Review by bookishmillennial - The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed

bookishmillennial 's review for:

The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed by Noreen Mughees

emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial

“Is it qismet that we’re together? Not all of it….Maybe our dates were determined, but we still had to find a way to each other.”

Quick premise is that 33-year-old Sana must get married in order to retain the legal guardianship of her autistic 17-year-old brother Zia. She agrees to an arranged marriage, and is introduced to different matches, and decides on marrying Adam, who is perfect on paper! When her childhood best friend returns and begins working at the Department of Environmental Conservation with her (albeit under a different name now), they are forced into proximity and contend with feelings that never fully dissipated when they were younger. You get dual first-person POV of the leads, Sana and Daniel.

I felt the familial dynamics were so beautifully written, and the Desi Pakistani representation was so lovely! The themes of tight knit Muslim community, friendship, and family were beautifully woven through out the book. Though it was also very serious, I did indeed have a fun time reading about Sana and Daniel’s feuding families. The romance itself was full of banter and tension, and everything I want out of a second chance romance. There is no steam in this book, so come for the slow burn, banter, the longing, and the “it’s always been you” vibes!

I think the premise was frustrating for me because the idea that Sana’s mom holding a living being (Zia) over Sana’s head, and essentially using him as a bargaining chip just to get her married makes me a bit disheartened. I typically really do love meddling parents! They’re funny! They’re realistic! They want grand babies! It’s so relatable and I get it. It also frustrates me that there was a scene at the very beginning of Daniel describing Zia as a kid who “looks like he could be on the autism spectrum,” because I thought we were past that the idea that someone can *look* autistic? It’s clear that Sana cares so deeply for Zia; all of her actions indicate this. I just wish certain lines or attitudes were adjusted during editing rounds.

cw: Islamophobia, hate crime, terminal illness, death of parent, cancer, death, infertility, toxic relationship, ableism

Content Warnings