In an masterful intersection of issues such as religion, social/familial expectations, race, and politics, Syed M. Masood's "More Than Just A Pretty Face" maintains a lighthearted, fun, and witty read for YA readers.

In the book, a young man named Danyal is pressured by his parents to look for arranged marriage prospects, not taking his aspirations to be a chef seriously. Though Danyal holds pretty Kaval on a pedestal, he slowly comes to realize that he can''t see a future with her, instead shifting his affections Bisma, a nerdy girl who he had met through his parents. In a story about trying to prove oneself, not only to others but to himself, Danyal goes on a journey to realize that he might not know himself as much as he thinks he he does.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel! Not only did I appreciate learning about different customs through such a diverse read, I also appreciated it's critical lens through which history was seen, tackling issues in history such as colonialism in India. I also loved that the main character was a boy, departing from the usual YA rom-com female protagonist as a breath of fresh air. Through a cute love story, Masood delightfully captures his characters, introducing very nuanced issues to YA readers in a way that doesn't make the story too heavy/morose. Instead, Masood creates a brilliantly fun rom-com, weaving an incredibly detailed story that is fun, easy to read, and hard to put down!

I liked this book because of Danyal's growth in it.

He's a high school senior who has been relying on his good looks and charm, accepting that people don't give him much credit, see him as the dumb kid in class, and don't expect much from him.

Then he's assigned one of 8 slots in the Renaissance Man competition at school, which requires a lot of research, writing, a presentation in front of the school, and will greatly affect his grade (ie, whether or not he stays back again).

He's assigned a subject that he discovers has a very bad past with his ancestors, despite being someone the assigning teacher appears to deeply respect. So does he skip over the ugly side of that person to get the good grade and graduate, or write--and speak--the truth?

While he goes through this decision process, he also has other issues to untangle on top of this particularly difficult schoolwork assignment, including the messiness coming up between his two best friends who are drifting apart; what to do about the girl he wants to be with vs the girl he just met who could really use a friend right now; and how his love and gift point him to a career as a chef, but his parents (and those of his potential romantic matches) disagree.

The book was funny and moving and interesting for me, but what I liked most was watching his growth as he works through the process of deciding what to do about each of the issues he's facing.

This was such a cute story! It reminded me a lot of When Dimple Met Rishi because of the whole arranged-marriage scenario, but also because of the cuteness factor.

I ended up loving a lot of characters in this novel, especially since they are all well-developed and truly interesting on their own. I like how they had their own pursuits and interests, especially in regards to their education.

I enjoyed learning a bit about Islam through this book, even though it was in an unconventional way. It was also interesting to read about different kinds of food (I’m a bit of a foodie myself!).

I would say that this book is really well-rounded and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an easy read, even though it tackles different themes as well.

“Maybe you’re just standing in the wrong spot and looking in the wrong place,”

Danyal’s not the smartest kid in school, he may just be the worst, yet he is the history teacher’s choice for Renaissance Man. A competition of the brightest and best the school has to offer. He’s never been more out of his element. At home, he is nothing but a disappointment to his parents. As a wannabe chef with no future, he will never find a good marriage match. Not like that will stop his parents from trying. And the only girl he wants is above his station, something even his mom reminds him of. 

This is a story about what you want and what others tell you is possible. It’s about finding out that maybe what you think is best for you isn’t. Yet it is also about following your dreams, being happy, and being yourself. 

I like how many different aspects of Danyal’s life this book covered. His different relationships with his parents, friends, religion, and possible future wife. His place in school and the competition. His goal to be a chef and all he was willing to do to get there. It covered a lot but never felt rushed. 

His growth in all this was steady. Danyal had to take a look at his life, his relationships, and see if the way he was living was what he wanted to do it. He had to find a way to stay true to himself while working to improve.

Well written, this was engaging until the very end. It was moving and emotional. Danyal and I are probably as opposite as can be, but I felt for him. I may never fully understand these characters' troubles, but the way the author portrayed them, I was still able to connect with these them.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

More Than Just a Pretty Face surprised me as much as Danyal Jilani, the main character in this young adult romantic comedy, surprised his family, friends, and peers. The book, like Danyal, is more than just a pretty face. What appeared to be at first glance and first chapter a lighthearted story of a boy coming of age (who just happens to be Muslim), gradually revealed itself to be an incisive commentary on class, politics, religion, and traditional gender roles.

Danyal Jilani is not smart, but he doesn't want to be. He wants to be a chef and marry his best friend's twin sister, the beautiful Kaval. But, to do that, he must change who he is and what he wants. He enlists the help of Bisma, the whip-smart microbiology major with nonexistent marriage prospects.

While Danyal matured and proved to be more than what everyone saw on the surface, he remained Danyal. He was still the same funny, charming, and just a little bit frivolous young man we met in chapter 1. The commentary Danyal gave was in his voice, not that of an activist or Islamic prophet. He didn't suddenly drop his chef knives and pick up the Quran and a soapbox. Danyal is more than a pretty face, but he still had that face. He joked; he floundered; he still didn't fully know what to think or what was going on, even as he realized what was right. This consistency was so important. I often see authors forget their characters in favor of the message. Not here.

I noticed the few negative reviews of this book came from Muslims disappointed with the representation of Islam in this book. Specifically, Danyal's blithe approach to describing parts of Islam that were relevant to the plot, such as arranged marriage, virginity, modesty, and prayer. I am a practicing Catholic. I have experienced firsthand the frustration that comes from the perceived trivialization of faith, but to expect Danyal to explain Islam with anything more than a broad brush and a carefree attitude is demanding too much of him. The author remained true to Danyal. Have faith that the readers who want to learn more will do the heavy lifting.

Overall, a great young adult novel for fans of slow-burn, mostly chaste young-adult romances.

To sum up all my thoughts in a quote - “I laughed, I cried, it moved me Bob” - Larry the Cucumber

I came in with no expectations and was blown away from the first sentence. The writing was humorous, and the story was exactly what I need to read during this time. The plot is simple, and you know where it's going from the very beginning but it doesn't matter because the ride to the end of the book is so much fun.
Daynal is such a comical, loveable MC. He's the class clown everyone loves to love! All of the other characters brought something to the table, not one was a waste of space. As a reader, you could feel all of the emotions and situations Daynal was wrestling with, and as a young person myself, I could relate to a lot of them. There were occasions when I wanted to scream at some of the characters for their stupidity or rudeness. The romance had a slow buildup which was done perfectly.

HISTORY!! As a history major, I cannot you how much I enjoyed the history element in More Than Just a Pretty Face , but I'm about to do so anyways . The aspect of looking at the good and bad in historical narratives was so well done, I could cry. One person's hero may be another's villain. Speaking up about the oppression you and your people group face are so important!!
"If we're always silent, no one will ever see the world as we see it."
The lesson about always promoting your narrative is so important. Colonialism was tackled in More Than Just a Pretty Face, and it was well done. Masood brought up an interesting fact that I have never thought about until now, that historically history has always been written by the victors but now with social media people are seeing a lot more of the counter-narrative as well as the narrative play out before them. This is going to change the way history will be written in the future.

Overall this was a light and heavy read with a happy ending that made my mind buzz for at least an hour after I was supposed to be sleeping. 10/10 would stay up to read it all over again.

This book was Something. There were aspects about it that I really enjoyed reading and some aspects that I wished were handled better.

The characters were really well done, in my opinion. We had a wide range of characters in this book, starting with our main, Danyal, he's not a studious kid. He is charming and sweet and very light-hearted (and ok he's a little conceited about his looks but hes a 19 year old boy, that's kind of expected) and he's an amazing chef-in-training (which gave him extra points in my book) but he's pretty bad when it comes to studies

Danyal's character is easy to love. he's not judgemental, he's the one trying to bridge the gap that formed between his friends BUT danyal says some silly things sometimes that i found kindddd of offensive

the whole premise of the story is that Danyal is in love with his best friend's sister, Kaval, who is very very pretty, comes from a family of wealth and status and honestly, she's kind of out of his league. but boy doesn't care, he wants to marry her.

in the meantime, danyal's mother has been setting all these arranged marriage meeting for him to find his potential life partner and one day he meets Bisma, a nerdy girl with a Past and a lot of pain

i really, really liked Bisma's character. I thought she was really well-written. she had an added layer of depth to her that made her feel Human. the relationship she has with her little sister, Adorable. I was really worried when her "past" was mentioned bc the ability for that to go wrong was endless but I liked how the focus was on who she was current day and not the mistake she made before

the story continues when Danyal is chosen to be representing his class in an academic championship where he has to give a speech on Winston Churchill and because he has no brain cells, he asks Bisma to help him and la la la let the romcom commence


One aspect I was worried about was the portrayal of religion in this book. I've seen a lot of bad representation for muslims in books and Im always hesitant. But this book was different because there were some good aspects. i liked how the author put forth the main rules on romance (the not being alone together, no intimacy before marriage, having a chaperon present etc. etc.) but I found it had a weird, convoluted, and sometimes just Wrong way of explaining it

i also found that the book didn't really follow it's own rules.....

my biggest complaint thought was how I felt rules, beliefs, and acts of Islam were trivialized or joked about, especially by our main character. i wish the little quips and jokes didn't have to be part of the story because it kind of ruined it for me by making fun of something that's supposed to be so sacred :p

Back to the good aspects.

