Love the culture and charm of this PNP retelling! This really combines two of my favorite things books that explore different cultures and a retelling of a classic. This was a sweet romance that just made me feel good.

Ayesha At Last is such a fun story. I loved this modern retelling with diverse characters. Such a fun idea and great way to introduce classics to a new audience,

4.2 stars

This book, this book! I couldn't put it down!

I was totally fascinated by how the characters navigated through these landscape of conservative Muslim traditions around marriage and family relationships facing prejudice, preconceptions, inequality and racism.

The main plot device (when pretends to be Hafsa) made me roll my eyes because it was totally unbelievable and I didn't fully connect with the male MC (Khalid) because his personality was totally bland BUT STILL I was totally into the female MC Ayesha and into her character arc.

I definitely recommend this book!

Living with her close knit family in Canada, marriage is far from teacher and poet Ayesha's mind. It's quite enough to be starting her teaching job and following her cousin Hafsa's antics -- of late, preparing for her own arranged marriage. When Ayesha meets Khalid, who intends for his mother to choose his partner, they clash -- and sparks fly, though neither is likely to admit it.

Ayesha at Last is restorative, like a good cup of tea. Ayesha's family, from her Shakespeare quoting Nana to her best friend Clara, were lovely. I wanted to spend time with them, myself. Both Khalid and Ayesha learn to become more true to themselves in the process of finding each other; it was a very sweet read.

Whoa! I absolutely loved this. First, one of my guilty pleasures, Jane Austen retellings. This one was epic, I loved having a completely different perspective. Pride by Ibi Zoboi was one of my favorites because it related to my own experiences, with characters that look and sound and move like me. It gave me a warm, familial feeling. This, Ayesha At Last, moved me in the same way, while giving me insight into a culture I’m not fortunate enough to be exposed to on a regular basis anymore. I appreciate the distinctions she made between the various levels of commitment to their faith and it being accepted, also showing there is a very real sense of accountability within their community. I enjoy reading literature about Muslims of different ethnic backgrounds, I love seeing the beauty within their beliefs; Jalaluddin portrayed these beliefs beautifully and vividly. This story was exciting and fun, beautiful and heart wrenching, redeeming... And just a damn good read. I’m so glad we ordered this one and I’m so thankful for this ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

A few weeks ago, I was tweeting about how much I wanted to read a book like a soap opera. I grew up watching extremely over the top but addictive Indian tv series – these put telenovelas to shame for being OTT – and I have been missing the drama that big desi families, old fashioned romance and gossiping aunties bring with them. When I picked up Ayesha at Last, all I knew was that it was a Pride and Prejudice retelling, but boy did I not know that this book is going to satisfy all my cravings for a good desi drama filled story.

The plot of Ayesha at Last is very faithful to Pride and Prejudice, but Uzma Jalaluddin brings a whole new perspective to the classic, and it is so brown that it made my heart sing with joy. Apart from the beautiful romance, the story also questions and explores Islamaphobia and being a female in a traditional South Asian society. This heartwarming story is such a big step in romance fiction, and I urge you all to give it a chance.

Ayesha is a poet at heart, but she is stuck in a teaching job instead. Amidst desi aunties who never fails to tell her that teaching is a good back up option for a woman – because why else would a woman work unless there is a financial need for it – and give not so subtle nods at her unmarried state in her late twenties, she feels lonely and does not dream of romance. Enter Khalid, a man who is religious, who wants to uphold his traditions and a man who is often misunderstood, judged and taken advantage of. Ayesha and Khalid could not be any more different, but when they fall in love, it is so perfect and heartwarming.

I related to Ayesha on a deep personal level. I am an English major, and I have heard enough people immediately assuming that I want to be a teacher, and how it is a perfect career choice as it is “domestic enough” for a South Asian woman. I am 20, and have just finished a year of college, but there’s already an aunty brigade who are so curious about when I would get married. We might have entered the 21st century, but in some way the South Asian communities and diaspora still cling to traditions of the 17th century, and I felt Ayesha’s frustration throughout the book.

While I related to Ayesha, Khalid was absolutely my favourite. This man had a beautiful heart and I just wanted to protect him from the world. Khalid is the type of traditional man who gets misunderstood very easily, and the book portrayed the prejudice he faces due to his beliefs and religion so perfectly. Their romance was so pure, it made me cry and it made me grin. I also loved how they had an old school romance, the kind I grew up watching in South Asian movies and TV, and proves that you really don’t need physical intimacy to bring in the swoons and the feels.

