BOOK REVIEW : BEIGE AND BLUE BY SARA BADAWIEH

TITLE : Beige And Blue

AUTHOR : Sara Badawieh

GENRE : Romance, Romantic Thriller

FR RATING : ⭐⭐⭐( 2.5 – 3 Stars)

DATE OF PUBLISHING :  March 31st 2019 

FR REVIEW

DISCLAIMER : Thank you, Sara Badawieh for providing me with a review copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Beige And Blue by Sara Badawieh is a romantic drama / romantic thriller. The story is about Samar, who is an architect and an artist with big dreams. She has always lived a sheltered life, and her parents are very religious and overprotective of her. This makes her naive when it comes to dealing with people. She meets Bassel and forms a relationship with him after a couple of meetings. Bassel’s life is full of danger, and slowly it starts to affect Samar’s life as well. Bassel is not what he seems, and Samar decides to break up with him after a misunderstanding. Later on, she meets Ziyad, who is at the center of her conflict with Bassel, and forms a friendship with him that then turns to more. Stuck between two men who hold secrets and dangers lurking around every corner, Samar has to make a choice.

I got a review copy from the author and was excited to read. This story is set in Amman, and I have never read one that’s set in Amman before. The synopsis sounded really interesting, and it reminded me of Turkish dramas with love triangles and dangerous love interests with dramatic endings. The pacing was ok in the first half and picked up speed in the second half. It was fast-paced towards the end, and I did finish the story in 2 sittings. The plot was full of twists and turns, and I don’t know how I feel about that. The part about her profession and her art was interesting. I could feel the passion the character had for it.

Samar, as a character, was not a favorite for me. She was so naïve and inexperienced that you could feel her naivety coming off from her thoughts and inner monologues. She was also indecisive and made irrational decisions. I found her to be too shallow and always focused on the materialistic aspects of people and their personalities. Even the smallest words and actions were so impressionable on her. The twists with the main character’s love interests made it seem like they had split personalities, with the characters making a complete 180-degree shift when it comes to their nature. I was getting whiplash from the changes. With each chapter, the story and the direction it might have taken would change, constantly see-sawing between the characters. There were also some tropes and trends that used to be popular back in the day, but not anymore. The love-interests and the relationships felt pretty insta-lovey based on physical attraction, without much groundwork happening. There was one relationship with potential, and I am unhappy it didn’t go down the road I envisioned.

The lack of clarity when it came to the writing also presented issues for me personally. The story is written in a way where the progression of it got confusing at times, especially when shifting between moments. The plot is a bit far-fetched, and I couldn’t excuse the behaviors or even agree with some of the justifications given in the book. Overall I thought the book was ok, and given that it is a debut book, I can see the potential in the writer. I have seen a lot of people love this book. So, I guess it is a personal preference when it comes to certain aspects, and it made it difficult for me to accept them. I am giving this book 2.5-3 stars. It was engaging and fast-paced, but just not my cup of tea. I am sad I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. My lack of enjoyment had more to do with the characters and scenarios than the overall story. I would recommend readers to try it for yourself. Just because it didn’t work out for me doesn’t mean it may not work for you.

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SYNOPSIS

Samar has a creative job she loves and a happy home with her parents. Still, after Bassel, a sexy cop, rescues her when she’s lost one night, she starts sneaking out with him… and enjoying it. But the danger of Bassel’s life begins to be her danger, and she is pierced to the soul by the green eyes of Ziyad, a man with a troubled past and a criminal present.

As Samar’s relationships bring her into greater and greater peril, she must make the hardest choices of her life: between love and safety, between family and the right side of the law, and between two passionate, dangerous men with a rivalry that can’t end well.