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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
this was ... a mess. i am surprised that i even rated this book this low, at first ...
first of all, i initially thought i'd like this book so much, knowing that it's Pride and Prejudice modern retelling, and it's representing the Muslim Community! of course I was excited! Turns out, a lot of parts of this book didn't really bring light to the beauty of Muslim and the growth of characters owning up to themselves and their religious and social beliefs, but it was consisting pointless act of betrayal, over and over again, no substantial character development, and the romance was ruined after the 2nd act altogether (for me).
i would like to make a breakdown of scenes, split in 3 acts :
ACT I : The Beginning
this will cover the first part f this book, where we were introduced to Ayesha's and Khalid's character, also the other characters besides them.
- i like ayesha and khalid's character. I felt that it was genuine, and I was agreeing with most of the decisions they made, the mindset they're set on, because it was reasonable and i respect it.
- the romance was so innocent in the beginning, a usual enemies-to-lovers trope that was cute and nicely done
- I though Hafsa was simply just a stupid bimbo who does things on a whim and doesn't own up to her actions, but is nice to her cousin from another family altogether and truly cared for her. i ACTUALLY liked her, no jk.
- miscommunication trope begins! ;) i love it ;)
- we get to see the display of microaggression and racism towards Muslims through Sheila (who is a bit*h until the end, I guess) and Muslim's with an entirely different mindset like Amir, Mo, and maybe even Tarek.
- We get to see how toxic and a control freak Khalid's mother, Farzana is.
ACT II : The Conflict
- we are getting into the plot finally yess
- the romance is sorta kinda growing
- I don't understand how Hafsa and Farzana's characters did a complete 180 to being vile, manipulative, conniving a*s in this part. what was the point?
- more miscommunication trope! yes!
- khalid character apparently changed for the worst too, he turned into a childish prick who really doesn't want to listen to others except for his mom, and suddenly his shyness reflected to him being rude continuously to Ayesha and can't stop shutting his mouth??? and the readers are suppose to blame it on his "ability to not comprehending situations, ending up to him accidentally saying what he thinks without thinking first sometimes"??
- carla is the mvp, truly.
ACT III : The Fall and The Ending
- it. went. down. y'all.
- the climax is here!
- character development where? there's literally nothing but pent up drama over and over again, getting worse and worse.
- we get to see our main villain ?
- why is zareena suddenly becoming an reoccuring character? why wasn't she fleshed out since the beginning? was this supposed to make me believe on this plot device?
- the proposal made me CACKLE. WHY WAS IT THE STUPIDEST PROPOSAL I'VE EVER READ ABOUT IN MY LIFE??? WHY???
- awesome, let's just throw Hafsa's character out the window shall we
- i refuse to believe there's nothing wrong inside Farzana's head. not only she's manipulative, possessive of her own son, and a massive control freak, her actions and words sometimes doesn't match, and the fact that she's not aware of it really worries me. She should really be checked out.
- this is a soap opera. prove me wrong.
- we really gonna put a morale of "changing ones appearance, in contrast to their own beliefs" and treat it as a makeover, so that people will accept us, respect us, and as a revenge, also as a character development. cool.
- the ending was sloppily done, that's it.
a few quotes that really resonates on how messy this book was :
1. "Why are you being so secretive? I'm your mother. I have a right to know what you are doing at all times" then suddenly she says this after a few pages : "A mother must never interfere in the lives of her children." I mean, i get that she was saying this while lying to Hafsa, but why? you expect me to trust and like this woman in the end, when she does this?
2. the proposal :
i am as shocked as you are. I am proud that Ayesha didn't just slap him right away. Khalid was stupid, but this stupid? I am appaled.
the writing somehow turned into a wattpad story, the romance was lackluster, character development where, the characters stayed inconsistent, the ending was really not satisfying, and i really didn't enjoy it.
first of all, i initially thought i'd like this book so much, knowing that it's Pride and Prejudice modern retelling, and it's representing the Muslim Community! of course I was excited! Turns out, a lot of parts of this book didn't really bring light to the beauty of Muslim and the growth of characters owning up to themselves and their religious and social beliefs, but it was consisting pointless act of betrayal, over and over again, no substantial character development, and the romance was ruined after the 2nd act altogether (for me).
i would like to make a breakdown of scenes, split in 3 acts :
ACT I : The Beginning
this will cover the first part f this book, where we were introduced to Ayesha's and Khalid's character, also the other characters besides them.
- i like ayesha and khalid's character. I felt that it was genuine, and I was agreeing with most of the decisions they made, the mindset they're set on, because it was reasonable and i respect it.
- the romance was so innocent in the beginning, a usual enemies-to-lovers trope that was cute and nicely done
- I though Hafsa was simply just a stupid bimbo who does things on a whim and doesn't own up to her actions, but is nice to her cousin from another family altogether and truly cared for her. i ACTUALLY liked her, no jk.
- miscommunication trope begins! ;) i love it ;)
- we get to see the display of microaggression and racism towards Muslims through Sheila (who is a bit*h until the end, I guess) and Muslim's with an entirely different mindset like Amir, Mo, and maybe even Tarek.
- We get to see how toxic and a control freak Khalid's mother, Farzana is.
