Cover Image: That Can Be Arranged

That Can Be Arranged

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Member Reviews

That Can Be Arranged was a wonderful graphic memoir that takes a glimpse into Huda Famy's experience growing up as a Muslim woman in America and the journey to meeting and falling in love with her husband. Having not grown up in a culture that values courtship and matchmaking, I felt Huda's story was quite eyeopening and educational. I feel that I, and anyone who reads this book, will have a better understanding of that experience. I also appreciate that she didn't compromise her values by showing herself without her hijab, even as drawn in the book.

The type of graphic memoir that is 'That Can Be Arranged' is my jam and completely put me in my feels. I hope to read more from Huda in the future.

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"That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story" by Huda Fahmy offers a humorous and relevant insight into the world of finding love as an observant Muslim woman. The story follows the author's journey in navigating suitors, family expectations, and societal pressures while seeking her perfect match.

While I appreciated the book's humor and relevance, I found it lacking in certain areas. Some aspects of the story felt rushed, and I wished for more depth and exploration of certain situations. Nevertheless, "That Can Be Arranged" serves as an insightful and relatable portrayal of the complexities faced by Muslim women in the quest for love and marriage.

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Huda Fahmy is the best - her comics are wonderfully honest and hilarious. This book is the story of a modern Muslim romance - complete with chaperones, dad-interrogations, nosy moms and aunties, and the weddings! Honestly, having your family involved with the matchmaking process looking out for your best interest sounds pretty sweet - it's not for everyone, but if you're going to marry someone, you might as well get both sets of parents on board.

Also, Huda and Gehad are so adorable.

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That Can Be Arranged was a very quick read but didn't need to be any longer. It managed to convey both the modern and traditional dichotomy in the Huda Fahmy as a person and her search for an arranged marriage, bringing those of us unfamiliar with the smaller details of the practice along for the ride.

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This book was such a fun and adorable read. It was relatable at so many places, as these instances are faced by most Asians and especially Muslims! Love Huda's work and recommend everyone to read it!

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I would like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ebook.

That Can Be Arranged by Huda Fahmy is a hilarious story where the author tells us how she met her husband. While I haven't read her first book "Yes I'm Hot in This', this book definitely wants me to pick it up.

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Lovely, warm and unusual ...autobiographical graphic novel? Let's call it an autobiographic novel! Not sure how to categorise this as it is just so different! Really interesting and a great insight into arranged marriages, Islam and married life!


Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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From the reviews I had seen, I was expecting something a little meatier. This is a fairly simple but a nice introduction based on this author's experience with her faith and traditions. Appropriate for adult readers down to young teens. The illustrations are sweet and simple, with lots of white space so the reader can focus on the text.

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This was a cute story with cute art. I requested this early when I got NetGalley to try comics, and I'm afraid it wasn't really the best for me. I liked it, but the format and genre isn't my forte.

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A gorgeously drawn graphic novel with an interesting narrative, plot, and concepts. Definitely recommended for fans of this genre.

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Another comic I have followed since Instagram and I was so happy to see their work in a book! Truly educational, heart warming, and just amazing.

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Huda Fahmy's follow up to Yes I'm Hot in This, again sharing details of her life as a Muslim woman, balancing modern perspectives with the traditions she observes. In this book, she shares her experiences as a woman in her twenties feeling like an old maid as she watches her friends marry. She suffers through a number of false starts with meetings set up by the community's "Auntys".Finally, she finds her own potential mate, when she is smitten by Gehad, a speaker at a Muslim conference.

Since Gehad appears in Fahmy's first book, it's not a big surprise when they marry, first however, they must go through the dating rituals of their culture. Every meeting is chaperoned, even email between the couple is monitored and leads to humorous situations.

I know sometimes Fahmy's art is criticized for its simplicity but I love it.

People who are looking for an #ownvoices book with humour will appreciate this one.

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This is a hilarious graphic novel memoir about Huda’s experience with an arranged marriage.

It starts with a disclaimer about her wearing a hijab in the illustrations. The character in the graphic novel is an extension of herself, so she is always drawn wearing a hijab. However, in real life, she doesn’t wear it to bed, to shower, or to get her hair done, even though her character in the book does. She made this disclaimer funny, because she said anyone who skipped that disclaimer would wonder why she was wearing it to bed. She drew the character with a hijab every time for consistency in the book, not because that is what she actually does.

I loved the way she compared the courtship of an arranged marriage to a Jane Austen novel. They both have nosy, older women poking their noses into the lives of young people. There were suitors who came to meet her parents, like in an Austen novel. She also had to be chaperoned on any dates, like Austen’s heroines. This was a great way to compare her situation to older novels. It shows how universal these ideas of courtship are, because Jane Austen’s characters were doing the same things hundreds of years ago as what Huda did today.

This is a great graphic novel!

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I always love a great graphic novel that is solidly woven around a theme. That Can Be Arranged checked all the boxes for me.
It was biting in the right places, but mostly a story. Often illustrators who pivot/diversify into books take a standalone approach - which is to say, they look at each page as a standalone comic strip. So it is refreshing to see this story-length feature.
The icing on the cake? It is a story told about a culture in a sensitive manner. It respectfully talks about the idea of love, marriage and other allied themes.

