In her humorous and deeply moving debut novel, Sara Hamdan explores the heavy weight of cultural expectations and the liberating power of comedy. The narrative centers on Mia Almas, a Palestinian American magazine fact-checker building a life in New York City while constantly compartmentalizing her true identity. By day, Mia meticulously projects the polished and traditional image demanded by her conservative grandparents, who raised her after she lost her parents and who constantly remind her of their community status with the lingering question, what will people think. By night, she sneaks off to Manhattan comedy clubs to perform secret standup routines, using her dual-identity struggles as edgy material. Mia carefully balances her secret passion and a blooming office crush until her best friend unexpectedly leaks a video of her performance online. When the video goes viral, Mia double life implodes, threatening to expose delicate, long-buried family history regarding her grandparents immigration status and her father tragic death on 9/11. This heartwarming coming-of-age story masterfully addresses serious themes of generational trauma, bigotry, and belonging through a refreshing frame of sharp wit and absolute resilience.