stuckinatimeloop's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
as a south asian muslim, i loved this book. it was relatable and well written for the most part. the ending was rushed however. the conflict with tarek was introduced too late. and i would have liked to see a bit more of ayesha and khalid being together. an epilogue would have been nice.
i didn't like how sometimes india and pakistan were presented as being backwards and there was one part like this isn't india or pakistan you can do whatever you want. i'm paraphrasing here but the general gist was that over there people don't have much choice in who they marry and how they live their life. and it didn't really sit well with me. but I'll read some more from this author before i can form a valid opinion
i didn't like how sometimes india and pakistan were presented as being backwards and there was one part like this isn't india or pakistan you can do whatever you want. i'm paraphrasing here but the general gist was that over there people don't have much choice in who they marry and how they live their life. and it didn't really sit well with me. but I'll read some more from this author before i can form a valid opinion
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Islamophobia, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abortion and Sexual harassment
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
Didn't know this was a Pride and Prejudice retelling of sorts. I don't like Pride and Prejudice but I did enjoy this retelling overall. Didn't love it because the characters are frustrating but I did like the discussion of Islamophobia in Canada (it's a nice change from experiencing it/reading about it from the u.s.).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Sexism, Racism, and Misogyny
rachelfayreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Sexism, and Alcoholism
nrhilmer's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Islamophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Xenophobia
Minor: Death of parent, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
isabellarob73's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this book, and enjoy anything that resembles Pride and Prejudice. I thought the two romantic leads were endearing, I just wish the book spent more time on their romance. The book had too many plots, involving too many characters to the point where I was frustrated with everyone in the book and forgot that it was even supposed to be a romance. Still, I enjoyed Ayesha and Khalid, and Nana, of course!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Racism, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, War, Death of parent, Islamophobia, and Xenophobia
taulkstoomuch's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this book so much, I finished listening to the audiobook in less than 3 days. It just goes to show how important representation matters, I felt like I was listening to secret family gossip the whole time. The relationship between Khalid and Ayesha was so pure and beautiful, I caught myself smiling throughout the book.
Other than the narrators butchered Urdu and Hindi pronunciation, I have no complaints. Such a fun read!
Other than the narrators butchered Urdu and Hindi pronunciation, I have no complaints. Such a fun read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Body shaming and Violence
annaem's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
“Chai was so much more than a caffeine kick for her. She knew how every member of her family liked to drink their tea, how much sugar or honey to put in each cup. Chai was love, distilled and warming. She drank and relished the silence.”
I love a good Jane Austen retelling and this one delivers. Ayesha at Last is a fairly loose retelling that brings Pride & Prejudice into the 21st Century Canadian Muslim community. Ayesha and Khalistan are both so likeable. Ayesha is outspoken, opinionated and of course, extremely stubborn. Khalid is a quiet character, a conservative Muslim, including dressing in traditional Muslim clothing. Much of the prejudice focuses around Khalid and attitudes toward him including workplace discrimination and Ayesha’s own assumptions. A brilliant update for Pride & Prejudice fans.
I love a good Jane Austen retelling and this one delivers. Ayesha at Last is a fairly loose retelling that brings Pride & Prejudice into the 21st Century Canadian Muslim community. Ayesha and Khalistan are both so likeable. Ayesha is outspoken, opinionated and of course, extremely stubborn. Khalid is a quiet character, a conservative Muslim, including dressing in traditional Muslim clothing. Much of the prejudice focuses around Khalid and attitudes toward him including workplace discrimination and Ayesha’s own assumptions. A brilliant update for Pride & Prejudice fans.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
myfriendthatcanread's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Fatphobia, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
kissmyash0600's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
i really enjoyed this book. The story was cute, realistic, and relatable, and the characters were multifaceted and easy to relate to as well. I'm so glad I found this book, it was a nice, easy read with different characters than most novels in this genre.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Islamophobia, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
ashlightgrayson's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
This is one of the more entertaining Pride and Prejudice retellings I've read. Both of the main characters and their families respectively are Muslim and Indian. It was great to see Muslim representation about normal families that acknowledged their experiences as immigrants in Canada. The characters in the story are shaped by their experience as immigrants, working to succeed in their careers in a society that isn't always the most accepting of those who are different. As the first-generation child of immigrants, I found this aspect of the book very compelling on a personal level. Immigrant parents work very hard to try to give the best life to their children when they immigrate. As their children grow up in a foreign country that becomes their own there can be cultural clashes over what is the best way to do things. This is seen in the relationship between Khalid and his mother and Ayesha and her mother.