Ayesha At Last is a wonderful story with the best characters – special nod to Ayesha’s grandparents, they stole the show – and an important narrative that brings to light the racial and religious prejudice prevalent in Western societies. If you love a good romance, yet shy away from super steamy reads, this book is perfect for you! Ayesha and Khalid’s story is as South Asian as a romance could be, and you all have to experience the magic of their love story.

Happy, lovable, and warm, Ayesha at Last is much more than a simple retelling of Pride and Prejudice. It ticks all the boxes for a perfect romantic story (mistaken identity! haunted past! engagements! enemies-to-friends!) without ever seeming overly dramatic, saccharine, or unrealistic. A wonderful balance of romance and contemporary "chick lit".

I am going to start this review with a confession: I have never read Pride and Prejudice. Never had the desire too. But will probably eventually read it just to see what the fuss is about. That being said, I know enough about it to be able to draw some similarities between the original and this book, which is a retelling of it. The first glaring similarity between the two is Khalid and Mr. Darcy, they are so painfully the same that it was at times infuriating to read. Khalid is a very pious and conservative Muslim man, which is all nice and good, until he starts passing judgement on every single person who doesn't practice the way he does, including Ayesha, whom he labels as "improper" from their very first encounter. Fret not, he does go through character development, as a classic Mr. Darcy does and rights his wrongs. But it was very hair-tearingly frustrating to read.

Now we have Ayesha, who to me, was everyone's doormat. She didn't stand up for herself, let her family do with her as they wish, especially her cousin who is a brat I couldn't stand to read about, because og how self-centered and manipulative she was. So because of it all Ayesha often times felt pushed to background and a side character to her own story. Someone whom things happened to rather than someone who made things happen. Here again, character development happens, but not enough or soon enough in my opinion.

Ayesha at Last is another book I was very hesitant to call a romance, but at the end of the day the romantic relationship was at the center of it all, even though there was a lot happening, and most of the time, TOO MUCH was happening. I liked reading about Muslim characters getting to know each other and falling for each other, I liked seeing their banter and the whole P&P-esque evolution of the story. The romance was really cute when it was given the space to be, when the two characters weren't biting each other's heads of, and when external factors didn't come to ruin everything. But a lot of the times, all of the above happened, which left me wanting more of the romance than I got.

There was so much this book was trying to achieve, so many plot points it tried to bring together, that it jumped all over the place and didn't give any of them the attention it needed and deserved. The one positive thing that came out of it was the fact that it shed a light on the intra-Muslim community prejudice, hypocrisy, and judgmental mentality that's very prevalent. Although the characters that were used to do all that were a bit too one dimensional and caricature-like for my liking, I think Ayesha at Last could have hit the nail on the head better with more complex characters. But they did the job and got the message across. 

Do I recommend? 

Yes. I do realize my review probably sounds very negative, but I actually enjoyed this book for what it was. I just needed to lower my expectations a bit. So if you do that, you should be good.

I always love a good Pride and Prejuice adaptation, so when I saw Ayesha At Last was one, I immediately wanted to read it. Even though it's taken me several months, I'm glad I I finally got to it. It's a lovely story of a woman who grows into herself and becomes more confident and assertive. I liked the love story, but most of all I liked Ayesha's journey.

The moment I discovered that Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin was a Pride and Prejudice inspired retelling, I knew I would have to read the book. I love ANYTHING Pride & Prejudice, and I especially enjoy seeing an author take my favorite classic and give their own spin to it. This book sounded very promising, so I was super excited to check it out!

Not only is Ayesha At Last a retelling, it’s a modern day Muslim retelling, which is also set in Canada. (I have not read many books set in Canada, so this was especially interesting.) The storyline felt both familiar, yet completely fresh and new as well. Other than a few character changes, (and the obvious modern conveniences), it actually follows pretty closely along with the original storyline, which I liked. I did myself getting a little bored a few times in the book, but this was a really quick read, and the story always picked back up to grab my attention, which was nice.

The story is told through two of the main characters viewpoints. Ayesha is our modern day Lizzie Bennett, who dreams of being a poet, but is instead trying to find work so she can pay back her uncle. Khalid is the Mr. Darcy of the story, and much like the original Mr. Darcy, he took a while to warm up to. (Don’t worry, he won me over by the end.) I really enjoyed the alternate narration to the story, and I actually wish the original had had that as well. There are a lot of interesting secondary characters in the story as well, some that you will like, and a few that you will despise with a purple passion. Read the book to meet them all!

