Representation: Muslim & hijabi characters throughout

Huda's search for love combined with her absolutely adorable illustrations made for one of my favorite reads thus far in 2020.


What I Enjoyed


Huda's humor was infused in nearly every moment of this story, from when an auntie makes a snide remark about her age & marrying at that point (there was reference to a cat hotel 😬😲) to when she first sees/meet her future husband Gehad at a conference (🥰😍).

The callbacks to earlier times, earlier loves/crushes, etc., also had these asides that I'd call tea time episodes because Huda would come to us with commentary from her favorite seat with a warm cup of tea, dispensing the wisdom thindsightight had granted her.

Readers will also get insight into Huda's experience as a Muslim woman growing up, learning the Rules as she puts them, that govern her life and interactions with regards to dating & marriage. Her confusion about finding The One may be familiar to readers who experience similar feelings and even if not, her journey is peppered with, as aforementioned, Huda's brilliant handling of any and all material with signature humor.


To Sum It Up


From Huda to Gehad to her parents, whether assorted side characters or Huda's own asides, there is no shortage of content for laughs. Something for everyone to laugh with as you read alongside Huda's journey, as I did, in That Can Be Arranged. 😊

I enjoyed Ms. Fahmy's first small, humorous graphic novel, "Yes, I'm Hot in This" and like this one even more! She delightfully relates her own experiences as a traditional young Muslim woman who finds appeal in the similarity of her culture's courtship patterns to those in Jane Austen novels. Ms. Fahmy's story of her own thoughts and experiences of romance and marriage are a delightful blend of Muslim tradition (chaperoned courtship, parental involvement) and American culture (spoilery or I'd relate the fun!)

Ms. Fahmy's art is simple yet appealing with a delightful color palette suited to her light and romantic themes. Her rendering of facial experssions in particular add visual humor to her laugh-provoking text.

A delightful book recommended to both Muslims and those of all faiths or none who enjoy romance and humor graphic novels and comics.

I received an e-advance reader copy with the expectation I would write an honest review.

Sweet, funny, and insightful. This book was a delight to read and is full of the wit and wisdom found in "Yes I"m Hot in This", the authors online comic series.
A modern day Jane Austen story indeed.

I opened the first page and laughed like hell. It was hilarious right from the start and as i turned the pages, it only got better. The first quarter of pages explain the terminologies of marriage, types of men and women and nosy aunties while also giving a bit on the storyline.

It's a short and sweet read. The illustrations were awesome. Over all, the book is absolutely hilarious. It's Pride and Prejudice set in the background of Islamic culture and traditions. The story follows author's journey in finding a groom while navigating the societal know how of the culture she is born and brought up in. 

A must read for all Jane Austen fans.

A fun read, I sat down and didn’t get back up until I’d finished it! I enjoyed Huda’s sense of humor and even laughed out loud in several places. There’s a great cast of characters involved in Huda and Gehad’s love story and I especially liked getting to know Huda’s mother. Told with a combination of thoughtful reflection and self-deprecating humor, everyone who reads this book will be rooting for Huda to find true love.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC for review purposes.

I love Huda's comics! I learned a lot about her culture and she told her story in such a funny and endearing way. I look forward to seeing more from her and hope she publishes many more comics.

This is my second book by Huda Fahmy and I enjoyed it as much as the first one. She helps bring such knowledge to a culture I didn't know much about. It is also a beautiful ode to her and husband love story. It is so heartfelt and sweet but at the same time funny and quirky. It did not disappoint.

I found this to be hilarious! Not only it is perfect for Austen lovers but for the romantics that feel so hopeless and societal expectations that are against them. Not only are readers learning about another culture but finding a story that they will find both relatable and funny at the same time. I couldn't stop myself from laughing! The artwork was just an amazing added touch!

Absolutely delightful, charming, and funny biographical comic about the author's romantic experience and ultimate marriage. I'm only passingly familiar with this artist, but I absolutely want to know more now.

