. The book is written in dual narratives: with Sara in the present-day telling her life story to a reporter. This book definitely comes with trigger warnings for rape, sexual assault, and violence toward women. Even though the story is a bit intense at times, it was well written and interesting to see the social, cultural, religious, and family dynamics at play and to see how Sara overcame those obstacles in her life to tell her story.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Hashtag Press for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank You Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the ARC! This review is strictly based on my opinion.

This story is about a girl named Sara, who is half-British, half Egyptian, who was born and raised in Britain, but moves to the Gulf when her father gets a job there. Sara also has a strict father. Like every teenager, Sara wants to apply lipstick and be like a normal teenager listening to Destiny's child but for her father, everything she likes is "haram" meaning forbidden.

I really enjoyed reading the story! Though this book reminds me a little bit of A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum, though this is a bit different. Both books talk about the Arab culture but in this book, it talks about how Sara's father, who after moved to the Gulf changed and became strict with his children, particularly if they listen to western music, it is "haram" and going out without wearing a hijab is a "haram". This book literally talks about how Sara is dealing with the Arab culture. The book was well written, witty and funny and as this book was written on Sara's perspectives, it was interesting to know about her thoughts.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and worth four stars!

I got an ARC of this book.

I am a big sucker for coming of age stories, especially about women or queer people. So between that and this cover, I needed this book desperately.

The premise of the story is that Sara is telling her story of growing up to a reporter after she has struck out on her own. The story she tells starts with her family and who they are. This really sets the stage for everything that happens later. Sara’s age and her father’s determination really clash over and over again.

Her father is such an interesting character. He is both strong willed and weak. He will impose his will over his family, but will do anything it takes to please those around him that he has deemed acceptable. He is abusive and protective. He is full of what appears to be contradictions. It is never clear what will set him off or how bad it will be. He is this constant force of stress for everyone. This story wouldn’t exist if her father were any less of himself. He is a raging force that appears to be unstoppable. I both loved and hated him. I really understood where Sara’s complicated feelings for him came from.

There was so much intense family dynamics. Sara was sold enough to see how much her dad changed when they moved. She was old enough to be ready to rebel like only a teenager can pretty much from the start. She seemed to have the hardest time adjusting to the huge cultural changes the move brought and the huge family changes her father caused. It was fascinating to watch the changes. Some of the changes were things that Sara rebelled against, but others she shrugged and moved on. Those moments really defined Sara as a character for me. Sara as a character was complex and detailed. I wanted to know her every waking thought. I felt like I knew her as well as I knew myself at times. Incredible character development.

There was both a sexual assault of a minor (under 18) and a rape (over 18). Just as a heads up, both of these are described in detail and there is backlash towards the victims. This was difficult to read. I have been raped and assaulted, also been blamed for it each time but not to the degree that these women were. So if this is something that will be triggering, it is near the end of the book.

Overall, this book focuses on character development and the cultural/social dynamics of family. It was a wonderful read and an enjoyable one. Highly recommend!

Hijab and Red Lipstick is the story of Sara, a young girl who's grown up in the UK, but moves to the Gulf when her father gets a job there. In the Arabian Gulf, where the patriarchy rules, it isn't easy being a young girl.

Sara and her family are Muslim. I liked how the author explained things from this culture such as clothing and how she argued that Islam's view on women has gotten a bad rep because of the Middle Eastern culture's impact on it — that Islam isn't as sexist as often viewed in many parts of western culture.

This story was a great window into a culture I haven't read much about before. Reading this honest and unflinching portrayal was rough at times, but mostly just eye-opening.

I, unfortunately, didn't connect with the writing style and found that the narrative structure with two timelines (though one not taking up much space) didn't work as well for me, but that's purely a personal preference.

Overall, I'm just so glad I read this book and would recommend it!

Sara is the daughter of a white British mother and an Egyptian father., (Baba). While life is somewhat hard living in England due to her father's extremist enforcement of what a good Muslim girl should and should not do,, it soon becomes unbearable after the family moves to the Arabian Gulf. There, teenage Sara is faced with everything "haram," - (forbidden), including wearing makeup, listening to pop music, dating, and dancing. Sara lives her life sneaking to do the things that she desires, but is conflicted and unhappy.

Sara's father is so extreme that the women in the family live beholden to his wishes and commands, with her brothers receiving a total pass on everything.. His wife, especially, subsists in a subservient and obedient world, which infuriates Sara. When Sara's younger sister is sexually assaulted on her way to buy a Pepsi, Baba believes that this was Allah's revenge for her buying a product produced by Zionists. Another time, when Sara is unable to remove her red lipstick before arriving home one day, her father beats her. and calls her a "sharmoota" (slut). As we continue to read, we follow Sara's journey as she strives to become a proud Muslim woman in her own right, one who lives as a feminist, free of her father's domination.

This story is based on the real life of the author, and allows us a window into the personal and religious control that women in the Arab world can be expected to abide. Imran points out differences between Gulf men and men from other parts of the Arab world, and especially maintains that Islam is indeed a religion that is pro women's rights, but is not typically thought of in that fashion by men. At the end of the book when she becomes liberated from her father, she tells us, "I separated my religion, which was not to blame for the way Baba had treated me, from the Arab culture, which was obsessed with a women's reputation and honor, placing a woman's worth on the presence of her hymen."

Hijab and Red Lipstick is a fast paced read, and the reader feels great compassion for Sara, her mother and her sister. (I often found myself saying to them, "Just leave!, all the while knowing that it was impossible. It is important to keep in mind that this is the experience of one woman -- for example, her best friend was allowed total freedom to come and go as she wished, hence, readers should remember not to generalize or stereotype.

