Praise for Roses, In the Mouth of a Lion

“Rehman evokes time and place like a poet, with descriptions both precise and lyrical, making the streets of this working-class neighborhood come alive on the page… Where a lesser book might have stooped to stereotypes about Muslims or immigrants, Rehman shows readers the complexities within Razia’s community. Individuals are allowed to be surprising, even to themselves, in this deft and empathetic novel.”

The New York Times Book Review 

“Razia’s story is a beautiful look into the loving Muslim community Rehman knew intimately…The novel is filled with strong friendships, powerful community ties, and complex family dynamics, and Rehman has captured the beauty (and difficulties) of coming of age.”

— Shondaland

“Razia’s growing pains with her cultural heritage, Muslim faith, parental pressures, queer sexuality, and more lead to self-discoveries that help her reshape complex family and friendship ties. These pages are filled with plenty of 1980s Pakistani and American markers – music, movies, books, clothing – to evoke a singular worldview of the Pakistani immigrant community of that time and place.”

— NPR (A Best Book of the Year)

“Rehman fully immerses readers in Razia’s world, but she writes with contemporary edge. The narrative never seems historical or predetermined. It feels, rather, like the account of a warrior describing her journey.”

— Los Angeles Times

“Stellar…Deeply immersive…The scenes brim with the pluck and tumult of young friendship while also portraying the uneasy racial balance that the first-generation children navigate in 1980s Queens…A distinctive and infectious voice takes hold of the reader from the first page.”

— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“I always love a good coming-of-age story but this one hit so close to home I could hardly believe it— a desi girl’s teenage rebellion/friendship/love story, all in my childhood home of Queens? Rehman’s writing is beautiful and compelling, and the main character Razia’s world is one I wanted to linger in.”

— Padma Lakshmi, New York Times bestselling author

Radio & Podcasts

Queer Everything Podcast| Interview

BookRiot | All the Books

Audible | Interview

WNYC’s All of It with Alison Stewart/Interview

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Print

Publishers Weekly | Open Book

Publishers Weekly | Starred and Boxed Review

Booklist | Starred Review

Southern California News Group | Q&A

New York Times Book Review | Review

People Magazine | People Picks

Los Angeles Times | Most Anticipated Books of December

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Interview

Sunday Business Post (UK) | Review

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Online

Autostraddle | Rainbow Reading Mention

LitHub | Mention

PW Daily | Review of the Day

NPR | Books We Love

Distractify | December 2022 New Releases

AV Club | 10 Books You Should Read in December

Chicago Review of Books | 12 Must-Read Books of December

BookRiot | December 2022 Horoscopes

Washington Post | 12 Noteworthy Books for December

E! News | 10 Books to Read This December

Arlington Magazine | 10 New Books to Read in December

PopSugar | Best Books of December

Electric Literature | Original Essay

Lambda Literary | December’s Most Anticipated

Publishers Weekly | Books of the Week

Lesbrary | 23 Bi and Sapphic Books out in December

LitHub | 17 New Books to Invigorate Your December

Goodreads | 6 Great Books Hitting Shelves This Week

BuzzFeed | Best Books to Read December

Ms. Magazine | Reads for the Rest of Us

LGBTQ Reads | December Releases

GMA | 12 Books to Cul Up with This December

Subjectify Media | Review

Shondaland | Interview

Electric Literature | Interview

Edge Media Network | Review

The Rumpus | Letters in the Mail tease

LitHub | Excerpt

Poets & Writers | 10 Questions

Shondaland | Review

Autostraddle | 92 of the Best Queer Books of 2022

Christian Science Monitor | December's 10 Best Books

Electric Literature | Favorite Novels of 2022