Reviewed by Joséphine on
Initial thoughts: I’ve barely read any YA fiction this year but I’m glad that More Than Just a Pretty Face turned out to be one of them. ‘Twas a happy discovery that this is an “own voices” book by a Pakistani Muslim author. Always makes my heart sing to come across diverse books by diverse authors. And of course, I was all the happier to discover that Danyal had culinary school aspirations. While I chose to lay those dreams to rest when I had the choice, I still enjoy revisiting those dreams in characters of the books I read.
Overall, I thought the romance was pretty cute. On the religious rep front, I would’ve liked to see a greater range of views between not being too fussed about Islam (Danyal) and being super strict about it (his best friend). I also enjoyed the exploration of Churchill, colonialism, and historiography. History, after all, is written by the victors; but what of the conquered? Instead of simply taking on the colonialist’s narrative, Danyal learns more about what it meant for the colonised. I liked his process of discovery especially because he wasn’t academically inclined but found himself very invested in the subject.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 30 December, 2020: Finished reading
- 30 December, 2020: Reviewed