I really liked the conversation we got on historical figures, especially the ones that write history and how they can change it to suit their narrative, especially concerning the legacy of winston churchill. there was talk on colonialism and the bengal famine and it was done in a very informative but not preachy way.

i really liked that.

I also really liked how easy, light, and engaging the book was. it flew by for me. i really liked the romance (though i would not consider it a "halal romance" and stopped doing so at some point) i found it sweet how kind and helpful and caring the characters were to each other. how they trusted and talked to each other

like yes, communication!! dialogue!! speaking to each other!! finally some good freaking food. overall, a decent romcom read with some really interesting characters and topics.

This book does a phenomenal job of providing a teenager's perspective of life, love, and arranged marriages. In my opinion, characters are realistic, believable, and are relatable. The message of the story is one that many students (and adults) can learn from. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, and I love the infusion of humor and romance.

"More Than Just a Pretty Face" follows the perspective of a 19 year old funny, gorgeous, and aspiring chef, Danyal Jilani. His parents and the family of his long time crush, Kaval, don't approve of his future plans for life. When Danyal gets selected for Renaissance Man, his school's academic competition, it's his chance to show everyone he's more than just a pretty face. He studies with Bisma, a girl he met during an arranged marriage meeting set up by his mom, to help with Renaissance Man. Over the span of their study sessions, they both realize the love that they are growing for each other.

I adored this novel. So cute, funny, and heartwarming. I enjoyed seeing Danyal's thoughts, they felt so clear, you feel the anger, the happiness, the joy he feels during the different moments of the novel. For example, I loved Danyal's passion for cooking and how you can see how he felt during cooking and why he found peace in it. The explanations of feelings in this book really connect you to Danyal. There were so many moments during this where I could not contain my laughter, especially during Danyal's conversations with his friends and Bisma's little sister, Suri. The character development and relationship development between Danyal and Bisma were perfectly paced- not too slow not too fast. What was really moving was seeing him develop and seeing him prove not just to everyone- but himself that he is more than just a pretty face. My favorite part about this book was the end- so heartwarming and will leave readers smiling.

Overall, this was such a good book. I enjoyed this and adore it so much. It was such a sweet book of self discovery and will leave you beaming after. I recommend this to any readers looking for a funny, heartwarming novel of self discovery and romance.

I wanted to love this book. I also wanted to like this book, but it rested on mediocre plot points and stereotypical archetypes.

I went into this read barely knowing anything about the book. I was almost a quarter of a way through before I actually had to look up the description to figure out where the story might be headed. By that point I don't believe Danyal had mentioned his love of cooking. There were too many plot threads to keep track of, that kept interrupting the main romance. A lot of the Reinsaance Man scene felt like I was reading an essay and not a novel anymore. I did like Danyal and Bisma's relationship and the occasional witty banter.

It felt this book wanted to be a lot of things having a bit of an identity crisis on what it may be trying to say.

4.5/5
If you liked When Dimple Met Rishi, you'll enjoy this one!
It was a really cute story line, and I truly felt that Danyal and Bisma were so well suited for each other and deserved each other.
I especially liked how the author made this book so much more than a YA romance. The idea of the "renaissance man" and how Danyal was able to redeem himself through it, connect with this father, and truly realize his worldview and what he stood for, was a really powerful plot element of this book. I definitely had some tears in my eyes when he was giving his speech to the audience in the competition.
Really, the only critique I have about this book was that Danyal and Bisma's romance seemed a little rushed at the end, like I didn't see the sparks build up, and then suddenly everything just kind of happened.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to review an E-ARC of this novel!**

This was such a CUTE & WITTY story about very influential & important topics like breaking barriers, calling out bigots, learning from mistakes, acknowledging the best in people, & forgiveness for ourselves & others. Please find my extended thoughts below...along with some spoilers (beware). :)
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Things I Liked:
-The realistic friendship between Danyal, Sohrab, & Intezar. Friends have falling outs & come back togethers...the relationships grow & change...I liked that the novel pointed out that this growth can be scary &/or uncomfortable sometimes...but that it is not inherently bad.
-Bisma & Suri's relationship...yes for sister power! I liked how they protected & advocated for each other.
-Bisma's character & authenticity!
-The focus on culture & food. As a reader, I am always happy to learn about backgrounds different from my own & other perspectives. I think that this novel does a great job of introducing various viewpoints even within the same believe systems in a respectful manner. We all have our own paths & beliefs...& with religion being such a potentially explosive topic...I think the author handled these intersections with grace, respect, & understanding.
-The spotlight on the concept that people can be more than just one thing (their looks, their intelligence, their religion, their race, etc.)...we contain multitudes & those multitudes make us unique, strong, different, & challenge us as humans. We don't have to fit into boxes with labels.
-The author's acknowledgments at the end. You can really tell that this story means a lot to the author & I thought it was beautiful how he based various parts of the book/qualities of the characters off of his personal experiences. This section was precious to read!

