The Loophole
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Kutub's entertaining debut takes a look at love and self-discovery while taking readers on a thoughtful romp around the world. After an unexpected encounter with a stranger named Reggie, Sy finds himself one million dollars richer. Reggie claims that she can grant him three wishes, and Sy can't think of a better wish than to be reunited with his first love, Farouk, who left the U.S. to travel the world. With memorable characters, a persisting message surrounding prejudice against Muslim men, and a fight for acceptance of queer people, this will leave readers hopeful. Kutub writes with humor and heart, which makes this darling debut accessible to many readers. With a sharp eye on current events, Kutub also explores Islamophobia and alcoholism while keeping the tone light and optimistic. While the writing and message are accessible to a wide audience, the writing style at times skews a bit younger, despite Sy being a high-school senior. Nevertheless, this delightful book will offer readers an ending that feels like a warm hug.

Kutub weaves heartbreak with Muslim-inspired fantasy in a bighearted genre-blending debut. After closeted 17-year-old Indian American Sy's boyfriend Farouk breaks up with him and promptly leaves the U.S., Sy throws himself into his thankless L.A. coffee shop job. There, he meets avant-garde English heiress Reggie, who offers to grant him three wishes in exchange for an egg salad sandwich. As a joke, he wishes for a million dollars, which immediately appears in his bank account. When his father learns that he's queer and kicks him out of the house, Sy asks Reggie to help him find Farouk, and the duo traipse the globe aboard a private jet searching for him. Along the way, Sy experiences Islamophobia and homophobia, while his fantastical adventures offer levity en route to an emotional resolution. Though the jam-packed plot and alternating past and present chapters occasionally overshadow Sy's interpersonal relationships and lessen narrative urgency, Kutub's highly stylized prose (one minor character is referred to as a "bearded-to-the-neckline LumberChad") and Sy's energetic deep dive into his heritage present an upbeat, wish-fulfillment tale. Ages 13--up. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary. (June)

Gr 7 Up--Kutub commingles the preposterous and poignant, heightened with myths of lost love. Shawn K. Jain is a sensitive cipher, opening with Kutub's author's note that includes content warnings about abuse and expulsion, both of which happen to Sy, the 17-year-old Muslim Indian gay son of a homophobic father. Sy's still mourning beloved Farouk's abandonment. Enter--rather, crash into the coffee shop window--Reggie, who, in exchange for a kind lending hand, offers Sy three wishes. A million-dollar deposit and an egg sandwich later, Sy's en route toward his true love. Jain's focus is, of course, Sy, but he's equally affecting as Sy's smothering mother, sarcastic sister, and especially capricious Reggie. He affectingly shifts tone and cadence for Hamza and Delima's nested tale; Orpheus and Eurydice also make brief appearances. VERDICT Kutub's debut occasionally turns bewildering with excessive narrative prongs, but Jain adroitly guides readers through.

Breakups are awful, but they are even worse when your ex hustles off to another continent. Seventeen-year-old Sayyed Nizam, a recent high school graduate, is left behind in Los Angeles, twiddling the ring his ex-boyfriend, Farouk, gave him and dealing with Baba, his harsh father, who governs the household with a firm hand. But one day at Sy's cafe job, help arrives with a literal bang with the dramatic appearance of mysterious Reggie, a wealthy and eccentric English teen heiress in distress who offers him three wishes in exchange for his help (and an egg salad sandwich). After Baba discovers he is gay and kicks him out of their house, Sy finds himself on a private plane with Reggie, crossing the ocean to London in search of Farouk. As the story alternates between the struggles faced by present-day Sy and flashbacks to scenes from Sy and Farouk's charming romance, it also tells a parallel heroic quest through the story "Hamza and the Djinn." Replete with pop-culture references, elements of fabulism, and dollops of romance, Kutub's debut is ambitious. It succeeds in covering a gamut of themes, including what it's like being brown-skinned and facing Islamophobia, experiencing heady first love, and exploring one's identity. As Indian American Muslim Sy recalibrates his idea of family and love, he discovers facets of himself and his relationships, adding poignancy to the story that packs a punch. An intense read that's packed with adventure, humor, and lots of soul. (Fiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Kutub's entertaining debut takes a look at love and self-discovery while taking readers on a thoughtful romp around the world. After an unexpected encounter with a stranger named Reggie, Sy finds himself one million dollars richer. Reggie claims that she can grant him three wishes, and Sy can't think of a better wish than to be reunited with his first love, Farouk, who left the U.S. to travel the world. With memorable characters, a persisting message surrounding prejudice against Muslim men, and a fight for acceptance of queer people, this will leave readers hopeful. Kutub writes with humor and heart, which makes this darling debut accessible to many readers. With a sharp eye on current events, Kutub also explores Islamophobia and alcoholism while keeping the tone light and optimistic. While the writing and message are accessible to a wide audience, the writing style at times skews a bit younger, despite Sy being a high-school senior. Nevertheless, this delightful book will offer readers an ending that feels like a warm hug. Grades 9-12. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

Kutub weaves heartbreak with Muslim-inspired fantasy in a bighearted genre-blending debut. After closeted 17-year-old Indian American Sy's boyfriend Farouk breaks up with him and promptly leaves the U.S., Sy throws himself into his thankless L.A. coffee shop job. There, he meets avant-garde English heiress Reggie, who offers to grant him three wishes in exchange for an egg salad sandwich. As a joke, he wishes for a million dollars, which immediately appears in his bank account. When his father learns that he's queer and kicks him out of the house, Sy asks Reggie to help him find Farouk, and the duo traipse the globe aboard a private jet searching for him. Along the way, Sy experiences Islamophobia and homophobia, while his fantastical adventures offer levity en route to an emotional resolution. Though the jam-packed plot and alternating past and present chapters occasionally overshadow Sy's interpersonal relationships and lessen narrative urgency, Kutub's highly stylized prose (one minor character is referred to as a "bearded-to-the-neckline LumberChad") and Sy's energetic deep dive into his heritage present an upbeat, wish-fulfillment tale. Ages 13–up. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary. (June)