Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Ayesha At Last

I enjoyed this book, and enjoy anything that resembles Pride and Prejudice. I thought the two romantic leads were endearing, I just wish the book spent more time on their romance. The book had too many plots, involving too many characters to the point where I was frustrated with everyone in the book and forgot that it was even supposed to be a romance. Still, I enjoyed Ayesha and Khalid, and Nana, of course!

Content Warnings

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional 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

4.5

It took me a little while to get into Ayesha at Last – at the beginning I thought it was going to be another run-of-the-mill romance and as y’all know… that is not my genre. The deeper I got into the book the more I came to enjoy it. In particular, I really liked Ayesha herself.

If I’m going to read romance, this is how I like it. Ayesha at Last is down-to-Earth and doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of racism. There are a lot of shades of the Muslim faith in this book, and as someone who had very little knowledge on both the Muslim faith and Indian traditions, I really enjoyed the nuances to the world building. I also enjoyed the socio-economic differences between characters that added even more variety to the complex line-up.

Ayesha at Last is a Pride and Prejudice retelling, but I’ll tell you right upfront that you can be completely unfamiliar with Pride and Prejudiceand still enjoy the novel. If anything, this story reminds me of elements of Shakespearean comedies… a similarity that was undoubtedly intentional considering how often the Bard was quoted. In addition, mistaken identities always remind me of Shakespeare. 🙂 Yet more nuances to this book I enjoyed! Also Ayesha’s grandparents are purely precious.

All the family relationships were really interesting, and all very different! From role models to benefactors to babysitting to unequal balances of power, there’s a wide variety of connections between characters which adds to the richness of the story. Aside from Ayesha and her grandparents, I also really liked Khalid’s relationship with his sister. The importance (and frustration!) of family comes through really well.

I thought Jalaluddin’s writing was fantastic. While Ayesha at Last may not be a book I run out to the bookstore to get (once is enough for most romances, in my opinion), this skill that went into writing this book proves that Jalaluddin is skilled at her craft. I’ll definitely pick up more books by this author. In addition to that, Ayesha at Last is an easy recommendation that I’d give to most the readers I know in real life!

If you’re looking for a desi romance with frequent, adorable confusion and occasional dramatic gestures, then Ayesha at Last is certainly for you. The minor revenge side plot and the beautifully described wedding are just bonuses after that. I definitely recommend reading this one – by the end, you’ll be cozy and smiling.

Content Warnings

kelly_e's review

Go to review page

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

Title: Ayesha at Last
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4
Pub Date: June 12 2018

T H R E E • W O R D S

Lighthearted • Delightful • Modern

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Ayesha at Last is a modern day retelling of the beloved classic Pride & Prejudice with Muslim protagonists. Ayesha dreams of being a poet, but she's put that dream aside for a teaching job in order to repay her uncle. Her boisterous family is constantly reminding her she's still single, but she knows she doesn't want an arranged marriage. When she meets Khalid, she's immediately off-put by his conservative and judgmental nature. His father having recently died, Khalid is focused on his career, and trusts his mother to find him a wife. When a new boss is put in place, he faces pressures to conform to different ways than what he knows. When the two are thrown together to plan event to help save an organization near and dear to them both, they're about to get to know each other a whole lot better.

💭 T H O U G H T S

What a pleasant surprise Ayesha at Last was, I still cannot wrap my head around the fact this is a debut novel. The writing follows an easy flow, offering alternating third person accounts of both Ayesha and Khalid's lives. While marketed as a romantic comedy, this story is so much more than just romance. It takes a deep dive into the complexities of family relationships, religious standards, and finding oneself. Uzma Jalauddin explores many themes including identity, family, community, faith, and of course, love. The connection between the characters is magnetic. The humour an added bonus. The culture embedded within informative. The author has done a phenomenal job portraying the many different challenges faced by immigrants in Canada, in this feel-good story. For all of these reasons, this novel was an enjoyable reading experience I won't soon forget.

I've never read Pride & Prejudice so I cannot speak to its authenticity in relation to it, but this title stands strong all on its own. It is a fun, informative enemies-to-lovers done right novel that has be looking forward to Hana Khan Carries On, this author's latest release.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Pride & Prejudice lovers
• Cultural romance readers
• those that enjoy romance without all the steam

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"We are all just cosmic players in the eternal dance of life."

Content Warnings

fromjuliereads's review against another edition

Go to review page

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!

Content Warnings

myfriendthatcanread's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

kissmyash0600's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

i really enjoyed this book. The story was cute, realistic, and relatable, and the characters were multifaceted and easy to relate to as well. I'm so glad I found this book, it was a nice, easy read with different characters than most novels in this genre.

Content Warnings

ashlightgrayson's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

More...