Unsettled

I saw Unsettled by Reem Faruqi on the library shelf, and it caught my eye because I've liked books by this author before, and with a glance inside, I saw it was written in verse. The book description says, "When her family moves from Pakistan to Peachtree City, all Nurah wants is to blend in, yet she stands out for all the wrong reasons. Nurah’s accent, floral-print kurtas, and tea-colored skin make her feel excluded, until she meets Stahr at swimming tryouts. And in the water Nurah doesn’t want to blend in. She wants to win medals like her star athlete brother, Owais—who is going through struggles of his own in the U.S. Yet when sibling rivalry gets in the way, she makes a split-second decision of betrayal that changes their fates. Ultimately Nurah slowly gains confidence in the form of strong swimming arms, and also gains the courage to stand up to bullies, fight for what she believes in, and find her place."

This was such a good book! I love books written in verse because they can be really quick reads. The author did a great job developing the characters for such a fast book. (I especially loved Nurah and her new friend Stahr.) The plot was engaging and I could just feel the emotions of all the different things going on. I also liked the lessons about kindness and finding yourself. At first I was in between for "liked it" and "loved it" for this book, but there were a few spots that I really just LOVED (the part about Stahr's mom helping Nurah's mom, Nurah's bravery on the bus, the kind girl at lunch, etc.), so that bumped it up. I also loved that the book is based on some of the author's own experiences.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)