Scan barcode
bibliofienna's review against another edition
5.0
What the heck?! It was so good, I regret peeking spoilers at the end of the novel (a habit of mine). First, let's talk about the extremely adorable way ('greget' is the spot on word to describe it in my language but I can't find the exact same word that can convey it in english
allireadsmke's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Uzma does it again! This is my third of her books. I am so in love with the way she writes the retelling. They are fully their own story. Khalid is definitely the more compelling character in this story. I I'm not myself South Asian or Muslim, but I liked that these books felt like they were written for that demographic, without being overly explainy about the culture. There's also a nuanced exploration of modern life as a young Muslim from an immigrant family.
I was a little surprised at the ending when Khalid changed his dress and appearance. The way he described the reasons for his traditional dress were NOT something that felt imposed by his mother or any external force, so why did he change that? That felt like catering to the external expectations of western society, more than any change he took on himself as a way to carve his own path with his religious observation.
I liked the Lydia/Hafsa storyline changes. She's annoying and self centered, but she deserves better than a man who sexually exploits her and others.
I liked the Lydia/Hafsa storyline changes. She's annoying and self centered, but she deserves better than a man who sexually exploits her and others.
jkhsquonk's review against another edition
5.0
A familiar story told in an unfamiliar way. Realistic, engaging characters, who I really got attached to. Enjoyed the mix of Canadian Muslim culture and Shakespeare quotes. A very lovely book!
rayzofrem's review against another edition
5.0
Great book!! I loved the roller coaster ride and the drama. There are alot of characters that I have definitely seen or encountered within the Muslim community. I love the lessons each character learns and the growth they go through. It all came about so beautifully and is a great adult romantic comedy for Muslims.
aimalicious811's review against another edition
4.0
Cute book. I love how it loosely followed Pride and Prejudice!
dargan18's review against another edition
2.0
Retelling Pride and Prejudice in a modern Desi community is interesting, but all the characters were one-dimensional and really irked me. I almost dnf, but decided to push through.
emmajarvis's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like this worked well as like a loose modern day Pride and Prejudice. It was only really the second half of the plot that followed Pride and Prejudice but I do think there were some scenes where Ayesha and Khalid definitely gave Elizabeth and Darcy vibes.
The only things that annoyed me were that the villains were VERY one dimensionally evil and there was something about the writing style that just didn't work for me.
The only things that annoyed me were that the villains were VERY one dimensionally evil and there was something about the writing style that just didn't work for me.
yusrabooley17's review against another edition
5.0
'Ayesha shook her head. Sometimes there were no words, only sunshine in your heart. Alhamdulillah'
It's been a long time since I've been so immersed in a story, and since I felt such a strong connection to a character. It was so good I almost finished it in one sitting (something I haven't done in years), but then decided to spread out this enjoyable reading experience instead.
The protagonist, Ayesha, is an unapologetically Muslim woman - and visibly so - and yet the book only directly mentions this once or twice. It is not the focus of the book. It was refreshing to see a Muslim character who is not endlessly questioning her faith/wanting to take off her hijab/feeling confined by Islam.
Definitely captures the essence of Pride and Prejudice without seeming like a basic retelling with a 'brown twist'.
There is yearning. There is passion, and the stirring of feelings which are new to the characters. The male love interest is quiet and appears harsh and judgemental at first, but is also reflective and self aware and grows as a person throughout the story.
Beyond the love story (wonderful as it was), this is also a book about family, loss, grief and community.
It's been a long time since I've been so immersed in a story, and since I felt such a strong connection to a character. It was so good I almost finished it in one sitting (something I haven't done in years), but then decided to spread out this enjoyable reading experience instead.
The protagonist, Ayesha, is an unapologetically Muslim woman - and visibly so - and yet the book only directly mentions this once or twice. It is not the focus of the book. It was refreshing to see a Muslim character who is not endlessly questioning her faith/wanting to take off her hijab/feeling confined by Islam.
Definitely captures the essence of Pride and Prejudice without seeming like a basic retelling with a 'brown twist'.
There is yearning. There is passion, and the stirring of feelings which are new to the characters. The male love interest is quiet and appears harsh and judgemental at first, but is also reflective and self aware and grows as a person throughout the story.
Beyond the love story (wonderful as it was), this is also a book about family, loss, grief and community.
schmidtellie's review against another edition
4.0
3.5. Basically a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice from a Muslim perspective. It was a fun and fast read.
arayofreading's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars*
This is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice centering two Indian Muslims, Ayesha and Khalid, living in Toronto, and it shared many aspects of the original story that I love--important social commentary (including Islamophobia in the workplace, and intra-Muslim community judgement); sweet and wholesome family relationships, female friendships (loved the best friend Clara!!), hilarious banter between the protagonists as well as dramatic antics from the side characters, and of course, a sweet romance.
Because this is a retelling, it's difficult to not compare it to the original work. This is not a beat-for-beat retelling, which I enjoyed for the most part because it meant that I didn't always know what was going to happen, but sometimes those aspects weakened the integrity of the story. For example, I loved the beginning of Ayesha and Khalid's romance. In true Mr. Darcy fashion, Khalid is rude and very judgmental of Ayesha but does go through a lot of character development. The development starts in a way that almost directly mirrors Mr. Darcy, then goes in a very different way, and then at some point, it goes back to mirroring the original story but in a way that no longer feels organic. (This sounds a bit vague but I'm referring to). I also did not the choices made regarding the Wickham character. It was clear that the author wanted to make him more sympathetic, but in doing so muddied his motivations so much that he almost felt like two different characters depending on the situation.
Since this sounds pretty negative that I want to emphasize that I did enjoy this book! Like I mentioned before, it was a really quick read, I laughed out loud a lot, and there were a lot of great messages! I guess my feelings are mixed because while I was highly entertained, I recognize that a lot of the plot and character decisions (almost exclusively in the last third of the novel weirdly enough) didn't make much sense to me.
This is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice centering two Indian Muslims, Ayesha and Khalid, living in Toronto, and it shared many aspects of the original story that I love--important social commentary (including Islamophobia in the workplace, and intra-Muslim community judgement); sweet and wholesome family relationships, female friendships (loved the best friend Clara!!), hilarious banter between the protagonists as well as dramatic antics from the side characters, and of course, a sweet romance.
Because this is a retelling, it's difficult to not compare it to the original work. This is not a beat-for-beat retelling, which I enjoyed for the most part because it meant that I didn't always know what was going to happen, but sometimes those aspects weakened the integrity of the story. For example, I loved the beginning of Ayesha and Khalid's romance. In true Mr. Darcy fashion, Khalid is rude and very judgmental of Ayesha but does go through a lot of character development. The development starts in a way that almost directly mirrors Mr. Darcy, then goes in a very different way, and then at some point, it goes back to mirroring the original story but in a way that no longer feels organic. (This sounds a bit vague but I'm referring to
Spoiler
the botched proposal at the event at the masjid. That clearly was paying homage to Darcy's first proposal, in which he was still rude. I may just not be remembering correctly, but I felt that in Pride and Prejudice there was much more time where Darcy could change and prove that he loved Lizzie before the end of the story, when here it felt like a very quick turnaround for Khalid that I wasn't really convinced by"Since this sounds pretty negative that I want to emphasize that I did enjoy this book! Like I mentioned before, it was a really quick read, I laughed out loud a lot, and there were a lot of great messages! I guess my feelings are mixed because while I was highly entertained, I recognize that a lot of the plot and character decisions (almost exclusively in the last third of the novel weirdly enough) didn't make much sense to me.