Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is no way changes my review.Somehow, this novel managed to be the perfect balance of cutesy fluff while still tackling important issues. LOVE, HATE, AND OTHER FILTERS is a coming-of-age YA novel about Maya Aziz, a Muslim Indian-American teen, who adores film-making and would do anything to pursue it.Let’s start with the fact that Maya has not only a hobby, but something so dear to her heart that she would do

When I initially heard about this book and the attention it was getting, I was excited. I mean, finally, we have books where a Muslim is our main character. I really did enjoy this book. I loved that Maya was adamant on pursuing her passion. I understood the suffocation she felt when it came to her parents, though they never mean her harm. As a 17 year old, you will not understand the irrational fear immigrant parents constantly feel. At that age, your concern aren’t your parents, it is yourself...

First and foremost, this book is exquisitely authored. Beautiful, not in a flowery, colorful sort of way; but rather in a raw, natural, simple-yet-stunning kind of way. And so, a snap-shot of Maya’s senior year: dating, spring break, planning for college…as an Indian Muslim American…would be wholly satisfying, entirely engaging and enlightening. But it would only scratch the surface. With a wide lens, Ms. Ahmed provides perspective; contrived categories soften into truer compilations. To most of...

Reviews can be found at: www.booknerdtan.wordpress.comThis story broke and warmed my heart in equal parts.Maya Aziz is an Indian-American Muslim whose ultimate dream is to go to study at NYU and eventually become a filmmaker. Her parents’ ultimate dream for her is very different, however. The story shows Maya’s struggle between wanting to follow her dreams and not letting down her parents and the type of prejudiced behaviour that is directed at her because of her religionThis novel dealt with so...

Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || PinterestLOVE, HATE & OTHER FILTERS seems to be being billed as the Muslim version of Angie Thomas's THE HATE U GIVE. Superficially, they have similar plots: both feature young women of color who, while firmly entrenched within their respective culture, struggle with balancing the "American" part of their heritage when faced with so many contradictions. Also in both books, the girls must reconcile their identities with a racially-geared tragedy,

I so wanted to love Love, Hate & Other Filters and I do see the importance in the story. I only wish it wasn't filled with all the extra fluff and insta-love that only distracts from the actual topics at hand. And I was excited to see an Indian-American Muslim teen as the star of the story, but was confused when if I wasn't told she was Muslim, I wouldn't have had a clue besides her parents. There's nothing that seemingly ties Maya to her religious beliefs. Maybe if that had been explored more,...

Full review originally posted on my blog: Word Wonders CW: Islamophobia, racism, threats, white supremacy, hate crimesThe minute I heard about this book my excitement for it went through the roof and I moved Heaven and earth to get access to it. I even offered a limb or two on twitter and a friend of mine came through and I finally had it in my hands at the start of November. I literally dropped all my plans and dived into it. And let me tell you, I can’t believe this is a debut, it’s...

"I guess I don't know how to live the life I want and still be a good daughter."Maya Aziz is a 17-year-old high school senior, the American-born daughter of Muslim Indians. Her mother expects her to be the perfectly obedient daughter, intelligent and demure, ready to head to college not far from her Illinois home and study medicine. Of course, that will do until her parents find the man she'll marry.Maya, however, has utterly different plans for her future. Ever since her father gave her a video...

UPDATE 18/2/18 - I see many of you chanced upon this book looking for a good Muslim rep. I did too. But this book was far from it. I have added some recommendations at the end of the review for those who are looking for good Muslim reps. BELIEVE ME, this is not the book you're looking for. ●◇●◇●◇●◇●◇●◇●◇●◇●◇●◇●◇●Hear that faint shriek in the distance? Yeah, that’s probably me screaming over this book.H O R R I B B L EWhen I saw this book on my feed – - The MC is an Indian Teen. Indian. Teen. In....

3.75We follow Maya who is an aspiring filmmaker who dreams of attending NYU fall short because her parents are afraid of her being away from home.Maya is a Indian American Muslim teen and loves her country. Then one day an attack happens in another state and the person responsible shares the last name as Maya, only it wasn't her family.This book touches on so many important subjects. On what it's like to be a Indian American Muslim teen living in a country that is full of people that hate her an...

