The book cover for Four Eids and a Funeral by British-Nigerian novelist Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Bangladeshi-Irish writer Adiba Jaigirdar is out and it is absolutely stunning! The sweet Muslim rom-com will be released on June 4, 2024 by Macmillan.

The YA romance celebrates the slow rekindling of love between two ex-best friends Tiwa and Said, as they work together to save their Islamic Center from demolition. The gorgeous cover was illustrated by Ursula Decay, while book was designed by Samira Iravani.

Featuring a pink sunset sky and gold mosque in the background, the cover sets the scene for this sweet Muslim romance. In the foreground, we have the couple standing a few inches apart to showcase the initial distance between them. The boy Said is wearing a purple shirt and holding out a purple rose, while staring sullenly off to the side. Meanwhile, the girl Tiwa is holding a bouquet of purple roses and tucking her hair back behind her ears, with a sad expression on her face.

But don’t be fazed by the misery on the character’s faces because this is indeed a love story. Like all love stories, we are certain there will be a happy ending for these two. Read the synopsis below:

These days, Said Hossain spends most of his time away at boarding school. But when his favorite hometown librarian Ms. Barnes dies, he must return home to New Crosshaven for her funeral and for the summer. Too bad being home makes it a lot harder to avoid facing his ex-best friend, Tiwa Olatunji, or facing the daunting task of telling his Bangladeshi parents that he would rather be an artist than a doctor.

Tiwa doesn’t understand what made Said start ignoring her, but it’s probably that fancy boarding school of his. Though he’s unexpectedly staying through the summer, she’s determined to take a page from him and pretend he doesn’t exist. Besides, she has more than enough going on, between grieving her broken family and helping her mother throw the upcoming Eid celebration at the Islamic Center—a place that means so much to Tiwa.

But when the Islamic Center accidentally catches fire, it turns out the mayor plans to demolish the center entirely. Things are still tense between the ex-friends but Tiwa needs Said’s help if there’s any hope of changing the mayor’s mind, and Said needs a project to submit to art school (unbeknownst to anyone). Will all their efforts be enough to save the Islamic Center, save Eid, and maybe save their relationship?

Àbíké-Íyímídé remarked that she has always wanted to write stories about Nigerian/Black Muslims as “so often we are erased from depictions of Muslims in the media and also erased from conversations. I grew up always questioning whether I was Muslim enough . . .”

Àbíké-Íyímídé said it has been a dream to write this book with Jaigirdar, who also shared that she and Àbíké-Íyímídé bonded over feeling othered as Muslims in non-Muslim spaces. Jaigirdar added this book is for all the readers out there struggling with the same experiences:

We’ve talked a lot about being Muslim, what that means, and how it looks different, and in many ways similar, for both of us being from different cultures and races. This book highlights some of these experiences, and also celebrates the diversity of Muslims, and our strength of community.

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is a British-Nigerian novelist, short-story writer and columnist. She is currently pursuing an MA in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London. Her debut novel Ace of Spades (2021), received the 2022 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in the Youth/Teens category, and was on the The New York Times Bestseller list.

Adiba Jaigirdar is a Bangladeshi-Irish writer with an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent, England and a BA in English and History from UCD, Ireland. Her debut novel The Henna Wars (2020) was on Time magazine’s 100 Best YA Books of All Time list. Her other publications include Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating (2021), A Million to One (2022), and Donut Fall In Love (2023).

Congrats to Àbíké-Íyímídé and Jaigirdar on the stunning cover! Preorder here.