Huda Fahmy has garnered an avid following for her webcomic, “Yes, I’m Hot in This,” and her loosely autobiographical YA graphic novels, including National Book Award finalist Huda F Cares?. Her latest, Huda F Wants To Know?, one of our Best YA Books of 2025, showcases her signature blend of pointed observations, hilarious commentary, and expressive art. In this nuanced and relatable story, Huda, an academically driven high schooler whose parents are divorcing, struggles with her mental health, but the halaqa at the masjid provides much-needed support. Fahmy answered our questions via email.

What media were you consuming while working on this book?

I wish I could say I watched some nice comfort shows, but I began writing this book at the end of 2023, and I was glued to the news. My heart has been with the people of Palestine the entire time. Between writing, sketching, inking, and coloring, I watched the news, fundraised for displaced families, prayed for the genocide to end. This was one of the hardest books to write because the state of our world made it difficult to find joy in other pursuits.

What sparked your decision to focus on mental health?

I initially wanted to explore divorce from a Muslim point of view because it’s so rarely talked about. But, as I was writing, I realized the way my character processed her parents’ divorce mirrored the stages of grief. Today, as a (sort-of) functioning adult with a fully developed frontal cortex, I try to prioritize my mental health, and it makes me wish I had access to these kinds of resources when I was younger. It’s like time travel—I get to go back and tell teenage Huda she’s not broken.

What was most challenging about writing this book?

Walking the line between telling Huda’s story and telling her parents’ story. I never get into the details of why Huda’s parents are divorcing. That was intentional: People tend to draw parallels between these books and my real life. People just be nosy. And I didn’t think it mattered why. Regardless of the reason, Huda’s grief wouldn’t be any less real.

And most rewarding?

Getting to write stories about Muslim kids struggling with their mental health while also normalizing therapy is incredibly fulfilling.

Tell me about your use of humor.

I love talking about humor! It gives me a chance to look at why I gravitate towards laughter as a way to process serious topics. Why does humor work so well to disarm people’s defenses? I believe our shared trauma leads to shared laughter, which is why I try to write about experiences that both unite and frustrate us. My goal is always twofold: to make people laugh and to make people think.

What book or books published in 2025 were among your favorites?

In no particular order: Perfect Victims: And the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd, the Amina Banana series by Shifa Saltagi Safadi, My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser by Jamie Jo Hoang, The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad, Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, and Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin.

Was there anything that you’d like to add?

The world is changing, and we must act on courage: Share stories that pull back the curtain, that challenge us, that bring us face to face with uncomfortable truths. It’s only scary at first, I promise. Courage wouldn’t be courage if you weren’t doing something that scared you. But we must persist. Be the change. Write the change. Publish the change.

Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor.