This an adorable retelling of Emma. Fawad and Humaira are exquisite together. Their friendship throughout the book is the backbone and when Humaira finally decides she wants Fawad (chef's kiss). I really hope Aamna continues to do retellings because this was fantastic.

If I Loved You Less is a Pakistani Muslim retelling of Emma set in New York, and it is utterly delightful. The more Emma retellings I read, the more I realize just how much I love the original story.

Like Emma, Humaira isn't likable and relatable at first. But just like Emma, Humaira's character arc is worth reading, along with the very swoonworthy romance, of course. One thing that I truly loved about Huamaira is how she is always conscious about being grateful to her parents for her many blessings and privileges in life.

Above everything else, Humaira is a people pleaser who feels like she always has to be likable and amiable. Beneath all of that, there is loneliness and a fear that people would leave her if they saw beneath the glossy veneer. I truly appreciated this additional dimension to her personality, as well as her nuanced friendship with Shanzay AKA Harriet.

And the romance. OH THE ROMANCE. It is clear that the author has a deep love for romance novels and period dramas because oh my God. The TENSION‼️ The CHEMISTRY‼️ The LOOKS‼️ The CLOSE PROXIMITY‼️ The PINING‼️ The HANDS‼️ PHEWWWWW. She nailed allllll of these aspects. And she named the hero FAWAD on top of all that (iykyk) 🤭 I legit giggled and swooned my way through Humaira and Fawad's romance 🥰🥰🥰 So many of their moments live rent free in my brain 😍😍😍 There are sooooo many other things I want to highlight about the romance, but I'll keep quiet because I don't want to spoil anything.

The prose is actually really good for the most part. It can sometimes be stilted and awkward, but I think that's mostly because the story is told from Humaira's first POV in the present. Humaira has a very particular pattern of speech that doesn't always translate well in the present tense. Another thing that I didn't necessarily love was the constant name-dropping of designer bags, shoes, clothes, etc. I get that Humaira is rich, as she's supposed to be, but I got tired of all the designer names really fast lol. Not every single designer item is described in detail, almost as if the author expects you to know what the item looks like just based on the designer name. But I had to google them like the peasant that I am *screams in fuck capitalism*

Another thing to note is that Jane Austen exists in this universe and Humaira briefly mentions how she finds Emma so relatable lol. This is a pet peeve of mine because I'm always left wondering why the characters aren't drawing the very obvious parallels between their lives and the original story. That being said, the author did make some slight changes that I think worked well overall. The "badly done" scene and the resolution were both *chef's kiss* The chaotic proposal was just how I was expecting it to be. I just wish we had an epilogue 😭

Anyway, all this to say that I had soooooo much fun reading this retelling. It may not be absolutely perfect, but the good stuff is SO GOOD that you quickly move past the minor flaws. Of course, as a Muslim, I'm very biased, so take my review for what it's worth lol.

A note for Muslim readers: this is a halal romance! But the tension will make you sweat 🤭

I love delusional hopeless romantics, especially when it's a spoiled yet adorable girl who is adamant about finding her soulmate. I haven't read the classic Emma yet and this romance makes me want to asap. The Pakistani culture is integrated well and the family dynamics are very desi too. The angst-filled romance is bound to give butterflies with the realistic, often jealous, and pretty confrontational love interest—as well as Humaira's wish for a "grand, sweeping, all-consuming love".

This book wanted to many me cry so much. The way Humaira cares for her family and her friends. How she wants them to find love and be happy. Sometimes even forgetting of her own. Even when she find love or someone she cares about deeply, she pushes it away care for her father and not leave him alone.

It was great, I loved every second of this.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book so much!! If I Loved You Less is a Muslim retelling of Jane Austin’s Emma. I know, just that comp is telling of how perfect the story itself is.

Humaira is looking for love. And since she’s helped so many people find it, she doesn’t think it should be too difficult to find a match for herself. She sets her eye on the perfect candidate—Rizwan.

Her only problem is Fawad, the young man completely immune to her charms. He’s definitely her enemy and has never been on her list of potential candidates. Until she starts to wonder why his opinion of her matters so much.