Things that Didn't Quite Sit Right With Me:
-Kaval was horrible...but I'm pretty sure she was supposed to be.
-How Danyal & Bisma were demeaned & treated by others at times. It was hard to digest that cruelty. Although I do feel that the novel highlighted the importance of challenging this...it didn't make it any less difficult to stomach.
-I wish we got to see more of the Renaissance Man competition. For some reason, I thoughts that would be more of a focus in the novel.
-I did feel like the story ended rather quickly. It felt a little quickly wrapped up for me & rushed a bit at the end.

Overall, I gave this read 4 stars. I think it would be a great read for those interested in YA, rom-coms, or those interested in advocacy &/or cultural discussions! The witty banter & awesomely quotable lines made it even more interesting to read.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a free advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow. I had read an article at the beginning of the year where More Than a Pretty Face was one of the most anticipated novels of 2020. I even marked it Want to Read on Goodreads to make sure I would read it when it came out. It did not disappoint! I finished this book in one day it captured me so much.

To watch Danyal’s transformation from a boy to a confident man gradually over the book was a delight. He was constantly made to feel that he was not smart his whole life and that he wasn’t living up to his potential and the seeing Bisma constantly making him feel safe and pushing him to do better is what everyone needs in a partner.

I loved how the author did not shy away from each character’s flaws. Each character felt real and integral to the story and development of Danyal. I also loved the intertwining of culture and food. It made me really hungry when Danyal made chicken tikka masala and daal and even the croissants and creme brûlée at the restaurant. I especially enjoyed the history aspect as part of this story. I had no idea the Bengal Famine happened until reading this book. I found Danyal’s Renaissance Man presentation to be moving and I really felt like I was there.

I would definitely recommend this to friends to read.

This book was pretty cute! It started out a bit slow for me. I honestly think I was more interested in the book for the thesis about Winston Churchill than the romance though. Overall, the romance was good but I do wish it had a bit more to it. The character development for Danyal was something I really enjoyed.

YES YES YES. This is the book I have been waiting for. I don't know how it manages to be all things at once, but it is. It incorporates desi and Muslim culture, delicious food descriptions, and some of the funniest and delightful characters. And it is SMART. I love the descriptions of history and philosophy that take place because of the school's Renaissance Festival. I love the in-depth look at colonialism and all its problems. I hope people will look at Winston Churchill more realistically from now one because of this book. I will highly recommend this to precocious middle grade and high school students. The author does an incredible job of writing complicated and traditional families. You don't have to be desi to understand. These parents want what's best for their kids, but they don't know what that means in this contemporary American society. And the kids are just doing the best they can. I really love the main character. Danyal is sweet, imperfect, and he is good to his core. Bisma, the smart and pretty female lead, is someone all girls can look up to. I just can't say enough about this book. I love it so much.

A YA book where teenagers actually sound like teenagers? A novel concept, I know (that was a pun). More than Just a Pretty Face is a funny, sweet book with a lot of heart and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

MC Danyal feels very real. He's what most YA contemporary protagonists aspire to be: quirky and awkward without making me want to punch them in the face. More than Just a Pretty face manages to deal with heavy topics like religion, familial values, and the expectations we and those around us trap ourselves in while still remaining a fun read which is normally something that's really hard to achieve without being tonally jarring.

I have a feeling the main issue people are going to take with More than Just a Pretty Face is that the romance itself is fairly predictable, but I'd argue that that just adds to the authentic feel of the story's characters. Because here me out. Teenager? Absolute idiots (I'm allowed to say that because I still technically am one). Yeah, it's easy to read YA and get frustrated with how oblivious an MC is to their feelings and the feelings of those around them, but being a teenager is kind of like being an ever shifting blob of a confused mess and it's really easy to get caught up in all the other confusing aspects of teenager-dom and then look back after the fact and realize that something obvious had been staring you down for years. Yeah, Danyal is an oblivious dumbass, but what 19 year old isn't?

