I wanted to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being with me on this journey.

When I started this newsletter with tips about books, writing and travel/ meditation, the countdown at the end was over 350+ days to publication.

And here we are, two weeks away from welcoming What Will People Think? into the world… and I can’t wait to hear what you think 😀 

Let’s kick it off with some exciting news: I will debut my novel alongside Harvard Book Store (ecstatic!), who graciously suggested a virtual event when I decided to postpone my wonderful, national US book tour (very sad!):

The Harvard Book Store event takes place on Zoom May 19 at 1 pm ET / 9 pm Dubai time and it’s free - register here to join the fun:

It’s been a rollercoaster with more ups and downs than I expected. I was honestly crushed when I had to make the difficult decision to hold back on a dream book tour (very sad!), but then this also happened:

My novel made the May recommended reading list by The New York Times (ecstatic again!):

Like I said, extreme highs and lows.

I’ll spend the next two weeks with my head down, conserving my energy, getting ready for this big moment.

Thank you for being here with me, it means the world!

READ: NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

My novel was in great company, alongside the likes of Stephen King and Ocean Vuong, in the May 2025 list curated by The New York Times Book Review editors.

This is such a huge milestone - I keep refreshing the link to make sure it’s real.

Sharing for you here so you have new books to add to your TBR pile!

WRITE: YOUR DREAMS

It’s taken a long time for my dream to come true.

Ten years is what I always say.

It’s actually been a lifetime of hoping I would become a published author.

It’s so easy to get sidetracked by life: grief, childrearing, demanding jobs… the list goes on and on.

It helps me to write down my dreams as goals, and figure out small actionable steps I can take to (one day) get there.

Grab a pen and paper (for some reason, this works better than typing on a laptop) and write three goals for the month of May, big or small. Happy dreaming!

INSPIRE: NEW PLANS

At the beginning of this year, I had envisioned myself going to the US in May for my big, beautiful book tour (Boston, NYC and DC!) and then visiting the US again over the summer with my kids…

Those plans got derailed…

Now, instead, we are hoping to spend a few weeks in the UK or Greece again, where we have family.

What are your summer plans? Do you enjoy looking up hotels and flights like I do, or do you find that a chore?

BROWSE: THESE LINKS

Random stuff from the web for your entertainment:

• Women are turning to ChatGPT for therapy (and anonymity)

• Ramy Youssef has a new show about Arab American families

• 7 trending European destinations this summer by CNT

• Best Met Gala looks of all time

• Watermelon Pictures makes waves with release of The Encampments

• At 83, Barbara Streisand is still making music and joining forces with Hozier, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande & more for her newest album

Countdown to My Novel’s Publication Day:

Thanks for reading! See you soon!

With kindness,

Sara