This book is humorous, joyful, romantic, and a whole bunch of other things. It’s truly such a fun and satisfying read and I’m so glad I got a chance to read it!!

<i>I received this title as an ARC on Net-galley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you One More Chapter for the copy!</i>

<b>The Good</b>
I love Emma so I was excited to read another retelling. This has all the plot beats of the original with some cultural tweaks and obvious modernization. I loved the writing style of this book! It perfectly matched Emma's wit and comical/playful tone. I loved Humaira and Fawad!! They had such great chemistry and their conversations were so beautiful. I loved the dynamic between Humaira and her sister Naadia. They dealt with their Papa differently and had a complex relationship. I enjoyed being in Humaira's mind and seeing her unique perspective on life as she grew and changed.

<b>The Bad</b>
I hated the amount of description clothes and outfits got. I understood doing them sometimes but it was a bit too often for me to enjoy it. I understand it's not Humaira and her family's way but I wish there was more conclusion to the issues in their family dynamic. Her and her sister's issues were never really resolved. Her father and her dynamic was improved to a better place but not wholly fixed. Her internal issues about feeling as though people (other than Fawad) could love her if she wasn't perfect? I don't feel like that was resolved enough either.

<b>Format:</b> Ebook

<b>The Rating</b>
I give this book a <b>3/5🌟 rating.</b> This was a sweet and heartfelt retelling of Emma but it left me wanting it to add something new to the story.

Check out my socials <a href="https://beacons.ai/buffyreads"> here</a> for more reviews!

This was an absolutely charming, closed door romance! The title of the book is so sweet because Mr. Knightley is my favorite Austen hero. I thought the plot was a clever way to subvert Austen's original story, and the friends-to-lovers trope is done so well here. I love a good, unique Austen retelling, so if that's your thing, you'll like this romance!!

4.5

I loved this modern-day Pakistani, Muslim retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. This book made me so tired last Friday because I couldn't put it down. In the end notes, Qureshi talks about how so many South East Asians find Jane Austen's books so comforting because the endless parties and strict hierarchical rules around life and love are so familiar to their own cultures.
My favourite part of Emma is the relationship between her and her father and Qureshi really focuses on that in If I Loved You Less. Papa is so lovable in this story but the suffocating feelings that Emma and her sister sometimes feel are not left out. Humaira can be as obnoxious as Emma, but she is also lonely and living with this exhausting veneer of perfection that doesn't allow people to see the real her. Fawad is as stern and besotted as Mr. Knightley. There's a great slow burn to this romance and I found it delightful. Another fun part are the lists at the end of the book - reading, film and music lists and recipes from Humaira and Fawad.
If you are a fan of Austen retellings, check this book out on July 17th. Thank you to Harper Collins' One More Chapter and Net Galley for the ARC.

Oh, I can't even tell you how much I loved this Emma retelling set in modern day desi times! Though Humaira's character was a little annoying at times, I loved how she finally came to her senses with the ending leaving me so happy. The storyline with her father was also really sweet though we never did get to find out if his gripe with Asif was resolved. All round though, I would definitely recommend this book. It was cute, funny and heartwarming.

If I loved you less
By Aamna Qureshi
A Review by Jamilla (@ LandsAwayBooks, a wordpress blog)

Oh, how I adored this!
The heroine is insufferable (compliment) and spoiled (as all children should be). And her beloved, was there the whole time, encouraging, scolding, bickering, comforting and loving from the first page to the last. Romance is the best and books like this are the reason why!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

I think I'm going to give this one a 3.5. As a modern adaptation of Emma, it works very well, but the first person POV drove me crazy. Emma is supposed to be annoying, so Humaira's self importance was correct, but it was a bit much sometimes.

Humaira is the beautiful, privileged, delulu protagonist who works for her dad's company while dreaming of her dream guy. Of course, she isn't going to admit that to her father because he can't handle the idea of her moving out. But she has successfully made matches for her older sister and her aunt, so she is convinced that she knows how to pick a guy. We meet her when she's talked herself into a crush on Rizwan, the successful son of some extended family member, and she decides that he is her soulmate. Plus, Humaira is bored so she decides to set up her new work friend, with one of her cast-offs. Too bad Fawad, her sister's brother-in-law, is very frowny and sees through all her sparkle and charm.

The modern, Pakistani American setting really worked for this novel. I think the author really knows and loves Emma, because the characters were all perfect. The first person POV even makes sense because we KNOW Emma Woodhouse would be some kind of vlogger or podcaster today, just because she'd want to hear herself talk. Humaira telling her story in first person POV is so RIGHT.

It's just that her character journey also needs to take her from Shallow, Pretentious, and Self Involved to Thoughtful and Empathetic. I think Emma fans will enjoy this book, but, as prophesied by Jane Austen, this might not be the book for people who are anti-Emma.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins, One More Chapter for this ARC.

I really wanted to like this book as I loved the author’s debut, When a brown girl flees.

I’ve been waiting for this novel for over a year and I will say that if you are into very sweet, saccharine writing then this is the book for you which is a sharp contrast from her debut.

Zahra from the first book is in the background and I always get a kick out of seeing characters in the same universe but this book is pretty much a word for word rewrite of Emma by Jane Austen.

I love a retelling but I think when you’re pretty much rewording the main source into a modern day novel, you can go a little further.

Just not the right book for me.

‘If I Loved You Less’ by Aamna Qureshi was exactly what I needed. It's a love story and a modern retelling of Emma. Firstly, let’s talk about the South Asian and Muslim representation here. As I am not a member of this community, this was a significant strength of the book. I'm familiar with the story of Emma, so I could easily follow the plot, and it opened a window into the experiences of another culture for me. I love it! I will note that it took me longer to read this book than others as I had to keep opening Google to ensure I understood all familial connections. I love that this book also opened my eyes to Muslim/Pakistani fashion! My Instagram algorithm has been flooded with some of the most beautiful garments! I am here for it! I love Fawad, and I both want to shake and hug Humaira. But the standout character for sure was Humaira’s father. I laughed and cried, and I would highly recommend Aamna Qureshi to anyone looking for a sweet romance.

Thanks so much to Aamna Qureshi, Harper Collins One More Chapter and NetGalley for the eARC. This book will be released June 17th, 2024

All I needed to see was the words “Jane Austen retelling” and “Desi” to know I was in for a treat, and boy was I. I was so happy to see this, that I only realized after requesting it that I had never read Emma. As I am not a person willing to read a retelling without the original, I got the pleasure of reading two books for this one. Highly recommend for anyone as it was fun to compare the two by reading them back to back.

One thing I struggle with while reading Jane Austen books is how dense the social community is rooted in her novels. It really is a lot of people going to other people’s houses, and it can be hard for me to be invested in each visit. I have read several books with desi leads (many also retellings), and they also have similar tendencies toward community and family dynamics. Unlike an Austen novel, If I Loved You Less and the others I have read give you a similar amount of characters and information about them in a much more digestible and fast-paced way.

I could (and basically will by the end of the review) write a book about how much I liked this book. I really don’t think I could come up with a critique if I tried. I felt all the feelings. I learned things. I loved the characters. This was an excellent retelling of Emma on top of being great in every way. The characters and plot were obviously very parallel to the original story, but there were some adaptations for the sake of desi culture and modern times that made this its own. There were also a few deviations from the original that I didn’t expect and LOVED (the ending particularly).

Aamna Qureshi, I hope to read another book of yours. And to any other desi queens out there thinking of writing a romance novel or already have, I am quite literally making grabby hands at the thought of these books. You gals know something or have something that I can’t get enough of. Incredible work. No notes

3.75 but I'm rounding up for Fawad. I love any and all Emma retellings (well the ones I've come across for now) and this was no different. As with Emma, and most retellings, the story follows the younger sister, in this case Humaira, who is pretty much the spoiled daughter of a rich man who finds joy in matchmaking and to her detriment thinks she is incredible at it. Despite the warnings of her longtime friend/frenemy Fawad she is dead set on setting up her friend, Shanzay, with her cousin Emad. I loved loved loved Fawad's character so much, he was so sweet. Humaira's heartfelt moments with him were my absolute favorite parts. My biggest gripe though was that I found the excessive usage of brand names to be a bit annoying, but I'm sure there will be readers who will like to perfectly visualize all of the outfits and would find this to be helpful. The book also has some extra goodies at the end and brb while I make some brownies.

