The Henna Wars: Instagram Posts

Here are some amazing pictures of The Henna Wars. They were taken by talented bookstagrammers and all credit goes to them. Follow me on Instagram @Thindbooks ! 

@girlwithgoodbooks

@bookwhich

@mindofabookdragon

@_shelf.awareness

@bookcrushin

@rqdavis_

@kath_reads

@magicalreads7

@bookathonblog

The Henna Wars: Author's Playlist

The Henna Wars playlist

Click here for the playlist

Song list:
1. "Pynk" by Janelle Monae ft. Grimes
2. "Kuch To Hua Hai" by Shankar-Ehsaan
3. "Pehli Nazar Mein" by Atif Aslam
4. "Chammack Challo" by Akon
5. "Hopeless" by Halsey
6. "Feelings" by Hayley Kiyoko
7. "Roman Holiday" by Halsey
8. "Hungama Ho Gaya" by Asha Bhosle
9. "Girls like Girls" by Hayley Kiyoko
10. "Make Me Feel" by Janelle Monae
11. "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" by Jatin Lalit and Udit Narayan
12. "Crush" by Tessa Violet
13. "Know Your Name" by Mary Lambert
14. "Ye Ishq Hai" by Shreya Ghoshal
15. "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift
16. "All Time Low" by Chymes
17 "Somethin' Bad" by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood
18. "Issues" by Julie Michaels
19. "The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey
20. "Nobody" by Todrick Hall, Jade Novah, and Cynthia Erivo
21. "Boys Aside" by Sofya Wang
22. "Now or Never" by Halsey
23. "Future" by Transviolet
24. "Rhythm of Your Heart" by Marianas Trench
25. "Bole Chudiyan" by Jatin-Lalit
26. "Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna" by Lata Mangeshkar
27. "This Means War" by Marianas Trench
28. "Cross My Heart" by Marianas Trench
29. "Back to Bed" by Lydia
30. "Apologize" by Matilda ft. OMVR
31. "Kou Mil Gaya" by Kavita Krishnamurthy
32. "Crave" by Dia Frampton
33. "Let it Be" by Hayley Kitoko
34. "Blake Eye" by Archis
35. "Stay" by Artist vs. Poet
36. "Goodbye and Go" by Imogen Heap
37. "Stars Falling Down" by Kina Grannis
38. "It Can't Rain Forever" by Oh Honey
39. "Grow Up" by Paramore
40. "Ain't It Fun" by Paramore
41. "Bad Decisions" by Two Door Cinema Club
42. "Shut Up and Kiss Me" by Marianas Trench
43. "Honey" by Kehlani
44. "Apprends-Moi" by Superbus
45. "Our Love Goes Deeper" by Duke Special
46. "I Don't Do Boys" by Elektra
47. "Only a Girl" by Gia Woods
48. "Mehndi Hai Rachnewali" by A.R. Rahman

The Henna Wars: Interview

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar interview

Questions:

1.       How did you come up with the story of The Henna Wars?
The initial idea came to me because of henna. I was visiting with my grandmother in Bangladesh, and I had a very spotty internet connection and only some tubes of henna for entertainment. I tried to teach myself how to do henna, which I wasn’t very good at, and this led to the idea of a school henna competition. Then I thought about how much more fun the story would be if it was simultaneously a romance!

2.    Who is the main character(s) in The Henna Wars? 
The main character is Nishat Ahsan. She’s Bangladeshi and Irish, Muslim, and a lesbian. She loves henna: it’s something that she has personal and cultural ties with. She loves spending her time hanging out with her little sister, Priti.

3.      Which of the characters from The Henna Wars are you the most similar to? 
 I think I’m probably the most similar to Nishat. She’s a lot more artistic than I am (I’m not artistic at all), but we share similar values when it comes to culture, community, and family.

4.    What surprised you while writing your book? 
I was surprised by my ability to write comedy. I didn’t really think I could write romantic comedies before I wrote this book because I never really thought my humour would translate to a book like this!

5.      Where can readers purchase The Henna Wars? 
You can probably find it at your local bookshop, or you can find buy links on my website.

About You:

1.    If you won a prize for something, what would it be and why? 
I’m great at many useless things. I would win a prize for being able to type really fast (and semi-decently) with my eyes closed or I would win a prize for being able to read really fast.

2.    What are some tips to the people who are becoming writers? 
Don’t get stuck trying to write perfect drafts. Writing is all about editing and revising.
Read a lot, in your genre and outside of your genre, and recent and upcoming books. It’s important to be aware of what other people are writing, and it’s important to understand how other people are writing.

3.    If you could invite 3 people to dinner (fictional, dead or real), who would it be? 
I would invite bell hooks, Janelle Monáe, and Aang. It would be a very interesting dinner, but I think we would have some great conversation.

4.    What do you like to do in your free time? 
I like reading, annoying my little sister, and playing video games.

5.   This or That: coffee or tea, ice cream or cake, bath or shower, fantasy books or realistic book, summer or winter
Tea, ice-cream, shower, realistic books, and winter (that’s when my birthday is)!

The Henna Wars: Review

Rating: 4/5 stars
Review: 
This was an enjoyable read and I loved the topic/theme of this book. A Bengali and Brazilian in Ireland who go against each other with their henna businesses and fall in love. This is a fresh story and I love how the book took place in Ireland because most books either take place in the states or in a magical world so I enjoyed the setting. I did love how the author added Bengali touches to it like how kids call their elders, the food, etc. The author did well adding some Bengali words to it without confusing the readers like me.

The characters were enjoyable especially Priti and Flavia. Nishat annoyed me sometimes throughout the book. I love how Priti, who is the younger sister of Nishat, supported her sister so much and helped her. Nishat did develop throughout the story but I feel like she never really supported her sister in the same way Priti did which annoyed me. I got to say that they have the same relationship as Kitty and Lara Jean from To All The Boys I've Loved Before. Flavia is a sweet, calm girl and I do like her and Nishat together.


Now the main component/element in this book is family because Nishat has a hard time being out since she has Muslim parents. Nishat's family does come around but she gets most of her full support from her sister. There are some sensitive topics like Nishat getting bullied for coming out and people being racist because she is Muslim. Other than that I do recommend this book, especially to LGBTQ+ lovers.

Criteria:
Plot- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Main Character- ⭐⭐⭐⭐★
Other Characters- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing Style- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pacing- ⭐⭐⭐⭐★
Ending- ⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Book Cover- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
*This book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

The Henna Wars: Welcome Post

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
Publisher: Page Street Publishing
Genre: YA romance and LGBTQ+
Age: 13+

Summary:
When Dimple Met Rishi meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in this rom com about two teen girls with rival henna businesses.
When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life.


Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized. (Goodreads)


About the Author:
Adiba Jaigirdar is a Bangladeshi/Irish writer and teacher. She lives in Dublin, Ireland. She has an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent, England and a BA in English and History from UCD, Ireland.


All her work is aided by copious amounts of (kettle-made) tea and a whole lot of Hayley Kiyoko and Janelle Monáe. (Goodreads)

The Henna Wars: Book Trailer