You Think You Know Me is a fantastic debut novel by Ayaan Mohamud. It explores up to date, and often very difficult topics, such as bullying, racism, Islamophobia and teenage friendship. Told through the eyes of teenage Hanan we learn of her school life, home life and her Somalian heritage. Learning about her early life had some very emotional scenes but these were interspersed so well with family pride, love and above all faith. At times I was shocked and angered by the attitudes of so called 'responsible adults' within Hanan's circle. I truly enjoyed my journey with Hanan as she worked out what matters most in life and found the best way for her to achieve it. I highly recommend this YA book and would advocate it was put on as many school library shelves and reading lists as possible. Thank you Ayaan for sharing this story. Thanks also to netgalley and the publisher.

I can see that this is going to be an important read but I personally didn’t get on with it so didn’t finish it

This was such a thoughtful read, approached in a very tender way. Despite exploring some difficult topics - bullying, the complexities of friendship, Islamophobia and the growing difficulties of being an immigrant in an area that has always seen you as other – it also has no shortage of touching, heartfelt moments as we experience first-hand the comfort Hanan finds in her faith and the dynamics of the different relationships she has with her friends and family, especially her twin brother Hussein.

I felt truly part of the journey as Hanan discovers her voice and her role in speaking out about prejudice. I also felt that Mohamud’s writing helped me understand the extent of the burden placed on minorities to be positive representations and the high level of pressure this entails.

While some portions of the book felt a little slow paced, this was an overall well-written YA story and would be worth reading for anyone who enjoys general contemporary or YA fiction. I read this initially as an ARC on NetGalley, but this will be making its way onto my physical shelves once it’s been published.

Written in a simple style but dealing with violence and racism, this book is suitable for mid-teens up. Hanan’s role as the quiet, hardworking student who ignores the bullies is ripped apart when devastating violence is unleashed in her neighbourhood and suddenly every Muslim is seen as guilty. It provides a thought-provoking insight into life in Britain from the viewpoint of the Somali schoolgirl narrator. The main theme explored is the difference between integration and a true acceptance of diversity.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an independent review.

You think you know me follows Hanan, a Muslim student in London as she explores growing up, female friendships and what it means to be 'other'. I really liked Hanan, and I recognised her features within a lot of the young people I work with. I also really enjoyed the elements exploring young female friendships - man they can be tough! It's interesting to think about how we love when we have so much growing to do ourselves.

I just wished the book had been a little bit faster paced for YA fiction. That being said, I'd recommend!

This was the first book I read in 2023, and it’s definitely already on my favourites list. Mohamud weaves together themes of bullying and Islamophobia at school, the criminalisation of Muslims in the media, Hanan’s Somali heritage and her heartfelt relationship with her twin brother Hussein— carving a much more emotional edge to the story as we learn of her experience fleeing Somalia as a refugee, and the loss of her father in the journey.

Hanan’s relationship with her faith is also written about in such a beautiful and thoughtful way, and my most treasured aspect of the novel is how Islam is portrayed as such a natural and central aspect of Hanan’s lifestyle, as we see her regularly finding peace and clarity in religious practices such as prayer, Islamic teachings and reciting the Qur’an. This book is a brilliant example of new contemporary Muslim fiction on its own, but it is also a perfect addition to the growing canon of books centring Muslim identity, such as As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh and The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafa. Would highly recommend this to anyone interested in YA/contemporary fiction!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Ayaan's writing is wonderfully written and the characters are well-formed. I very much enjoyed reading this novel and didn't know in which direction it was heading (which is a good thing!).

This is a YA debut novel, that features a 17 year old Somali girl called Hanan. She is also a refugee. Due to an incident, Hanan is forced to decide if she will stay silent or speak her truth. I loved the exploration of the role you play in contributing to racism. As minorities, we are often seen as the spokesperson for our entire community. This is a hefty burden to carry and Hanan is able to navigate this with the support she receives from her community. My favourite character is Hanan’s mum. She is a voice of gentle wisdom and she is stern when she needs to be. I also love how Ayaan addressed uncertainty. In many YA books, it seems like most characters know what they are doing. This little aspect of the book really stood out to me as a fellow indecisive bean myself. I also love the use of the Somali language and it was written without translation, this speaks to how far we have come in terms of representation. Finally, this book highlighted the importance of female friendships, especially how your friends must advocate you and themselves. I read this book so quickly after being in a long reading slump.
The only mild criticism that I have is that it reads quite young and there are some differences in tone which confused me. Then again, it is a debut novel, so things can only go up from here.

A spectacular debut about discovering the courage to speak out against fear and prejudice. This story follows Hanan, who has always been inspired to be a good girl, to be quiet and to avoid stirring up trouble. When her classmates target her for racist bullying and her teachers use her as their ideal Muslim poster girl, she smiles and retains her mouth shut. They can't see beyond her headscarf, but she knows she's so much more. When a local is murdered, tension builds, and Muslims become targets for yet more heinous harrassment. After a terrifying attack, Hanan decides it's time to make her voice heard, and it's time to shake the world.

I finished this book in one sitting, and not all books got my attention like that. Plotwise, I think it was brilliant. To make a teenager in the midst of making achievements in school or college to potray the role of a muslim main character is a great choice. It is our younger youth that will shape a better future. Hanan, our main character is flawed. She is a true muslim representative; she's a practicing muslim and we dont see it everyday in young adult books. Mostly it must be a non-practicing ones that are written in books, but here, I finally found a practicing one.

Regarding the plot, I think it was depicted well. I also think that despite it has hate crime and racism scenes, those scenes are kinda 'light' imo. I believe a crueler, much harsher thing already happened or still happening in the real world towards muslims or refugees. However, I am satisfied with the plot, the writing, and the representation inside this book. It was... truly brilliant for a debut novel. Those racist and islamophobic scenes made me so mad and angry beyond me. I cant believe that this thing might happened to people. This book can be the voice that represents those who are discriminated by the world. Truly refreshing, gripping and mind-opening. I personally think more people should read this book at least once, so that they would know how someone who is being discriminated feels like.

Next, I wanna touch on the characters. Hanan and her whole family are Somalis. I was delighted to read about their backgrounds, they way they called each other using Somalis words, and their foods and tradition, it wasnt being washed away despite living in a western country. Hanan's mother is one of my favourite characters. She's just know what to say without judgement. Hanan's friends are also a delight. Despite the troubles, they found each other again.

Overall, I immensely enjoy this book with my heart. I hope more books with true muslim representatives would be published in the future .

Hanan is Somali and had to leave her beloved homeland as a child with her family minus her Dad which we know was traumatic for her. In the UK her Mother has worked hard to provide for Hanan, her twin Hussain, two younger sisters and their Grandmother. The twins take turns to collect the 2 younger ones from school and help around the house. On top of this Hanan is studying for an exam as entrance to medical school, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her doctor Father. She’d pushed herself to pass the entrance for the grammar school even though it meant being separated from Hussain who was attending a different school with far fewer expectations.
It has also meant suffering sly racist digs from Jessica daily. When someone was stabbed to death in the neighbourhood and the media reported that it was a ‘radicalised Muslim’ the comments from Jessica, her brother and a few others they influenced ramped up.
A Governors’ meeting was held with the agenda pinned up in school which students were not supposed to see. The proposal was to discuss banning head coverings and skirts longer than knee length. The Head called in Hanan to ask her to talk to the governors.
But Hanan has a lot building up at home as well as school with worries about her brother. Discovering more leads to trouble and triggers a flashback to the day her Dad was killed.
The reader has got to know Hanan who is a perfect student and daughter, obeying her mum's mantra of 'A closed mouth is gold'. But sometimes that has to be ignored and you need to speak out.
Exposing the conscious and unconscious racism in school and society, this book is shocking and powerful but the everyday experience of many students. This is a compelling read.