Book Review: It’s Not Over Yet by Salma Hussain
[ID: a book with an illustration of a brown teen boy in silhouette with “It’s Not Over Yet” and “Salma Hussain” written in bold red and white text. The teen wears a black hoodie and is framed by red and yellow. The book sits on a spread of loose book pages covered with red fake flowers and book page confetti. A black vintage typewriter sits to the top left of the photo and an old fashioned black fountain pen to the left of the book.]
Today I’m happy to share a review of the upcoming YA contemporary IT’S NOT OVER YET by Salma Hussain, releasing October 13th. Thank you to the publishing team at Tundra Books for going above and beyond to give me an early look at this book!
Wali Khan is your average teen relieved to have survived the torment of freshman year. But after he collapses with epic headaches, random vomiting, and dizziness, he’s diagnosed with a golfball sized brain tumor. It’s probably benign, but now he must undergo life-altering surgery at the end of the semester. With the date looming, how can Wali make peace with his situation AND survive high school?
IT’S NOT OVER YET is a moving and immersive book based on the author’s personal experience with life-changing illness. Wali is SUCH a vivid narrator! He practically leaps off the page. You can feel his fears, his passions, and his anger. Wali is surrounded by a compelling cast of friends and family. Each character in this book felt alive to me, especially Wali’s parents and sisters. They’re not just window dressing, they’re the heart of this book!
I loved how we got to see Wali dealing with each aspect of his life: his love and frustration with his parents, his distance from his older sisters, his relationship to religion (his mom is Catholic and his dad is Muslim), and his love for film. Every piece of this book felt rich and detailed. I’m sure it will provoke many interesting conversations.
While I loved seeing Wali’s journey and the nuanced way his relationship with friends and family develops over the course of the book, I did feel like a few things turned out too neat and tidy. I wanted a happy ending and I can understand that teens need to see hope as well, but I wanted things to get a little bit messier. Everything in the book was tied up in a bow where I wanted it left a bit more open.
Nevertheless, I treasured my time with IT’S NOT OVER YET and I can’t wait for teens to discover Wali’s story! This book is definitely going on my favorites of 2026 list!
Trigger/content warnings: detailed descriptions of nausea and vomiting, brief drug use, descriptions of medical procedures, and depression.