I really, thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved the insight into a culture that is different to my own and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more. Other than the informative element, i thought the characters were all really well written and explained. So much so that I could picture the characters as they reacted to different events throughout.

I would have loved to find out more after the epilogue, but I understand that to find out more, would possibly mean missing the point that was made throughout the story / on Zara's journey. I am so glad that Zara was able to get closure over a truly traumatic incident, and that she was able to see she had a lot of support around her.

I thought this book was written beautifully and I would definitely read other books by this author.

I know it takes a lot to write a book and how hard it is to satisfy everyone’s version of Muslim representation in women of their culture so I have to applaud the author for rooting this novel in a sense of place and with a character which has her feet planted in both her British and Bengali culture.

This is supposed to be an engaging, light-hearted novel which also touches on some darker themes which are not talked about.

While the writing was engaging, I felt it was stream of consciousness and slow in some places.

The lead character Zara is the epitome of the British Muslim woman with a job she enjoys.

I felt she could have been fleshed out a bit more from the boy crazy version to someone with a bit more substance and backbone.

I totally understand as the eldest there’s certain rules and regulations to adhere to but I feel like things just happened to her and she just went along with it.

She never really gave away her true feelings and it backfired massively.

The ending just left me confused so unsure if this will lead to another book or not.

Overall, I applaud the effort and I can see what the author was trying to do but it felt like there were two different stories that had been melded together and they didn’t alway flow for me.

I have a lot to say about this book. Unfortunately it was a huge let down.
I was really looking forward to reading a book with muslim rep all about my own desi culture. But this book......
First of all, this book very much felt like it was being written for a white audience. Yes she incorporates the desi culture into it, but it just felt so flat? Most of the time culture or religion was mentioned, the main character, Zara, had so much internal hatred for it. She went on about how judging her community was, just to act exactly the same way and try to justify it because she was different???

"It was like I'd accidentally gone back two hundred years, before feminism, blm or even common decency"
Yikes, this line. Whilst I, a person who herself is muslim and desi and understand what you're trying to say, I know many outside readers wont. It comes off in such a bad way, like you are blaming Islam, when Islam has always given rights to women and black people. A-lot of the wording in this book was off. Religion was mainly mentioned in a bad light and any religious person prospect or family member was put down, despite Zara herself saying she wanted a religious husband.

I mean her sister put on a hijab as a disguise which was meant to make her look ugly? and she was immediately uncomfortable after putting it on? and their first thought was about getting hate crimed? like what???

I get Zara is supposed to be desperate to find a husband, but her desperation in this book came off in a bad way. Especially since she is supposed to be a muslim women and the author wanted that to be apart of her identity.

This book started to give off white saviour vibes and very much felt like it was not written for our own community but rather created for a white audience wanting to read about our community.

Wow! What a debut!
I've recently been trying to read more books from authors of the same heritage as mine- South Asian, and to be honest, I've been mostly disappointed, kind of fed up of the shame they weave into their stories about their upbringing, having a dual personality and the oppression they feel from their culture, religion and parents - albeit being true for them. So it's true to say I started this book thinking it would be the same. But boy was I wrong.
Firstly I would like to congratulate the author on portraying a story heaped in culture and with nothing to be ashamed of, everything explained with endearing love, lots of explanations for anyone who is unaware and whilst this is done subtly the main story was funny, had me laughing out loud at times, heart racing at others and I genuinely felt sad too.

This book reminded me of Rachel's Holiday- the tongue in cheek humour that I've only ever found in a Marian Keyes book, with a dark and heartbreaking story underlying it. Zara is funny, she's cheeky, she's an intelligent successful British Asian Muslim woman. She's trying to overcome the obstacles of both of her cultures , trying to respect her religious beliefs in finding her Mr Perfectly Fine. Now does she listen to her heart or her mind?
A lighthearted read, endearing characters, this book had me rooting for Zara and sometimes willing her to make different choices. You will not be disappointed.
I will definitely be looking forward to a sequel to this story. In fact I already can't wait.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. I have already ordered a paperback for myself.

We meet our protagonist Zara soon after she has celebrated her 29th birthday when her mum’s “gift” was the threat that if she isn’t engaged by her 30th birthday she’ll be send off to the Motherland to find a husband!
I really liked Zara, she works a similar kind of job to me and seems a really lovely lass.
But I can’t imagine the pressure she felt to find a husband from a cultural point of view.
As Zara’s parents compile the equivalent of a dating CV to be distributed within the community and ramp up the suitor search efforts she starts to feel disillusioned and exhausted by it all.
So Zara decides to take matters into her own hands - how hard can it be to find a husband at 29?
She joins Muslim Mate an online dating app and even goes speed-dating – the husband hunt is most definitely on.
As Zara juggles messaging men, going on dates with Hamza who seems a nice guy and shared her values but she sadly doesn’t fancy and then she starts feeling sparks with Adam the graphics designer at work suddenly the waters are very muddy!
With her big birthday looming, and family pressure intensifying Zara knows she must make a decision, but will she make the right one?

Zara finally comes to terms with the trauma of her failed engagement to Tariq (he is bad news) and stands her ground with her family which is no mean feat I am sure.
There’s laughs, there’s tears and moments that make you angry as a reader.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.

With thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a heart warming read. Made me Lol. The ending wasn’t how I expected and was slightly disappointed she didn’t get her happy ever after but it was really well written and very relatable.

I haven't read any books by this author before. But this definitely won't be my last. I really liked the writing style of this author. I found it funny, moving, romantic and wonderful. Great book.

This is a quick and easy read that left me rooting for Zara the whole way through. I loved the writing style, the character development and the stoyline had me captivated right from the start. I loved it.