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aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
Didn't know this was a Pride and Prejudice retelling of sorts. I don't like Pride and Prejudice but I did enjoy this retelling overall. Didn't love it because the characters are frustrating but I did like the discussion of Islamophobia in Canada (it's a nice change from experiencing it/reading about it from the u.s.).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Sexism, Racism, and Misogyny
norah_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
⭐️=3.5 | 😘=2 | 🤬=2.5? | 14+
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Islamophobia
Minor: Abortion and Sexual assault
rachelfayreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Sexism, and Alcoholism
kingrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A modern Muslim take on classic romance novels. It’s clean and drama filled.
A multiple POV drama that follows the day-to-day lives of Ayesha and Khalid, two people who had a bad first impression and continue to disagree nearly every time they meet (though it’s clear, Khalid likes Ayesha from the start). We see the drama of their professional and personal lives as well as the religious aspect of their lives. Khalid is more conservative in his religion than Ayesha and he judges people on how well they practice Islam in his opinion. He’s got a controlling mother that he just blindly obeys, and Ayesha’s got a family that treats her like yesterday’s garbage (except Nana).
TLDR: I liked this book for the drama and the emotional response it pulled from me. But I didn’t care for the “romance” aspect. Leave your own prejudices and preconceived notions you may have behind before you read this book. I laughed a few times, I cried once, there were a couple of gasps, but mostly I was just irritated and anger but 100% invested. Plot ain’t here, folks, only character-driven narratives.
This book was advertised as being a Pride & Prejudice retelling, but it’s more like it was inspired by Pride & Prejudice and Much Ado About Nothing among other Shakespearean elements. It’s also advertised as a romance, but it’s more of a soap opera-esque drama.
And now the long and boring review and discussion:
I will say, this is one of the few books I’ve read outside of a series or fantasy collection, where the side characters have some interesting substance to them. Clara, Nana, and Nani are all very interesting characters that play important roles in Ayesha and Khalid’s relationship. And I appreciated that.
Here for the drama and nothing else because romance? Who is she? She wasn’t in here. It’s literally mostly drama and it really was just one thing after the other. The Islamophobia from Sheila, the toxic masculinity and chauvinism from Amir and Tarek, faking identities, revenge porn, embezzlement, everything with Farzana, forcing a child into marriage, Hafsa being Hafsa. The book was a mess, but the kind of mess I like to read.
The blasé attitude about these really young women and teenage girls being brides in this book was so upsetting. How anyone would expect Hafsa (as irritating and problematic as she was) to “know better” is beyond me. Just because she’s 20 doesn’t mean she knows anything. She lives a sheltered, spoiled life where everyone around her let’s her get away with everything so how is she supposed to “know better”. Though I’m happy Zareena was at peace with her life, I hated that she was forced into a marriage at 17. It made it seem as though her parents were right in sending her away to “straighten her out”. Why was it seen as such a bad thing if she wanted to adopt more Western aspects into her identity? No one was forcing her to assimilate. And what kind of sexual consent can these women give if they’re just consenting the marriage to appease their families? That they don’t care for or know the men?
If I ever hear or see “that’s a good job for a woman” ever again, library book or not, I’m tossing the book in the trash. I understand that this may be a part of the culture for some communities (hell, my own grandfather berated me and my mother for choosing career paths that “weren’t suitable for women”). Ayesha should be able to follow her dreams and decide what to do next for her career. I don’t think many poets or writers are able to just do the writing unless they have support elsewhere. I think she could become an English professor like her grandfather. Then she’ll have the time to write and teach the subject she’s passionate about.
I hate that all of this (the family’s behavior) is seen as being rooted in love, and again, I’m not a part of this culture so I wouldn’t 100% understand, but it is still harmful. The anxiety from the pressure alone is overwhelming. And that’s all I felt through this book was anger and anxiety. I know it’s different for other families, but I’m really tired of reading the whole “be the bigger person” when it comes to family members that mistreat you. I’m not saying you have to cut them off 100% and hold a grudge forever, but you need to set boundaries. Family is family, you’re supposed to lift each other up when you need it. There is no “you owe them”, they helped you this time and you will help them when they’re in need. And I think Khalid kind of sets boundaries with his mother but Ayesha doesn’t with Hafsa and her aunt and uncle. It’s clear a lot of children of immigrants are struggling under the pressure of living a life that’s worth the sacrifices their parents make, but if the media and books don’t show healthy, gradual ways to implement healthy communication, how will that pressure ever let up?
