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A review by duaazahra
The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
A huge thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for proving me with an ARC of The Love Match! When I tell you every part of this book was perfect, I mean it. Everything from the beautiful, intersectional South Asian representation to the storyline to the way everything was written — I loved every second.
The Love Match follows Zahra, a Bengali-American teenager who’s just graduated high school. Unlike her friends, Zahra isn’t heading to university — she’s taking the year off to work so she can afford to go the following year. She’s caught between so much — grieving the loss of her father, trying to help take care of her family, watching her friends move on with their lives while she feels stuck in hers. In traditional South Asian fashion, her mom tries to set her up with a boy to marry. Zahra and Harun both have no interest in being set up and couldn’t be more different from each other — so they create a plan. They pretend to “date,” to get their parents off their back and make a bad impression to convince their parents they’re not a good match. But as they continue, they realize that being around each other isn’t as bad as they once thought. The Love Match is a beautiful story about love, friendship, family, and the beauty in growing up and learning to believe in yourself.
My sweet Zahra. Taslim does the perfect job of capturing the 21st century South Asian Muslim girl experience — and how they’re all unique in their own way. In Zahra, I see a lot of my own experiences — struggling between the rules her family’s culture has set out for her vs what she wants, struggling to balance her faith and her identity, and caught in the stage where life moves incredible quickly and not wanting to be left behind. She’s written in a way that you feel so connected to her — my heart broke when Zahra’s broke, I smiled like an idiot when Zahra was with Harun, and I spent the book wishing I could be Zahra’s older sister and guide her through everything.
Zahra and Harun — adorable. Chefs kiss. Side characters including a queer Brown girl, a hijabi, an auntie network, and adorable siblings? Perfection.
The Love Match follows Zahra, a Bengali-American teenager who’s just graduated high school. Unlike her friends, Zahra isn’t heading to university — she’s taking the year off to work so she can afford to go the following year. She’s caught between so much — grieving the loss of her father, trying to help take care of her family, watching her friends move on with their lives while she feels stuck in hers. In traditional South Asian fashion, her mom tries to set her up with a boy to marry. Zahra and Harun both have no interest in being set up and couldn’t be more different from each other — so they create a plan. They pretend to “date,” to get their parents off their back and make a bad impression to convince their parents they’re not a good match. But as they continue, they realize that being around each other isn’t as bad as they once thought. The Love Match is a beautiful story about love, friendship, family, and the beauty in growing up and learning to believe in yourself.
My sweet Zahra. Taslim does the perfect job of capturing the 21st century South Asian Muslim girl experience — and how they’re all unique in their own way. In Zahra, I see a lot of my own experiences — struggling between the rules her family’s culture has set out for her vs what she wants, struggling to balance her faith and her identity, and caught in the stage where life moves incredible quickly and not wanting to be left behind. She’s written in a way that you feel so connected to her — my heart broke when Zahra’s broke, I smiled like an idiot when Zahra was with Harun, and I spent the book wishing I could be Zahra’s older sister and guide her through everything.
Zahra and Harun — adorable. Chefs kiss. Side characters including a queer Brown girl, a hijabi, an auntie network, and adorable siblings? Perfection.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent