Not the Girls You're Looking For

by Aminah Mae Safi

Lulu Saad doesn’t need your advice, thank you very much. She’s got her three best friends, and nothing can stop her from conquering the known world. Sure, for half a minute she thought she’d nearly drowned a cute guy at a party, but he was totally faking it. And fine, yes, she caused a scene during Ramadan. It’s all under control. Ish.

Except maybe this time she’s done a little more damage than she realises. And if Lulu can’t find her way out of this mess soon, she’ll have to do more than repair friendships, family alliances, and wet clothing. She’ll have to go looking for herself.

Debut author Aminah Mae Safi’s honest and smart novel is about how easy it can be to hurt those around you even if - especially if - you love them.

• ISBN10: 1250308860
• ISBN13: 9781250308863
• Publish Date: 1 July 2019 (first published 19 June 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Square Fish
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I love Lulu and her messy, beautiful life.

This book does not have a twisty plot or a grand reveal, but it's filled with real characters that will grab your heartstrings. I found Lulu so relatable, the way she carries her passion and rage right on the surface. Between her complicated friendships and a faux pas with her family that can never be fully forgiven, Lulu finds herself in deep trouble.

Lulu and her friends all have big personalities. Her brothers are fantastic, her relationship with her parents is interesting and real. And I love the friendship Lulu has with Matt. It's really nice to see a guy and a girl in a book with a platonic friendship, just meeting for beignets after school. The details in this book really bring it to life. From Monty Python and the Holy Grail to a powerful scene where Lulu changes her mind and says "no" in an intimate encounter (LADIES. You CAN change your mind. No means no, no matter what point in the encounter you feel that way), I thought this book was really impressive and relatable and I just plain loved it.

Aminah Mae Safi's writing style works perfectly for me. I like her snap and wit and the flow of her writing, and I'm really looking forward to her next book. Really, the only thing that bothered me personally was the format of the book? Which is actually fine, but the font was a little different than I'm used to? It took a few chapters for me to adjust. But that's how much I liked this - the only thing that I didn't love about it was the font? That's pretty good. :)
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💕❤️💕❤️

I’ll have to write a proper review soon, but in short, here are a few things I loved about this book:

- Lulu’s ability to effortlessly quote movies while making it super lowkey.
- The mess of the four girls and how it reminded me of my high school friendships.
- The fact Lulu actually observes Muslim holidays.
- The Indian wedding!
- Beignets.
- The scene where the brothers and father were watching Ancient Aliens.
- How terrified/fearless Lulu is.
- Her story and her dad’s story about her name.
- Monty Python midnight movie = yes please.

I love this book for everything it was. Proper review to come in the next few days. 💕

[Sam@WLABB]

Not the Girls You're Looking For was a look at one girl's struggle with self identity and complex relationships, which was very thoughtful, witty, and honest.

The Good

•Lulu was a force to be reckoned with! She was interesting and complicated, and I never knew what to expect from her. To others, she seemed so tough, but that was only on the outside. Inside she was nursing wounds, grappling with personal demons, and slowly unraveling.

•Safi's exploration of Lulu's inner struggle of not be white enough or arab enough was quite compelling, and made my heart ache a little for Lulu. It's hard enough trying to navigate one's teen years without gaining more scrutiny for being biracial.

•I loved all the infusion of cultural and religious aspects Safi put into this story. Setting the book during Ramadan allowed the author to share so much about this important month on the Muslim calendar, and I really enjoyed visiting with all Lulu's "family". I especially adored the wedding, because I felt totally immersed in Lulu's joy during this event.

•I am such a fan of female friendships, and this was quite a special one. Lulu's group was diverse and each young woman brought something to the group. When they were together, there was a synergy, and the group could take on any challenge. Safi explored the complex nature of this group, and she showed them at their best and their worst.

•There are quite a few lackluster males in this story, but there were also some really wonderful ones. I was such a fan of Lulu's father and brothers, as well as James.

•Lulu's mother was pretty incredible. She stood by her husband and supported his culture, despite the fact that she was not accepted into his world. She worked towards blending her culture with her husband's and passing this onto her children. She had her ups and downs with Lulu during this story, and there were a few mama bear moments, but not once did I question her love for Lulu.

•A lot of ideas were touched upon with respect to relationships, consent, loyalty, family, culture, and personal responsibility, which I really enjoyed.

The Not So Good
• This story had very little plot. It's mostly about Lulu's personal journey, and sometimes seemed to wander, but it really did not detract from my enjoyment.

Overall

A wonderful story of self discovery, friendship, and family, which was filled with astute observations and warmed my heart.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[Joséphine]

October 6, 2018

Full book review is now up on Word Revel.

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July 11, 2018

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Initial thoughts: Can’t stop thinking about the great biracial rep in Not the Girls You’re Looking For by Aminah Mae Safi.

This book encompasses the struggles of being caught between cultures so well — from not necessarily speaking a parent’s language but understanding more than relatives realise, to figuring out how deep one’s roots can go in more than one culture and still being seen as whole.

On the surface, Not the Girls You’re Looking For might seem like just another YA book about high school friendships and drama. There’s a whole lot more to it though, so I definitely recommend reading this one!