This was such a sweet read and definitely the first of many I will be reading by this author. I found all the characters relatable in their own way. The romance aspect was written so well.

The aspect of pursuing a career that lacks approval from family is something I can relate to more than I care to admit. I enjoyed the journey this story took and the character growth along the way. I would recommend to a friend.

This book was just sadly not for me! I was hoping for something different but it turned out to be something I was not expecting, which is okay and I'm sure someone else would love it!

I loved this book, I read it in about a day. It was super interesting, I loved the premise and I loved the characters.

"Danyal's seismic character arc, Bisma and his evolving love, and fascinating historical insights make for an entertaining read."—Booklist

Oh boy, this book is way too much sweeter than I expected. I adored those characters and their slow-building, cutest romance story, witty dialogues, heartbreaks, finding the love of your life, and the power of chasing your dreams premise.

Don’t get me wrong this is not only YA sweet, soft romance/ fiction novel. There are so many political, social, class, racial, and religious issues that are perfectly blended into this moving, emotional story. It softly brushes your soul and warms your heart.

You deeply care for the characters and their struggles, their fights for realizing their own dreams, and their self-discovery journey against society and their family’s traditional beliefs!

Let’s know more about the characters starting with Danyal Jilani, chasing his unrequited love for Kaval. He wants to show her and her family he can be an ideal husband candidate. But how? He has his own secret dream to be a chef which will never be accepted or approved by her own traditional family. He knows that he is not the smartest guy. He’s cute but not stunningly handsome. But he is still funny, witty, likable, and friendly. There is more about him but you gotta dig deeper and spend more time with him.

Oh, did I mention that he is just chosen to represent his history class at Renaissance Man- a highly respected academic competition- which gives him more panic attacks! This should be a unique opportunity but he doesn’t like to be under spotlights! Thankfully our nerdy, book-worm, cute heroine Bisma Akran, a microbiology student spending most of her time at the libraries and devouring comic books appears when he needs urgent help!

First, they became teammates and when they start to know each other they became friends and share secrets. Danyal cooks for her and likes to see her smile. He starts to like other things about her! And he realizes… yes, two of them are so adorable and they complete each other perfectly. But as I said before this is not only an entertaining, feel-good, friends-to-lovers story! There are so many angst, cultural, and traditional barriers, and heart-wrenching family problems.

Overall: I had a great time and I enjoyed reading multicultural diversity YA romance/Fiction story. It’s definitely a winner! I think I should request the other thought-provoking good of the author ASAP!

Special Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for sharing this incredibly lovely ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

I tried so hard to like this, but it just was not for me. This had so much potential, but the male main character was just too insufferable.

Overall, the story was pretty interesting. The best part for me was Renaissance Man and Danyal working out the things that he did and what he presented in the end. I also loved the food mentions and reading about Danyal cooking and all. It felt very comforting and it was a lot different than what I was expecting and it definitely left some room for a lot of thoughts.

I did not finish this one because I didn't connect to it. Many thanks to NetGalley for the free advanced reader copy.

I have issues where characters are portrayed cool because they don't really follow their religion & deliberately commit sins because God is very forgiving and He won't mind. 🤦‍♀️
Apart from all the negative representation this book holds of Muslim community, it talks about;
⭐ Following your dreams, not to run after things that you want but are not good for you. Understand the difference between 'want' and 'need'.
⭐ Not to judge ANYONE by their past.
⭐ Be patient and help others run this race of life.
⭐ You are not defined by the pretty face you have but the personality that you have built over the years.

I really enjoyed this book. I have dedicated this month to reading books by people of color during Black History Month. I enjoyed this book more than I expected. This really hit the niche of multi-cultural romance that I wanted to read during February. I really appreciated the advance review copy that I received.

I really enjoyed this story. it was such a sweet coming-of-age story and the romance was nice as well.. It was a good story and I found myself invested.
I was not a fan of how the author handled religion, but otherwise, the book was fine.

I was a little weary when this book started off. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a book for me, maybe I'm just aging out of YA. Is 28 too old for YA?

Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this book in the male's perspective. it was definitely a change for me, but a good change. I especially appreciated that the main character was from a different culture, one that I haven't read many books about. Learning about the Indian culture made me fly through this book. I also appreciated how Danyal was selected for an academic competition where his assignment pushes the envelope. He chose to go against the grain and focus on how a certain historical moment effected his culture rather than what society has told us about that moment.

Overall, it was an enjoyable book.

I loved the food element of the story, as well as the way Danyal's mindset towards school changed as he continued learning about the Bengal Famine. As someone who has been a position where you have to decide whether or not to stick up for what you believe in or keep your head down in hopes for a passing grade, I was really proud of Danyal for choosing to go with his heart and do his best and telling the history of the Bengal Famine with the respect those affected deserve. I loved the way his relationship with Bisma developed.

My only problem with the book is that the main religious character was made into a joke, or often seen as pushing religion and judging everyone for not "following" it properly. This is a terrible trope in books revolving around faith.

