A few years ago, Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali got published. I read the Dutch translation back then and even though I enjoyed it, I wasn’t fully convinced about the romance. However, when this follow-up story (or maybe sequel) got announced (also years ago already) I was awaiting this with mild anticipation. I ended up hauling the book in the end, but left it unread until now. Did this book add up to Adam’s and Zayneb’s story? Please beware of spoilers for Love from A to Z.

About the book

Love from Mecca to Medina by S.K. Ali
Series: Love from A to Z #2
Published by Simon & Schuster on October 18, 2022
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781665916073
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young adult

On the trip of a lifetime, Adam and Zayneb must find their way back to each other in this surprising and romantic sequel to the “bighearted, wildly charming” (Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author) Love from A to Z that’s a “contemplative exploration of faith, love, and the human condition” ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review).

Adam and Zayneb. Perfectly matched. Painfully apart.

Adam is in Doha, Qatar, making a map of the Hijra, a historic migration from Mecca to Medina, and worried about where his next paycheck will come from. Zayneb is in Chicago, where school and extracurricular stresses are piling on top of a terrible frenemy situation, making her miserable.

Then a marvel Adam and Zayneb get the chance to spend Thanksgiving week on the Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, in Saudi Arabia. Adam is thrilled; it’s the reboot he needs and an opportunity to pray for a hijra in real to migrate to Zayneb in Chicago. Zayneb balks at the trip at first, having envisioned another kind of vacation, but then decides a spiritual reset is calling her name too. And they can’t wait to see each other—surely, this is just what they both need.

But the trip is nothing like what they expect, from the appearance of Adam’s former love interest in their traveling group to the anxiety gripping Zayneb when she’s supposed to be “spiritual.” As one wedge after another drives them apart while they make their way through rites in the holy city, Adam and Zayneb start to was their meeting just an oddity after all? Or can their love transcend everything else like the greatest marvels of the world?

My review

As it has been years since I’ve read the previous book, I had to read some reviews to actually remember what happened. Well, the clue is obvious so I could start reading without being confused. However, since I wasn’t fully convinced by the first book, I decided to go into this reading experience with no expectations at all so I couldn’t be disappointed. I’m sorry to say that this happened to be a good choice in the end.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like our main characters. In the first book in this guology, I already thought Zayneb was quite insufferable It happened that several years later, she hasn’t changed one bit. I just didn’t like her at all. She was really self-centered one moment, only to be holding Adam in a chokehold and deciding what’s best for him the next. Adam on the other hand seemed afraid to stick up for himself because he was too afraid to tell Zayneb important things in life. Maybe he felt ashamed which is undertsandable, but communication is key in a relationship and they obviously both had a hard time with it. Yes, Zyneb as well, she hid things from Adam as well. Once they start doing th Umrah, their differences became clearer by the second. Zayneb didn’t even bother to make the most out of this journey, she nearly ignored everyone. Adam at least made efforts to socialize even though he’s not a talkative person. However, he didn’t make any efforts to spend time with Zayneb. So, the miscommunications between two people in a relationship was the main trope of this book and I didn’t like it because it didn’t make me like the characters any more.

The writing was fine however. Despite me being annoyed by the main characters, the story was a fast read. I was able to pick it up quickly after putting it aside for a bit. However, the writing is not unique, it’s just generic and ordinary. I think that the POV switching between our main characters works well though since this only explains the miscommunication better.

The most interesting part of this novel is the Umrah, the Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. It provieds a good insight about this important part of Islam for the on-Muslim readers. I learnt a lot and it was quite interesting to see how it worked for Adam and Zayneb. However, the growth they shown during Umrah felt a little rushed to me. I was not fully intrigued by the story. In fact, it’s quite forgettable.

Love from Mecca to Medina by S.K. Ali had an interesting approach and some interesting topics. However, I didn’t feel any connection to the characters, I found them quite annoying and Zayneb in particular. The writing was fine, just generic. It was easy to pick it back up after putting it aside for a bit. In the end, this book is unfortunately quite forgettable.

Final verdict

Expectations: I didn’t have any and that was the best decision.
Characters: Okay, albeit quite annoying. I think Zayneb is both self-centered and keeping Adam in a chokehold at the same time.
Atmosphere: Quite tense due to the miscommunication trope which ended up frustrating me.
Writing: Fine, albeit very generic. It’s easy to pick the book up after putting it aside for a while.
Plot: Quite forgettable.
Intrigue: I was most interested in learning about Umrah.
Logic: Adam and Zayneb showed growth in the end, but it felt rushed. The events leading up to this were quite logic though.
Enjoyment: It’s a fine book, I didn’t have a bad time but I’m ready to move on.