Review: Mariam Sharma Hits the Road by Sheba Karim

Author: Sheba Karim
Publisher: HarperTeen
Number of Pages: 320
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Synopsis:

"Three Pakistani-American teenagers, on a trip through the land of pork ribs, mechanical bulls, and Confederate flags. It's going to be quite an adventure.
The summer after her freshman year of college, Mariam is looking forward to working and hanging out with her best friends: irrepressible and beautiful Ghazala, and religious but closeted Umar.
But when a scandalous photo of Ghaz appears on a billboard in Times Square, Mariam and Umar come up with a plan to rescue her from her furious parents. And what could be a better escape than a spontaneous road trip down to New Orleans?"

This was definitely one of those books that I was anxiously waiting to read this summer and I really enjoyed it. From the Bollywood references to real-talk about the culture of this country, I feel like this is a great read for any reader with brown skin who is looking for a little representation.

My favorite part of the entire book was the frat party with the crossdressing and meeting Jugdeep. It is so rare to find Sikh characters in books and to see that it was really amazing to see someone I could relate to! Especially since I am also on the Bhangra team at my University., 

It is always great to have a light, summer read but they are predominantly filled with white characters who don't necessarily have these great concerns. This book was different because it touched on so many aspects such as Islamophobia, homophobia, and many other issues. It was surprising to see criticisms of their own religion within the text. 

I really enjoyed how well written and fun the story was and I will definitely be looking for the author's next release!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!