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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Thank you NetGalley for sending me this arc in exchange for my honest review!
Rating 3 stars
This was a very cute slowburn, I enjoyed the characters for what they were and the storyline, though I felt like something was missing in this book. I can't put my finger on it, but it just felt... a little flat in some points. Still had fun reading!
Rating 3 stars
This was a very cute slowburn, I enjoyed the characters for what they were and the storyline, though I felt like something was missing in this book. I can't put my finger on it, but it just felt... a little flat in some points. Still had fun reading!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
I loved this! It’s a very sweet and kinda a Murphy’s Law roadtrip-ish romance. I would love to see this as a movie.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Spoiler-free synopsis: This book follows our main character Maya, who is unlucky in love. So unlucky, in fact, that she's come up with rules around it. One of those rules is "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." But, things are looking up. She has an arranged marriage to a man named Imtiaz, who is a surgeon and checks all of her boxes. They both live in Canada, but decide to get married in Pakistan because that's where all of Maya's family is. Maya ends up traveling to Pakistan by herself, and hits some snags along the way. When her plane is grounded in Switzerland, she becomes unlikely travel companions with a man who makes her feel the love she never thought she would.
My thoughts (no spoilers): I really liked this book, especially the back half. I loved how the main male character — Sarfaraz — was grumpy but also did super sweet things for her. (Like taking care of her after she threw up all over him. And holding his sweater over her in the rain.) I also liked learning about different aspects of desi culture, as I've never read a book that's gone this in-depth into it. Hearing about the different clothes, foods, and customs was awesome! There were also some really cute moments of banter between our two main characters, which I enjoyed.
The reason why this isn't higher than a three-star (and three stars means I enjoyed it and would recommend it) is one and a half reasons, lol. Especially at the beginning, there were a lot of info-dumpy moments. It felt like the author was telling us things rather than showing them to us. So, there were a lot of moments like "this thing is like this because of x." But I also know it's really hard to give the reader the background they need without explicitly saying it sometimes.
The other thing is that I really didn't like the main female character at the beginning. She really believes she's "cursed" and kind of has a victim mindset about it. She always believes the worst is going to happen to her because of this curse. I really didn't like that at the beginning, BUT there was HUGE character development in that department by the end of the book. So I ended up actually liking that aspect, but in the beginning she was a little annoying. (But that's good character development for ya, baby.)
Overall, I really liked this and I think you should read it!
My thoughts (no spoilers): I really liked this book, especially the back half. I loved how the main male character — Sarfaraz — was grumpy but also did super sweet things for her. (Like taking care of her after she threw up all over him. And holding his sweater over her in the rain.) I also liked learning about different aspects of desi culture, as I've never read a book that's gone this in-depth into it. Hearing about the different clothes, foods, and customs was awesome! There were also some really cute moments of banter between our two main characters, which I enjoyed.
The reason why this isn't higher than a three-star (and three stars means I enjoyed it and would recommend it) is one and a half reasons, lol. Especially at the beginning, there were a lot of info-dumpy moments. It felt like the author was telling us things rather than showing them to us. So, there were a lot of moments like "this thing is like this because of x." But I also know it's really hard to give the reader the background they need without explicitly saying it sometimes.
The other thing is that I really didn't like the main female character at the beginning. She really believes she's "cursed" and kind of has a victim mindset about it. She always believes the worst is going to happen to her because of this curse. I really didn't like that at the beginning, BUT there was HUGE character development in that department by the end of the book. So I ended up actually liking that aspect, but in the beginning she was a little annoying. (But that's good character development for ya, baby.)
Overall, I really liked this and I think you should read it!
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Coming into this book blind and not being desi myself, I enjoyed having Canadian Pakistani representation and getting a peek into some of the cultural nuances. Setting in Pakistan and Switzerland was a breath of fresh air, though (as a non-viewer) I could have used fewer Crash Landing On You references.
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I just never connected with Maya the FMC and had a tough time getting through the book. Almost DNF at 33%, then 57%, then decided to just speed skim through the rest.
Her behaviour was immature, judgemental, and grating at times and she made frequent questionable decisions (oyster pasta in a landlocked country… staying with a complete stranger…). As for Sarfaraz, he just came off as quite an ass with his hurtful words throughout. 🤷🏻♀️ Add on to that this story dips a toe into the cheating (yes it's an arranged marriage, but she's still engaged) which is not my thing.
As the author noted that this wasn't a 100% halal story, I didn't quite understand the point of specifically commenting about how certain things are forbidden then having her break all these rules. Overall, the writing could have used another edit as it was quite expository and clunky.
Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, only one bed, road trip, pretending to be married
Edit: On second thought I've downgraded the 2 star to a 1 star. I just didn't enjoy it.
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I just never connected with Maya the FMC and had a tough time getting through the book. Almost DNF at 33%, then 57%, then decided to just speed skim through the rest.
Her behaviour was immature, judgemental, and grating at times and she made frequent questionable decisions (oyster pasta in a landlocked country… staying with a complete stranger…). As for Sarfaraz, he just came off as quite an ass with his hurtful words throughout. 🤷🏻♀️ Add on to that this story dips a toe into the cheating (yes it's an arranged marriage, but she's still engaged) which is not my thing.
As the author noted that this wasn't a 100% halal story, I didn't quite understand the point of specifically commenting about how certain things are forbidden then having her break all these rules. Overall, the writing could have used another edit as it was quite expository and clunky.
Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, only one bed, road trip, pretending to be married
Edit: On second thought I've downgraded the 2 star to a 1 star. I just didn't enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
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:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
Maya’s Laws of Love is a cute Pakistani-Muslim romcom that caught my eye due to the cute cover and the premise. While I can’t speak to the specifics of the rep, with responses being polarizing from ownvoices reviewers, I did appreciate getting Khawaja’s perspective on certain cultural issues through her characters, including the nuances of arranged marriage beyond the propaganda-like horror stories, not to mention the common “people pleaser” mentality many Pakistani Muslim children grow up with.
Maya’s characterization explores these issues beautifully. She’s chronically unlucky in love, which inspired the titular laws of love, and her belief she’s cursed. It has also motivated her to be fine with going along with the “safe” option of an arranged marriage her parents have arranged for her. But it’s clear that she’s not happy living this way, and an opportunity for true, requited love really changes her worldview.
Sarfaraz is a compelling love interest, if not from the initial “meet-cute,” definitely once they began interacting. I didn’t initially expect the connection between him and her fiancee, but it all made sense in hindsight, including him picking up on it before she did. He’s just a generally solid guy who also loves his family and wants to do right by them, but also wants Maya to choose herself for once instead of caving to what others want.
And speaking of the fiancee, I didn’t know what to think of him at first, but he really came through in the end, being really supportive of Maya and Sarfaraz. I don’t know what Khawaja plans to write next, but I hope she has plans for something involving him!
This was a solid debut, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a contemporary romcom with nuanced Pakistani-Muslim rep.