Review + Giveaway: Love, Hate & Other Filters


Title: Love, Hate & Other Filters

Author: Samira Ahmed

Pub. Date: January 16th, 2018

Genre: YA Contemporary/Own Voices

Publisher: Soho Teen

Pages: 288

Format: Physical ARC

Trigger Warnings: Suicide, Islamophobia & Hate Crime

*Thank you Soho Teen and Samira Ahmed for the early review copy in exchange for my honest opinion

    

It’s been weeks since I finished this book & yet the feelings that stirred within me are still very raw. Last year I praised The Hate U Give along with many of my fellow book blogging buddies, and still do. This year although it is only the beginning, I confidently recommend Love, Hate & Other Filters as a MUST READ! We alternate between two storylines, that of Maya a young  Indian-American Muslim trying to navigate her way through her wants & her families beliefs and a suicide bomber leading up to a horrific event. Maya’s first passion in life has always been Film, she wants to make movies & to get to that she has chosen to apply to NYU Tisch. Maya’s parents really just want her to marry a suitable/respectable Muslim guy…preferably one they’ve chosen. The life they’ve imagined for Maya doesn’t quite align with the life she has already set her sights on & is actively pursuing. Maya also can’t help her feelings towards a Caucasian boy she has known since their childhood. Phil has just recently started making it a bit more clear where his feelings lie towards Mya & that means Mya’s parents match-making will take a back seat. We see Mya try to respect her parents wishes by going on a date with a boy they consider suitable. We also see Mya firmly hold on to her dreams for the future even when that meant going against the grain. We also follow the suicide bomber in this story briefly as he calls upon memories of his childhood. We are left to speculate whether certain people & abuse lead him to the path he is now on. We also see the effects of the suicide bombing & the Islamophobia both Mya and her parents face immediately after the horrific crime. Filled with culture, sweet moments, awesome characters, family ties, sadness, hate, & other filters….this is one you’re not going to want to miss! 

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Our MC Maya is seriously a go-getter! passionate & in love with life itself, Maya was inspirational to me. I learned so much from Maya, she had a very “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it” type of attitude without even knowing it if that makes any sense. Maya may feel most comfortable behind the lens of a camera but her passion for film & capturing all of life’s moments will also be her strength.  We see very real moments with her parents where at times she feels bad for the bad communication & lack of understanding. I did find myself sympathizing with her parents at times but also wanting Maya to do what makes her happy. Although Maya’s parents weren’t exactly supportive of her passion for film, you can also see how much they love their daughter & just want what’s best for her. I personally didn’t agree with their approach but could see it didn’t come from a bad place but rather from genuine concern & love. Maya’s mother is very much stuck between the life she left behind & life raising a teen in America. All very real struggles that I enjoyed seeing included in this book.

Stand-out supporting character would go to Maya’s aunt who is living her life in a very non-traditional way. She isn’t married and has no kids but is very much happy with single life living on her own. Maya’s aunt is very supportive of her and will often go up to bat for her niece. I LOVED see their relationship & seeing Maya have such a positive role model in her life.

As for the guys in Maya’s love life…Kareem who is the guy Maya’s parents set her up on a date with ended up being one  of my fave characters for very different reasons. I never shipped these two but LOVED Kareem’s personality to pieces! & as for Phil who is Maya’s childhood crush, I liked him enough & had thoughts on how this ship would sail and I’m so glad I was right! ultimately these characters were in Maya’s life to guide her along to where she needs to be 😉

All throughout Love, Hate & Other Filters we toggle between Maya’s story & the suicide bomber which was really sobering. I don’t want to go into too much detail in regards to the suicide bomber since that would be spoilery. I will say however, that the way it was written into this story was done so well & will hopefully have you self reflect. I most definitely will be reading more from this author & cannot recommend this book enough! I love when characters are fleshed out through their hobbies & interests which was flawlessly done with our MC Maya. The classic Film references Maya makes throughout her day to day made me root harder for her to follow her dreams. Ahmed doesn’t simply tell us what Maya enjoys & wants to be in life, she takes us along giving us a view through Maya’s lens. I experienced both feelings of happiness & anger reading this book, both of which were necessary when trying to see things through Maya’s POV. By the time I read the last page, I walked away with a feeling that can’t be described as anything else but hope. Hope for change…

