This book is classified as 'chick-lit' but I think it really goes beyond that. The author did a good job of mixing tami's feelings of freedom for the first time with the constant anxiety of trying to find the right husband. It did make me think about what freedoms that I take for granted on a daily basis and made me want to spend more time appreciating the little things in life. I did want to learn more about the development of Ike and Tami's relationship. Maybe that's just the romantic in me, but I kind of felt like something had been left out in the end. Overall, a good read. ( )

I saw this book in the store and fell in love with the cover. I skimmed through it and it seemed to be a feel-good type of story, looking at life in the US from foreign eyes. I brought it home and put it on my TBR pile. It sat there until just the right moment, after reading about child rape and murder; I needed something warm and life-affirming.

It is light and fluffy and could be called romance or chick-lit, though it has a bit more meat than most in either genre.

The story is of the youngest daughter, Tami in an Iranian family. They are well off and she went to college and started a career, accepted moves to delay marriage. Not that she doesn't want to marry, but she doesn't want a man she has never met, chosen for her. She wants to date and fall in love. She doesn't want her life ruled by her husband's parents. Her parents support her in her goal, and also want her to leave Iran. They returned to Iran after the Shah fell, and her father has been denied an exit Visa and he and her mother are stuck there.

Tami has an older sister who lives in the US. She married an Iranian-American and it is what they all hope will happen for Tami. She needs to marry an American to get the right to stay in the country. She has 3 months to do it in. Her visitor's Visa then expires and she will have to return home permanently to an arranged marriage.

The story could be quite dated, with the idea that a modern woman must marry to have any chance at happiness, but it was handled well. Tami didn't want a man to complete her, she wanted a chance to bloom in a new garden where she would be free.

The story follows Tami as tries to adjust to life in the US to navigate the sometimes thorny relationship with her sister Maryam, and to explore freedom. Along the way she meets an American young man, Ike, with whom she has a prickly but charming relationship. The prickly part is that he is forbidden fruit - her sister is only considering a Muslim, Iranian-American man as a possible husband. Tami is drawn to Ike, but knows he would cause an uproar with her sister. Tami also goes to ESL school and meets a group of people from other nations who are trying to fit in and become Americans. She forms friendships and tries out different things on her own, things we take for granted.

There is some humor with her adventures in dating, especially when she attracts on OCD germ-a-phob, whom her sister wants her to marry, and her brother-in-law can't stop making jokes about. There are ups and downs, and some wacky possibilities.

There seems to be some controversy about the portrayal of Iranian woman and culture, with some denouncing it as fake, and others saying it is spot on. The author's husband is apparently from Iran. I wouldn't take anything as gospel with out researching it, but this is a work of fiction, and I suspect that just as there are many different pictures of American life (depending on age, region, class, wealth, education, race, ethnicity, religion), there are a similar number of different pictures of Iranian life.

What I really liked were the characters and the writing. I was rooting for Tami and Ike to get together. I loved the tone of the book and it seemed to have avoided the dreaded plastic perfection of many romances. It was a book that I couldn't put down and the warmth has stayed with me long after reading it. I will look forward to her next book. ( )

Unimaginitive and unrealistic. ( )

I finished this book the same day I bought it. It's a very easy, quick, engaging read - but don't read it as a textbook for how things are in Iran. ( )

Reading this provided me with a different insight into the repressive lives of girls and women in Iran during the reign of Ayatollah Khomeini, but it also offered glimpses of the stolen moments of pleasure they manage to create for themselves, albeit few, whether it be dating via a taxi ride, or having your friends over for parties.

Tamila is given a taste of freedom when her parents manage to get her a passport so she can go to America, to visit her sister and her brother-in-law, and with the sole purpose of finding herself a husband so she can stay in America and never have to return to Iran.

One would think that, leaving a repressive society, that one would immediately embrace and enjoy the freedom that America provides, but Tami is unprepared mentally for the cultural change, and her instinctive responses to innocuous gestures such as a barrister giving her a free sample of tea at Starbucks, to passing policemen out for their cup of coffee and people of both genders just hanging out together having fun.

And all this time that she's learning the ropes of freedom, she's frantically, with the help of her sister, trying to find a Persian man to marry so she can stay in the country, accepting the fact willingly that once married, she will be trading one type of prison for another, because some of her liberties will be curbed once more, despite living in America. The irony of her enjoying her freedom while looking towards marriage wherein she is expecting to be submissive is not lost on the reader.

