I think this book is not for me. I'm about 15% in and I don't like anybody in the story.

Putting back on the shelf for now and will maybe try again later.

I read this in one sitting, so I should give it at least four stars for being riveting. The super twisty plot was great! The characters were mostly great! The parallels to Pride & Prejudice were great! I'd never read a South Asian Muslim romance novel before so that's cool, too. I for sure saw the Elizabeth Bennet in Ayesah, but she was distinctly herself, not just Lizzy in a hijab. Same thing for Khalid -- Darcy vibes without sacrificing the authenticity of a devoutly religious man who lives to please his mother (very un-Darcy attributes). And I loved Nani the detective grandma and Nana the Shakespeare-quoting grandpa (it was funny to me that Nana means Grandpa in Urdu because that's what my daughter calls my mom).

There are a few things holding me back from loving this book as a whole. The writing was uneven. Sometimes nuanced and lovely and exciting. Sometimes it was clunky and really dragged, weighed down by some heavy-handed messaging. Sheila was such an over-the-top grotesque villain (which can work in a silly, bawdy romance novel -- but she felt out of place in this book). Also, I'm sorry, but Ayesha's poetry was terrible IMHO.

Despite any shortcomings, if you're an Austen fan or just looking to diversify your romance reading, this is totally worth a go. ( )

An absolutely lovely book that i devoured between the hours of 11 pm and 2am. Ayesha and Khalid are 2 living,breathing characters and their banter and connection is just so solid. ( )

So, I’ve not read Pride and Prejudice but an amusing story. ( )

Oh, WELL done. So many well crafted subplots that wove together perfectly and we're all interesting. Literary, but not high brow. Romantic, but not mushy. ( )