I also want to add that while I started reading the actual print copy of this book, I ended up listening to the audiobook about a fourth of the way through. I’m so glad I did! The story is narrated by Roshni Shukla, who has a fantastic voice, and I hope to find more audiobooks that she has narrated in the future!

Overall; Ayesha At Last was a very fun, quick modern day retelling of my absolute most favorite book, and I am very glad to have to read the book! I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by Uzma Jalaluddin in the future! If you like a good Pride and Prejudice retelling with a modern day twist, do check out Ayesha At Last!

Happy Reading!

I really loved this book! Already shared my thoughts in detail on Goodreads, but basically I appreciated the homage to Austen while still creating a unique story.

Loved this, especially as a potential book club pick -- it'd be a great companion read with Polite Society. Everyone loves a good Austen adaptation, and I love recommending diverse voices in my favorite genres.

Jalaluddin takes the classic Austen story of Pride and Prejudice and sets it in the world of Muslims living in Canada. Ayesha wears a hijab and is an independent young woman. She’s not looking for Mr. Right to placate her family. Khalid is a traditional Muslim man who works hard, dresses in traditional attire, lives according to the strict dictates of his faith and has decided to follow the long-standing tradition of letting his mother choose his wife. At work he’s subjected to the prejudicial attitudes of his new boss and the new assignment Khalid is given leads to frustration and embarrassment. It also adds a little light touch to the novel.

As in the classic tale, there’s a clash between the two young Muslims. They see their cultural roles differently, even though they both adhere to attire that proclaims their heritage. The two have an antagonistic relationship that demonstrates their personal prejudices and beliefs.

Austen’s formula for a winning novel has resulted in many re-tellings. This new effort succeeds because of the strength of the characters and the unique setting. The Muslim perspective is fresh and timely and will bring the Muslim world to a beloved romantic tale.

Ayesha is a modern Muslim woman who wears hijab and drives a sports car. She catches the eye of a devout Muslim young man by the name of Khalid as he sees her out of his window every morning. He prays six times a day and has more devout expectations for a bride. When his mother arranges him to become married to Ayesha's cousin, the escapades begin. Khalid and Ayesha clash on almost all areas of their life but are continuously drawn together. Will this ever work? Fun and enjoyable read.

I think this might be my favorite P&P retelling. There is just something about the religious, familial, social structure which lends really well to the retelling of a love story that takes place in the 1800s.

Facts:

1. Every person in this novel annoyed me. Every single one. I was irritated with the characters for about half of the novel, and then they made me love them.
2. I felt the same way about P&P
3. I loved that the author gave us multiple perspectives, a few of them that were pretty surprising.
4. My favorite character was Khalid. I loved experiencing his life, and his complex relationship with all the women in his life.
5. This book features a certified b****. I hated her, but felt the friction she created enhanced my reading experience.
6. I liked Ayesha's perspective as well, but not as much as Khalid's. I loved her grandparents!

This is a story about family, and the role we all play in our families. It's a love story--my favorite kind of slow-building, soft romance, which I thought was just precious. I'm definitely going to reread this, and I highly recommend it. I can't wait to see what Uzma Jalaluddin writes next!

A modern spin on Pride and Prejudice. Heartfelt, dramatic, and full of twists, this one stands on its own to the comparisons of its classic predecessor.

DNF 30%

I think I've just read too many Pride and Prejudice retellings this year. I'm not a huge fan of the original, but I have read and enjoyed some of the retellings. I think in the right hands (particularly the hands of a Jane Austin lover), this could be a well loved book.

Ayesha At Last is a modern take on Pride and Prejudice and fans of the original will find a fun readalike here. But anyone new to Pride and Prejudice will still be able to love this story. Uzma Jalaluddin also brought the perfect amount of drama to keep readers entertained.

This romance novel is set in Toronto and features a Muslim Canadian couple. I adored watched Ayesha and Khalid finally get together. This is a fabulous slow burn romance that readers won't be able to put down. Readers will demand more diverse romances after devouring this one!

I was given a free copy of this book by #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Ayesha is a modern Muslim woman who wears hijab and drives a sports car. She catches the eye of a devout Muslim young man by the name of Khalid as he sees her out of his window every morning. He prays six times a day and has more devout expectations for a bride. When his mother arranges him to become married to Ayesha's cousin, the escapades begin. Khalid and Ayesha clash on almost all areas of their life but are continuously drawn together. Will this ever work? Fun and enjoyable read.