Books

Book Review: Golden Girl by Reem Faruqi

Golden Girl by Reem Faruqi is a heartfelt book about family, friendship, hope, and change.

Written in verses, Golden Girl follows Aafiyah Qamar who is dealing with a lot in her life. She is grappling with adolescence. Her paternal grandfather is battling cancer. But when her Abba (father) is accused of a crime and detained at an airport, Aafiyah’s life is forever changed.

Highlights

  • It was interesting to see Aafiyah come from an immigrant family who was well off until her father gets detained.
  • Aafiyah also deals with all the typical teenage drama, which made this story fun to read.
  • I loved the fact that Aafiyah is a flawed protagonist. She doesn’t always do the right thing, but she shows remorse for it.

Lowlights

 

  • It’s a faster-paced novel, but what’s special about Aafiyah as a protagonist is how Aafiyah doesn’t do anything with malicious intent-she just wants her father home.

Final Thoughts: I have never read a novel in verse form for a middle-grade book until this one. It’s got a fresh perspective and a unique outlook on when is it okay to steal with consequences that are fitting for the story.

Amani Salahudeen

Amani is pursuing a Master's in Teaching (Secondary English Education) and enjoys writing about YA books in her free time. Her favorite authors include S.K. Ali, Chloe Gong, Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal, Sandhya Menon, Angie Thomas, Lamar Giles, Nic Stone, John Green, and many others!

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