↠ 4 starsI was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest reviewThis was the first book I started in 2018 that I wasn’t carrying over from 2017, and it was a great read to ease me into the year. Love, Hate & Other Filters is being marketed as a YA Contemporary about Islamophobia, and I was incredibly interested to dive into it considering I do not read many books about real-life issues and I have always wanted to rectify this. At it's core, LH&OF is a charming,

Greetings, parallel dimension. Hello, population of an almost identical but ever so slightly eerie and incorrect existence. To the uncanny valley: salutations.This book is so persistently and unrelentingly off, so inexplicable in its emotional choices or lack thereof, that I have no choice but to believe I have been struck by lightning / tripped by a cosmic entity / caught up in some light rom-com style time travel and no longer exist in the dimension I formerly knew and tolerated.This is so god...

Gosh, I don’t know where to begin. I already know this book will be on my top books of 2018. I feel like this is one of those books that has changed how I see the world a little bit. That taught me things.I fell in love with Maya’s character immediately. I wanted to be her best friend. I wanted to stand by her side through everything she went through. The writing was perfect and in every sentence I could feel that this was the story of Samira Ahmed’s heart. I’m so grateful that she shared this s...

This book was brilliant. It gave me so many feelings, it made m happy, hopeful, sad, angry. There was so much cuteness, but it was also so heartbreaking at the same time, and it makes me really sad because things that happen in this book, some people actually go through everyday. And it enrages me how people can be so cruelThis book is just really important, and I'm so glad I read it. P.s I love Maya, she was so strong, and wonderful and inspiring

Erm, well. I’m pretty confused about my feelings towards this one. On one hand, I loved the realistic representation of family and friendship (the heroine has a solid girl-friendship that reminds me so much of my own BFF). On the other hand, the romance was way over-done, and the real-world issue about Muslim hate took a bit of a backseat.Actual rating: 2.5 stars // Full review soon! Wait for it on my YA book blog, Aimee, Always.

‘Violence has no place in religion, and the terrorists are responsible for their own crimes, not the religion and not us.’I read a few reviews before writing my own, just to see if I were the only one who enjoyed this book but didn't adore it.I honestly thought it was good for a debut novel, not necessarily mind blowing, but definitely promising. Do I feel bad for not falling in love with this book? Yes. Incredibly bad. I just wanted to love it so much? And then it didn’t happen and it breaks my...

Love, Hate & Other Filters reads like a more serious When Dimple Met Rishi. It is because of its comparison with the latter that I've decided to bump up the rating from 3.5 to 4 stars. The two books, both written by authors of Indian origin (one Hindu, one Muslim), cannot but be compared due to the way they are written and the themes they touch upon. However, if you didn't like Dimple or simply crave more serious topics in contemporary, then you'll probably like Love, Hate & Other Filters more.

"You might have heard this before, but guys aren't always the best communicators""You're pretty good at it""Yes" Kareem says, then leans back with both hands behind his head. "I am rather great, aren't I?" Yet again I'm here to praise an ownvoices contemporary novel 2017 is the year for it, so many authors are killing this. LOVE, HATE & OTHER FILTERS was one of my most highly anticipated releases of this year and yet it still managed to impress me and go above and beyond my expectationsLove,

Wow. I don't have words to describe this book. Please preorder it so you can experience the magic for yourself. It's incredible.Now that I've had a day to process this book, let's get into some of the things I loved about it. - a protagonist with a passionSometimes, it feels like in YA we have characters that don't really *do* anything... besides talk about their love interest and go to school. Or if they DO have a "passion", it's mentioned once and then never again. LOVE, HATE, AND OTHER FILTER...

4.5 stars "I don't feel brave at all. I feel scared. No camera. No filter. Just my life, totally unscripted." -- protagonist Maya Aziz, on page 251Love, Hate & Other Filters is a charming, topical, and assured debut novel from author Samira Ahmed. It focuses on Maya Aziz, a Muslim-Indian seventeen-going-on-eighteen high school senior who yearns to attend NYU to become a filmmaker. An American-born only child, she resides in a small satellite town on the outskirts of Chicago with her parents, who...