Some of the main themes were rejection after coming out, cultural appropriation, and racism. The Henna Wars is a fun, light-hearted story, but it also brings in some very important and often hard-hitting themes and plot points. What can Nishat do when she realises Flávia is appropriating her culture? And that she’s also related to - and is working with - a girl that has bullied Nishat for years? She decides to set up a henna business - but when she discovers Flávia is setting up a henna business too, it throws a spanner in the works. On top of dealing with her parents’ rejection of her sexuality and her new crush, Nishat is challenged with taking part in a school business project.

At a family wedding, Nishat is unexpectedly reunited with Flávia, a Brazilian girl she went to primary school with, and realises she has a huge crush on her. Nishat knows she is a lesbian but when she feels brave enough to tell her parents, their reaction isn’t exactly positive: they believe she can’t be a Muslim and a lesbian. In fact, I’m kicking off the tour! See at the end of this post for the list of bloggers taking part in the tour. The Henna Wars has been on my radar for a while now, but since it wasn’t published yet in the UK, I didn’t have a chance to read it – until now! I found out that the book is being released here on 7th January 2021 (just a few days away at the time of writing), and I want to thank Hodder for asking me to be a part of the blog tour. There’s a full list of warnings in the front of the book. Please note: This book has content warnings for racism, homophobia, bullying, a character being outed. But as their lives become tangled, they’re caught up in a rivalry that gets in the way of any feelings they might have for each other.Ĭan Nishat find a way to be true to herself… and find love too? Book Title by Author – Review Nishat doesn’t want to lose her family, but she also doesn’t want to hide who she is, which only gets harder once Flávia walks into her life.īeautiful and charismatic, Flávia takes Nishat’s breath away.

When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants – as long as she isn’t herself.

The henna wars book