The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali Audiobook By Sabina Khan cover art

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali

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The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali

By: Sabina Khan
Narrated by: Richa Shukla
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With a welcome mix of humor, heart, and high-stakes drama, Sabina Khan provides a timely and honest portrait of what it's like to grow up feeling unwelcome in your own culture.

Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali tries her hardest to live up to her conservative Muslim parents' expectations, but lately she's finding that impossible to do. She rolls her eyes when they blatantly favor her brother and saves her crop tops and makeup for parties her parents don't know about. Luckily, only a few more months stand between her carefully monitored life in Seattle and her new life at Caltech. But when her parents catch her kissing her girlfriend Ariana, all of Rukhsana's plans fall apart.

Her parents are devastated and decide to whisk Rukhsana off to Bangladesh, where she is thrown headfirst into a world of arranged marriages and tradition. Through reading her grandmother's old diary, Rukhsana gains some much-needed perspective and realizes she must find the courage to fight for her love without losing the connection to her family as a consequence.

©2019 Sabina Khan (P)2019 Scholastic Inc. Family Family & Relationships Fiction Islamic Heritage LGBTQ+ Literature & Fiction Multicultural Heartfelt Witty
Refreshingly Different Story • Dynamic Main Character • Lovable Protagonist • Emotional Range • Important Representation

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I found this story to be refreshingly different. I enjoyed that it wasn’t the typical middle eastern culture we see in literature and that the protagonist’s story isn’t one I’ve encountered often. Overall, I feel this book is a gem of a find despite the tough topics it addresses.

Surprising

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I felt like there were pacing issues and the need to tie everything up in a nice how kind of ruined the story. There was also a lot of information that we get that really didn't do anything to enhance the story. Rukhsana's friends from school and girlfriend were trash and honestly I kept waiting for her to realize that she deserved better, but that didn't happen.

I loved parts of it but overall it was just okay

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Very endearing and unpredictable. Realistic assumptions of naive friends who love the only way they are able.

Honestly Disturbing

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it was amazing!
THIS IS A MOOD. I totes recommend it!
great on rainy days.

love it!!!!

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hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi poop as well no but i

i love this book so much. it’s so inspiring

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