Scan barcode
A review by onthesamepage
Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin
emotional
slow-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
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes:second chance
Steam level: none
If you're a Muslim reader, and you get to that one point in the book that makes you go, "wait, WHAT?!", trust the author and keep reading.
Persuasion is one of my favourite Austen novels, and one of the few instances where I appreciated and rooted for a second chance romance. That's a lot to live up to, but Nada and Baz delivered. The yearning and the angst were all there. I also really liked that we got to see both of them at different stages of their lives, because it showcased their growth and gave us a lot of context for how their relationship developed. Neither of them dealt with things particularly well the first time around, which makes sense considering their age and relative maturity. While we don't get to see any changes in Baz, since the book is from Nada's perspective, we do see the impact it has had on her. In the flashbacks, Nada is a spitfire, but in the present day, she's much more timid and reserved—until she runs into Baz, and regains some of the energy she used to have. She has a lot of baggage to deal with, but she does so admirably, and I really appreciated her entire journey.
I will say that I wanted to see more of Baz and Nada's interactions, especially with regard to rekindling their romance, and their journey towards forgiving each other. I feel like a lot of it happened behind the scenes so to speak, which made this feel a little bit more general fiction than romance, in my opinion.
As usual, the author really focuses on what it means to be a practicing Muslim with a SE Asian heritage. She normalizes things like families living within the same house instead of the children moving out at a certain age, but also acknowledges the very real challenges young Muslims, who are born in diaspora, face when it comes to the clashing of their parents' ideals and culture with their own. I continue to be impressed by the way she handles these themes.
Tropes:
Steam level: none
If you're a Muslim reader, and you get to that one point in the book that makes you go, "wait, WHAT?!", trust the author and keep reading.
Persuasion is one of my favourite Austen novels, and one of the few instances where I appreciated and rooted for a second chance romance. That's a lot to live up to, but Nada and Baz delivered. The yearning and the angst were all there. I also really liked that we got to see both of them at different stages of their lives, because it showcased their growth and gave us a lot of context for how their relationship developed. Neither of them dealt with things particularly well the first time around, which makes sense considering their age and relative maturity. While we don't get to see any changes in Baz, since the book is from Nada's perspective, we do see the impact it has had on her. In the flashbacks, Nada is a spitfire, but in the present day, she's much more timid and reserved—until she runs into Baz, and regains some of the energy she used to have. She has a lot of baggage to deal with, but she does so admirably, and I really appreciated her entire journey.
I will say that I wanted to see more of Baz and Nada's interactions, especially with regard to rekindling their romance, and their journey towards forgiving each other. I feel like a lot of it happened behind the scenes so to speak, which made this feel a little bit more general fiction than romance, in my opinion.
As usual, the author really focuses on what it means to be a practicing Muslim with a SE Asian heritage. She normalizes things like families living within the same house instead of the children moving out at a certain age, but also acknowledges the very real challenges young Muslims, who are born in diaspora, face when it comes to the clashing of their parents' ideals and culture with their own. I continue to be impressed by the way she handles these themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying