6/17/2023 0 Comments Counting down with you book review![]() Karina struggles with anxiety but keeps it from her family Ace is white and affluent side characters are diverse in race and sexuality. Karina's gradual understanding of her parents and their decisions is thoroughly explored. Despite its familiar premise, this #OwnVoices novel shines with its strong focus on family and its depiction of a healthy teen relationship. With support from Ace, her two best friends, and her grandmother, Karina must decide if she has the courage to face her parents and fight for the future she chooses. But as the days tick closer to her parents' return, Karina's newfound freedom feels too good to last. As sparks fly, Karina realizes she might not be the only one hiding her true self under the surface. After a rough start, they begin to open up to each other-first as friends, and then as something more. Then her English teacher asks her to tutor mysterious bad boy Ace Clyde. When her parents leave for a month to visit family, Karina gets a much-needed break from their strict expectations. She attends Pre-Med Society to please her traditional Bangladeshi Muslim parents, even though she'd rather study English at Columbia than become a doctor. ![]() Gr 8 Up-High school junior Karina Ahmed always puts others' needs before her own. From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Hand to fans of Netflix hit Never Have I Ever. ![]() Still, many will relate to straining against parental expectations and cultural double standards between genders. A sore spot lies in Karina's dismissal of her own family's traditional views and other small jabs, like characterizing Bangladeshi food as "strange," ultimately making her heritage one of the obstacles she has to surmount. Bhuiyan guides Karina through it with care, exploring multiple coping methods and surrounding her with sympathetic friends. This "love letter to young brown girls" explores a topic that can be taboo in desi culture: anxiety. But with her parents in Bangladesh for a month, she finally has time to consider what she wants and if Ace fits into that future. ![]() When he convinces Karina to disguise their sessions as fake dating-which eventually evolves into real feelings-Karina's anxiety spikes. Sixteen-year-old Karina Ahmed can always be counted on: her strict Bangladeshi parents can count on her following their med school plans, her friends can count on her support, and her English teacher can count on her tutoring school heartthrob Ace Clyde. ![]()
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