"Courting Samira" by Amal Awad had me really wanting to fall in love with it, but in all honesty, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. While I really wished I could connect with it, the type of romance it presented just wasn't my cup of tea.

3.5 stars rounded down

I found this to be a generally enjoyable read! I loved Samira's voice, and watching her figure out who she is and what she wants both romantically and professionally. I think where I was struggling was the concept of the love triangle. Based on the tension in the novel, I really felt like Samira was leaning one way the entire book. It was more about closing one door fully to open another, and less about trying to decide which door to walk through, if that makes sense? If you're a fan of Muslim rep in your romantic comedies, I think this book will have what you need! If you're looking for that good sweet love triangle yearning, I don't know that this is the book for you.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Courting Samira by Amal Awad is a classic romantic comedy, but a few elements set it apart: the strong voice and full life of Samira and the genuine di

I really loved this book - I went into with zero expectations, and I find myself devouring this in a matter of hours. Samira is a great FMC - funny, charming, self-aware yet also slightly unsure of herself. It is rare that a book labeled a romcom has me actually laughing out loud, but I did so many times in this one. And Menem!! I mean - what is there to say? Fantastic, communicative, kind, patient. We should all be so lucky.

While this is obviously written from a specific cultural and religious POV, it is deeply accessible. I may not have the same exact concerns as Samira, but I think we have all struggled with balancing our obligations and our desires, no matter how different those may be for each individual. Samira makes reference to Jane Austen a lot within the book, and I think that's the perfect comp for how this was both specific and universal: I equally do not relate to the day-to-day concerns of Regency Era England, and yet I find myself completely enthralled by the romantic life of Elizabeth Bennett, for example.

Highly recommend this one for anyone looking for a funny, sweet, and clean romance. Five stars for me, because I want more of these! Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for the ARC.

this was okay, but read a little juvenile and i didn't feel connected to the characters or what happens to them at all. i can see other reader enjoying this a lot tho!

— thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC.

A beautiful story. I love the perspective of different culture. The characters really drew me in and keep me going.

Courting Samira pretty much lived up to the hype. As someone who 8/10 chooses a book based off its cover I was glad the reviews matched. I was hoping for a little bit more spice, but that’s just personal preference.

I hope to read more from this author.

HarperCollins and NetGalley provided an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

This was a cute Muslim new-adultish romantic comedy. I very much enjoyed reading about young hijabi, the Arab community in Sydney, and different courting and engagement/ wedding traditions. The FMC wasn’t really new adult age, but she behaved more like a YA/New Adult heroine.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this romance! Part of my family is from Kuwait and so there were many relatable aspects, but also some learning. It was cute and the narrator was really funny. A great read.

I was figuring this book would be a frothy romance. I got about 50 pages in and the froth felt forced and I was bored so I noped out.

Samira was nice enough but there was nothing about her that made me want to learn more. She's sort of a Bridget-Jones-but-Muslim person who loves sweets, isn't very good at her job, is hopeless at romance (partly because she seems to rely on meetings arranged by her parents), and does a lot of Slack messaging and texting. There were a LOT of text exchanges and Slacks in this book and it doesn't seem interesting to me anymore. It wasn't especially sassy or witty, just an average exchange with friends like any other.

After 50 pages no great romantic prospects had shown up except for maybe Samira's best friend but he's not the one. This book isn't the one for me either.

Courting Samira was a good look into the culture of Arab Muslim courtships. I was rooting for Samira to find love and happiness. 4⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I appreciate that this is a realistic halal comedy that I could have in a school library. While the characters are adults, I see the appeal for young adult audiences. The religion portrayed in the story is not preachy, and the depictions of Arab culture are accurate and funny. The themes of family, friendship, halal romance, and dreams/identity can all be discussed. This did not end as I expected, but thank you for closure and a happy ending!

A Muslim chick lit must read! I don’t think I’ve read any other book that lets us dive into the Muslim community. Glad this book introduced me into this world! I definitely recommend giving it a read. I love Samira !!

Courting Samira by Amal Awad

This story is a spectacular example of Muslim Romance. I loved it so much!

Things I am here for:
Authentic representation
A spectrum of Muslim women characters, not a monolith!
Witty internal and external dialogue
Do not approach the singletons!
Samira's thoughts about photography
Reading about the layleeya, it sounds special and magical
The best happily ever after

I really hope this becomes a series. I would love to read more about Lara and Sahar.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had a lot of feelings about this book. I was not a fan of the first 30%. In fact, I considered quitting many times. In rom-coms such as these, I usually appreciate a conversational narrator. However, Samira was written in a very juvenile way. Many of the jokes fell flat and cheesy to me. The overuse of parentheses to explain things that didn't need explaining, or do 'wink-wink' jokes were not for me. In that same vein, I abhor the use of "gawd". It evokes middle school tweens. More alongside Samira's childishness, her beef with Zahra was sooooo overblown. The hate she got was just repetitive and I did not care. Everything changed at the 50% mark though. Samira's inner turmoil was still childish at times, and a little long-winded at others. But, I liked the character interactions with Menem, Hakeem, and Lara. I found myself completely on the fence over which fella she would end up with, which was an enjoyable read. I liked reading the struggle of Arab-Muslims in Australia. The author did a good job integrating cultural aspects for a white Texan like me to understand. This one is 3 stars for me.