Imagine Jane Austen’s stories written in the style of Sarah’s Scribbles, centered around a devout young Muslim woman in the contemporary USA, and that pretty much exactly describes That Can Be Arranged: a Muslim Love Story. It’s a fun, sweet, extremely readable graphic novel about Huda Fahmy, author of Yes, I’m Hot in This: the Hilarious Truth about Life in a Hijab, and how she met her beloved husband Gehad. I enjoyed her first book, with its simple but evocative art, and snarky humor, and started following her on Instagram, so I snapped up a chance to read this book via NetGalley.

I actually ended up liking this even better than Yes, I’m Hot in This, probably mostly because there’s a coherent narrative throughout, and, even better, a sweet, funny, romantic one. Huda’s sharp, snarky, engaging wit and humor are still in full force this time around, but are elements of a bigger story. We get a bit of an insider’s view of a (geeky) Muslim woman’s search for love and eventual courtship and marriage, complete with all the practices peculiar to her expression of her faith. We also get lots of laugh-out-loud moments, like when she points out the potential awkwardness of having her bearded, visibly Muslim husband talking gamer smack to her in public (“I’m going to beat you so bad tonight.” etc), complete with the horrified nice white lady in the background.

I feel like I learned a little about what Muslim daily life and romantic courtship and relationships can be like. As a fellow nerd, I was able to relate to some of Huda’s struggles. Others were so culturally different from my own practices that I had a harder time relating–but she still helped me, the reader, understand her feelings in those moments, and what the practices meant to her. I’m so glad I read this; I really enjoyed it, and finished in one sitting. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, diverse little graphic novel about geeky love in a hijab.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for allowing me to read a temporary digital advanced copy of #ThatCanBeArranged . This is my honest opinion.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

I follow Huda on instagram (@yesimhotinthis) and have loved the comics I saw there. Reading this book by her gave such a nice background story on how her and her husband, Gehad, met. I really enjoyed the story and it was something that I had not seen on her instagram! The story was heart warming as well as funny!! I also enjoyed getting to learn about Islam and the ways in which she celebrates her religion. Overall, a really fun read.

Huda Fahmy is a Muslim living in the United States, sharing her real life experiences in the form of comic strips published on Instagram. I started following her somewhere around last year; I mean who wouldn’t love the at times acerbic humor and wit that flows so smoothly through her meaningful comics that most Muslims can relate to?

When I found out that Huda was releasing her new book, That Can Be Arranged sometime this year, I have been counting down the days. That is until during one of my once in a blue moon forays into Netgalley served me with the best of surprises; this title was up for grabs for an ARC review. Quickly downloading it and reading through it in one setting, I was fascinated by the story of how Huda found her soulmate for life in Gehad her husband.

Islam is a pivotal part of Huda’s comics, and the way she so brilliantly imparts Islamic knowledge and wisdom without sounding preachy is something I have come to appreciate immensely in her work. As a romance lover, I loved Huda and Gehad’s story. As a Muslim, I loved it even more. Why? Because Huda’s real life journey towards finding her soulmate gives hope in a way not many stories can; that valuing your own self and loving yourself is a first step towards finding someone who would love all of you, imperfections and all of that. That is not a lesson that many learn before they make huge mistakes, which I believe for the most part Huda managed to skirt around.

Easier said than done, right? Huda too felt the same when she first started out on her journey, trying to fit certain molds that society can often project on your subconscious. The well-meaning family, both immediate and otherwise can often dampen the spirits of the most enthusiastic, especially when they have a tendency to kick you where it hurts when it comes to affairs of the heart.

Luckily, Huda is spared most of the heartbreak because she is strong in many ways from the onset, her mother and father being supportive of what she wanted for herself rather than trying to marry her off to the first thing that crosses over from the realm of eligible men. Her continued efforts towards learning more about her religion which actually brings her finally to Gehad and identifies in him her soulmate was beautiful in a way that is indescribable.

There is a certain allure in the way Huda combines traditions with that touch of modern flair which I identified with on a deep level. While I know that living as a Muslim, especially in a country like the US at a time when Islamophobia is on the rise and is rampant must be difficult, I did identify somethings that I wouldn’t mind having over here, a “100%” Islamic country as well. One of them being Muslim scholars who are more approachable and understanding of the unique challenges faced by Muslims of the world today. That in essence is a huge gap in most Muslim societies, the inability of scholars to get to the heart of the issues and reach out to the disillusioned among us. It is so easy to give into despair in a world that is so skewed in favor of the few, it is so easy to get lost in the fray.

