Yes so my initial take was obviously a joke cuz the book is so much more.

The book follows two 18 yr olds from different walks of life, dealing with different issues and perspectives, but both happened to have one significant similarity, that their journal names were based on the same artifact they admired from the same place in Doha. And they both soon happened to be on the same flight to Doha(albeit due to various reasons)

The author clearly knew what was meta, cuz the book is pretty contemporary by today's standards in terms of pop culture references. And as seen in the authors note at the end, she clearly did great research with providing a near-to-accurate portrayal of the issues that they were dealing with. The story didn't feel too long, but not short either. Heck I even wanted to read more into this, but I guess it was better this way.

While being merely 300 pages long, this book managed to cover a variety of themes like Islamophobia, discrimination, terminal diseases, death, sadness etc. The issues felt genuine, cuz they were. It makes me feel good about the religious freedom I am able to have here, while understanding that when I would eventually move to a different country, I would be dealing with such issues, and there's no better way to dealing it than with patience, and at the right moment, to fight for it. It makes you understand the feeling of having the same terminal disease your loved one had, who was no more. The feeling of helplessness, desparation, and at times loneliness is what both the characters face and eventually reunited upon.

I'd reccomend it as a great read about representations of two Muslims from two different countries that deal with Muslims differently. And I am glad I picked the right time to read this book.

(Also the acknowledgements were adorable)