Khalid is not your average hero (I really hate the terms hero/heroine in romance novels, but whatever). He’s a bearded, white robe-wearing conservative Muslim man. But like Mr. Darcy he’s a difficult character to like in the beginning due to his prejudice and judgmental opinions about what it means to be a “good Muslim” or a “decent, respectable wife”. I didn’t understand why he sometimes spoke like he was straight from a regency novel or Shakespeare play, and other times he talked like he was actually from the 21st century. It didn’t make sense and was really cringey. Khalid had a death grip on Islam in response to what happened with his sister, which is pretty believable. Lots of people turn to religion in a really aggressive way after a trauma. Though I’m glad that Khalid started to heal from that trauma and finally relented on his stronghold on Islam a bit. However, I didn’t understand why he couldn’t keep a little of the beard and some traditional clothing. You don’t need to be a prejudice conservative to wear those things, plenty of open minded Muslims still choose to wear traditional clothing.
I hate that Khalid turned a lot of things back on Ayesha. That she was the one judging him, when he’s constantly talking about how she can change to be a better Muslim. He makes HER feel guilty for how she views him with his beard and clothing when he’s literally trying to push Ayesha into this box. It was getting a little gaslighty.
I wanted my Darcy Hand Flex moment so bad. That burning regency desire to touch, but it’s hardly there. In a way I think paying homage to the regency novel could work in a modern setting within a Muslim community. If we’re talking about a community that’s a little more old fashioned in how it views dating (no touching and with chaperones) then yes. When I think about books like Love from A to Z, I think it does a beautiful job of honoring these traditional rules while also making it realistic they’re falling for each other and the heroine having a strong personality and setting goals for herself while pursuing a career that her family may not agree with. We could’ve had those burning moments in this book. The desire to touch but can’t because it would be improper. It does do the banter aspect of Pride & Prejudice decently. But yeah, I think regency courtship practices can easily be translated to a modern Muslim romance in a believable manner, so there shouldn’t be an issue doing a retelling of a regency classic.
It’s hard to say whether it was good or not. But it was entertaining and made me feel things. Negative things. But things, nonetheless.
A multiple POV drama that follows the day-to-day lives of Ayesha and Khalid, two people who had a bad first impression and continue to disagree nearly every time they meet (though it’s clear, Khalid likes Ayesha from the start). We see the drama of their professional and personal lives as well as the religious aspect of their lives. Khalid is more conservative in his religion than Ayesha and he judges people on how well they practice Islam in his opinion. He’s got a controlling mother that he just blindly obeys, and Ayesha’s got a family that treats her like yesterday’s garbage (except Nana).
TLDR: I liked this book for the drama and the emotional response it pulled from me. But I didn’t care for the “romance” aspect. Leave your own prejudices and preconceived notions you may have behind before you read this book. I laughed a few times, I cried once, there were a couple of gasps, but mostly I was just irritated and anger but 100% invested. Plot ain’t here, folks, only character-driven narratives.
This book was advertised as being a Pride & Prejudice retelling, but it’s more like it was inspired by Pride & Prejudice and Much Ado About Nothing among other Shakespearean elements. It’s also advertised as a romance, but it’s more of a soap opera-esque drama.
And now the long and boring review and discussion:
I will say, this is one of the few books I’ve read outside of a series or fantasy collection, where the side characters have some interesting substance to them. Clara, Nana, and Nani are all very interesting characters that play important roles in Ayesha and Khalid’s relationship. And I appreciated that.
Here for the drama and nothing else because romance? Who is she? She wasn’t in here. It’s literally mostly drama and it really was just one thing after the other. The Islamophobia from Sheila, the toxic masculinity and chauvinism from Amir and Tarek, faking identities, revenge porn, embezzlement, everything with Farzana, forcing a child into marriage, Hafsa being Hafsa. The book was a mess, but the kind of mess I like to read.
The blasé attitude about these really young women and teenage girls being brides in this book was so upsetting. How anyone would expect Hafsa (as irritating and problematic as she was) to “know better” is beyond me. Just because she’s 20 doesn’t mean she knows anything. She lives a sheltered, spoiled life where everyone around her let’s her get away with everything so how is she supposed to “know better”. Though I’m happy Zareena was at peace with her life, I hated that she was forced into a marriage at 17. It made it seem as though her parents were right in sending her away to “straighten her out”. Why was it seen as such a bad thing if she wanted to adopt more Western aspects into her identity? No one was forcing her to assimilate. And what kind of sexual consent can these women give if they’re just consenting the marriage to appease their families? That they don’t care for or know the men?