In short, I loved it all. Recommended for anyone who appreciates humor and wit, combined with the belief that God indeed works in the most mysterious of ways.

Final Verdict: A unique portrayal of navigating the marriage market in a Muslim society, giving insight into the traditions and societal expectations on women, and a journey of self discovery and spirituality towards finding the one!

Rating = 4.25/5 [AWESOME READ]

I discovered Huda and her comics last Ramadan on instagram and totally enjoyed them.

I liked that someone who really knew what they were talking about was presenting it in such a fun way.

So when I saw this I couldn’t resist.

This is the story of Huda going through potential suitors and her marriage to the One.

Every page has a little writing along with a comic.
I liked that it represented and showed the Islamic tradition in marriage.

But to me it added nothing really.

A light fun read with accurate information and lots of laughs.

This review is for a free copy courtesy of Netgalley

An important book to tackle the Islamophobia.When hijab is associated with oppressed women this book shows how hijab wearing women are living their lives on their own terms.A light funny and funny read for everyone.

Adorable, hilarious, and (I assume) relatable, Huda Fahmy's book about wanting love, coping with the struggles of not being in love, and falling in love fully and sincerely touched my heart. While I'm aromantic, this short book sold the feeling of being in love as something positive, something that could be both fun and lively, as well as hammering in that it's all right to find love in your own time, free of other expectations.

This short book is fun, relatable for my fellow muslim sisters and it will give readers a wider perspective on marriage and finding ‘the one’. The one thing that I will absolutely take to heart is that even though the main character felt hopeless, she did something about it instead and take matters into her hands.

This book has a lot of humour which I can sense must have come from the author herself. I didn’t feel bored at all reading this book and actually had a really great time. I was deeply amused most of the time. I’ve seen before this author’s comic strips on twitter and always adored it. Its really great that its now available longer and in book form.

To anyone who is coming of age for marriage, I highly recommend you to read this insightful book. Because she didn’t give up, instead worked harder to be closer to Allah by learning about the religion and taking classes. She also said that she is worth the wait and the right guy will come along eventually. Just a matter of time and I find this really beautiful and reminer for myself and to all the women out there. You are worth the wait, no matter what people say.

I really love this book so much and I could have read it in one sitting but I didn’t want to. Instead, I took my time reading it and take in all the cute illustrations one at a time. Its such a great book, funny and relatable for any muslim girls.

I've followed Huda on instagram for a long time now, I love her contents! I always find her comics amusing and relatable at times, this one is no different. I couldn't exactly identify whether this was written for those who are familiar with Islam or not, the humour should be universal though. I just wished it had more stories.

A very light, short and uplifting graphic story of how Huda Fahmy in real life as an observant Muslim woman of the twenty-first century, found her soulmate.

Dodging shady suitors, societal expectations and impossibly nosy aunties, this book is all about Huda’s real life quest to find a perfect partner who is her equal.

My first graphic book in a very long time it’s definitely an enjoyable read that would also be very enlightening for non-muslim readers specially those of the Western world.

Though I would have preferred it more as a longer book, it’s a quick read that explores the subject of identity and Muslim/Arab representation deftly.

P.S. the introduction letter of the book is hilarious!

I follow Huda Fahmy on Instagram and LOVE her comics. I am a Christian who love to learn about other religions and cultures. I knew many traditions of Muslims but Huda adds her own personality and humor to everyday situations. I absolutely understand how she felt about eventually finding the right one. I enjoyed reading about their love story and sharing her experience in an arranged marriage.

#partner Andrews McMeel Publishing
What a fun book this was. I have followed Huda on Instagram for a while now, and I love how she takes time to share and educate about her faith and life. This book is solely about her experience with arranged marriage. I loved how each page incorporated her comics and some more text to better explain some situations. I would have really enjoyed there being more at the end of the book, but maybe she’ll write another one one day.