His Other Wife

Normally, I have a strict policy against reading books longer than 300-350pp, and an author is pushing it the further away from 300pp a book gets. I am a product of my society, and if you can’t tell me a story by 300pp, then I am not interested.Umm Zakiyyah’s His other Wife is an exception. She kept me riveted to the development of main character Aliyah as well as her best friend/nemesis Deanna and love interest, Jacob. Each character was deliciously flawed, and I continually vacillated between loving them and just wanting to wring their necks.

This book was so good mashallah, that I just kept reading and reading and couldn’t put it down. The characters were well written and beautifully portrayed. The theme of healing, and overcoming emotional and spiritual trauma is something rarely approached and spoken about in our communities, and I love how the book highlighted the journeys of healing for everyone throughout the book. The characters were so relatable, despite the fact that my life doesn’t even come close to any of the characters’ lives, but the experiences and emotions are universal. I would highly recommend you read the book as it is not just a good story, but also very enlightening and inspiring and really made me want to be a better person.

I am over 50 and I never read fiction. This was my first Umm Zakiyyah book and it was surprised refreshing. I love how Umm Zakiyyah wove so many lessons in the dialogue between the characters. And how she also portrayed the mulit-dimensional aspects of Muslims. I really appreciated how she contextualized polygyny and Muslim marital relations. Also the background themes of mental illness and family dysfunction was like its own character. And she brought it all together with SAFE. The ending was absolutely perfect. I do intend to read more of her work. MashaAllah!!!

If you see how many pages this book is and know how short of a time it took me to read, this will show you how good it was! This book made me reflect on myself, family, and community. There were so many Islamic reminders coupled with the taboo topic (that shouldn't be) of mental illness. A page turner that left me pleasantly satisfied. Great read! I wouldn't expect anything less! Can't wait to discuss it in my book club!

This is a well written novel, worth a read for people who like fiction. It is an interesting tale full of important lessons and points to ponder. But it juggled too many stories at once, leaving some stories unfinished. That is only issue with what was really a well told story.

What I didn’t like about the book was the phrase “coughed laughter.” It was very annoying to read. Also, it seemed like there were ten different story lines which made reading exhausting. And the point that Jacob would almost consider remarrying Deanna was insane. Glad that did not happen.

I have yet to be disappointed with anything by this author. Her characters are realistic enough that I feel as though I have met them, or at least heard of of them. The storylines reflect the struggles of the Muslim community and . Inspire us to turn to Allah for solutions.

I’m usually a fan of umm zakiyyah’s work but disappointed in this one, the story dragged out too much talking with no point in the early chapters.. and then at 500 pages including the back story of a irrelevant character ( lgbtq- which was just an opportunist to share the authors POV which was unnecessary) wasn’t worth the read I felt

A really good read for muslimahs single or divorced etc. I think it’s a really good read as it encourages a lot of self reflection. Umm Zakiyah has definitely placed a lot of thought. I absolutely love the references to quranic verses as you continue to read the novel. Feel really connnected and can see it changes the way we think, reflect and how we perceive other people’s behaviour. Love it!!! Absolutely enjoyed reading this. I can’t wait to order the next read from Umm Zakiyah xxx

A fantastic, relatable and compelling read. I struggled to put this book down from the time I started to read the first page . Every day topics are covered within the plots, that anyone, regardless of their background can relate to, in terms of social etiquettes and stigmas. I found myself totally ingrossed in the switching of narratives and reluctantly put the book down before bed. Totally recommended.

Epic story brilliantly told, so much to digest and learn in the form of an entertaining tale.Kudos to Umm zakiyya.

Still readying this book. Bit expensive but enjoying it.

There are so many reminders in this book maashaAllah, many sunnah revival. I would recommend it to any one that likes to read a beneficial novel. I gave it a 5 stars because it was engaging and beneficial book in my opinion. Thank you and jazakaAllahu khair to the author