samira ahmed love hate and other filters

My only issue with the book is that I wanted the relationship between Maya and her parents to be explored further. Throughout the novel, we see that there is a real struggle between them. The truth about how brutal and destructive Islamophobia can be is one that has never been explored in literature, and Samira Ahmed tackles that with brilliant fervour and raw honesty. As a Muslim woman who has navigated Islamophobia and racism from a very young age, Maya’s struggles resonated with me deeply, and her pain felt almost palpable. This was probably the strongest, most hard-hitting part of the entire novel.

It wasn’t disconnected to what happens in the first half and the way the two of them converge is very clever.

The second half of the book zoned in on the terrorism narrative and the Islamophobia that Maya faces. It was really nice to see such a narrative about a young, Muslim teen since we don’t get it very often! It follows May trying to figure out whether she should go for the appropriate Muslim, Indian guy or the inappropriate white, American guy. The first half of the book is pretty cute – which you don’t expect from the description. I also loved her strength throughout the book, and how much she grew from the beginning to the end. I loved the protagonist, Maya, and her passion for filming. There were a lot of things to love about Love, Hate, and Other Filters. On top of that, when a suicide bomber sharing Maya’s last name attacks a federal building in Springfield, Maya must come face-to-face with an onslaught of Islamophobia.

And navigating love isn’t so easy when you’re in love with a white American boy your parents definitely won’t approve of. Except she’s the only Muslim in her town, which often makes her feel like an outsider. Maya Aziz is a pretty ordinary teenager navigating love and strict parents.

Samira ahmed love hate and other filters