The Henna Wars

When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants. Except, she can’t be herself. Muslim girls aren’t supposed to fall in love with other girls. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life.

Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna. Amidst their competing businesses, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized. 

Breakout author Adiba Jaigirdar, brings a story about love and coming out within the Muslim community.