She Wore Red Trainers: A Muslim Love Story

My first time reading a Love story by a Muslim author and I love it! A great book to catch glimpse of lifestyle taught by Islam.The mood is different than of the standard love books out there for sure. It has a special aura to it - the story felt 'virgin' and pure. I'm not exactly a teenager but the author managed to transferred me back to my younger years. Remember the days when you were too young to get married but you have crushes anyway? That's it. This book will make you feel giddy all over again!Muslims or not, this book is perfect for young adults and adults alike. Read it and see if you can say no to the same love stories. You CAN fall in love and keep it HALAL.Halal means adheres to Islamic law, as defined in the holy book, the Quran.

Mashallah, mashallah, mashallah, this is Halal love at it's best. The best stories hook you from the first chapter and at the end leave you on an emotional high wanting more, more, more, even knowing the author ended it just where it needed to end.If you're into imperfect characters, struggling to be the best versions of themselves to please their Lord, while navigating the beautiful messiness of life, with its towering highs and its crushing lows, and coming out on the other side whole-- individually and collectively, then this is the book for you!

Sometimes it's really good to get a look at what fits into the "romance" template. It really makes you define your standards. As a person who reads a fair number of romance novels, the majority of which contain intercourse (or other sexual activity, and dictated by genders), I know that a lot of people think that romance has to have physical chemistry.But I think at the core of my definition of romance, there is the evolution of a relationship with a resolution that is satisfying to all the participants. The rest is set-dressing.In this case, the setting is really unusual for the romances I read -- almost everyone in the story is an observant Muslim in modern London, and that pervades everything about the book, from the rhythms of the day to the way the lovers feel about how they can interact. They are both conscious of what their boundaries are, and why they might want to violate them and why it's important to hold to them. I never got the feeling that they resented their restrictions, just that they were difficult, which I really appreciated. It's hard to write that state of tension without making a character sound unbearably whiny.I liked that everyone talks about their faith, and the different ways they get comfort and support from it. I loved the rejection of the possible suitor who I thought of as St. John Eyre, who wanted a collection of good points instead of a partner. There is a glossary in the back! You might want to bookmark it, although the book is written smoothly enough that you can get most things from context. I also really liked that both of the main characters were service-oriented people, and that was part of what made them a good match. It seems more persistent than a shared taste in shoes.As a romance, it was sweet, but not overwhelmingly good. As a cultural introduction, it was much more elegant than many. The combination was great because it got me through rough patches in both halves of the whole.Read if: You love a romance that involves long-term consideration of compatibility. You want to understand a bit more about Muslim people who are not all the same caricature.Skip if: You only read romances for the naughty bit. The first time they touch is after they get married and not onscreen.Also read: An Assembly Such As This, by Pamela Aiden. It's also a novel on the less sexual and more religious side, this time based on Mr. Darcy and his faith life. No, really! I loved it.

Recommended to me by a middle schooler who read it for a class at school. Great story that introduces dating /marriage customs of practicing Muslim young adults who live in England. Good glossary at the end really necessary as there are many many foreign words. Unfortunately since I read it on my Kindle iPad, I didn’t discover that till the end. But, good to have read.

I LOVE romance & love but it's so hard to imagine a romantic islamic story in this day and age; how do you know if you're compatible? how do you follow the Islamic rules regarding haya & still get to know the person?This novel is a good example of how every love story is unique and gives me hope for the women like me who dream of a great exciting Islamic romance

This is such an interesting read. I got it on my kindle and couldn't put it down till I finished it. As a Muslimah, I like how Na'ima discusses issues that are normal and mainstream within halal boundaries. Well done! I hope there will be more in the series. It will be great to see how Ali and Amirah continue their journey after marriage, especially as a broke young couple in Mexico, laughs!

I loved this book. I found it well written, intriguing, informative and entertaining as well as relatable and realistic. Wonderful read though i do wish the ending was a bit longer.

I'm not Muslim. I read this for insight into non-Christian religions--as they are lived, not as they are advertised and taught. Although I can't vouch for it's accuracy, the characters seem sincere and natural.As for the plot: it's a sweet "fairy-tale" romance.The main characters are teens (but who seem mature beyond their years) who are devout and live by their religious teachings of "purity". But many of the encounters seem contrived.And there are hints of a darker underside of trajedy and abuse in the adult relationships, perhaps not the best promo for the Muslim approach to marriage, if that is what this story is supposed to be.