Read April 2019.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the course of true love never did run smooth...
Ayesha dreams of being a poet, but real life dictates that she is actually embarking of a career as a teacher - albeit as a substitute teacher right now.
Ayesha's wider Muslim family are obsessed with marriage, and her young cousin Hafsa is determined to get as many proposals as possible - ideally, a round one hundred!
Although Ayesha admits to herself that she is lonely, having never actually had a boyfriend, she definitely does not want an arranged marriage, and she finds the whole spectacle of rishtas ridiculous - thankfully, her mother and grandparents agree.
But then Ayesha meets Khalid. He really does not seem to be Ayesha's type, and he is so infuriating, but she cannot get him out of her mind.
Khalid is happy in his conservative little life. Dressing as a strict Muslim should, and passing his days either at work, or the mosque. He is more than happy to allow his over-bearing mother free-rein of a choice of bride for him, because surely, she will know what is best.
But then he meets Ayesha. Ayesha is definitely not someone his mother would approve of, but she is all he can think about.
Unfortunately, he thinks her name is Hafsa.....
Thank you to Readers First and Corvus Books for the chance to read this delight of a book.
It is the most wonderful mix of Pride and Prejudice and a Shakespeare comedy, set within the Muslim community of Toronto and kept me entertained all the way through. This is a book full of tears and laughter; heart and soul. It has everything you need in a romantic comedy - misunderstandings, mistaken identity, trials and tribulations, with a suitably happy ending.
Ayesha and Khalid bump heads again and again, in a delightful parody of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy, and Uzma Jalaluddin even adapts some of the sublime dialogue of Jane Austen to fit! I loved that you could also pick out so many other sub-plots and characters from Pride and Prejudice, one of my all time favourite books, along the way too.
I am really looking forward to more from Uzma Jalaluddin.
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