Quereshi is a Pakistani author and as such there were a lot of Urdu words and phrases sprinkled throughout the book. A lot of which I understood but Miss Aamna WHAT IS MIXED CHAI?? lol

All in all a solid read. I look forward to more of her novels in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Adorable couple, fun read over all and makes you feel the feels. I love rom com books that have twists and a variety of characters to them they felt real.

humaira mirza is used to matchmaking for others, but she can’t seem to find the love of her own life. she’s convinced this is rizwan ali, a young and rich bachelor, but her lifelong family friend fawad sheikh seems to disagree.

i’ve been super excited to read this ever since aamna qureshi started teasing this, so i’m very grateful to have received an early copy!

this book is compared to jane austen’s emma and sarah hogle’s you deserve each other. i read emma three and a half years ago, and honestly, i’ve forgotten most about it, so i really can’t speak to how related this book was to it. however, i do agree with the you deserve each other comp. humaira and fawad definitely reminded me of naomi and nicholas, though humaira and fawad are just a bit nicer to each other.

i also loved the self-reflection in this book. it takes a while, but humaira does eventually reflect on her own actions and figures out how to fix them, which i loved to see.

i would recommend this to anyone wanting to read a halal romance featuring adult characters. i can’t wait for whatever’s next for aamna qureshi!

THE MUSLIM ROMANCE I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

I am so so grateful to NetGalley and the One More Chapter team at HarperCollins for this eARC.

Humaira and Fawad had my heart in a choke hold throughout. This was so enjoyable and I flew through it. I lived for the sister relationship dynamic as well as Humaira's friends so this was perfect!

The story felt a little clunky at the start but I think the way Aamna characterized everyone in this story really worked well to smooth that issue over.

This is perfect for Austen fans, also for the hijabis looking for halal romance <3

Thank you to Net Galley, Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for providing me the arc of If I Loved You Less.

I was really curious to read this book when I saw that it was a modern retelling of the Jane's Austen Emma.
I already expected the main character to have an extravagant and excentric personality just like Emma, but I still felt at times that Humaira personality and the way she behaved towards the people that she loved was too much and maybe that's why I had some trouble with the book being written in the first person.

Fawad perspective could've been something very interesting to add to the story. It would establish a balance between personalities and the storytelling would be more easygoing.

I still liked the romance and the slowburn.

I wasnt sure what to rate this one. So I'm going to rate it 4.25⭐️

If I Loved You less is about a slightly spoiled girl who has her flaws but is also a hopeless romantic. But she is also kind and helpful. She reads, she is smart and knows what she wants. Throughout this book my feelings for Humaira changed. Sometimes I loved her and resonated with her, and sometimes I didn't really like some of her traits (which is the point of this book but I didn't always enjoy that.) It in the last chapter that I truly liked her.

Actually the last chapter made me love this book immediately. It started out really well. It was fast paced and I liked it a lot. The writing wasn't always my favourite part but I devoured it. Somewhere in the middle and towards the end it became slower for me and boring. It felt like a lot of filler for the end. I didn't hate it or anything but I just wanted to finish this book. I do have to say that lately if been in this weird slump where I can't read a book for to long or I become bored. The last two or three books have all been three stars because I became bored so I think that might have happened with this one too.
But anyway... When I got to the last few chapters I really enjoyed it again and it became very wholesome. Especially the last chapter just made me rate this book 4.25 instead of 3-3.5.

While this is a romance book it is more about Humaira and her experience with friendship and boys and being a hopeless romantic. Only in the last chapter does she get with Fawad. I think that is important to know because I don't want people to not appreciate this book just because they went in blind.

Overall I would really recommend this to anyone who loves a cute romance with a cute main character.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.