The Rise Up Trilogy

A thrilling, coming-of-age story with a queer protagonist about the power of friendship, overcoming harmful stereotypes, growing up in the shadow of family expectations, and discovering your true self.

High school best friends Hashim, Alex, and Maryam must confront real-life issues that loom for Gen-Z today, including the climate crisis, corrupt politics, and racial and gender equity.

When Hashim turns eighteen, he receives a grant from his Mosque that will send him to an Ivy League in New York. His devout Muslim family couldn’t be more proud. And to support their young son on his journey, they arrange a wife for him. There’s only one problem: Hashim is gay.

Hashim’s best friend Alex is struggling with a difficult home life, a non-present father, and financial issues that prove particularly painful when all his friends are planning to go off to college and leave him behind.

Standing confidently alongside these two boys is Maryam, a headstrong Muslim girl who bucks her traditional roots by becoming a vegan activist.

It doesn’t take long until certain evil forces start to draw these three even closer, as their futures and the wellbeing of their community and the world is threatened. They are called to act.

The first book in the Rise Up Trilogy, Catch You If You Fall is a thrilling and suspenseful story as well as a deeply moving ray of hope amidst the hardship and deep loss our youngest generation must face in order to find their place in this world.

Check out Merry Farm next in the series.