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I finished this book today... And I cannot express how much love I have for it.
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More Than Just a Pretty Face is not just a cute contemporary romance. It's an #OwnVoices novel that teaches the nuances of Pakistani-American culture. It promotes forgiveness and unconditional love and seeing internal beauty. It addresses present-day racism and why to keep living when the world seems so dark. And it is from the perspective of the sweetest boy who thinks about the love interest in a way I hope a boy thinks about ME some day, and who makes me wanna fall in love so bad.
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It's hurting me right now that I cannot 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 express to you how much I love this book, and that I can't just push this book in your hands and say READ IT!! It is layered and sweet and yes, I cried several times. Your turn - More Than Just a Pretty Face is out today, so go read it!! Now!! Make me happy 🤗🤗🤗
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Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown for the e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun and diverse cast of characters, and I really enjoyed how it subverted traditional stereotypes! Will definitely order for my library this year.

I was not the biggest fan of this, but I think it is because I am definitely growing out of the young adult genre. I am more of a romance reader now.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early e-arc!

I really enjoyed how this book, while having Muslim MC’s, did not focus wholly on topics such as Islamophobia & the trials and tribulations that come with “being Muslim”, but rather focused more on being a Muslim joy story. There needs to be more books following a similar path in publishing and I hope this is the start of that trend. I also really enjoyed how the characters came across as genuine teenagers while also being able to discuss important issues that I think was handled very well. What ultimately kept this from being a 5 star read for me was constant stereotyping of practicing Muslims & the way certain conversations were handled. I think these could have been handled better and not come across so negatively, but overall a solid read!

“More Than Just a Pretty Face” is a charming young adult novel that stands apart in the crowd because of its subject matter, and I loved reading it.

What stood out in the story was the various topics the author discussed as part of the conversations. While the story is a YA contemporary romance, this book offers so much more. From the Muslim traditions to Churchill, the characters contemplate diverse content that blends nicely with the storyline. You rarely see political and religious topics embedded in a young adult novel, and I loved how the author approached them. One of my favorite scenes in the story is when they talk about his grandfather being in the movement and the suffering in India. Yet, not many talks about that in history, which Danyal finds conflicting.

Moreover, the main characters are just the sweetest. I loved Danyal the moment we appeared in the story. He is average at everything yet has aspirations that are frowned upon in his family. You also see the stress he undergoes when he finds out his role as the Renaissance Man. I could easily relate to him and was rooting for him throughout the tale.

Similarly, the way the author progresses the story between him and Bisma was just heartwarming. Bisma is also adorable as the nerdy girl, and the author wrote their chemistry gradually and beautifully. I also adored the relationship between Bisma and Suri. The author portrayed the Indian culture flawlessly in the story.

Overall, “More Than Just a Pretty Face” surprised me and turned out to be better than I expected. I enjoyed reading this book and hope the author continues to write more books in the genre.

Syed M. Masood's debut novel More than a Pretty Face is an ambitious romantic comedy, coming of age story that bites more than it can chew. Danyal Jilani relies too much on his good looks and charms to breeze through high school by putting in as little effort as possible. He dreams of a future where he is a chef and having the school's most beautiful girl, Kaval Sabsvari, as his wife. Life instead has other plans for Danyal. His confidence is shaken when Danyal is forced to participate in an exclusive, extremely competitive school-wide academic competition called the Renaissance Man competition in which the winner receives $5,000. With his grades suffering and Kaval's attention wavering, Danyal seizes this opportunity to become worthy of her. Since Danyal is 19 years old, marriage is starting to become a consideration, he is introduced to Bisma, an intriguing bridal candidate with a deeply painful past that involves an impulsive decision and a tainted reputation. Danyal and Bisma progress from acquaintances to friends to possibly something more. Along the way Danyal finds out what is important to him including a history lesson that involves the atrocities of the 1943 Bengal Famine and provides a critique of his own community.
I mostly enjoyed More than a Pretty Face, but there are blunders that felt clunky and under developed. Some of the jokes in the book verge on insulting such as asking Bisma if she is a porn star when she unveils her painful past. I also found Bisma's extreme, impulsive decision hard to believe though I can try to see how Masood was trying to address how important reputation is a cornerstone in the Pakistani culture along with the hypocrisy within the community though it isn't quite successfully fleshed out in the book. Though it was admirable to showcase a variety of Pakistani Muslim teens who practice their religion on a spectrum, his portrayal of Sohrab veers dangerously and uncomfortably towards the caricature of a budding extremist instead of a teen who is a proudly devout Muslim teen. Similarly, there is a subplot which involves Danyal and his father's tumultuous relationship. Danyal's father is another caricature who has a scowl fixated on his face and disapproves of his culinary pursuits because of its lack of financial security. This plot line is wrapped up too quickly and the moment when Danyal's father shows he is proud of his son does not land as it intends. Despite these setbacks, I did find Danyal endearing and I liked watching his relationship with Bisma blossom. I look forward to reading more from Masood in the future and seeing more books with Pakistani characters in YA.