There were liberties taken in this retelling, but I would say they added to the story rather than take away from it. The characters were properly adapted to the context of the setting and the culture they were in. I appreciated that we got to see the diversity within the Muslim community in this book. There were differences in the way each character interpreted the faith and how they practiced it. Characters like Khalid and his mother are more traditional while you have characters like Amir and Ayesha that are more lenient with their understanding of the Muslim faith. Characters that had more traditional views like Khalid were also not changed completely by the end to be more modern just because others wanted him to be. He became more open about other's beliefs while still staying true to his own, which is both more realistic and does not stigmatize more traditional Muslims. The strong message within the story is that you are happier when you are true to yourself while also abstaining from judging others too quickly.
In addition, I realy liked the relationship between Kahlid and his sister, Zareena. I really like seeing healthy love between siblings and you definitely get it here. Zareena is also a character that exemplifies how as a Muslim woman she did not need to adopt Western traditions in order to find happiness. I cannot say more for fear of spoiling anything, but she has a very interesting character arc that I think a lot of people will find interesting.
My final praise goes to the character development for everyone in the story. Every single character is involved in a subplot that helps flesh them out. No one is treated like a one-dimensional person. Everyone is flawed and some redeem themselves better than others, but they are all interesting and compelling. It is clear that even the more unlikeable characters have personal motives. As you are reading you can understand why characters made certain decisions, but when they are wrong the decisions are not excused and have consequences. All of the characters given nuance, which was great to see. This is one of the better retellings I have read. I look forward to reading more books by Uzma Jalauddin since reading this was so enjoyable.
There were liberties taken in this retelling, but I would say they added to the story rather than take away from it. The characters were properly adapted to the context of the setting and the culture they were in. I appreciated that we got to see the diversity within the Muslim community in this book. There were differences in the way each character interpreted the faith and how they practiced it. Characters like Khalid and his mother are more traditional while you have characters like Amir and Ayesha that are more lenient with their understanding of the Muslim faith. Characters that had more traditional views like Khalid were also not changed completely by the end to be more modern just because others wanted him to be. He became more open about other's beliefs while still staying true to his own, which is both more realistic and does not stigmatize more traditional Muslims. The strong message within the story is that you are happier when you are true to yourself while also abstaining from judging others too quickly.
In addition, I realy liked the relationship between Kahlid and his sister, Zareena. I really like seeing healthy love between siblings and you definitely get it here. Zareena is also a character that exemplifies how as a Muslim woman she did not need to adopt Western traditions in order to find happiness. I cannot say more for fear of spoiling anything, but she has a very interesting character arc that I think a lot of people will find interesting.
My final praise goes to the character development for everyone in the story. Every single character is involved in a subplot that helps flesh them out. No one is treated like a one-dimensional person. Everyone is flawed and some redeem themselves better than others, but they are all interesting and compelling. It is clear that even the more unlikeable characters have personal motives. As you are reading you can understand why characters made certain decisions, but when they are wrong the decisions are not excused and have consequences. All of the characters given nuance, which was great to see. This is one of the better retellings I have read. I look forward to reading more books by Uzma Jalauddin since reading this was so enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Sexism, and Alcoholism
Minor: Death of parent