I follow her on Instagram and love her work.
Characters 9
Atmosphere 7
Writing Style 7
Plot 7
Intrigue 7
Logic 7
Enjoyment 7
I really really liked it, it was full of humor and sarcasm. It got me thinking about how aunties are the same around the globe and we should really think harder about it!

I loved this! It was such a great explanation of Muslim customs as well as Huda's own love story and I loved how she told it as if it were an Austen novel.

This was amazing. I love Huda Fahmy's webcomics and I really enjoyed her first book. This one did not disappoint. I'm glad we got to learn about Huda and how she met Gehad. She still inserts her humor into every page even though this book takes on some very deep and important issues.

Finding the person you want to spend the rest of your life with is hard enough. Now just imagine how much more complicated it gets when your parents are part of the process. That's the case with Huda, a Muslim woman on the hunt for a hubby. A Jane Austen loving, hopeless romantic, Huda is worried she may never find the right man, but thanks to a chance encounter, and a matchmaking sheikh, she might just find the man of her dreams.

This book was a quick and refreshing read. The main character was hilarious, relateable and the pop culture references were on point. This book reminded me of how much I really hated dating.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. *

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free comic book!*

"That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story" is the autobiographical story of Huda, searching for a partner and finding one -- not where she expected him. The marriage was arranged in the sense of both parents giving consent and going through a courting phase and whatnot, but it wasn't forced. Huda is incredibly funny, well versed, and I just LOVED all the Jane Austen comparisons (because it isn't that different!). Even though I have a totally different approach to men, meeting and dating them (marriage isn't for me), this was also really cute.

This was also wholesome and cute.

5 Stars

A funny and educational read about muslim arranged marriages based on the author's experiences. The cartoonish artwork was cute and the story challenges myths and stereotypes about modern arranged marriages. a quick and enjoyable read.

The topic of arranged marriages - regardless the religion --- enjoys a considerable popularity, being often considered with curiosity yet repulsion for its unnatural approach of free love and choice of partners. It's just an observation, as I do not want to start now a critical discussion either about this choice of topic nor about the issue of arranged marriages in general.

That Can be Arranged. A Muslim Love Story is a graphic memoir about how the author Huda Fahmy met her husband. It has a lot of similarities with Ayesha at Last as it has to do with marriage between observant Muslims, except that it is mostly expressed as a graphic novel and is autobiographical. Personally, I liked Ayesha at Last but I've read reviews by Muslim bloggers who were not so impressed about it so I suppose besides the literary standards the approach of the content makes a difference between curious people about other traditions and culture and those who are part of the respective culture.

Huda Fahmy prefers rather to be single than stuck in a horrible marriage. Although she is to meet her matches in the classical way - after they get in touch with her father, a research via CV of the potential match takes place and the meeting is taking place in the presence of the mother - she is the one who will chose in the end the one and only, who will later become her husband. Long before they met 'officially' she saw and liked him and only further circumstances made the encounter possible. Her story adds a note of diversity to the main story of visible Muslim women in America: she goes to university, loves Jane Austen, her parents are divorced, she is interested in someone to connect with spiritually and less in the dowry. It is an unique story which invites the reader to open his/her mind and accept diversity without too much ado.

I've found the voice of the writer authentic with hilarious accents, which makes the story readable for the less knowledgeable audience. I only was not impressed by the illustrations.


Rating: 3.5

A quick and hilarious read. Huda Fahmy seamless tells the story of how she met her husband and offers a little insight into what dating and marriage looks like to some Muslims. I will definitely be looking out for more of Fahmy's work in the future as she has such a brilliant voice and I will gladly support her work.

An utterly engaging and hilarious memoir in a graphic novel about Huda Fahmy navigating the, sometimes difficult and oftentimes funny, terrain of finding love and arranging her marriage under the tenets of her Islamic faith. Fahmy is the ripe old age of 25 (a cat-lady in training) when she finally lays eyes on her future husband Gehad and begins to spin the wheels to get her marriage arranged. But before the big day arrives, she laughingly takes the reader through her history of dating and not-dating to get to Mr. Right. Fahmy is a little snarky, a little self-deprecating, a little nerdy, and a lot funny. I really loved how she drew her cast of characters (overbearing but loving mom , gossiping aunties, etc) with such irreverence - poking fun, but always with a loving heart. And, while this is an overwhelmingly cute little love story, there is great import here too, as Fahmy doesn't pull punches on the sexism and Islamophobia she experiences on a daily basis.

