The Henna Wars

When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants-as long as she isn't herself. Because Muslim girls aren't lesbians. 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. Flavia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flavia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flavia is appropriating Nishat's culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled-but Nishat can't quite get rid of her crush on Flavia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.

When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants-as long as she isn't herself. Because Muslim girls aren't lesbians. 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. Flavia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flavia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flavia is appropriating Nishat's culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled-but Nishat can't quite get rid of her crush on Flavia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.