What readers think of A Place for Us, plus links to write your own review.

This is a well written novel which gives the reader great insight into the lives of a Muslim family living in the United States. The wife, Layla, came with her husband to America and tried to keep her culture intact. Raising three children who were born in the United States and adapted to the culture in various ways was a challenge. The author shows the difficulties of trying to raise the children in the Muslim beliefs and yet wanting them to be accepted and have happy fulfilled lives. How each person in the family adapts to the stresses (especially after 9/11) that present themselves makes fascinating reading.

Throughout the book the author brilliantly shows how each one reacts as they face a variety of situations. This is a good read that would lead to an interesting discussion in a book group.

I loved this book, it is very well written and the story is authentic. The author captures the essence of each member of an Indian Muslim family, the father and mother moving to California from India and the children all born in America. We meet the family at a wedding of the oldest daughter and then move back in time and learn how each membe's life has been and how they see it. Like all families reality is sometimes in the eye of the beholder. There are kind, gentle moments, first forbidden love, and true family loyalty. Much is said about living as a Muslim and adds to the depth of the story. Layla, the mother, has a strong sense of being a good mother, the two daughters, Hadia and Huda, are smart, pretty, and trying hard to live their lives as Muslim American women in this new age after 9/11. The son, Amar, is so conflicted, the pain so real, and the father's attempts to make it better making it worse, all will stay with me for a long time. A great read for book clubs, this will make one of the top 10 books for 2018.

An interesting and engaging story of a Muslim family in America. As I expected, the book provides much about the Muslim religion and culture, but the primary story is about the family. Many of their issues and conflicts could also be experienced by non-Muslim families. The book is therefore very relatable.

Fatima Farheen Mirza's writing style is beautiful, she presents the story of a family that is heartfelt and develops the characters so well that you can feel their emotions as you read the story. I could not put the book down and was sorry to see it end, but I suspect the story will stay with me for quite some time.

I loved this book. At first I was afraid the cultural gap was so big that I wouldn't be able to relate but it quickly became clear that the story related the joys and sorrows of family in a way that crossed all societal, religious, and cultural boundaries. Truly a beautifully written book that was a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.

I am so thankful I was selected to read/review this ARC. The emotions it created will stay with me for quite some time. The rich detail and the author's chosen words, so greatly impacted me, that I am rendered speechless. A story of Love, Identity, and Belonging and the impact of who we are, how we affect others, and what it means to be completely human. This novel is oh, so beautiful and will stay with you long after the final page is turned.

An incredibly perceptive story of the wonderous moments, deeply felt frustrations and heartbreaking pains of being part of a family. When a son returns home after a long absence he says: "That it feels unexpectedly comforting is, in and of itself, difficult." Wow. It's lines like that touched me deeply and brought me to tears. It describes in intimate details the sacrifices we make for our loved ones and the many ways we cause pain. And through it all, love survives and often triumphs. A great book for book groups. This is a book where you really connect with and care about the characters.

First of all I want to say I loved this book. I am amazed that such a young writer has such emotional depth. Having watched one of my son's closest friends grow up in an almost identical family, I have always empathized with the children. This book gives good insight to the parent's lives as well as the children, how hard it is to raise your children in a different culture than their peers. A real heartbreaking story, I found myself crying for their very real pain. The story does jump around from one time period to another. I will definitely be recommending this book to my book club.

I was literally blown away by the experience of reading A PLACE FOR US by Fatima Farheed Mirza.

The book was quite different from what I expected. First, I need to explain that I am a senior adult who is looking as you say "in my rear view mirror" at my life and the life of my family. I am a Christian and my faith is quite important to me. Second, I knew the book was going to be about an American Muslim family and I had anticipated that it would primarily center on the prejudices they would face since our country is so judgmentally divided and full of hate today. So I anticipated I would need to be understanding as I read about a culture that was quite different from mine.

The book does have a few elements of prejudice but this is not front and center.

The thing that impressed me most about the book is that it is the story about a family facing the problems that many of us have faced as our children form beliefs of their own which sometimes are at odds with the values and traditions that we, their parents, hold very close to our hearts. The author wrote this book about a Muslim family, but the truth is the book could have been a Christian, Jew, Buddhist or Mormon family. The hurt would be the same – the guilt would be the same- the yearning of the parents for them to be "family" again would be the same.

I found the book to be a deeply moving account of those times when mistakes are made and for me the story rang with an authenticity that reached the core of my being.

I received this book as part of the First Impressions program at Book Browse.com and this is my honest review of the book.