If you want to smile, check out this little gem, and the rest of Huda Fahmy's work.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this. It was cute, it was funny and I learned about arranged marriages. I liked it so much I even read the acknowledgements and glossary.

The writing is very witty and the art is a perfect match to it. I would highly recommend this as a quick, fun read.

A humouristic and honest look into the life of a visibly Muslim woman in the US. Huda Fahmy (@YesIamHotInThis) shares her experiences with relationships and marriage in an accessible manner. A great a quick read, laughs guaranteed but most importantly; it will give insight in a world which for many of us seems far away. Highly recommended!

*ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I have not read many illustrated books but this one caught my attention and I had to read it. I am so glad I did, because I loved it!

This comic book tells the story of the author and her arranged marriage. For people like myself who are not familiar, I loved the insight this provided into their culture. I also loved the humor that was through out the book!

A solid four stars!

I loved the author's previous book so when I saw this one I knew I needed to request it right away. It was just as good as the last one. It gives you an idea of what her life is life but far from dry. You can really get a sense of her personality. I would highly recommend this book.

I've followed Huda Fahmy (@yesimhotinthis) on Instagram for a while and I find many of her comics to be hilarious. I'm not Muslim-I'm actually not even religious-but that doesn't mean I can't identify with a lot of the messages in her work, or even sympathize or emphasize with her experiences.

I hadn't read her previous book, but I added it to my to-read list immediately after finishing this one, which I absolutely adored. While Fahmy's experiences may not be those of many non-Muslims (and even several Muslims), the way she creates her comics makes them easy to understand and often quite relatable to experiences you may have had. And she's freakin' hilarious! Her wit and, specifically, her snark, made me absolutely love this collection.

I can also see how this book would be a great guide for a Muslim woman who may be following in Huda's path, to see that she's not alone (and it's okay if you're not married by 25!).

Highly recommend this one!

This very amusing graphic novel tells the story of how the author, Huda Fahmy, met and married her husband. The artwork and colouring is quite simple in style but I think this enhances the story because the simple style manages to convey the complexities around life, love and relationships.

Huda Fahmy tells her own story about her marriage and how she navigated societal and religious expectations. She takes the time to explain that arranged marriages come in different forms and are not the same as forced marriages. As someone who comes from a conservative culture I could recognise some of the aspects of her story even though I am not a muslim. The aim of courtship or 'dating' is marriage and there are very clear steps to marriage which involve the entire family and sometimes community, not just the couple themselves.

As someone who was brought up in both liberal global north cultures and conservative global south cultures, I really appreciate this book and I could see elements of myself in it. I remember my mother trying introduce me to the son of her friend and that didn't go anywhere because the young man in question liked his food too much. After that my parents left me to my own devises.

Huda's story echoes the concerns of anyone hoping for love and marriage. As she hopes for her future she discovers more about who she is as a person. She learns to love who she is and this helps steer her path. It doesn't mean that she isn't anxious about meeting someone, it is just that she eventually manages to balance her desire for a relationship with the need to live her life to the full. Huda goes to university, goes on conferences qnd gets on with life, all the while dealing with her anxieties about her biological clock. What I liked most is the way her culture and religion empower her to voice what she wants from a husband. Her expectations weren't vague and she wasn't afraid to say that she wanted to get married.

I also appreciated the way that her family and friends supported her quest. Some of this support was a bit too intrusive for my global North ways. I dont think I would have wanted my mother to chaperone my dates, but I liked the way her Dad was there for her when one suitor became unsuitable.

A lot of emotion is conveyed in this story, as well as the complexities of culture and religion, and the challenge of expressing both of those in a liberal more secular culture. It is a great book because it tells a story about a young woman's search for love in a very humorous and engaging way.

Copy provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Definitely a book for Muslim girls to read after they've "got another wedding invitation." Or if someone asks to marry you and says, "I find you...r citizenship attractive."
Although anyone would enjoy reading this book because it is so hilarious, it's especially relatable and enjoyable to read as a (single) Muslim American woman.
I can relate to all of Huda's horror and humourous stories.
There are even some words of wisdom! "Find someone who shares your level of faith wants to grow with you."

