The Henna Wars

An engaging sapphic YA novel about Nishat and Flávia, immigrant teen girls living in Dublin. After Flávia transfers to Nishat’s all-girls Catholic high school, they become rivals when they both start henna businesses. They both secretly have crushes on the other but neither is out, making it difficult to tell whether a spark is there. Nishat’s parents don’t handle her coming out as lesbian all that well, worried about what their Bengali relatives will think and believing you can't be Muslim and queer. Luckily, her sister Priti is on her side, helping her make sense of it all. This sweet love story delves into racism, homophobia, and the power of claiming one’s identity.