If I ever hear or see “that’s a good job for a woman” ever again, library book or not, I’m tossing the book in the trash. I understand that this may be a part of the culture for some communities (hell, my own grandfather berated me and my mother for choosing career paths that “weren’t suitable for women”). Ayesha should be able to follow her dreams and decide what to do next for her career. I don’t think many poets or writers are able to just do the writing unless they have support elsewhere. I think she could become an English professor like her grandfather. Then she’ll have the time to write and teach the subject she’s passionate about.
I hate that all of this (the family’s behavior) is seen as being rooted in love, and again, I’m not a part of this culture so I wouldn’t 100% understand, but it is still harmful. The anxiety from the pressure alone is overwhelming. And that’s all I felt through this book was anger and anxiety. I know it’s different for other families, but I’m really tired of reading the whole “be the bigger person” when it comes to family members that mistreat you. I’m not saying you have to cut them off 100% and hold a grudge forever, but you need to set boundaries. Family is family, you’re supposed to lift each other up when you need it. There is no “you owe them”, they helped you this time and you will help them when they’re in need. And I think Khalid kind of sets boundaries with his mother but Ayesha doesn’t with Hafsa and her aunt and uncle. It’s clear a lot of children of immigrants are struggling under the pressure of living a life that’s worth the sacrifices their parents make, but if the media and books don’t show healthy, gradual ways to implement healthy communication, how will that pressure ever let up?
Khalid is not your average hero (I really hate the terms hero/heroine in romance novels, but whatever). He’s a bearded, white robe-wearing conservative Muslim man. But like Mr. Darcy he’s a difficult character to like in the beginning due to his prejudice and judgmental opinions about what it means to be a “good Muslim” or a “decent, respectable wife”. I didn’t understand why he sometimes spoke like he was straight from a regency novel or Shakespeare play, and other times he talked like he was actually from the 21st century. It didn’t make sense and was really cringey. Khalid had a death grip on Islam in response to what happened with his sister, which is pretty believable. Lots of people turn to religion in a really aggressive way after a trauma. Though I’m glad that Khalid started to heal from that trauma and finally relented on his stronghold on Islam a bit. However, I didn’t understand why he couldn’t keep a little of the beard and some traditional clothing. You don’t need to be a prejudice conservative to wear those things, plenty of open minded Muslims still choose to wear traditional clothing.
I hate that Khalid turned a lot of things back on Ayesha. That she was the one judging him, when he’s constantly talking about how she can change to be a better Muslim. He makes HER feel guilty for how she views him with his beard and clothing when he’s literally trying to push Ayesha into this box. It was getting a little gaslighty.
I wanted my Darcy Hand Flex moment so bad. That burning regency desire to touch, but it’s hardly there. In a way I think paying homage to the regency novel could work in a modern setting within a Muslim community. If we’re talking about a community that’s a little more old fashioned in how it views dating (no touching and with chaperones) then yes. When I think about books like Love from A to Z, I think it does a beautiful job of honoring these traditional rules while also making it realistic they’re falling for each other and the heroine having a strong personality and setting goals for herself while pursuing a career that her family may not agree with. We could’ve had those burning moments in this book. The desire to touch but can’t because it would be improper. It does do the banter aspect of Pride & Prejudice decently. But yeah, I think regency courtship practices can easily be translated to a modern Muslim romance in a believable manner, so there shouldn’t be an issue doing a retelling of a regency classic.
It’s hard to say whether it was good or not. But it was entertaining and made me feel things. Negative things. But things, nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
ms_read's review against another edition
funny
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abortion, Body shaming, Trafficking, Murder, and Fatphobia
onemamareads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.0
Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/ayesha-at-last
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent and Abortion
fromjuliereads's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
I absolutely adored this book. I didn't want to put it down and wish I could have just kept reading it! The characters are so wonderfully developed, flawed, and loveable. I loved Ayesha and Khalid, Clara, Idris, Nana and Nani, so many of them! This is a loose retelling of Pride and Prejudice, and I absolutely loved that! I like that there were elements of the story and plot that aligned closely with the original, but it was told in such a unique and interesting way! Jajaluddin did a fantastic job of spinning the original P&P into a Desi Muslim retelling. I enjoyed it so much!
Also, I thoroughly loved the sprinkling of Shakespeare quotes! That was such a fun addition. And the quotes from the imam! He was such a great character - I even laughed out loud at a couple of his lines!
Highly recommend for anyone who loves Pride and Prejudice!! You will be tearing up, laughing, and cheering out loud!
Cannot wait to read Jalaluddin's next book!
Also, I thoroughly loved the sprinkling of Shakespeare quotes! That was such a fun addition. And the quotes from the imam! He was such a great character - I even laughed out loud at a couple of his lines!
Highly recommend for anyone who loves Pride and Prejudice!! You will be tearing up, laughing, and cheering out loud!
