Danyal knows he isn’t the smartest guy around, but he makes up for it with his charm and confidence. It’s a surprise to everyone when he’s nominated to participate in his school’s academic competition and Danyal is determined to show everyone that he is *more than just a pretty face*. Meanwhile, he’s crushing on his best friend’s sister, trying to learn how to be a chef, and being set up by his parents for an arranged marriage.

I didn’t have too many expectations going into this and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would! Danyal is a refreshing, likable character and all the dialogue is hilarious. I enjoyed seeing Danyal sort out his feelings towards Bisma and Kaval and how he recognizes immediately that what Bisma went through isn’t okay. Danyal’s struggles of trying to keep his friend group together and live up to his family’s expectations felt very authentic.

Several other reviews express disappointment with how this book mishandles religion and Muslim dating culture. I can’t speak to the extent to which this is true, but I trust that they are correct and I am saddened to hear that many readers were disappointed in this book’s portrayals. With this in mind, I hope that this story still does more good than harm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cute read! I really liked the main character Danyal. He’s very confidant but he also knows his weaknesses and isn’t afraid to point the it. He also doesn’t let anything stop him from pursing his dream to become a chef..even though his father doesn’t approve. I also loved that Danyal chose to approach tough topic with his Renaissance Man paper. He could have just wrote something to appease his father and his history teacher but instead he decided to write about something that needed to be said. I also really enjoy Danyal relationship with Bisma. It was sweet and wasn’t insta-love.
Overall a very sweet and enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book!
*I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a honest review*

"They tried to discipline me or soothe me or teach me or distract me. But maybe I just needed to be frustrated for a while. Maybe I needed someone to see how difficult it was for me to do stuff that seemed so much easier for other students."

Thank you so much @hearourownvoicestours and Netgalley for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really did not feel like rating this book at all in the first place. Why? Because I feel like people judge you because of book ratings as it portrays somehow that how review is going to be. I am just stating my own feelings and opinions regarding this book and I don't mean to disrespect my Muslim culture and religion.

While, reading this book I realised that this is a work of fiction, a story. It does not have to be perfect.

I got a chance to interview the author for my book tour stop and when I read the answers of the author, they gave me a whole new perspective.

So here's my perspective. This is not a Muslim rep book. Even the author hasn't said if it is. Yes, I found some jokes here and there in this book that were problematic regarding Islam, sex in Islam, women who do hijab etc. I did not like that disrespectful stuff.
But I could not ignore the other aspects of the book that made it a good read. The story, the character building, the depth and the historical aspects, all this was amazingly written.

I loved the character development of Daniyal, Bisma, Zar and Sohrab. Even Daniyal's dad, whom I did not like at first. The supporting roles like Suraiya (Bisma's sister), Tipett (Daniyal's teacher) and the chef, these people were pretty cool.

Apart from this, I could really relate to Daniyal regarding not being able to study well and loving your passion and following it. I could also relate to the part where people try to tell you what to do in life when you are still trying to figure out what you want to do actually.

Also, Bisma was judged harshly because of a mistake she made in the past. This actually happens in our society. I won't go into those details because it's sort of a big debate and I don't have the full knowledge, so I won't mention it here either. I believe that Allah is the only one to judge and that's it.

So, I am not going to judge this book because I don't want to.

I loved Daniyal's determination regarding the competition once he learned the truth about Churchill and wanted to present what he wanted and not what other people wanted him to present. All that historical stuff regarding Bengal femine was deep and heartbreaking. I did not know about it, so I liked how the author explained it while keeping the pace of the story as well.

I loved the Humor and Daniyal's expressive passionate nature. This book at times was light read and I laughed so many times while reading.

There are so many things that I still want to say but the review is already so long. I just wanted to write both negative and positive aspects of this book that I felt.

Again, I do not mean to be disrespectful or anything. I am just stating my opinion here.

More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood
4.5/5

I loved everything about this book. There was food, history, education, romance, and desi culture. I usually am not one for YA novels, but I really enjoyed reading this one. Being and Indian-American who also lives in the SF Bay Area, there was a lot I related to in this novel. While my parents are not as strict to tradition as the characters in this book, I could understand and relate to the characters on a personal level.

Danyal’s love of cooking and food hit me on a personal level. I loved reading about the description of his work in the French restaurant, as well as his descriptions of the meals he made at home and for their Desi gatherings. I also loved his nontraditional dreams of working as a chef and how he does not let others influence his dreams.

I also greatly appreciated how Masood intertwined important and timely topics to this novel, such as colonialism, and how history if written by the “winners”. There are many stories that I have heard from my family about the British Raj, India, and Pakistan that you do not see in textbooks or learn in school. Given the current world climate, I think that Masood brings these issues up in a tasteful way.

I highly recommend this book to my fellow Desis, as well as non-Desis to get a glimpse into the world of modern Desi-Americans, as well as hear some important statements about the ways history is written and ways to be more well educated on brushed aside topics of importance.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for this e-book.

Danyal Jilani May not be the smartest guy in the room, but he certainly doesn’t lack confidence. He dreams of being a professional chef, even though his father doesn’t approve of his career choice. What does matter to him is the approval of Danyal’s longtime crush, Kaval and her family, who see him as a less than ideal arranged marriage prospect. When Danyal gets selected for a school academic championship, he thinks it will be the perfect opportunity to show everyone that he’s smarter than they think. He recruits his friend Bisma to help with the competition, but the more time they spend together, Danyal realizes that happiness might be staring him right in his pretty face.
My favourite part of this book was hands down the romance. I loved how Danyal and Bisma talked and trusted each other and how the relationship progressed.
Danyal is characterized as someone with a lot of confidence, but when it came to academics or giving advice, he would always say he wasn’t very bright and would say some stupid things.
I also didn’t really care for the love triangle. Kaval is used to getting what she wants, and I didn’t like how she would only accept Danyal if he did what she wanted.
All in all, this was an enjoyable quick and easy read, but I did expect a bit more from the story.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed reading every moment. Danyal is such an underdog that you can't help but root for him from the very start.

First, let me admit that I almost quit reading this book at the start. I was not at all a fan of the main character, Danyal, in the first few chapters. He appeared to be extremely shallow and kind of annoying and I was not feeling it. But, I kept reading. And you know what? I am so glad I did because I ended up greatly enjoying this book and ended up really rooting for his character to succeed. 

Danyal has a lot of growth throughout the novel, learning to have confidence in himself, as well as learning what it truly means to be in love and be happy. He ended up being way different than he appeared to be in his opening lines, which had him shamelessly trying to flirt with a girl and failing at it.

This is a YA romance so let's talk about love. Personally, I really liked the romance aspect of the story between Danyal and Bisma.  At the beginning, Danyal doesn't pay much mind to Bisma as she is not the idealized woman of his dreams. That said, he also does not act dismissive and disrespectful to Bisma either, always treating her with the kindness and respect she deserves. I also liked that their relationship developed organically over time as they learned more about themselves and each other.

Aside from it being a romance, this book touches upon a lot of other important and sensitive topics. 

I liked how Danyal focused his essay on Churchill on the causes and horrific effects of colonialism and how history obliterates the sins of its heroes and how that is an issue that has negative consequences even today. I learned things about Winston Churchill that I'm sure none of us who attended western schools were taught.  Like the fact that Churchill had a hand in creating the man-made famine of 2-3 million Indians in Bengal.

Another thing I liked was the use of religion in the novel. I am not Muslim, so I have very little knowledge of the accuracy or effective way in which Islam is presented in this novel. But, I did enjoy the way religion was a casual part of the character's lives, at least in a general way. As someone who does identify as religious, it was refreshing to see young people in novels accept and respect aspects of their religions and be complacent with them. For example, the fact that the main character Danyal was a virgin and alright with being one because that is what his religion called for. I also liked how not every one of his religion was on the same level of faith, for example, Intezar who was certainly not a virgin because he did not adhere to that part of his religion, or Sohrab, who was extremely religious. I think it made everything seem much more complex and real, which I really enjoyed. Although, I don't necessarily like it when people who fully commit to their religion or belief, regardless of what that religion is, are depicted as being fanatics or like they're boring and doing too much.

In the end, I really liked this book. It made me laugh on multiple occasions. I totally recommend this one!

Let me shout out into the existence first: THIS IS SUCH A CUTE BOOK OH MY GOD MY HEART PLEASE...!!!

OKAY. Yeah, I guess I'm okay now. But is it okay to fall in love with a fictional character? I guess I've fallen a little bit in love with Danyal Jilani. Because why not? Danyal is charming, he's funny, he is passionate about food, he's super flirty and such a fun presence... and he's such a good-hearted person... and not to forget about his looks. Okay, Danyal may not be a 100% perfect man, because on discussing with some of my Muslim friends who have also read the book, I have come to realize that Danyal's views of people who are religious and the religion itself, is pretty harsh. So if we negate that particular quality about Danyal, he's a pretty good guy.

Now coming to the story itself, More Than Just a Pretty Face is a heartfelt story of two people falling in love. Seriously, the book just made me laugh and smile. There are hilarious scenes that actually made be laugh so hard that I almost cried. Danyal's friendship with Sohrab and Intezar is so precious. Even though their ideals differ vastly from each other, they try hard to understand each other and value their friendship. I loved how Danyal was the rope holding onto Sohrab and his conventional ideologies and Intezar and his way to liberal ideologies and binding the trio's friendship together. I even love all the appearances Bisma's sister - Suri - had in the book. She is a young bubble of joy and she makes me so happy.

The author brilliantly uses this book as a tool to expose Churchill's extreme racism and dictatorship in India, that not many people in the Western countries know about. Linking Danyal's Pakistani background with the sensitive issue of colonialism, is a really great way to put the message out. I really appreciate the author for doing that.

READ THIS BOOK! IT WILL DEFINITELY MAKE YOU FEEL ALL SQUISHY FROM THE INSIDE. THIS BOOK IS SUPER CUTE!

More Than Just A Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood reminds me of The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe(which I thoroughly enjoyed, btw). It’s got humor, is in the guy’s POV, has romance and deals with deeper topics(specifically racial or religious issues). However, I have conflicted feelings for this book.

Let’s start with the Muslim representation. After finishing the book I’m left with the impression that Masood couldn’t decide whether to make it completely halal/Islamically appropriate or cater to readers with Western ideals. I do agree that some ideologies should be more lax in the Muslim community, but there are certain Islamic rules that you just simply cannot justify being ‘liberal’ about. Take halal food, for e.g. You can’t say it’s ok to eat non-halal food just once or twice while being perfectly aware of transgressing the rule and say that God is merciful so He won’t mind. I’m not saying that every Muslim’s gonna follow that rule 100% and we’d spend eternity in damnation if we crossed it, all I’m saying is that this is not a concept that should be encouraged.

Which brings me to my next point, this is not a book that you look to if you want a Muslim role model, because the ideals and principles are of a handful of individuals. No one’s perfect and we’re all following our beliefs according to our interpretations and choices. Maybe Danyal chooses to eat non-halal food now and then, but I choose not to because I don’t really have a very good reason to break that rule, especially seeing as nothing detrimental’s going to happen to me if I go without it. So you can’t take one individual’s actions to represent the whole religion, is what I’m saying.

However, I do like the juxtaposition of the ‘super religious’ best friend and the non-practicing best friend. Some readers disapproved the depiction of the religious friend which bordered on religion-obsessed and seeming like a guy who doesn’t know modern colloquialisms or possess any sense of humor. While I do agree there should be more nuanced inclusions of these type of characters because, newsflash, you can stick to your religion while also not be boring. But I think Masood was handling a different side to that kind of religious zealot, namely how a couple of factors can come together to create the perfect maelstrom for a previously sound person to become a terrorist. Thankfully, intervention came in time before it got too out of hand, although I should stress that it was also up to the individual to heed the warning than to disregard it. There are some people, who, no matter what religion or race, will interpret things with their own filter only. What I did like was how some of the things Danyal wondered, about Islam, were also things I’ve questioned.

Islam, to me, is a religion of contradictions, but to boil down such a complex and long-standing religion to one line would be erraneous. Islam is kind of like how Lyra Belacqua uses the the golden compass(in The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman), when she asks it a question the ‘compass’ would point to various symbols. Each symbol stands for multiple meanings, so, with the help of the context and her knowledge of all the meanings, she has to use her prerogative to determine the answer. It’s also like that story of ‘The Blind Men and the Elephant’, you have to see the whole.

I liked that there was quite a bit of humor in this story, Danyal’s character reminds me a lot of Ben Philippe’s Norris Kaplan, his over-confidence masking a need to be liked, cheekiness and good heart. Danyal’s playful as opposed to Norris’ cynical nature, and I love how pure Danyal’s heart is, sometimes surprising you with his maturity. He’s an adorable upstanding guy with a streak of irresistible cheekiness most girls would fawn over and serious people would find insufferable. His cluelessness added to that, though at times it was bordering on ignorant or unrealistic(who doesn’t know the term ‘break a leg’?), making it seem like it was just the author trying to squeeze in one more joke. At times, the author also seems to not heed his own advice. Like when Danyal thinks his carefree friend doesn’t know when to stop joking, yet some of his own jokes are uttered in the wrong moments, coming off as insensitive.

The various side characters in Danyal’s life were lovely and likeable in that tough-love way(if we’re not talking about the unlikeliness of so many people in your life being able to give you great advice happening in real life). The attitude towards masculinity was also healthy in this book.

Bisma Akram’s, one of the love interests, story, wow. I want to give a round of applause to Masood for opening discussion on the topic of sexual assault and the stigma surrounding it in the Muslim(and possibly other) community. (I have to mention here that many of the flabbergasting practices and beliefs found in Muslim communities are actually culturally-derived. Islam never said it was ok to bury daughters, or kill them in the name of honor, or blame them for being victims of assault, or that they’re lesser because of it and now have to carry that ‘shame’, to name a few. These abominable practices have its roots in misogynism and corrupted individuals.) I think Masood handled it beautifully, bringing many facets of it to the surface, the belief of having ‘dishonored’ the family, the double standards, the total injustice of victims having to live with the stain longer than the perpetrators, and so on. I also appreciated when both main characters voiced that Bisma didn’t need a knight-in-shining-armor to come save her. However, I don’t know why the story ended up with Bisma still having someone come ‘save’ her, she didn’t really do anything on her own to change her situation. Now, she didn’t stand around twiddling her thumbs, but she also didn’t actively play a major role in fixing her ordeal.

And finally, one of the main topics of this novel, the man-made famine of 2-3 million Indians by celebrated figure, Winston Churchill. That’s a whole load to unpack and I won’t do that here as the book has done it better than I could have, but I’ll just say that it has taught me a new way of looking at history and seeing its importance even though it’s, for lack of a better word, history.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of reading stories with representation of your own country/religion/race/culture is the overwhelming and joyous feeling of being able to relate to the character’s life, and this book did not disappoint!

So, even with all its many flaws and hiccups, More Than Just A Pretty Face brought to the table some heavy-hitting topics that managed to save it. Not just mentioned, more importantly, it was done well. And despite all my criticisms, I quite enjoyed reading this relatable South East Asian-American romcom that’s full of heart, and was glad when one of my hunches were proved wrong(that part when Danyal is talking to Sohrab in the middle of the night and Sohrab hears something. I was so sure it was going to go a certain predictable direction but it didn’t, to my utter relief!).

I had picked up this book a few weeks ago and for whatever reason, I must not have been in the mood to read it. The first chapter didn't really grab me and the main character struck me as kind of shallow, so I almost gave up on reading it after the first chapter. I put down the book and started it again this past week. After making it through the hurtle of the first chapter, I was hooked! This book was unlike any other YA book I had ever read. I feel like Pakistani people are severely underrepresented in this genre. I felt that I learned a lot from this story,

I think what I liked most was seeing how Danyal grew as a person throughout the book. I was right... at the beginning of this book, he was kind of shallow, but then he grew into a young man with principles. I liked how this book presently a healthy relationship between two characters, where they didn't really try to change each other, just accept one another for their differences and love them for it. I think that young people deserve to see more of that in media.

I found that I couldn't wait to keep reading this book. I had a lot on my plate this week and kept reading here and there when I found a spare moment. It was like I had some old friends in my pocket (I read this book on my phone) to help make my weekend a little better. I really hope that this book finds its way into the hands of young readers.

LOVED…

I seriously loved everything about this More Than Just a Pretty Face by Sayed M. Masood. I have read a good amount of Indian contemporaries and I just love them all. Something about the values that they have and the humor is just so good. I also love all, usually all, of the Indian parents. I’m looking at you Sweetie’s mom. Anyways, this book had all the things that make up a perfect contemporary, sweetness, funny, friendships, drama, and swoon-worthy parts.

Danyal may not be the smartest but everyone knows who he is because of his looks and personality. He wants to be a chef one day and is an amazing cook. Danyal has 2 best friends that couldn’t be more opposite but, are both great friends. He also has had the biggest crush on one of his best friends’ sister, Kaval. She is everything he has ever wanted in a woman. He feels like he would make a great husband for her. His best friend, Surab, and Kaval are very well off. Because of this Danyal’s mom doesn’t think Kaval is the right girl for Danyal, especially since he wants to become a chef.

Even though he is crushing on Kaval he still goes on outings to meet prospective wives, mostly for his parents. He meets Bisma and finds out she is more than he was expecting but still isn’t interested. Because of certain circumstances, he does end up becoming friends with Bisma.

Some History…

One thing that made me love this story was because of the history in it. Danyal ends up being picked as a Renaissance man. I’ve never heard of this term until this book. The Renaissance man is a school-wide academic championship. Danyal gets chosen, not for his smarts, but despite them. His topic he has to talk about, to the entire school, is Winston Churchhill. After doing much research on him he finds out things that he feels are important to talk about but has no support from his family or friends. His support comes from an unlikely person. This opens his eyes to different possibilities in his life.

I seriously couldn’t put More Than Just a Pretty Face down. I had to know what was going to happen next. Go get this book now, you won’t be disappointed. Did I mention that Danyal is the sweetest character you will ever read about???

Thoughts???

What were your thoughts on this story?

Thank you Netgalley for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, I spent 3 weeks trying to read this book and was unable to finish it. There were things I really liked about it. I found the main character endearing and funny. I enjoyed getting to know him. I liked learning about the culture, arranged marriages, and what is expected of the children. But at 61% through the book, I just had to move on. I wasn't engaged and kept falling asleep when I read it, which is never a good sign for me. But I would definitely read more from this author - for some reason, this storyline just didn't work for me.

I encourage readers to read reviews from #OwnVoices readers.

More Than Just a Pretty Face was adorable, but also had more depth than I was expecting. What Danyal lacks in book smarts, he makes up for in confidence and good looks, so when he is chosen by a teacher to compete with the top students in his class in a speech competition called Renaissance Man, he thinks it might be his chance to impress his dream girl, Kaval. Kaval’s parents are looking for a someone successful for their daughter to marry, but Danyal’s dream of becoming a chef doesn’t live up to their expectations, or hers. During his research for Renaissance Man, Danyal finds a different history than the one he has been taught in school and a different girl, who sees all his potential, but has a history of her own. I loved that this #ownvoices novel was written by a male, Pakistani author and that Danyal fully embraced the concept of an arranged marriage instead of the usual trope of fighting against it. The frame of contemporary romance around the discussion of history being written by the “winners” was SO WELL balanced. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!!

Oh my goodness, I just thought this book would be cute, sweet and funny, I way underestimated this book. “More Than Just a Pretty Face” is the perfect name for this book, I judged a book by its cover too. This book was powerful. The growth of the characters throughout this book brought tears to my eyes several times.

No one expects much of Danyal. He’s 19 and barely going to graduate high school. He already got held back once in middle school. He wants to be a chef and his mom accepts this but his dad does not.

He’s from a Muslim family and they believe in arranged marriages. Danyal dreams of marrying his friend’s sister. Hypothetically they could be a match, his parents would allow it, but his crush is wealthy and they don’t think her family would accept Danyal.

Enter Bishma. Bisma is cool and not at all like Danyal’s crush. Her parents bring her over to introduce her to Danyal, hoping to make a match. But Bishma tells Danyal a secret from her past. It’s a big enough deal that it would be an absolute deal breaker if Danyal’s parents found out. It’s been a deal breaker for every potential match that Bishma has met.
And poor Bishma is degraded by her father for what happened. He thinks Bishma isn’t worth marrying and only goes along with the matchmaking attempts to humor his wife.

Danyal might not be a genius but he is good looking. He knows this. He’s used to people valuing only the way he looks and expecting little rise. So, it’s a huge shock to everyone when he gets nominated for a school contest called Renaissance Man. He plans to do the paper on Winston Churchill because he knows his teacher idolizes him.
When he mentions the topic to his dad, his dad lets loose an angry curse about what an awful person Churchill was. This shocks Danyal because who talks about Churchill that way?

When Danyal looks into it, he learns about the Bengal Famine. I’d never heard of it either.

So, Danyal is in a sticky situation. Write the paper on Churchill as the saint his teacher thinks he was? He’d probably get the good grade that he needs in history. Write the paper to include a more three dimensional view of Churchill and risk possibly failing?

Bishma offers to help Danyal with the paper and they become closer friends.

A lot of moral and philosophical questions are asked throughout the book.

I thought it was a beautiful story. I thought Danyal had a beautiful heart and Bishma as well.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Read this book, this book was awesome.

When I started this book I didn’t really know what to expect. The writing was good and it definitely felt like a contemporary. The pacing was pretty quick and after the first two chapters I found myself pretty interested in the story. I didn’t feel hooked until about half way through because that was when everything started picking up. I rarely read contemporary and so this was a pleasant surprise. I’ll be honest and say that there were a lot of topics in this book that I wasn’t expecting. I was very surprised when the topic of Winston Churchill was brought up. I loved that there was this challenge and that we went deeper into his history and the horrible things that he did. I especially loved the Danyal challenged that. I loved that he didn’t give everyone what they wanted to hear and instead unraveled everything and spoke up about what he believed people should know. The book also had a lot of focus on culture and traditions.

I loved this book! Danyal is a handsome, confident young man who wants to be a chef, but his traditional Muslim parents only see him as someone who has let them down for being held back in school, for not taking his education seriously, and for wanting to be a chef. When Danyal is chosen to be a Renaissance Man (a school competition), he at first sees at as something bad, but with the help of his friend Bisma he's out to prove that he's more than just a pretty face.

The romance between Danyal and Bisma is so stinking cute! I love how it's a slow-burn romance and how they slowly opened up to each other. I don't want to give anything away since watching them go from friends to more is wonderful.

I love that Danyal embraces being Muslim, but is also a modern guy and doesn't agree with the people in his community's thinking towards women about certain things. (And this could be any religion since every religion has its extremes and sexist ways.) Danyal fights back against that. And he's also like every teen who rebels against their religion sometimes by eating foods they shouldn't and wanting to kiss pretty girls.

I found this story very enlightening as well! I learned a lot about Islam, the tight-knit community, the delicious foods, Churchill, the famine I'd never heard of before, about truth and history. I learned as Danyal learned. What he studied about history being written by the winners and how people view each other and the half-truths we learn in school was absolutely fascinating.

Overall, a fantastic book that's much more than just a romance!

I was so thrilled to have received an advance reader copy of this one, especially after reading More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn (my favorite YA title of 2020 so far) and having her recommend it! It certainly did not disappoint, I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this one thanks to Netgalley & Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Danyal is a teenage boy who uses his sure of himself personality and charm to hide what those around him see as failures.

He has been crushing on Kayak, the twin of one of his besties. She is beautiful and smart, but with his families social status, and his desire to be a chef instead of a doctor, they may not be seen as the perfect match by their parents. Then, his history teacher picks him to represent his class for Renaissance Man - an honor for students, that have to present in front of all the students, family, friends and judges for a large honor & cash prize.

The secondary characters in this story were all so different and made me enjoy the story even more. In my mind, Bisma (& her sister!) stole the book for me - I thought how Danyal interacted with her, and learned from her made this story even more endearing and one I would recommend reading.

I have seen some varying opinions on how this book portrayed the Muslim rules for romance - and as someone who didn’t previously know much about the religion, I found how this story wove Danyal’s religion and feelings into the story to be a realistic, relatable representation of teen and what I would expect their reactions and emotions to be as a result. Not being allowed to go anywhere alone together without a chaperone, no intimacy, and how the parents set up these meetings for arranged marriages all was interesting to me, but I didn’t have enough knowledge of them previously to say it was anything other than interesting for me as a reader, I give it 4.5 stars.

Wow, this was an incredible, powerful YA book! This book has so much depth. It examines and discusses the concept and act of forgiveness. It shone light on shallow concepts of outer beauty and how lovely and profound it is to fall in love with inner beauty. That love and lust are two different concepts and beauty has so many different facets.

The author provided harrowing facts and history about the Bengal famine, which I never learned of in school (typical U.S education 😒). I felt like I learned a lot and the passion about the truth and history is so prevelant throughout this book. While the history in this book was very educational, I felt it served a larger purpose of posing the moral question of why one "sinful" act can be condoned, while others can't and who can/should be making those distinctions? How do we pick and choose forgiveness? Why do people like Winston Churchill get to perform heinous, life altering crimes and be revered in the eye of many, but a young girl who makes a mistake gets judged harshly? It really just made me think about how we as a society pass judgement.

A strong take away message for me is that it's unjust and harmful to be the deciders of someone's virtue, happiness, and fate. Even if they've done a "sinful" act in our eyes. We have a choice and we should choose forgiveness, acceptance, and love.

I learned a lot about Muslim culture, food, home structure and expectations. This book was an evaluation of so many topics and it was just beautiful and really made me think. I think it's such an important book for YA readers and it may help a lot of YA readers navigate difficult, murky moral waters.

Overall, this story was profound, educational, beautiful and full of heart. I loved it and recommend everyone read it ❤️

Danyal Jilani’s new goal in life is to show people that he is more than just a pretty face. Yes, he is a 19 year old senior and yes, he did get held back, but there is more to him than just his pretty looks.

Danyal is not very good at school and everybody knows it. Everyone except Danyal’s teacher, who chose him to be in the Renaissance Man--a school-wide academic championship. Danyal’s long time crush, Kaval offers to help Danyal with his thesis, stating that if he does a good job with the Renaissance Man, maybe he could ask for her hand in marriage. Another unlikely companion comes along in Danyal’s life with a completely opposing view to Kaval’s. As Danyal gets closer and closer to the Renaissance Man competition, he realizes he has a lot of important decisions to make about his future.

I found this book to be a really cute YA novel about finding yourself and love. However, there were also deeper issues intertwined throughout the book such as race, religion, family, history, and so on.

This book constantly made me hungry. Since Danyal is working toward being a chef, there was constant mention of food. Yummy food. I loved the way the dishes were described, almost if I was watching Danyal make them myself.

I did feel a little sorry for Danyal who was constantly getting talked down to throughout the book. Imagine having that many people not have faith in you. Including your mother and father. I am surprised he was so happy.

I can’t personally say anything about the Muslim aspect of the book as I do not know much about the religion. However, I have seen many other reviewers give opinions based on their own knowledge.

Thank you Syed M. Masood Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC and DRC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.5 Stars

MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE is an #ownvoices story about a boy who is trying to figure out his place among his peers, as well dealing with his parents' and cultural expectations. It's a story well balanced between everyday teen life (school, girls, etc.) and a search for truth, forgiveness and understanding. Readers will fall in love with these characters and find that they can't help the messages that will resonate in their hearts long after the last page is read.

There is a lightness and cuteness to this story, plus all the sarcasm, humor, and good food (oh my gosh, the food!), but this story is so much more than it's cute cover and title would have you believe. It's a story about a boy who has no interest in excelling academically or living up to the expectations of others. A boy who has his own dreams and talents, even if they aren't valued as important by others. And a boy who is more than his good looks (thus the title). During the course of this book he comes into his own and the journey is well worth experiencing with him. It's also a bit of a story about a girl who, in her rebellion, makes a terrible mistake that is then publicized and she pays for it with no relief or hope for a happy future.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book at the beginning. The first page was Danyal checking out one of this friends and making innuendo in his head about her, and dropping an f-word (not my cup of tea). However, I kept reading and couldn't help loving Danyal with his mix of confidence, self-depreciation, humor, and sense of what is right. Really, he's just a good guy in a very genuine way and someone I think all of us can relate to. He could be more successful if he cared to be, but his interests don't lie there. Instead they lie in his family, his friends and in cooking. He's mostly skating through life until two things happen: he meets Bisma and he is selected to compete in an academic contest.

I loved Bisma and I loved her and Danyal together. I also loved the character development, but also how Bisma and Danyal balanced each other—they don't have the same dreams and goals, but they do have the same respect for and acceptance of each other. Things take Danyal a bit of time to figure out though, so he may never figure that out. I also appreciated that the author has a very genuine way of writing, including his characters, and he didn't let anything come too easily or everything to be tied in a nice little bow at the end. There was heartache, work, and effort, a well as some people to win over.

I really loved all the messages in this story. They were so poignant for life now. The story points out that you can be be too radical one way or the other, about balancing living life and being happy amid the terrible things that still happen in the world. It points out that heroes aren't perfect and most of them write our histories, but how important it is to learn all sides and to tell all sides today. It talks about a loving God, forgiveness, and the importance of fighting for love. There were a few particular passages that were wonderful pieces of wisdom, such as:

"We come to the New World and forget, I think, that the Old World still has things to teach us."

"Our humanity is dependent upon our recognition of their humanity. Either we're all human, or none of us are."

I also just have to mention this one scene... Danyal walks into a library for the first time maybe ever and says: "Let me get this straight, " I said. "You're like a Netflix for books?" That whole scene made me laugh hysterically. Bravo to the author for something so hilarious and something I could see someone who is very unfamiliar with a library, but very familiar with technology might say. Plus it just shows how well the author did in making this entertaining, with some lightness to the story, while also weaving in some tough topics that made me think (as well as some that made me quite angry). And I never felt like I was being preached to, especially since even when an idea was being explored, there were opposing sides and questions posed as well.

Really, my only complaints would be the language (consistent use of f-words and s-words, and blatant/crude comments) and some of the innuendo or references used. They made it a book that I would recommend for older teens and those who don't mind the content.

In the end, was it what I wished for? Honestly, I was expecting a cute read and instead got this really well written, genuine, sweet romance with lots of depth that just about blew me away. A story that tugged on my heart and pulled on my emotions. Definitely recommended to YA contemporary fans.

Content: Swearing (including the f-word and s-word), innuendo, crude references, verbal abuse.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.