Own Voice

Huda F Wants to Know? (Huda #3) / Huda Fahmy, Weinye Chen (Colorist)

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Huda F Wants to Know? (Huda #3)
By: Huda Fahmy, Weinye Chen (Colorist)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Number of Pages: 224
Published: April 1, 2025
Publisher: Dial Books
Dates Read: May 7, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

In this third installment of Huda, Huda Fahmy is prepared for junior year. She’s got her “How to Kick Junior Year’s Tush” plan that includes joining all the clubs, volunteering everywhere, acing her ACTs, and writing the most amazing essays for her scholarship applications. Easy!

But then Mama and Baba announce the unthinkable: they’re getting a divorce.

Huda is devastated. As she begins to worry what the divorce means to her family and how that will affect their place in the Muslim community, her grades start to tank, she has a big fight with her best friend, and Huda feels like she has control over nothing. Will anything in her life ever feel normal again? Huda F wants to know.

As per usual, as soon as I saw Huda had a new graphic novel out, I immediately asked for a copy to read, because every book she puts out I absolutely love.

This book, though humorous at times when Huda pokes fun at herself, does deal with heavier topics: divorce and mental health. I’ve got to give Huda praise on how well both of those were handled. She showed both what she sees within the community and how her family either deals with it themselves, or how they help her. The epilogue even has information about free mental health resources, including a special hotline for young Muslims.

I will be highly recommending this (and Huda’s whole series) to those who enjoy graphic novels that can sometimes deal with tough topics, but with a dash of humor mixed within the panels. Even though Huda is going through her parents’ divorce as a young Muslim woman, this novel would still resonate with all types of readers from all types of backgrounds.

*Thank you Dial Books and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Ariel Crashes a Train / Olivia A. Cole

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Ariel Crashes a Train
By: Olivia A. Cole
Genre: YA, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 464
Published: March 12, 2024
Publisher: Labyrinth Road
Dates Read: February 22, 2025 - March 2, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: mental health, OCD, intrusive and violent thoughts, suicidal thoughts

Ariel is afraid of her own mind and the violent fantasies she can’t control that are taking over every part of her life. She already feels too big, too queer, too rough for what a “good girl” is. Ever since her older sister Mandy left for college, Ariel isn’t sure her counting and rituals are enough to keep everyone safe.

When she returns to her summer job at Wildwood, the local carnival, she’s also without her best friend, Leah, who’s off to DC for Young Chemist. At first Ariel tries to keep everyone out, but then she makes friends with the new workers Ruth and Rex and she questions if what she’s been doing is the best. With help and support, Ariel discovers there’s a name for what she struggles with – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – and that there can be a future where she’s at home in her own body, and where she’s not alone.

This book isn’t an easy read – Ariel’s intrusive thoughts are definitely not kind, they’re bloody and violent, she’s also got unsupportive parents <spoiler> though it does hint that her Dad probably has OCD as well, so unsupportive/in denial </spoiler>. It is written by an author who also struggles with OCD and I feel like this was a well written portrayal. I don’t myself have OCD, but I have friends who do and they’ve described their struggles similarly.

I think the novel in verse format of this works really well for this story because Ariel’s mind can be so scattered and claustrophobic. Cole plays around with the format a bit and it shows a lot of depth you don’t always see in novels in verse. 

Overall, this is a powerful read for those who would like to learn more about living with OCD – it’s a bit heavy at times, but worth it.

National Book Award Nominee for Young People’s Literature 2024