Scan barcode
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
onegalonelife27's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy
lettuce_read's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Hate crime
reads2cope's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Uzma Jalaluddin has done it again!!! I couldn't put this down. It dropped my jaw to the floor, made me tingle with every emotion, and kick my feet and scream into my pillow. The main characters were all so lovable and real, and I want spinoff books for all of Nada's friends.
As a Jane Austen inspired romance, this absolutely nailed the tension and longing that made the original second chance Persuasion so great!
At the same time, the issues of bullying and family obligations were handled with so much depth it was at times hard to read and very emotional.
The pace of this book was perfect, slowly revealing her past with Baz kept me on the edge of my seat without losing momentum in the present storyline.
My only large gripe with the book is that I wanted to see more Nada and Baz interactions, which ~yes~ is a great sign that I love the couple. However, the ending left me feeling conflictedthat they hadn't finished a deep conversation about their goals in life, making sure they were on the same page about what being together again meant. Their breakup was horrible, but also Nada was not wrong, and Sister Rusul was right to caution her to question how Baz would support Nada's dreams when he was being so flippant about her degree and their families. Baz wasn't ready to stay in one place, and Nada had different goals six years ago. If they had been able to communicate better, they might have taken life slower, going back to long-distance, and bringing their families into their lives. While the split might have been the necessary motivation for them to arrive where they ended up in this present, I wanted to see them better resolve their miscommunications of the past. A single line about them seeking the same counseling that Haleema and Zayn received would have put me more at ease, but I'll just imagine they did this on my own.
The storyline with Firdous also felt unresolved - had Baz actually considered her as a potential romantic partner? Did she realize the error of her faith in Haneef?
The Ayesha At Last easter eggs in this book were so delightful, too. Maybe it's time to reread until Jalaluddin publishes again...
As a Jane Austen inspired romance, this absolutely nailed the tension and longing that made the original second chance Persuasion so great!
At the same time, the issues of bullying and family obligations were handled with so much depth it was at times hard to read and very emotional.
The pace of this book was perfect, slowly revealing her past with Baz kept me on the edge of my seat without losing momentum in the present storyline.
My only large gripe with the book is that I wanted to see more Nada and Baz interactions, which ~yes~ is a great sign that I love the couple. However, the ending left me feeling conflicted
The storyline with Firdous also felt unresolved - had Baz actually considered her as a potential romantic partner? Did she realize the error of her faith in Haneef?
The Ayesha At Last easter eggs in this book were so delightful, too. Maybe it's time to reread until Jalaluddin publishes again...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Minor: Ableism, Hate crime, and Gaslighting
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Misogyny
Minor: Hate crime, Racism, and Pregnancy
More...