The Henna Wars

Priya Ayyar's narration brims over with all the conflicting emotions of first love in this heartwarming YA romance. Nishat is an Irish-Bangladeshi teenager who has just come out to her parents. When a school competition pits her henna business against her new crush's, she suddenly finds herself dealing with the aftermath of coming out, her school's homophobia and racism, and all the messy realities of falling in love for the first time. While Ayyar's adult voices are distinct, she uses the same tone for the many teenage girls, making their dialogue confusing at times. Even so, the genuine feelings she brings to Nishat's first-person narration make this novel about self-discovery, love, and sisterhood an engaging listen. L.S. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine