With a welcome mix of humor, heart, and high-stakes drama, Sabina Khan provides a timely and honest portrait of what it's like to grow up feeling unwelcome in your own culture. Fight for love. Fight for family . Fight for yourself. Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali has always been fascinated by the universe around her and the laws of physics that keep everything in order. But her life at home isn't so absolute. Unable to come out to her conservative Muslim parents, she keeps that part of her identity hidden. And that means keeping her girlfriend, Ariana, a secret from them too. Luckily, only a few more months stand between her carefully monitored life at home and a fresh start at Caltech in the fall. But when Rukhsana's mom catches her and Ariana together, her future begins to collapse around her. Devastated and confused, Rukhsana's parents whisk her off to stay with their extended family in Bangladesh where, along with the loving arms of her grandmother and cousins, she is met with a world of arranged marriages, religious tradition, and intolerance. Fortunately, Rukhsana finds allies along the way and, through reading her grandmother's old diary, finds the courage to take control of her future and fight for her love. A gritty novel that doesn't shy away from the darkest corners of ourselves, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali provides a timely and achingly honest portrait of what it's like to grow up feeling unwelcome in your own culture and proves that love, above all else, has the power to change the world. Featured on: Bustle, Seventeen.com, Hypable, Oprah Magazine, NBC News, the BBC, Parade, BookRiot, and Paste Magazine "An intersectional, diverse coming of age story that will break your heart in the best way." -- Bustle.com "A much-needed addition to any YA shelf." -- Sandhya Menon, New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi "Heart-wrenching yet hopeful." -- Samira Ahmed, New York Times bestselling author of L ove, Hate and Other Filters "A story that will stay with you for years to come." -- Sara Farizan, Lambda Award-winning author of If You Could Be Mine Gr 9 Up{amp}ndash;Rukhsana Ali lives her life on the border of two worlds: one as the daughter of conservative Muslim parents, the other as a 17-year-old teen just trying to make it through the end of her senior year and get into California Tech. Everything seems to be going according to plan until her mother catches her kissing her girlfriend Ariana. Incapable of understanding, her parents whisk her away to Bangladesh where she is caught up in a whirlwind of family dynamics, arranged marriages, and traditions. Through the kind words and understanding of her cousin and grandmother, as well as the gift of her grandmother's diary, Rukhsana searches for the courage to fight for her right to love whomever without also losing her family's approval. This coming-of-age novel is filled with memorable characters, heartfelt moments, and a realistic portrayal of the difficulty of living in two worlds. At times, the writing feels a bit stilted, but the heart of this story will resonate strongly with teens. They will cheer, cry, and rage along with Rukhsana as she balances the ignorance of her friends and family on her quest for understanding and acceptance. VERDICT With an up-close depiction of the intersection of the LGBTQIA+ community with Bengali culture, this hard-hitting and hopeful story is a must-purchase for any YA collection.{amp}mdash;India Winslow, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA Praise for The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali : Featured on NBC News and the BBC A Junior Library Guild Selection A Teen Indie Next List Pick (IndieBound) An Amazon Best Book of the Month for February Oprah Magazine's Best YA Books You'll Love in 2019 Seventeen.com's Best YA Books of 2019 B&N Teen Blog's Most Anticipated LGBTQAP Books of 2019 Hypable's Most Anticipated LGBTQ YA Books of 2019 Parade's Buzzworthy YA Books to Read in 2019 BookRiot's Most Anticipated 2019 LGBTQ YA of 2019 Paste Magazine's Best YA Books of January 2019 Short-listed, Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize (BC), 2020 Short-listed, OLA White Pine Award, Fiction, 2019 Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre, 2019 Commended, OLA Best Bets: Honorable Mention, 2019 "An intersectional, diverse coming of age story that will break your heart in the best way." -- Bustle.com * "With an up-close depiction of the intersection of the LGBTQIA+ community with Bengali culture, this hard-hitting and hopeful story is a must-purchase for any YA collection." -- School Library Journal , starred review "This book will break your heart and then, chapter by chapter, piece it back together again. A much-needed addition to any YA shelf. " -- Sandhya Menon, New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi and From Twinkle, With Love "Heart-wrenching yet hopeful, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali is an insightful and honest look at t