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While I will be the first to admit, this style of art is not my thing, I loved this graphic novel. It explores what a modern-day arranged marriage can be like and while the subject matter may not seem relatable to many, it absolutely draws the reader in by its humor and commentary on finding love and discovering self.

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3.5
This was cute and funny and I found myself talking about some of the things that happened to my friends.

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I really enjoyed this book! Oh my gosh, so sweet and adorable and geeky! I wasn't familiar with Huda Fahmy before reading this, but now I've got to get her first book, and get caught up before her next one comes out. I could relate to so many of Huda's struggles to find love- the feelings of self doubt, that something must be wrong with me, why doesn't anyone wanna go out with me, when will I meet that special someone? Reaching that point where you'll try to mold yourself into who a potential mate wants, rather than being yourself. I think most, if not all, women can relate to these feelings, and Huda handles them well. Seeing her go through almost settling for a bad match, then realizing she was worth the wait to find the right person was inspiring, and it made me feel the giddiness of finding "the one" again. I'm so happy she found her HEA, and that she shared her story (with lots of fun and laughs included!) with us. *cue swelling chick-flick end credits soundtrack*

#ThatCanBeArranged #NetGalley

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Huda Fahmy tells the story of her arranged marriage in That Can be Arranged. I didn't know what to expect at all when I saw the title. Thankfully, Fahmy explains from the start the difference between an arranged marriage and a forced marriage. Islam prohibits the latter, not the former. Admittedly, I had an incredibly outdated notion of the concept of an arranged marriage. I pictured a pairing made without consulting the bride or groom, set up from childhood whether they like it or not. That was not what Fahmy describes when she described the process by which she married her husband. That was what drew me to That Can be Arranged: it's a first-hand account from someone who had an arranged marriage and it went well. And as both someone interested in learning about other cultures and a hopeless romantic, I dove in.

The first thing that Fahmy makes sure the reader understands is that she had a say in her marriage every step of the way. She initiated contact with the man who would later be her husband, getting help from a sheik to get his family's contact information. She hung out with him (with chaperones, as solo dating before marriage is not allowed in more traditional Muslim circles) until they realized that the match was a good one and that they should get married. Fahmy then proceeds to essentially write a gushing love letter to her husband. And I loved it.

If Fahmy was trying to get the reader to fall as deeply in love with Gehad as she clearly is, then she sure did it. I loved the Jane Austen-esque parallels to her own love life. I loved both her and Gehad's unashamed geekiness. And despite the honey-coated sweetness of the love story, Fahmy's message is this: if your idea of love is different than the norm, that's fine. She met Gehad at an age when some in her circle would consider a woman beyond hope of marriage. She realized that she didn't need to find a perfect man, she needed to find <em>her</em> companion. And there was something so refreshing about a love story so unashamed to talk about when love just doesn't go as we expect.

That can be Arranged is full of heart and so much more than what it initially appears to be. The art style is simple and does what it needs to, but the writing is the book's strength. It's a sweet story that is good for a quick read and one that I've already re-read.

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If you’re looking for a light, funny book that will expand your horizons while simultaneously making you laugh, check out That Can Be Arranged by Huda Fahmy.

That Can Be Arranged is Fahmy’s hilarious graphic memoir about her experience with arranged marriage as a modern American Muslim woman. It debunks a wide range of stereotypes that many people have about both Islam and arranged marriage as Fahmy shares the adorable story of how she met her husband.

I went into this book knowing very little about the Muslim faith and absolutely nothing about arranged marriage, and I found it as fascinating as it was funny. Fahmy is very clear that a lot of things people believe about arranged marriages are just patently false, and she shares her own experiences with her unique brand of honesty and humor.

I love Fahmy’s humor. In one of my favorite moments of the book, Fahmy explains that seeking love as a young Muslim women is very much like being a Jane Austen character. The comparisons she makes throughout the book between her life and Pride and Prejudice had me cracking up (along with many other moments in the book, like her explanation of the different suitors you might face in the search for marriage).

I’ve been a fan of Fahmy’s popular webcomic Yes I’m Hot in This (which features herself and her husband as characters and pokes fun at the misconceptions people have about their culture) for a long time, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting That Can Be Arranged, and it did not disappoint! Definitely check it out if you’re looking for something fun - I guarantee it will put a smile on your face.

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

I enjoyed this unique story! Fahmy’s life story and how she got married was interesting to read because of all the hilarious moments that happened. I also liked the Muslim representation in this book. Although each culture has different practices, her character was relatable to other Muslim girls living in the West. The best part about this book was when she worked to improve herself by learning new things and engaging in hobbies rather than being disappointed because she wasn’t married early.

My only concerns with this book was the format. I liked the idea of the graphics but just having one line of text on each page felt like it was too short. I feel like this book would have been better if there were more details included. Overall, it was a nice and easy read!

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