What an amazing read! I loved the dynamic between the characters, and everyone in this story felt so real and came right off the page.

I enjoyed this book! I read it really quickly because I couldn't put it down; I was really immersed in the story and in the voice and I was excited to see what happened. Though I was pretty sure I knew how it was going to end, that didn't make me less excited to get there. I really wanted to see Danyal get his happy ending!

I docked it a few stars because some of the characterization fell a little flat for me. Particularly Danyal and Kaval felt a little one dimensional at times. Danyal was said to be "an idiot, not very bright," etc throughout the book, but there were plenty of times where he was insightful, thoughtful, and complex. However, at other times, it felt a little unbelievable to me that he didn't know certain things — for example, when he used the word eulogies without knowing what it meant, and acted like he thought it was food. That felt a little far-fetched to me and took me out of the story a bit. And Kaval, though I think some of her characterization was fine and Danyal's realization that they didn't belong together made a lot of sense, some of her behaviors made her seem especially cruel and oblivious. Like saying that Danyal couldn't be happy without her because she was all he had wanted — that doesn't strike true, for me, as something an otherwise intelligent 17-year-old would say.

Those are things that pulled me out of the story a bit and reminded me that I was, in fact, reading a book. But I really liked Bisma and Suri and I loved how Danyal and Bisma's relationship grew organically, and I also loved Danyal's own progression into doing what felt right to him and being successful and working hard and creating something he was proud of, both in the kitchen and in the Renaissance Man contest! I also really appreciated his friendships. Sometimes I feel that authors and books neglect friendships in favor of giving more time and development to romantic relationships, but friendships are so important. I loved how supportive his friends were, how he learned from them, how they weren't afraid to share that they cared about each other and work through challenges. Yay friendship, especially when it's young men being allowed to have close and deep relationships!!!

Four stars

This is a solid YA romance with some refreshing twists.

Danyal and Bisma are working with some similarly difficult parents. At 19, they're reflecting more of a new adult than young adult motif, but since Danyal is still in high school (a critical plot point demonstrating only a small piece of his parents' general disappointment in him), we still find ourselves in YA territory. This challenging relationship between Danyal and his parents - especially his father - sets up a lot of the plot: that Danyal is going to find the marriage prospects more challenging than most. In addition to his oft mentioned intellectual capabilities (which are clearly part of an incorrect perception, not reality), he is also passionate about being a chef and not going to college. These factors - combined with his more-than-average looks - help Danyal become a more un-traditional and intriguing protagonist.

Bisma is a fantastic complement to Danyal because she also comes with baggage, but hers is fully out of her control. It is impossible to avoid a broken heart on her behalf. The circumstances she experiences - an abusive parent and the giant warning she comes with (to keep this spoiler-free) - have nothing to do with her. She is victimized, and while that is acknowledged, I struggled with too little too late on that front. There's too much focus on her choices from everyone but Danyal and not enough discussion about what happened TO her.

While it's easy to root for the central characters, it is also fun to engage with the ancillary folks. Suri and the chef are particular favorites, but I also enjoyed the arc of Danyal's friendships. Sohrab reflects a common issue for teens (friends going off the rails) but in a culturally relevant way. I also think Kaval is drawn expertly. She starts off quite charming and then... This is a fun cast of characters, and they all add to the plot in meaningful ways.

I do have minor irritations and struggles with a few issues: namely the aforementioned too little too late (and even then still too little) with acknowledging Bisma's victimization, Tippet's completely inappropriate way of interacting with students, and the parents' generally terrible behavior. There are a lot of adults saying and doing awful stuff here, and I wish that had been more clearly and consistently established as bad and wrong. That messaging, I think, needs to be prevalent and stronger in a work for this audience.

Overall, this is a great YA romance with some clear representation. I'll recommend it to students to be sure.

This book was so cute and earned an easy and well deserved 4 stars from me.

More than just a pretty face follows 19-year-old Danyal Jilani he a Muslim high school senior who dreams of becoming a chef. He comes from a very traditional family and his parents have been trying to find someone for him to marry and try and convince him to go to college, but he has other plans. He just wants to start his own restaurant.

One day he is unexpectedly chosen for a school-wide competition called the renaissance man. He isn’t sure why he was chosen since he is just okay at school. Since he doesn’t want to completely fail he decides to accept help from Bisma - who his parents had previously introduced him to.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. It was fast-paced, funny, swoon-worthy, and absolutely adorable. I found the story of Danyal and Bisma so cute and refreshing. Danyal was super sarcastic, fun, and relatable. He will have you laughing the whole time.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.