Cannot wait to read Jalaluddin's next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
ashlightgrayson's review against another edition
funny
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
4.0
This is one of the more entertaining Pride and Prejudice retellings I've read. Both of the main characters and their families respectively are Muslim and Indian. It was great to see Muslim representation about normal families that acknowledged their experiences as immigrants in Canada. The characters in the story are shaped by their experience as immigrants, working to succeed in their careers in a society that isn't always the most accepting of those who are different. As the first-generation child of immigrants, I found this aspect of the book very compelling on a personal level. Immigrant parents work very hard to try to give the best life to their children when they immigrate. As their children grow up in a foreign country that becomes their own there can be cultural clashes over what is the best way to do things. This is seen in the relationship between Khalid and his mother and Ayesha and her mother.
There were liberties taken in this retelling, but I would say they added to the story rather than take away from it. The characters were properly adapted to the context of the setting and the culture they were in. I appreciated that we got to see the diversity within the Muslim community in this book. There were differences in the way each character interpreted the faith and how they practiced it. Characters like Khalid and his mother are more traditional while you have characters like Amir and Ayesha that are more lenient with their understanding of the Muslim faith. Characters that had more traditional views like Khalid were also not changed completely by the end to be more modern just because others wanted him to be. He became more open about other's beliefs while still staying true to his own, which is both more realistic and does not stigmatize more traditional Muslims. The strong message within the story is that you are happier when you are true to yourself while also abstaining from judging others too quickly.
In addition, I realy liked the relationship between Kahlid and his sister, Zareena. I really like seeing healthy love between siblings and you definitely get it here. Zareena is also a character that exemplifies how as a Muslim woman she did not need to adopt Western traditions in order to find happiness. I cannot say more for fear of spoiling anything, but she has a very interesting character arc that I think a lot of people will find interesting.
My final praise goes to the character development for everyone in the story. Every single character is involved in a subplot that helps flesh them out. No one is treated like a one-dimensional person. Everyone is flawed and some redeem themselves better than others, but they are all interesting and compelling. It is clear that even the more unlikeable characters have personal motives. As you are reading you can understand why characters made certain decisions, but when they are wrong the decisions are not excused and have consequences. All of the characters given nuance, which was great to see. This is one of the better retellings I have read. I look forward to reading more books by Uzma Jalauddin since reading this was so enjoyable.
There were liberties taken in this retelling, but I would say they added to the story rather than take away from it. The characters were properly adapted to the context of the setting and the culture they were in. I appreciated that we got to see the diversity within the Muslim community in this book. There were differences in the way each character interpreted the faith and how they practiced it. Characters like Khalid and his mother are more traditional while you have characters like Amir and Ayesha that are more lenient with their understanding of the Muslim faith. Characters that had more traditional views like Khalid were also not changed completely by the end to be more modern just because others wanted him to be. He became more open about other's beliefs while still staying true to his own, which is both more realistic and does not stigmatize more traditional Muslims. The strong message within the story is that you are happier when you are true to yourself while also abstaining from judging others too quickly.
In addition, I realy liked the relationship between Kahlid and his sister, Zareena. I really like seeing healthy love between siblings and you definitely get it here. Zareena is also a character that exemplifies how as a Muslim woman she did not need to adopt Western traditions in order to find happiness. I cannot say more for fear of spoiling anything, but she has a very interesting character arc that I think a lot of people will find interesting.
My final praise goes to the character development for everyone in the story. Every single character is involved in a subplot that helps flesh them out. No one is treated like a one-dimensional person. Everyone is flawed and some redeem themselves better than others, but they are all interesting and compelling. It is clear that even the more unlikeable characters have personal motives. As you are reading you can understand why characters made certain decisions, but when they are wrong the decisions are not excused and have consequences. All of the characters given nuance, which was great to see. This is one of the better retellings I have read. I look forward to reading more books by Uzma Jalauddin since reading this was so enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Sexism, and Alcoholism
Minor: Death of parent
rosiewants2read's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is such a sweet romance I absolutely adored this book. Its super informative about Islam and Indian culture excellent story telling and I loved the plot twists at the end. I cant stop thinking about this story which Is why I gave it five stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Grief and Sexism
Minor: Bullying
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This novel was enjoyable overall. There were several laugh out loud moments and I did like the twists and turns. However, there were a LOT of plot lines in this book, to the point where certain plot lines would disappear for a while and then come back again, and I'd be like, "oh yeah, that's still happening; I forgot." That being said, the different plot lines were entertaining, if a little busy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Sexism, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Alcoholism
Minor: Animal death, Violence, and Bullying