She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert

 

I didn't make it an "official" goal this year to do monthly book reviews, but will try nonetheless. I can't promise that this will be a monthly reading post, so enjoy the reviews as they come!

 

She Wore Red Trainers appealed to me because it was the newest release from one of my favorite authors, Na'ima B. Robert. I have reviewed 2 of her other books on this blog, so please click the titles for a review of Far from Home and Black Sheep if you are interested. To read the book description found in the back of She Wore Red Trainers, please click here.

 

I am not into the romance genre, but this novel was actually a fun and easy read. YA (young adult) Muslim romance (not completely marriage related) is new to me, so this made the book interesting. The point of view alternated between the two main characters, Ali and Amirah, and I liked that idea for this type of story. I really enjoyed reading Amirah's parts (probably because I could understand/ "relate" to her a bit more ;) Reading about Amirah's brother was frustrating at times because of his personality and mentality and it is crazy that he is a lot like someone I know!

 

Thanks to the amount of details (which I loved), I felt like I could really picture the scenes in my mind from She Wore Red Trainers. I also liked that Arabic sayings/ words were used frequently throughout the book and it didn't seem like they were just thrown in. (The words are explained in the back for those not familiar with Arabic). I am really interested to know where the author gets her ideas like the Muslim bike club.

 

I gave this book 4/5 stars but maybe 4.5 would be more accurate. There were a few typos in the book, but the real reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I felt the ending was rushed. I really wish there was more to the "happily ever after".

 

Since the story does revolve around teenagers, I would suggest this book to teenagers, especially Muslim teens. You don't have to be a fan of romance, but if you are curious to read a fictional "love" story between young Muslims, I think this would be a good book to read!

 

If you want to purchase this book, order a brand new copy from Books by the Dozen to support by business :)