noun [kee-smash] a random string of letters and symbols typed out on a keyboard or touchscreen, used to signal intense emotion in written communication:
I am super excited to share my first ever author interview with you all today! Just a month ago, I had the immense pleasure of reading Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin–a warm, heartfelt romantic comedy featuring Muslim families and two rival halal restaurants.
We are half-way into 2021 and every day it seems there’s a new exciting book coming out. This summer, there are few specific books that I cannot wait to get my hands. In particular, I am super excited to read new books from Elizabeth Lim, the brilliant Young Adult fantasy author who penned masterpieces like Spin The Dawn and Tahmima Anam, one of the most popular writers from my home land Bangladesh who wrote award winning novels like The Good Muslim and A Golden Age.
From enchanting fantasy novels, to cute contemporary romances and intense, fast-paced thrillers, here are the most anticipated books of July 2021 that I have added on my ever-growing TBR pile.
Continue reading “Most Anticipated Book Releases: July 2021 Edition”Lately I have been into reading a lot of Young Adult Contemporary novels, and Other People’s Butterflies by Cora Ruskin caught my eye. A story about failing to fit in, juicy gossip, making stupid mistakes, teen drama and learning to love yourself? Count me in.
Thank you Xpresso Book Tours for having me as a tour host for this book. Read on below to get the synopsis for Other People’s Butterflies on GoodReads.
Continue reading “Blog Tour: Other People’s Butterflies By Cora Ruskin [Excerpt + International Giveaway]”![Review: Hana Khan Carries On By Uzma Jalaluddin [Exclusive International Giveaway]](https://thekeysmashblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/blog-banner.png?w=825 "Review: Hana Khan Carries On By Uzma Jalaluddin [Exclusive International Giveaway] - The Keysmash Blog")
As a South Asian Muslim woman myself, I was beyond excited to get my hands on Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin, a delightful love story featuring a bold, brilliant and ambitious young Muslim protagonist, two competing rival halal restaurants, and a diverse cast of colored characters. I have to admit, this is definitely going to be one of the best book of 2021. Hana Khan Carries On takes all the things you love in a romantic-comedy and gives it a refreshing new twist.
Thank you so much Colored Pages Tour for having me as a tour host for this amazing book, and to Atlantic Books for sending me a review copy. Read on below for my full review (or get the TL;DR version here) & participate in an exclusive giveaway to win ONE FINISHED COPY OF Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin.
Continue reading “Review: Hana Khan Carries On By Uzma Jalaluddin [Exclusive International Giveaway]”A story about three sisters in high school who are trying to survive bullying and overcoming their personal trauma? It’s not easy to explore such sensitive and important issues, but Fenix Blue does it masterfully in her novel Battle Of The Bullies. I am only half-way through my copy of the book, and I am absolutely in love with the Robertson sisters who have been through so much pain and still refuse to give in.
Thank you Rockstar Book Tours for choosing me as a tour host for this book. I can’t wait to share my full review once I am done reading. In the meantime, check out an exclusive sneak peak for Battle Of The Bullies by Fenix Blue below, and enter an exclusive international giveaway.
Continue reading “Blog Tour: Battle Of The Bullies By Fenix Blue [Excerpt + Giveaway]”
Important Note: This is a review for the second book in the The Blood Of Stars duology by Elizabeth Lim, and therefore may contain spoilers from the first book, Spin The Dawn. If you have not read Spin The Dawn yet, check out my review of it here.
Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim blew me away; it was a phenomenal and captivating young adult fantasy novel that I absolutely adored and could not put down even for a minute. And after the epic cliffhanger ending of the first book, I had high expectations for the sequel, Unravel The Dusk.
Continue reading “Review: Unravel The Dusk by Elizabeth Lim (The Blood Of Stars #2)”
Phoebe Unfired by Amalie Jahn has to be one of the most wholesome, heartwarming stories about friendship, family, love and overcoming trauma. It is one of those books you know is going to be an instant hit the moment you start reading, and I have no doubt it is going to be one of my favorite books of 2021 already.
Set in a post-COVID world, the story follows Phoebe as she struggles to make friends while battling her germaphobia. Our poor girl developed the phobia after infecting her younger brother with Covid-19 and nearly losing him as a result. The book revolves around her, and her 64-year-old best friend Walter who also suffers from general anxiety disorder, and how the two of them help each other overcome their demons and have some semblance of a normal life.
Continue reading “Review: Phoebe Unfired By Amalie Jahn”
| I am going to keep this review short, or else this review will end up becoming a 1500+ words rant about how male authors need to practice nuance and sensitivity when writing books about women and issues regarding women. At the very least, they should hire female sensitivity readers who can point out some of the problems I will mention here and how to write them better. The Rape Trial Of Medusa tells us the story of a very well-known Greek mythology, but with a twist. Set in modern times, we witness the trial of Medusa who was raped and blamed for her beauty, and unfairly punished by Athena. |
Alma Underwood Is Not A Kleptomaniac by Lacey Dailey is a surprisingly sweet, heartwarming love story between a kleptomaniac (yes you are a klepto Alma, stop lying to yourself) and a runaway teenager. Though I am not typically one for romances, I finished this one sitting and actually really enjoyed this.
Continue reading “Review: Alma Underwood Is Not A Kleptomaniac”(Let’s pretend it’s Sunday okay?)
I am not quite sure how long I am going to go on with this vanishing and reappearing act on my blog, but here I am reappearing after vanishing for the entire month of October. Anyway, here’s a quick wrap of of the first week of November for me: