WHY DID I LISTEN TO MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE?
More Than Just A Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood showed up in the mail as a nice surprise. Then, I got super sick from being first trimester and really struggled to read books. Thankfully, audiobooks were a lifeline. I saw this book was available through Brooklyn Public Library Libby (which yay if you live in NY State you can be a member), so I happily put myself on the waitlist for this audiobook. I am just so glad I decided to listen, because I think that made me like the book and Danyal, the main character, more.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
Syed M. Masood’s More Than Just A Pretty Face is about Danyal Jilani, who is a really good looking Muslim teenage boy. Unfortunately, Danyal is not the class genius. However, he ends up selected to be a contestant in his school’s Renaissance man competition. This could be the opportunity to convince his long term crush Kaval, who is essentially perfect, that he is worthy of being a marriage prospect for her. Danyal needs some help though. So, he turns to this girl named Bisma to help him with the competition.

Only, as it turns out, Danyal has chemistry with Bisma. She’s a good listener, kind, and non-judgemental. There, of course, is an obstacle to Danyal and Bisma getting together. To me, it didn’t seem insurmountable, but I also have a different cultural and religious perspective. Anyways, the story then goes on to show what happens when Danyal begins to take the competition seriously and how he generally ends up surprising himself.

WHAT DID I THINK OF MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE?
Overall, I had a good experience reading More Than Just A Pretty Face. I liked that Danyal is not the typical YA male. He’s not precocious or the smartest guy in the room. In fact, he was so much more like the guys I grew up with and went to college with. I liked that he was generally nice and confident. I thought that the romance in this book developed between the exact right people. The way it played out was lovely and perfect for the storyline. I also loved seeing Danyal find his confidence when it came to the competition and his topic – also his passion for his people and why his topic had mattered so much to him — how he had to be true to himself and his beliefs.


HOW’S THE NARRATION?
It must be my year for checking out new audiobook narrators and that’s fair. The audiobook is read by Ariyan Kassam, who as I mentioned, is new to me. It is 8 hours and 7 minutes long and I am pretty sure I listened to this on at least 1.25-1.5x speed. I thought that Kassam was wonderful reading from Danyal’s point of view. His voice had the right cadence and tone. He also makes Danyal come off as quite real and likable. I felt like audiobook was a great way to experience More Than Just A Pretty Face and really held my attention during a year full of distractions.

The ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE by Syed M. Masood was a cute, pleasurable YA rom-com. I thought that the relationship between Danyal and Bisma was really cute, and I liked that Bisma seemed to just let Danyal be himself without judging him for not being studious/being pretty cocky. Bisma was an interesting character, and I liked her a lot. I wanted her POV, actually, more so than I wanted Danyal's.

I don’t read books from a teen boy POV very often, and in this I was kind of reminded why. The language in the beginning, particularly, to and about Kaval had me shaking my head and rolling my eyes. I just don't appreciate it. I ended up warming up to him, but I just really dislike language like that.

I also appreciated the calling out of whitewashing that happens in history classes in the US today. I was surprised to learn about Churchill in this light, and that obviously shows the problem. Historical figures (typically white men) should not be admired beyond reproach like they are. This is something we need to fix, and I appreciate the comment on this by the author.

Overall, this was a cute rom-com.

Many thanks to NetGalley and LBYR for the opportunity to review this ARC.

congrats:) this book won my WORST BOOK OF 2020!! IN DECEMBER!!!!! woah...

this book hurt my soul with each and every line... i just wanted this hell to end...

The author is muslim... characters are muslim... yet everyone in this KEPT CONSTANTLY BASHING ISLAM AND MAKING FUN OF ITS RULES??!!!!!

He thought he was being funny and CHANGING THE WORLD???? No he wasn’t and no he did nothing!!!!

You can’t seriously think that it’s okay to make fun of Islam and its rules just because you muslim.. you’re not allowed to do that muslim or not!!

the only religious character was always made fun of and they kept rolling their eyes and telling him to shut up because apparently being religious nowadays equals having no fun and being annoying:))) or thats how the author and his characters saw religious ppl:))

ugh im SO ANGRRYYYYYYY I FINISHED IT BECAUSE I HAD IT OTHERWISE I WOULDVE DROPPED THE SECOND THEY STARTED TALKING SH*T ABOUT ISLAM

It’s been a whole since i met and Islamphoebic muslim:))))) (everyone in this book and its author tbh)

He could’ve portrayed Islam in a good way but he chose not to... so... even a star is a LOT in my opinion:)

Danyal is a good looking guy whose passion is cooking, which is not an acceptable career to his Pakistani American parents. His sense of humor frequently gets him in trouble. When his longtime crush says they might have a future if he wins the Renaissance Man competition at their high school and goes to college instead of culinary school, Danyal has to decide how much he is willing to do to get the girl of his dreams (especially since it involves doing school work). Complicating matters is the interesting college student who volunteers to help him prepare for the competition. If you love rom-coms, More Than Just a Pretty Face is a fun, funny read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy. I thought this was an adorable rom com. It made my heart so happy.

Danyal Jilani doesn't lack confidence. He may not be the smartest guy but he is funny, gorgeous, and going to make a good chef one day. His father doesn't agree with his job choice. None of that matters to him though.

All that matters to him is what his long time crush Kaval thinks. When he is selected for Renaissance man, a school wide academic championship it's the perfect opportunity to show everyone he is smarter than they think he is.

He ends up recruiting the brilliant totally uninterested Bisma to help him with the competition. The more time he spends with her though, the more he cooks for her and he starts to realize that happiness may be staring him right back in his pretty face.

In this book Danyal comes from a religious family that believes in an arranged marriage. They originally try to set him up with Bisma but they become friends and end up falling in love with each other all on their own. Danyal realizes that Kaval was too superficial and high maintenance for him and never really saw him the same way. Danyal also ends up standing up to his father and proving he is a real man by also standing up for Bisma and her judgemental parents that are always putting her down

This was adorable! If you are a fan of Frankly In Love, you may like this one as it is a coming of age YA romance from the male perspective. There is a focus on Indian family and relationship culture and through the character’s school project, the history of Winston Churchill and the Bengal famine. The author did a fabulous job of weaving culture, history, romance and humor together.

More Than Just a Pretty Face is Masood’s debut novel. This is a fun contemporary romance with themes of culture, race, and religion so there is a serious factor to it too. Our main character is good looking but not the smartest, the book does kinda harp on how dumb he is quite a little too much.

“I understand the world less than I should. A lot of things just don’t make sense to me, thought they seen to be perfectly clear to everybody else.”

Regardless of that, Danyal is a lovable character even if he is a little too conceited. He felt like a real 19 year old kid though, actually most characters felt super real and I thought this was refreshing. I also thought he was smart he just was lazy and didn't believe in himself too much.

The developing romance between him and Bisma was sweet and I thought she was a well rounded character. She felt like she had real depth to her instead of just a cardboard box like some romances tend to do.

I can’t speak too much of the Muslim representation however I will say there were some stereotypes mentioned as well as slut-shaming which I wasn’t a fan of either. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book!

Hello! How are you?

Today, is Tuesday, meaning new book day! There are so many new books coming out today and I literally can not wait for all the books I have ordered to arrive (I feel like the UPS/post office guy may think I have an online shopping problem at this point with how often he is dropping book packages off here). This week I want to talk about one of the books I am most hyped for not just this month but probably in this six month period! I have been reading like crazy, I am still staying inside and I work from home, so the times in the past when I would go outside post work (maybe to eat or hang out with friends) are now replaced with reading most of the time.

51XKDoWpghL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_More Than Just a Pretty Face is one of the books coming out today that I have been super excited for. First we all know I am such a cover buyer and this book has a gorgeous cover that I want to be facing outwards on my bookcase all the time (and it just so happens I will be buying a fourth bookcase this month so this will be facing out on that new bookcase). Second, the summary of the plot for this book instantly drew me in, the first time I read it. A few weeks ago I was super lucky and was able to get an ARC copy in the mail from the publisher. I was so excited because this book has been on my to read list for ages (like since I saw it on Goodreads months ago). When my copy arrived in the mail I literally squealed with joy and ended up jumping up and down in the kitchen. I spent the upcoming weekend reading the book on the couch with my favorite cup of tea and a cozy blanket (my cats also dropped in and out of my reading sessions). I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this sweet book and I can not wait for you all to get the chance to read it when it comes out into the world today! I will have a full review posted soon but in the meantime I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book from your local bookstore, library, or favorite audio book app (we all know I love Libby and Hoopla)!



**Thank you so much to the publisher for this amazing opportunity in exchange for my honest review/opinions!

This is one of those books that really encapsulates the beauty, brevity, and variety within the YA genre!

I loved this book! It was cute and also very educational. I learned a lot in a way that didn’t feel like learning through this book. I love books that give me insight to different cultures or show me new parts of history. This book is really well done and I highly recommend it!

This book was a DNF for me, which I was disappointed by. It definitely might be someone else's taste, but it just did not work for me. I had a hard time with the writing and the characters.

I really liked this book and I really think it goes to show that no matter what you look like on the outside we all have our insecurities. When people continue to put you down you really start to believe it about yourself.

Oh my god, this is such a cute book to read! I devoured it in one day, sneaking reads in between work and commuting. Please, please read it - you will not regret it!

DNF at 40%
I just couldn’t get into this book. There was just something that was lacking for me, im not sure what it was, the writing, or the way that it was played out. I have no idea.

More Than Just A Pretty Face is about a Muslim boy named Danyal who is struggling to find his place in the world. His parents are constantly pressuring him to agree to an arranged marriage and his dad is begging him to pull up his grades. But all Danyal wants to do is cook.

One day Danyal meets another one of his moms endless marriage prospects Bisma. A girl who’s past is filled with a lot of pain.

I really enjoyed Danyals character. He was funny and was very easy to connect with. I found that he acted as expected in the situations he was put in and really grew as a character throughout the whole story.

Bisma was also a well developed character. I’m happy that the story focused more on her current self then harping on the past. It was a good way to show that it’s okay to make mistakes and that those mistakes don’t define you.

The story was a little predictable however if you need a pick me up it’s perfect! Can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed the gender reversal that Danyal was the one everyone thought of as attractive and not very smart and that Bisma was the one studying molecular biology.

No one thinks much of Danyal, at least when it comes to school work and future prospects. His parents don’t expect him to be smart, his friends don’t expect him to be smart, even he doesn’t expect himself to be smart. He is extremely attractive, that is his strength, combined with his love of cooking. When it comes to anything school related, Danyal expects to fail.

Bisma, on the other hand, knows that she’s smart. But an act of rebellion that she can’t take back haunts her and has made her shameful in her family’s eyes, as well as the eyes of their community.

As Danyal and Bisma become friends, they start to bring out the best in each other. Bisma helps Danyal to understand that he has more to offer than his looks and cooking, while Danyal helps her to understand that she is still lovable. The pair face a lot of obstacles from various sources.

With few exceptions, the characters are all enjoyable, and the exceptions aren’t meant to be. Through their friends and families, we receive a glimpse of life as a Muslim in America, spanning from the very devout Sohrab to the much less so Zar. We also get an delicious description of so many amazing dishes from India, France, Italy, and more through Danyal’s cooking and eating.

All in all this book was amazing and I loved it! I can’t wait to read more by the author in future.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley and the publishers {Little Brown Books for Young Readers} in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3/5 ⭐️ to More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood

First things first, thank you to Little Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for early access to the egalley!

This sadly let me down a bit. Not that it was bad, or overly problematic, but I had higher and different expectations for the book, and I didn’t connect to the writing or characters as much as I expect from a YA contemporary. Overall, it was pretty cute and also tackled some important topics. I must say the aspect of the book I enjoyed the most was the MC, Danyal’s cooking and when he talked about cooking! I wasn’t super invested in the main relationship, but it did play an important role in discussing expectation for families and young Muslim people in relationships, and the unnecessary shame and prejudice when these teens & young people stray from “tradition”. This also was discussed from an academic standpoint, mainly though Danyal’s parents as he is not a strong student, but they’ve kind of given up on him, which was sad to read. Thankfully, he is able to have some hard conversations with them, and how their apathy hurt him. Another interesting theme of this book, related to school, is that Danyal is selected to do a major research project & presentation in front of the entire school that replaces his Social Studies/History grade. He ends up choosing Winston Churchill, because he was a favourite historical figure of his History teacher, but has to made a decision. Danyal finds more in his research than the typical, heroical narrative of Churchill, and discovers that some decisions Churchill made cost the lives of a significant portion of a population in India. Does Danyal share this alternate, uncomfortable part of British history that he’s become personally invested in, or does he avoid rocking the boat and share the traditional narrative?

Definitely check this book out if you’re interested in the representation or themes in this book!

DNF

To be clear, I read one chapter of More Than Just a Pretty Face before DNFing. I think the writing is great; Masood has a funny and conversational style that would usually be up my alley. What worried me, though, was the way the MC thinks about and, worse, talks to women, based on his conversation with his crush. When I looked up reviews (check the one and two star reviews), Muslim reviewers have pointed out ways in which they find this own voices rep problematic. Between these two things, I've chosen not to finish this book. I would still consider reading Masood in the future.

VERY Cute, thank you to netgalley for the arc!
-I loved the 0-60 flirtiness
-THE BANTER
-Narration was cute, I like how the story was told.
-Acknowledgements were very sweet
Overall, I liked this book. It didn't feel like a typical contemporary ya romance.

Oh my! What a delightful book More Than Just a Pretty Face is. It was such a refreshing change from many of the other YA books to come out this year. The best part is that the characters in this novel are a good introduction to readers of how normal and relatable Muslim peers can be. I fell in love with most of the young Muslims here. It was also a nice change to have a male character be the "attractive" one of the bunch, and his humorous response to the reactions he got to his beauty. The character development throughout the book was a delight to see as well. Highly recommend this.