There is, however, a happy ending to this story. ( )

This is such a heart-warming story of a woman who now has the freedom to do as she pleases in America but still has fears due to her life in Iran. It is also heart-breaking because we learn about her life in Iran. You're not sure if it's true or not so you research more about the lives of Iranian woman. You learn of a culture that the media has ripped to shreds but also rings true in some way or another. As Tami tries to find the perfect suitor so she can remain in America, you secretly wish she ends up with the first American man she meets. You wish you were more like her- adamant to spread your wings, tough, and ready to try something new. I loved it so much I gave it to my sister to read as well! ( )

I really enjoyed this book...it was sweet, but also a book that makes you realize how lucky we are to live in the United States with all our freedoms as a woman.

Her experiences were great and the ending was the best....it was a book that was hard to put down.

Loved the characters..felt sorry for her mother who was still "stuck" in her native country. ( )

A Middle Eastern twist to the paperback romance. This is not your typical arranged marriage. This book is about an Iranian women who is sent to the states by her family so that she might find a man who will give her a chance at a better life. The young woman goes through a short list of Iranians, never suspecting that an actual love might be right under her nose. The story endures several twists before it comes to a liberating ending. ( )

Tami has three months here on her visa from Iran in which to find a husband. While this book is humorous with her experience with a new country, I did find myself in tears with the ending. This book does present a bit of the suppression of the women in the middle east and what the freedom of this country means to them. A good, entertaining read! ( )

An interesting look into a Persian woman's life, though the romance was too "hollywood" to be believable. ( )

July 2008: http://www.3rsblog.com/2008/07/book-c... ( )

good story for teens, strong female character ( )

will never read this author again. incredibly fluffy story about serious issues. was extremely surprised by the juvenility of the book. ( )

I have mixed feelings about this book. At first, I was really into it. Tamila's experiences of America and how different they were from life in Iran were touching and funny at times. And her love interest, Ike, was adorable. But about halfway through things kind of go in wild directions. You can't really tell where the plot is going, and this wasn't in a good 'oh how delightfully unexpected!' way - just a confusing one. And then in the end all of her problems are neatly resolved in a somewhat rushed, deus ex machina sort of way, with little explanation as to why. And I really would have like Tamila more as a character if she had just explained her problems and reservations to Ike, but I suppose then that might been so sensible it ended the book earlier. Anyway, this book is worth the read, I think, but perhaps not worth buying. ( )

I am not done reading this yet but love this book.I have read others similar to this subject but, this one is an easy read and keeps you wanting more. I love the humor in it.
I finished this awhile ago and have since shared it with many friends. It was easy to read, the characters were very likable and a fun but insightful story. ( )

Twenty-seven year old Tamila Soroush comes to the United States from Iran on a 3-month visa in order to find a husband so she can stay and live in the United States. Tami lives with her sister and husband who try to find an Iranian husband for her. Meanwhile Tami meets new friends in her English class and also meets Ike, someone she is strongly attracted to, but who doesn't want to be married. Tami is a strong female character. She loves Iran, but loathes the repressive regime, especially the restrictions put on women. This book provides readers with a snapshot of life in Iran and also the culture of Iranian-Americans in the US. Some of the characters are a little too stereotypical, especially Eva. The ending is a little too pat, but it is an entertaining and informative read. ( )

I couldn't put this book down. Luckily I had a severe burn on my arm & I threw my back out so I had lots of time waiting in Drs offices to read it! LOL
This read will definately make you appreciate what we have here in the States (assuming thats where you are). After I finished I thought about all the things that I take for granted and opportunities that I have that other women don't. This may be the kick in the ass I need to get back out into the dating game.
I don't necessarily agree with why she was here in the States. Green cards are not a reason to get married BUT I can totally understand why Tami wouldn't want to go back home.

Tami leaves the only home she has ever known in Iran for a 3 month stay in America. Her objective is to find an Iranian husband that is a citizen so that she may stay. To go from always needing to be covered, not looking men in the eyes & avoiding conversations with men she does not know to wearing low cut dresses & having men come up to her off the street is quite a culture shock! ( )

A young Iranian girl is sent to America on a ninety day visa to visit her sister and find a husband. In the process she thinks about the freedoms we enjoy compared to her life in Iran. This book reads like it would make a good, light, romantic movie. ( )