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hearth_hobbit's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 Stars: I liked it
Summary: No shoes with tassels, no cheesy leather jackets, no mustaches. These are Samira’s rules when enduring what Samira calls the “door knock appeals” which are arranged matches where Samira meets men who have the intention of courting her. When her cousin and nemesis, Zahara, gets engaged and needs help planning her wedding Samira reluctantly helps. Right when she meets Zahara’s handsome brother-in-law-to-be who seems interested in Samira, a childhood friend throws his hat into the ring as well and puts Samira in the middle of a love triangle that she never expected to be in.
Thoughts: Despite this being a romance, what took center stage for me was Samira’s social and family life. I was way more interested in Samira planning the wedding for her cousin, her work interactions, and her friendships. I learned a bit about Muslim and Palestinian culture. It was interesting to learn about some customs, practices, and social norms that I hadn’t known at all before.
There were some parts of the story that I wish had been expanded on. For example, Samira had a coworker who showed a little too much interest in her. I was kind of hoping that Samira at one point would tell him off in true RomCom fashion, but it ends up getting dropped and he starts dating someone else. I felt like there were multiple instances where the author would pick up a topic and then place it down and move on.
This book came out over 10 years ago and in some ways it feels like it. There are some fatphobic insults and comments that I felt aged the book a bit.
Overall, I would recommend this book on its coziness rather than the romance.
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, and Racism
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