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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
What a beautiful story. There is so much romance captured but still is modest. There were so many great characters and arcs and subplots. I am not familiar with Muslim or Southeast Asian culture and I enjoyed reading from this new perspective.
An enjoyable, endearing and engaging book that cleverly adapts Austen's novel. I am excited to see more representations of diverse groups and remixes of white classics emerge and transform into new art.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Sometimes prayers floated up to heaven. Sometimes they hung around here on earth and waited for you.
3 stars.
This was my first Muslim rom-com. I didn't have high expectations for it, the ones that I had were either crushed or honoured. Half-half.
I loved that the families brought a sense of warmth with them. Just like in any Asian household, the mirth and belongingness of a large family cannot be replaced by anything else. In the same way, even after finishing the book, I missed the characters and the radiance they emitted. Even though several of them had so much to fix in their characters, they were still somehow lovable. Also, the descriptions to cultural foods, decorations, clothes and occasions was very well done. I'm a desi myself but I still enjoyed and relished in all of that.
This story is about Ayesha Shamsi, a twenty-seven year old young woman who is just starting her career as a teacher. She is finally given a position as a substitute teacher at a high-school, so it's literally not even the beginning of her career, she's just getting a taste of the profession after studying education in college. But she has a dream, she wants to be a poet and she enjoys reciting poems at a lounge/bar where her art is welcomed. Then there's Khalid. I liked him more than I liked Ayesha. I had several problems with her but Khalid was patient, understanding and a chill guy. People scrutinize him because he chooses to wear clothes that cover up more and which he's comfortable in and because he chooses to grow his beard. But he perseveres through all that, as he tries to bear with a hypocrite boss and a dominating mother.
As I mentioned, I did not like Ayesha. At times she was extremely rude even though it would be the first time she'd be speaking to someone. I liked that she was strong-minded and opinionated but the way she'd express all that was cringe at times and it left me flabbergasted because seriously, how are you like this? And at times her excessive speaking up would bring harm to other people.
I also found Farzana's character to be a bit over the top evil. But in the end, it all made sense somehow. At times it would feel like I'm watching an Indian serial because she would be plotting in such a way, akin to the mother-in-laws of the dramas. However, her nagging and commenting on everything was point on. Like yeah, that happens a lot
Overall, I enjoyed reading this towards the end because a lot of the stuff concerning side characters got resolved. The side characters I actually cared about. I think Nana (the grandfather) and Zareena (Khalid's sister) carried this story for me. Without them I would've dropped this.
3 stars.
This was my first Muslim rom-com. I didn't have high expectations for it, the ones that I had were either crushed or honoured. Half-half.
I loved that the families brought a sense of warmth with them. Just like in any Asian household, the mirth and belongingness of a large family cannot be replaced by anything else. In the same way, even after finishing the book, I missed the characters and the radiance they emitted. Even though several of them had so much to fix in their characters, they were still somehow lovable. Also, the descriptions to cultural foods, decorations, clothes and occasions was very well done. I'm a desi myself but I still enjoyed and relished in all of that.
This story is about Ayesha Shamsi, a twenty-seven year old young woman who is just starting her career as a teacher. She is finally given a position as a substitute teacher at a high-school, so it's literally not even the beginning of her career, she's just getting a taste of the profession after studying education in college. But she has a dream, she wants to be a poet and she enjoys reciting poems at a lounge/bar where her art is welcomed. Then there's Khalid. I liked him more than I liked Ayesha. I had several problems with her but Khalid was patient, understanding and a chill guy. People scrutinize him because he chooses to wear clothes that cover up more and which he's comfortable in and because he chooses to grow his beard. But he perseveres through all that, as he tries to bear with a hypocrite boss and a dominating mother.
As I mentioned, I did not like Ayesha. At times she was extremely rude even though it would be the first time she'd be speaking to someone. I liked that she was strong-minded and opinionated but the way she'd express all that was cringe at times and it left me flabbergasted because seriously, how are you like this? And at times her excessive speaking up would bring harm to other people.
I also found Farzana's character to be a bit over the top evil. But in the end, it all made sense somehow. At times it would feel like I'm watching an Indian serial because she would be plotting in such a way, akin to the mother-in-laws of the dramas. However, her nagging and commenting on everything was point on. Like yeah, that happens a lot
Overall, I enjoyed reading this towards the end because a lot of the stuff concerning side characters got resolved. The side characters I actually cared about. I think Nana (the grandfather) and Zareena (Khalid's sister) carried this story for me. Without them I would've dropped this.
3.75
This was a well written take on pride and prejudice. I’ve read more versions of P&P than I’d like to admit, but this is easily my favorite.
Lmao the repeated use of the word ‘fudo’ was so annoying BUT a fun read otherwise
This was a well written take on pride and prejudice. I’ve read more versions of P&P than I’d like to admit, but this is easily my favorite.
Lmao the repeated use of the word ‘fudo’ was so annoying BUT a fun read otherwise
Loveable characters:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Islamophobia