Book Review of  > Love from Mecca to Medina

Book Name - Love from Mecca to Medina

Author - S.K. Ali

Publisher - skalibook/ simonteen

Thank you coloredpagesblogtours , simonteen and skalibook /sajidahwrites for the opportunity and for the free Arc copy.

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About the Author - S. K. Ali is the author of "Saints and Misfits", a finalist for the American Library Association's 2018 William C.Morris award, and the winner of the APALA Honor Award and Middle EastBook Honor Award. "Saints and Misfits", and her second novel, "Love from A to Z", were both best YA books of the year as named by Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and the American Library Association. "Love from A to Z" was the first teen novel chosen for NBC Today Show's Read with Jenna book club. Her newest novel, "Misfit in Love", was a People Magazine best book of summer 2021. "The Proudest Blue", her picture book co-authored with Ibtihaj Muhammad, was an instant New York Times Bestseller. Along with Aisha Saeed, she's the co-editor of a critically acclaimed anthology of middle grade stories called "Once Upon an Eid".

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Interested in a variety of genres and literary forms, S. K. Ali is currently working on books that reflect this love. She can be found on twitter (@sajidahwrites), on instagram (@skalibooks), on TikTok (@skalibooks), and reached through her website's contact page: www.skalibooks.com.

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Content - Zayneb and Adam, perfectly matched. Painfully apart.

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Adam is in Doha, Qatar, making a map of the Hijrah, a historical migration from Mecca to Medina, and worried about his next paycheck as he is a freelancer and doesn't have any gig currently. Zayneb on the other hand lives in Chicago and is in law school. But she is also in a bad situation where she doesn't have any place to live and an absurd situation is making her life miserable and making her future dwindling in turmoil.

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Then a marvel occurs: Adam and Zayneb get the chance to spend the Thanksgiving week on the Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. Adam is thrilled, an opportunity to pray for a Hijrah in real life, to migrate to Zayneb in Chicago. Zayneb was reluctant at first as she had envisioned another kind of vacation with Adam, but then she decides to join the pilgrimage to be with Adam.

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But the trip is nothing like what they expected, from the appearance of Adam's former love interest as their travel group leader to the anxiety that is gripping Zayneb. As one after another drives them apart while they make their way through the rites in the holy city, Adam and Zayneb start to wonder: was their meeting just an oddity after all? Or their love can transcend everything else.

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Read the book to get the answers.

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My Views - The book is a portrayal of  love story and long distance relationship and also the spiritual journey and upliftment. This book is the sequel of the author's previous book " Love from A to Z" where the couple met for the first time. Though I have not read the previous book yet, it will not hinder the enjoyment of reading this one. In this part, the couple is facing hardship in their respective lives ( Adam with his illness and unemployment and Zayneb with her life and career) but still giving time to each other every day for at least one call. They are matured enough here and even though they are very far from each other, they are mentally supporting each other.

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Each chapter in this story starts with an artefact(possession) and what does it represent before going deeper in the story. The book is mainly based on the Islamic History and Culture and the author has beautifully described and explained each and every representation. For anyone who doesn't belong in this community will not have any problems understanding and will thoroughly enjoy the book. 

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The author has very realistically described the couple's life and the experiences they had gained on Umrah and the realistic emotions they were having. This is not just any love story where it is portrayed that everything is fine, but a spiritual journey as well for a couple who wants to be together.

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The author also showcases the difficulties of a person suffering from MS( Multiple Sclerosis). The characterization is really amazing and the narration is very enjoyable. The addition of the feline character is surely a cherry on top though the name is quite mouthful.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the book and definitely wish to read the other works by the same author.

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Highly recommended.

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My Rating - 4.5⭐/5⭐

#coloredpagestours #LovefromMeccatoMedina

 #LovefromMeccatoMedinatour

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See the full tour details here - Love from Mecca to Medina Tour