I’m falling more and more in love with Adiba Jaigirdar’s writing with each book of hers I read. I find her characters so believable and I get so hooked into her stories - I just never want to stop reading once I start!

The Henna Wars was an interesting take on queerness and cultural/societal barriers to feeling that you can fully express yourself. It was set in the background of a school business competition, adding all kinds of twists and challenges from friends and enemies alike. 

It was your classic enemies (or maybe more rivals in this case) to lovers, but taking a really original take with lots of new and less talked about elements. Nishat is such a strong character, and tries to be unapologetically herself, but whilst trying to make others happy at the same time, and she makes mistakes like any person would. 

The relationship between her and her sister was wonderful, and a very accurate portrayal of a lot of siblings. I really loved all of their interactions, and how prominent of a role they played in the whole story. 

I can’t really find much to fault to be honest, I just really loved it as a fantastic queer YA romance.