ACT II : The Conflict
- we are getting into the plot finally yess
- the romance is sorta kinda growing
- I don't understand how Hafsa and Farzana's characters did a complete 180 to being vile, manipulative, conniving a*s in this part. what was the point?
- more miscommunication trope! yes!
- khalid character apparently changed for the worst too, he turned into a childish prick who really doesn't want to listen to others except for his mom, and suddenly his shyness reflected to him being rude continuously to Ayesha and can't stop shutting his mouth??? and the readers are suppose to blame it on his "ability to not comprehending situations, ending up to him accidentally saying what he thinks without thinking first sometimes"??
- carla is the mvp, truly.
ACT III : The Fall and The Ending
- it. went. down. y'all.
- the climax is here!
- character development where? there's literally nothing but pent up drama over and over again, getting worse and worse.
- we get to see our main villain ?
- why is zareena suddenly becoming an reoccuring character? why wasn't she fleshed out since the beginning? was this supposed to make me believe on this plot device?
- the proposal made me CACKLE. WHY WAS IT THE STUPIDEST PROPOSAL I'VE EVER READ ABOUT IN MY LIFE??? WHY???
- awesome, let's just throw Hafsa's character out the window shall we
- i refuse to believe there's nothing wrong inside Farzana's head. not only she's manipulative, possessive of her own son, and a massive control freak, her actions and words sometimes doesn't match, and the fact that she's not aware of it really worries me. She should really be checked out.
- this is a soap opera. prove me wrong.
- we really gonna put a morale of "changing ones appearance, in contrast to their own beliefs" and treat it as a makeover, so that people will accept us, respect us, and as a revenge, also as a character development. cool.
- the ending was sloppily done, that's it.
a few quotes that really resonates on how messy this book was :
1. "Why are you being so secretive? I'm your mother. I have a right to know what you are doing at all times" then suddenly she says this after a few pages : "A mother must never interfere in the lives of her children." I mean, i get that she was saying this while lying to Hafsa, but why? you expect me to trust and like this woman in the end, when she does this?
2. the proposal :
I know this might come as a shock to you. I don't believe in love before marriage. I know I have questioned your religious convictions in the past, but you can work on your faith. I'm a good catch for someone of your age and social standing. My family is rich and I have a good job. You can quit teaching and focus on writing your little poems. I will approach your mother to decide on a wedding date as soon as possible."
i am as shocked as you are. I am proud that Ayesha didn't just slap him right away. Khalid was stupid, but this stupid? I am appaled.
the writing somehow turned into a wattpad story, the romance was lackluster, character development where, the characters stayed inconsistent, the ending was really not satisfying, and i really didn't enjoy it.
I really enjoyed this book. It made me think. It made me feel. It made me question my ideas and look at some things, including Shakespeare and Pride & Prejudice, in a new way.
Ayesha was absolutely my favorite character, but Khalid and Ayesha’s grandparents are not far behind. I found myself wishing for an epilogue with Zareena confronting her mother, a progress report on Amir, and more about Ayesha’s future. I suppose that’s a measure of a great story… one that leaves you wanting more.
Ayesha was absolutely my favorite character, but Khalid and Ayesha’s grandparents are not far behind. I found myself wishing for an epilogue with Zareena confronting her mother, a progress report on Amir, and more about Ayesha’s future. I suppose that’s a measure of a great story… one that leaves you wanting more.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ayesha At Last is the best Pride and Prejudice retelling I have read.
Ayesha is a young Muslim woman living in Toronto who, like the other young Muslims in her community, is stuck between the traditions of her religion and being a modern young woman. The characters are all wonderful. You will definitely see the traits of the original characters in many of them, but done in a fresh and unique way. I especially loved Khalid and his progress throughout the book.
If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice, I highly recommend this fresh and exciting take.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
Ayesha is a young Muslim woman living in Toronto who, like the other young Muslims in her community, is stuck between the traditions of her religion and being a modern young woman. The characters are all wonderful. You will definitely see the traits of the original characters in many of them, but done in a fresh and unique way. I especially loved Khalid and his progress throughout the book.
If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice, I highly recommend this fresh and exciting take.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t like the direction the author took this book with it just ended up being something for western people to show them how ‘different’ and ‘modern’ Muslims can be. People bullying khalid over his clothing including AYESHA MISS HIJABI HERSELF gave me the rest
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read a lot of Pride and Prejudice inspired stories; there is something so timeless and endearing about misunderstanding who someone is in your initial interaction only to find yourself drawn to them over and over again.
This was definitely not a retelling, but rather a loose inspiration that I simply adored. I enjoyed the characters and family dynamics, I loved that the characters were Muslim and learning more about their cultural traditions, I love that it was set in Toronto - one of my favorite cities. I just really enjoyed this book.
If you're looking for a book that has complicated family dynamics, love stories, misunderstanding, and even some mistaken identity, I would encourage you to read this book.
This was definitely not a retelling, but rather a loose inspiration that I simply adored. I enjoyed the characters and family dynamics, I loved that the characters were Muslim and learning more about their cultural traditions, I love that it was set in Toronto - one of my favorite cities. I just really enjoyed this book.
If you're looking for a book that has complicated family dynamics, love stories, misunderstanding, and even some mistaken identity, I would encourage you to read this book.