by
4.1 of 5 stars

Tala, a London-based Palestinian, is preparing for her elaborate Middle Eastern wedding when she meets Leyla, a young British Indian woman who i... read full description


reviews

Sep 19, 2011
Estelle rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I watched the movie first, i liked it, except its abit short. So i decide to read the book, knowing that the book usually is the extension of the movie. Well, after i finished the book, i have a strange sense of deja va, I wish it was longer.

Anyway, about the book, it definitely is an extension of the movie, however there are parts where it totally different from the movie, such as settings and Sequences of events. Watching the movie first did have its advantage, as you can put face More...
Jul 31, 2009
Gwen rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I must confess, I watched the movie before I read this book.

Shamim Sarif tells the story of two women fighting for independence within their families and struggling to determine their own identities. Tala is the head-strong, Palestinian, Christian, who lives in Amman, Jordan with her wealthy family. Leyla is the Muslim, Indian, who lives in the London suburbs with her family. The two met and must determine what love is worth.

The characters, both main and supporting, More...
Jul 14, 2010
Elaine rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Tala, a Jordanian of Palestinian descent (and Christian), falls for Leyla, an Indian Muslim. A really interesting combination that didn't get played up enough, I thought. This book follows the movie (which I haven't seen yet, but sure want to!). I liked it a lot, the story is a good one. But the book suffers from a surfeit of typos, and while I think Sarif was going for an omniscient POV, it really reads like head hopping. Probably because it is written from the movie and not the other way aroun More...
May 27, 2010
Shannon rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Ok I didn't read this book in a day. I bought this for my kindle two days ago and while I wasn't absolutely compelled to read it, it was a decent enough read.
It was interesting reading about characters who were a) women, b) gay, and c) not white. It was a sweet story, and I liked that it wasn't someone's attempt to tease a story out of a porno (I'm looking at you, Arbor Vitae). It was fairly well done, though not the greatest writing I've ever uncovered.
There were a LOT of charact More...
Sep 28, 2011
Pam rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This is a truly enjoyable book that exceeds the expectations of lesbian romance and provides interesting and complex political, cultural and religious settings.
I Can't Think Straight is really two stories; that of Christian Palestinian Tala and that of Muslim Indian Leyla. The two women meet coincidentally and their off and on encounters keep tension alive while growing a meaningful connection and mutual affinity.
The L word . . .
If you're looking for smut, this ain't it. It's th More...
Nov 04, 2010
allis rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't exceptional but it was a quick really enjoyable read. The book could be taken lightly and be enjoyed as a romantic comedy but there is also a more serious tone to it with the (very) small analysis of the communities both girls belong to. I especially liked to have every character point of view about the events :)

I thought the movie wasn't so good in the more serious tone, but was still a nice watch. I saw it the day after reading the book or somet More...
May 24, 2010
Meg rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Unlike a lot of the other reviews, I had no idea that this book had been made into a film when I picked it up. The characters sounded interesting to me: a Palestinian woman and an Indian woman living in London. The settings and cast of the novel did appeal to me, but the plot seemed a little straightforward. I appreciated the added complexity of the different cultures and religion between the women, but the basic premise felt a little unoriginal. Perhaps I could identify too closely with Yasmin More...
Apr 07, 2011
Jo rated it: 3 of 5 stars
My book club is reading this book. It shows the cultural and religious constrictions that constrained these two interesting young women who are attracted to each other. One is a London-based Palestinian from a wealthy Middle Eastern family. The other is young British Indian woman who is dating the other's best friend. It's a story of their "unexpected love and unusual freedoms."
Oct 28, 2010
Ea rated it: 3 of 5 stars
While I enjoyed the foreign settings, and cultures, the title though intended to a pun, really gives you an insight in to how you'll feel when reading the book. There are so many POV's that you often times need a score card to remember who's head you're in. That being said, it was still an interesting read, if just for the fierce loyalty displayed by one of the sisters.
Feb 10, 2010
Criss rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I saw the movie so now i'm interested in reading the book.
I enjoyed the movie, it inspired me so much while I was writing and working on my 3rd book. Now I get it, every movie starts with a book. Awsome, it makes me want to write more. Now it's 2am and I need to sleep. I will write more tomorrow.

Jan 07, 2012
Nicole rated it: 3 of 5 stars
The book was slow and boring. I would not recommend anyone to read it. It is very typical. There isn’t much that happens. It’s not badly written but there’s nothing to it that makes it unique besides the Middle East culture. It was predictable.
May 23, 2009
Jenn. rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I usually read a book first before I see the movie. In this case I did not, because I didn't know there was a book before I saw the film. This kinda ruined my reading experience. But oh well, 'I can't think straight' was still a nice read. One thing though: not all lesbians watch 'The L Word' and listen to k.d. lang and not everyone who watches 'The L word' and listens to k.d. lang is a lesbian ;)
1 comment like (1 person liked it)
Sep 01, 2011
Bernadette rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I saw the movie first and loved it - I actually think the movie is better than the book. However, the books is really wonderful. :)
Jul 19, 2010
Anne rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Liked the movie, for what it was. Book's OK, though the Kindle version is in need of copyediting, although not as bad as some.
Jul 28, 2009
Lisamarie marked it as to-read
saw the movie! and LOVED it!!! (just found out this was a book!) so cant wait to read!!!!
Jul 27, 2011
Ulla rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Loved this story, even more than the film! It's funny, poetical, poignant and very enlightening about cultures I know nothing about. Time to watch the film again!
Feb 24, 2010
Nilda added it
i just love it......
Mar 07, 2011
Scott rated it: 3 of 5 stars
I've got this on kindle on my Ipod, so slowly reading when I find myself sitting someplace with a mag or book. So far the story itself is very interesting and the characters very amusing. However the writing style itself is a little... convoluted? Sometimes the sentence structure is a mite clumsy.
Oct 05, 2011
Robin rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Reads like a script, a really, really, good script.
Feb 12, 2012
Molly marked it as to-read
Feb 12, 2012
Amy marked it as to-read
Feb 12, 2012
Thatonechick87 marked it as to-read
Feb 10, 2012
Risa marked it as to-read
Feb 09, 2012
Amanda marked it as to-read
Feb 09, 2012
Georgina rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Feb 08, 2012
Jodie rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Feb 07, 2012
Colleen marked it as to-read
Feb 07, 2012
Kiara marked it as to-read
Feb 01, 2012
Asha marked it as to-read
Jan 31, 2012
Nikki rated it: 3 of 5 stars