You Only Live Twice

A Black Muslim teenager’s desire to deepen her connection to her faith propels her to consider incisive questions about herself and the future in this intriguing romance from Allen (All You Have to Do). In 2013, 17-year-old Zakiyyah AbdusSalaam is ready to be “grown,” and finishing high school no longer feels compatible with the life she envisions. For Zakiyyah, the masjid is a place of grounding and purpose, while school feels like an obstacle to becoming the person she believes she is meant to be. Soon, Zakiyyah embraces wearing niqab and starts attending community college classes. After observing Muslim couples in her community and on social media, she begins ruminating about their connection and researching young Muslim marriage online, wondering what it might mean to share her faith and life with a romantic partner. With support from her mother, her auntie, and her best friend Asiyah, Zakiyyah explores marriage possibilities in a novel that unfolds across a mix of journal entries, sticky notes, emails, and more, injecting emotional texture into the layered storytelling. Instances of Islamophobia are addressed with sensitivity balanced by sharp humor throughout an insightful narrative helmed by a charismatic, self-assured protagonist. It’s an earnest examination of religious beliefs and impending adulthood. Ages 14–up. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency. (July)