Hello Bookworms!!! Happy Tuesday, I hope you’re all having a wonderful day. If you’re like me then you’re just getting back to the daily grind after a 3 day weekend. It’s tough & what better way to get back in the flow of things than a GIVEAWAY?!?!? I’m giving away 1 hardcover copy of this wonderful book & all you need to do is comment down below & follow my blog. I will also give 1+ point for each follow on Instagram & Twitter. This giveaway is open to international Bookworms as well & will run until January 21st 💜 Happy reading & may the luck be with thee…

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Author: LairOfBooks

"I didn't choose the Book Life, the Book Life chose me"

64 thoughts on “Review + Giveaway: Love, Hate & Other Filters”

  4. This book was already on my January releases I want to read list and reading your review just made me want to read it even more. I’m following your blog and I’m following you on Instagram and twitter. My handle for both is @mistysbookspace Thank you so much for the chance!! 🤞

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  9. This book sounds incredible Lilly, and I am definitely 100% going to add it to my TBR as soon as possible because this is one I need to read. The fact that you’ve compared it to The Hate U Give was enough to convince me to pick it up even without taking into account the rest of your review. 🙂
    Maya definitely seems like a character I’d love and be able to relate to as well. Also I think it’s great that she has such a close relationship with her aunt because seeing characters with their extended families is something I wanna see more in YA books. 🙂
    Again great review, I hope this is one I end up enjoying as much as you did. 🙂 ❤️

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    1. Thanks Beth! & this is one I just know you’ll love! Absolutely recommend & can’t wait to hear your thoughts. I do remember you mentioning wanting to see more of the extended family members in YA. The relationship btwn Maya & her aunt was truly special. Thank you for entering my giveaway 😄💜📚😂

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    1. Thank you Marie! I absolutely loved it & can see how important it is to have this perspective/voice on the shelves. Def making my list of top 2018 reads 🙌🏼 thank you for entering my giveaway 💜📚💜

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    1. Oh nice! Better late than never, THUG will always be in my ♥️! Love, Hate & Other Filters also deals with racial/religious tension and I just can’t stop thinking about it especially with our current political climate. Thank you for entering my giveaway 😃💜📚💜

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  14. Well count me entered! Of course I follow your everything haha 💗 I have been waiting for your review on this one! I will be picking up a copy soon. I love the that this follows characters I am not accustomed to reading about. I just finished A Land of Permanent Goodbyes and man.. tears. You need to read! Review not until the first for the tour but you can always text if you have any questions or thoughts on it – xx

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    1. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did & something tells me you will ☺️ thank you for entering my giveaway Danielle 💜 & I will def have to check out your review for A Land Of Permanent Goodbyes 😃 we’ll text 💜

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    1. Thanks Rachel! 😃💕I’m so happy I was able to read & review this book for all of the reasons you’ve stated & more. I’ll definitely continue to recommend this one throughout the year 💜 thank you for entering my giveaway 😄💜📚💜

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  23. Awesome review Lilly! I have seen this cover around, but this is the first review I’ve read on it. It sounds right up there in importance as The Hate U Give, which I also purchased and read based off your recommendation and loved! I’ve added this one to the TBR. Not sure if the giveaway is still going on or not, but either way good luck to all!

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    1. Thank you Amanda, and I loved this book. It had a different feel than The Hate U Give but along those lines. I absolutely recommend to any Diverse Book bloggers 💜 & you’re not late, it ends tomorrow and a winner will be announced on Monday 😃💕

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  24. Pingback: January Book Haul & Wrap-Up – LairOfBooks

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