#Netgalley #HijabandRedLipstick

This book gave me anxiety the entire time I was reading it - but I think that goes to how great and real the writing felt. I was an Islamic studies major in college and I'm always drawn to these own voices stories that are so different from mine.

I read an interview that the author did and she mentioned that this book first started out as a memoir but eventually she went in and changed names and rewrote it as a piece of fiction. The book is set in the format that the main character is giving her story to a journalist back in England. So I think that this book still reads very much like a memoir, even if we don't know which pieces are true and fabricated.

I also think that reading this book it's so important to have the distinction between the teachings of Islam and what is Middle Eastern culture. I think that a lot of the misconceptions that the west has about Islam is actually attributed to the culture, rather than the religion. I think the author at the end did a great job of distinguishing the two and explaining it to those who may not have a background in the region or the religion.

Overall, I thought this was a super powerful and informative story that I'm glad that I read.

I have always been fascinated by the Muslim women and culture and read a fair share of books by them too.

The fun fact here is, I have never been disappointed by any of the books I have read by these beautiful and strong women, and even this time I LIKED READING THIS CHATTY and FAST PACED MEMOIR. (I pick up their books blindly and it always warms my heart after I finish it).

"I'm not a better Muslim woman because of my hijab and I'm no worse of a Muslim woman without it.
I'll continue to wear my hijab with RED LIPSTICK."

Yousra Imran, a half Egyptian and half British author throws light into the ugly and heart wrenching side of conservative families and life in the middle eastern countries for a woman,
There are quite a few trigger warnings and it will break your heart to know that such major events are brushed off or not even acknowledged sometimes as if just "SWATTING AN ANNOYING FLY AWAY".

Women are mere objects and aren't allowed to do anything. It might be insanely stifling and I am sure some of us cant even FATHOM HOW DOES A PERSON , LET ALONE , a WOMAN SURVIVE THAT !

But it is the incredible faith in oneself and that WOMEN ARE NOT LESS THAN ANYONE feat that leads Yousra to greater things.
The narrative is more YA and its a story you want to hear, because you will start to feel for Yousra and love her spirit and become her friend even before you know. Also you will pick up some interesting Arabic slangs and vocabulary along the way.

I RECOMMEND THIS ONE.

Thankyou NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an EARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Hijab & Red Lipstick in exchange for an honest review.

Hijab & Red Lipstick really makes it feel like protagonist Sara is sitting next to you, telling her story. Narratively set up as Sara recounting her story to a reporter, Hijab & Red Lipstick follows her from childhood to adulthood as she grapples with religious & social pressures, a messy family dynamic, and attempting to forge her own identity in the middle of all that.

I'm still torn on how the narrative structure worked for me. At times I found the choice to move from scene to scene incredibly natural, at times it was jarring and pulled me out to the story. It also makes for very blunt to the point narrative which isn't what I tend to look for, but given the subject matter I'm not sure if a different style would have been better suited.

I do really like how Sara's journey of self discovery was set up and how Imran makes it extremely clear that she's not escaping her religion, she's escaping zealots who misunderstand it. I also loved how Sara's mother and her own struggles were framed.

A perfect book covering a young Muslim woman’s difficult quest to find her identity especially while having a mega strict Egyptian dad who tells her that everything is "haram" a.k.a. forbidden.

I truly enjoyed reading each and every page of this book!

Having spent almost my entire childhood and teenage years in the Gulf, I am aware of the patriarchy system that exists and have heard about a few incidents or experiences. I have never been able to read an entire story spanning across the years.

As we read about Sara's journey from childhood to adulthood, we are actually reading the different experiences and challenges that every young Arab Muslim girl goes through. The constant religious and social pressures are widely know and criticized but rarely defied. The inclusion of the stories of Sara's mother and her sister also highlight other important issues.

I loved the author's dedication at the beginning of the book. I truly believe Yousra Imran is a perfect inspiration for all the Arab women, her courage and determination is amazing!

This is one story which should be read and shared by all.

Thank You to NetGalley and Hashtag Press for this ARC!

Sara and her siblings were raised in London by their Muslim parents - her British mother and Egyptian father. Like most Middle Eastern men, Sara's father is strict in implementing Islamic teaching and Middle Eastern culture to his children - so strict that Western music was banned in their household ("the words in the songs are from the devil!"). As she was entering her teenage years, her father uprooted the whole family to a city in the Arabian Gulf. If she thought her life in London was restricted, she now finds her life in the Gulf even more confined with more rules to obey and a father who thinks he knows best in raising good Muslim children. Readers are in for a ride through Sara's teenage years, then as a university student and graduate as she embarks on a journey in finding herself and the true meaning of being a Muslim woman.

***
Reading Hijab & Red Lipstick is like listening to a friend who is confiding in you about the story of her life. The way of writing is honest and straight-forward, yet you can feel the pain, the misery that the characters are going through and it's heart-breaking at some pages.
The story sheds light on women suffering in countries where the patriarchy rules supreme and it's eye-opening for me. I think religious extremism exists in all religions and this book shows a glimpse in that. Through her honest writing, Imran makes it clear that this story is not about a woman despising her religion, it's about a woman's quest in understanding the true teaching of Islam and escaping the extremists who misunderstand it and ultimately it led her in her journey to self-discovery. Hijab & Red Lipstick is a story that needs to be read by women and feminists - Muslim or not.

I wanted to love this book, the story sounded so interesting, but the writing was super dry and matter of fact and didn’t feel like reading a story at all. I found myself bored most of the way through.