Thank you for the ARC! I enjoyed it!

Cute but very simple, both in art and story. Simple isn't really a fault given that we don't have lots of accessible stories about arranged relationships or religious Muslim women finding love. It would be a good choice for a teen learning about other cultures, or a new college kid wanting to understand new friends (I didn't know any Muslims my own age until college, nor did I know anyone considering arranged marriage, so that would have been a great point to have something like this). The author compares her view of courtship to Jane Austen's, and it would be a good read along with some Austen or other Western work from that time period.

"That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story" is an interesting read, with a great start, and some very good visual gags that, unfortunately, falls shorts in delivering on the high expectations the author creates in the first pages.

In this graphic novel, Huda Fahmy tells the story of how she met and married her husband. It all starts really well, with a short guide for people that need to know some concepts about Muslim culture and then jumping to the moment she met her husband.

But stop! We need first to see, understand and go with Fahmy through the rules of dating, of intergender relationships, of courtship, of suitors... etc., etc., before we can go back to the moment she got to meet her husband. Some of this is great, with a funny and relatable way to explain things and a couple of very funny moments (and also easy to understand for people who could come from a different background).

However, it all end ups being overly simplistic, with repetition of the same gags and ideas over and over... and over. The chaperone one is one of the few that keeps being funny, but a couple of the others, on to of becoming repetitive, could also make some readers raise their eyebrows (but here we enter into the topic of believes, ideas, etc...).

Also, for what is supposed to be a love story, there is little of love or character development here: look how I met that guy, let's go back to see how I understood relationships as a young Muslim woman; see, we meet this guy again. Married.

End.

It makes for a blunt, over-simplistic, character arc. It is good to see how the character (and her environment) understands relationships, etc., but the author just telling me her husband is funny, handsome and the perfect partner does not make for compelling storytelling or laugh out loud moments.

I laughed out loud several times, learned some things, and wished I could meet her because she sounds dope.

Recommended: Yes!
For insight into what it's like to have a modern-day arranged marriage (note it's not a FORCED marriage), for a funny story about finding yourself and finding love

Thoughts:
This was like having a friend you can ask questions about without worrying you'll accidentally be offensive. Like the answer to the questions you want to ask but aren't sure you're allowed to. It was also HILARIOUS! And so, so sweet. I can never turn down a cute little love story!

And oh, man, was this funny. I laughed a lot, and those are often my favorite kinds of reads. Between moments in the story itself and the art that enhanced the jokes, I was positively cackling. It probably sounded a bit like my own zaghrit at times.

It's obviously a love story, and you pretty much know where it's heading considering the dedication is "To Gehad." That just makes it all the more delectable to follow along, cheering for her and thinking "Ooooh girl just wait till you see what's coming your way..."

There were also some good words of wisdom in there too, and one I particularly liked was when her mother challenges Huda, asking her "What, you think people who date first don't get divorced?" Like... yeah good point, right?

The main thing keeping it from five stars was the feeling that something was missing from the art style. It felt a bit awkward at first and took some getting used to. I think this is primarily due to the lack of variable line thickness and depth, which made it look very flat and like it was done entirely in MS paint. If it WAS done entirely in MS paint, then I'm actually super impressed. It took some getting used to it, but what she does with her art is fantastic and easily overrides any awkwardness in the style itself. The extra bits of humour and story done through visual elements added a lot to the story and the personalization of it.

PS - I read the foreword, and I recommend you do too. The "I don't sleep with my hijab on" disclaimer alone was worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrew McMeels Publishing for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to have an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

That Can Be Arranged by Huda Fahmy is a graphic novel which illustrates the true reality of so many Muslim girls around the world and how halal dating isn't as easy as most people would think.

The story follows a reflection of the author's experience with romance and halal dating in the modern world. It is told in a humorous and realistically honest style.

It sheds light on the various societal struggles faced by single females in Muslim communities, common stereotypes, the process of halal dating and marriage in Islam.

This graphic novel has easily become one of my favourites! I relate so much to the main character (aka the author, Huda) and her family. I am so glad that she's found her soulmate and embraced her life and self-love in real life.

I highly recommend this book! And I am going to buy it once it's out in 2020.