A review by readingsid
The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem

1.0

The main problem with this book is that the protagonist is not very likable.
She is very judgmental about people, their habits, dating websites, and almost everything.
Maybe the author wanted to potray an immature person at the beginning of the book and follow her journey as she grows as a person. However by the end of the book, the protagonist barely improves.
The following are certain incidents/aspects in the book that I found to be disappointing
Spoiler
1. Leila talks about how she doesn’t subscribe to traditional gender roles but judges a guy harshly because he asked if they could split the bill on their first date.
2. Leila's mother is portrayed as a very one-dimensional character.
3. Leila constantly complains about how her mother is not proud of her. But when her mother tells other people how proud she is of Leila, Leila cringes.
4. All the men she meets on dates have very boring personalities. The author could've used some good characters who are not compatible with Leila instead of showing boring stereotypes.
5. The whole romance based on Bollywood is very reptitive to the point of getting annoying. If all scenes are quotes from some Bollywood movies, what is original in the book is very little.
6. Almost all the revelations Leila has are literally things her friends point out. Feels like she barely introspects.
7. She judges a boy because he likes Star Trek, and calls him a nerd.
8. When she rejects boys, there is dialogue between her and the boy. But when she likes a boy, there was barely any dialogue to show why the boy is likable. Just one sentence like "they had an insightful converversation".
9. Leila goes on and on about how looks aren't everything, and likes guys just because they are handsome.