These Impossible Things: A Read with Jenna Pick
by Salma El-Wardany
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A Read With Jenna Book Club pick!
Three best friends navigate love, sex, faith--and the one night that changes it all--in this novel that reveals "searing and poignant truths about the female experience" (Ashley Audrain, NYT bestselling author of The Push)
Whatever happened to the way we were?
It's always been Malak, Kees, and Jenna against the world. Since childhood, under the watchful eyes of their family and community, these three best friends have had to navigate love, sex, faith, and womanhood alongside the expectations of being good Muslim women. But they've always done it together.
Malak wants the dream: for her partner, community, and faith to coexist happily, and she'll even break her own heart to get it. Kees is in love with Harry, a white Catholic man who her parents can never know about. Jenna is always the life of the party, even though she's plagued by an unshakable loneliness. But when their college years come to aΒ
close, one night changes everything.
As their lives take different paths, in the wake of heartbreaks, marriages, new careers and new beginnings, Malak, Kees, and Jenna need each other more than ever. Can they forgive and find a way back to each other in time?
These Impossible Things is a moving paean to youth and female friendship--and to all the joy and messiness love holds.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781538709313
- Binding
- Paperback
- Authors
- Salma El-Wardany
- Publisher
- Grand Central Publishing
- Published Date
- June 6, 2023
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 400
- Physical Info
- 1.18 in H x 7.95 in L x 5.2 in W (0.7 lb)

This book is a beautiful exploration of young adulthood and the impact and strength of female friendships! I loved reading about these three women as they navigate careers, romance, friendship, and family expectations. The religious lens added a layer of tension and difficulty that isn't often found in stories like this. I appreciated the peek into Malak, Kees, and Jenna's cultural and religious history/customs.A note: please be kind to yourself and check the trigger warnings. There are some things that happen on-page that might be tough for some individuals, even if they aren't described in gratuitous detail.
Read this one. I was immersed in a new world that captivated me as no other has in a long time.
Wow, what an incredible book. I laughed, cried and everything in between. This story truly captures the strength of female friendships. So well written. Iβve gifted and recommended this to multiple friends and family membersβ¦ everyone has enjoyed!
Such a beautifully written story of friendship, relationships, and young women finding their identities.
The author claims that she wanted to write about getting Muslim women a correct portrayal. The story was good in that fact and the heartaches around it. But the author completely missed the opportunity to correctly portray Catholicism. It would have been nice if she was educated on it before writing wrongly about it.
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