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kelly_e's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Title: Much Ado about Nada
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: June 13, 2023
I received a complimentary eARC from HarperCollins Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Modern • Unexpected • Uneven
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Nada Syed is stuck. On the cusp of thirty, she’s still living at home with her brothers and parents in the Golden Crescent neighbourhood of Toronto, resolutely ignoring her mother’s unsubtle pleas to get married already. While Nada has a good job as an engineer, it’s a far cry from realizing her start-up dreams for her tech baby, Ask Apa, the app that launched with a whimper instead of a bang because of a double-crossing business partner. Nothing in her life has turned out the way it was supposed to, and Nada feels like a failure. Something needs to change, but the past is holding on too tightly to let her move forward.
Nada’s best friend Haleema is determined to pry her from her shell…and what better place than at the giant annual Muslim conference held downtown, where Nada can finally meet Haleema’s fiancé, Zayn. And did Haleema mention Zayn’s brother Baz will be there?
What Haleema doesn’t know is that Nada and Baz have a past—some of it good, some of it bad and all of it secret. At the conference, that past all comes hurtling at Nada, bringing new complications and a moment of reckoning.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was granted an ARC of Much Ado about Nada, however, it took me nearly a year to pick it up. I don't think the premise of this novel appealed to me as much as some of this author's other books have, yet I still wanted to give it a try. I have never read Persuasion, so the fact this is a loose retelling didn't really impact my experience.
The writing and flow made this an easy second chance romance read set in both the present and past timelines. Uzma Jalaluddin is fantastic at creating fierce female main characters and she stays the course in this one. Nada is faced with balancing cultural and familial expectations with her own personal hopes and dreams.
When it comes to the romance, it is the past timeline that does the majority of the heavy lifting, and in my opinion this is a downfall of the book. Every time I returned to the present timeline, I was withdrawn from their relationship. To the point, that I don't think I would even classify this as a romance per se.
Much Ado about Nada was enjoyable in the moment, but not necessarily a memorable story.
Certainly not my favourite from this author, yet I appreciate her taking classic stories and putting modern and diverse twists on them. I will continue to pick up the stories that she writes and recommend them to anyone looking for romance with depth.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• Persuasion
• the second chance trope
⚠️ CW: bullying, toxic friendship, sexism, misogyny, ableism, mental illness, cursing, hate crime, Islamophobia, pregnancy, injury/injury detail, body shaming, gaslighting, sexual content
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"There's nothing more human than being wrong," she said quietly. "Or being persuaded one way and then regretting your decision. I would argue that learning to live with that regret is the most human thing of all."
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: June 13, 2023
I received a complimentary eARC from HarperCollins Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Modern • Unexpected • Uneven
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Nada Syed is stuck. On the cusp of thirty, she’s still living at home with her brothers and parents in the Golden Crescent neighbourhood of Toronto, resolutely ignoring her mother’s unsubtle pleas to get married already. While Nada has a good job as an engineer, it’s a far cry from realizing her start-up dreams for her tech baby, Ask Apa, the app that launched with a whimper instead of a bang because of a double-crossing business partner. Nothing in her life has turned out the way it was supposed to, and Nada feels like a failure. Something needs to change, but the past is holding on too tightly to let her move forward.
Nada’s best friend Haleema is determined to pry her from her shell…and what better place than at the giant annual Muslim conference held downtown, where Nada can finally meet Haleema’s fiancé, Zayn. And did Haleema mention Zayn’s brother Baz will be there?
What Haleema doesn’t know is that Nada and Baz have a past—some of it good, some of it bad and all of it secret. At the conference, that past all comes hurtling at Nada, bringing new complications and a moment of reckoning.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was granted an ARC of Much Ado about Nada, however, it took me nearly a year to pick it up. I don't think the premise of this novel appealed to me as much as some of this author's other books have, yet I still wanted to give it a try. I have never read Persuasion, so the fact this is a loose retelling didn't really impact my experience.
The writing and flow made this an easy second chance romance read set in both the present and past timelines. Uzma Jalaluddin is fantastic at creating fierce female main characters and she stays the course in this one. Nada is faced with balancing cultural and familial expectations with her own personal hopes and dreams.
When it comes to the romance, it is the past timeline that does the majority of the heavy lifting, and in my opinion this is a downfall of the book. Every time I returned to the present timeline, I was withdrawn from their relationship. To the point, that I don't think I would even classify this as a romance per se.
Much Ado about Nada was enjoyable in the moment, but not necessarily a memorable story.
Certainly not my favourite from this author, yet I appreciate her taking classic stories and putting modern and diverse twists on them. I will continue to pick up the stories that she writes and recommend them to anyone looking for romance with depth.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• Persuasion
• the second chance trope
⚠️ CW: bullying, toxic friendship, sexism, misogyny, ableism, mental illness, cursing, hate crime, Islamophobia, pregnancy, injury/injury detail, body shaming, gaslighting, sexual content
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"There's nothing more human than being wrong," she said quietly. "Or being persuaded one way and then regretting your decision. I would argue that learning to live with that regret is the most human thing of all."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Islamophobia
Minor: Body shaming, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
relin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
The structure of the book was really neat, flashbacks that were hinted at in the previous chapter in very clear ways that the knowledge in the flashback changes the reading of the conversation. It was fun to see Shakespeare and Muslim culture be intertwined!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Sexism
Moderate: Ableism, Islamophobia, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
analenegrace's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
I love retellings/reimaginings, and this was a beautiful Persuasian-inspired novel!
I loved the second-chance romance and right person, wrong time tropes in this that told a beautiful story in a way that was also insight into a community I don't know that much about.
I look forward to reading more of Jalaluddin's work!
I loved the second-chance romance and right person, wrong time tropes in this that told a beautiful story in a way that was also insight into a community I don't know that much about.
I look forward to reading more of Jalaluddin's work!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
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