Accidentally Engaged has elements readers have seen before. Fake fiancé, overbearing relatives, arranged marriage to name a few, but Farah Heron makes them fresh by having a relatable main character in Reena, a wonderful book boyfriend in Nadim, a setting in Toronto, and a look inside the Indian East African culture.

Reena and Nadim’s chemistry is instant. Nadim becoming a sourdough starter baby sitter is my favorite scene. All the food and bread talk will make you so hungry while reading Accidentally Engaged so be forewarned.

I would recommend Accidentally Engaged. Food, fun, heat and heart.

5⭐
PG-13: you could lend it to your mom without blushing TOO much

This book. THIS BOOK. Where do I even start?? First, thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC because I enjoyed every single moment of it. This is the type of romance book that I love to read. And I loved this book.

Reena is the middle child of a tight knit Indian-Tanzanian-Canadian family who is holding tight to the independence she's fought hard for when Nadim moves in next door. And this neighbor who happens to have moved in next door? He's going to be working for Reena's dad who has promised Reena would marry Nadim. Reena has zero interest in an arranged marriage and just wants to figure out how to turn her finance job into a job that brings her closer to baking bread. But then one cooking competition video changes everything as Nadim goes from charming annoying neighbor to fake fiance.

I loved seeing the culture and family dynamics showcased throughout this book that I once only really learned about from my Indian friends. I think have a few friends would relate to the feelings of a close knit community, hiding a relationship due to family expectations and trying to balance tradition with modern desires. And I am so glad a few recipes were provided at the end of this book because my mouth was watering reading about the food in this novel. As a sourdough baker, I couldn't help but relate to Reena's challenges with finicky starter and laugh at Nadim when he didn't want to throw away discard.

And as much as I loved the culture and the food, I think what stood out to me most was the real challenges that the characters experienced. Yes, there were definitely a few times where a conversation probably could have fixed a few things. And yes, Reena could probably use some therapy. But these were real characters I could relate to and I felt connected to not just Reena and Nadim but their family and friends as well. The end wrapped up kind of quickly, but it didn't matter because I was cheering for these characters to find their happy ending. And of course, this is a romance so they did and it was lovely.

I truly loved this book and will be recommending it to friends and family to add it to their TBR, pre-order it, and recommend it to their library for an excellent spring romance.

A delightful and cute rom-com of Reena and Nadim with all the Indian food and the desi meddling family.

Summary: Reena is currently in a job she is not really enjoying and is actually aspiring to become a baker/chef. Nadim is in Canada to work with her father and is also a potential groom for her. Though she is attracted to him right away, she is not ready for a relationship at the time. But when an opportunity presents itself which might help her get closer to her dream job, in the form of a cooking competition for couples, she decides to get into a pretend-engagement with Nadim. With all this, there is also a major scandal and secrets that Nadim hasn't been open with, which is another huge can of worms. With a meddling family, though with best interests, and their true feelings coming out, will they simply continue to pretend or make it true?

Thoughts: I loved everything about this book. It definitely made me get some sourdough bread and samosas right away. Being an Indian, I just loved how the food was described even those that I eat pretty regularly sounded amazing. Reena and Nadim made an adorable couple and have crackling chemistry which I definitely enjoyed. There was angst and steam and it was closed-door but cute. The Tanzanian-Indian culture was completely new to me and I got to learn so much about it.

Having seen a couple of my friends keep a sourdough starter, name it and literally feed it like a pet for years, I felt the connection to the book quickly and once there were more food references, I knew I was absolutely going to enjoy it. It was nice to see all the friends and family also introduced with some character development instead of just being referenced when the plot needed. With such a fun book, the author also managed to include the mental health issues within the plot.

Thank you Forever and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Reena is so tired of her family getting over involved with her life, so when she finds out the hottie next door (Nadim) is actually the guy her parents are trying to get her to marry she is over it. But then the opportunity of a lifetime comes up and Reena can get a scholarship to baking school if she wins the latest cooking competition. The problem is she needs a husband or a fiancé or some sort of family to participate with her. Luckily Nadim steps in and offers to be her fake fiancé and film the show with her. Only at some point the feelings stop being fake and start to be real.

Wow I cannot wait until everyone gets to experience this book. I loved it so much. It is heart warming and hopeful and so dang funny. I loved the Manji family and all of their quirks and secrets. They felt so real to me. And the romance felt very natural. FYI book is low on the steam level, so it really is a sweet love story. The food references made me hungry so grab a snack when you read it. AND it featured recipes at the end which always makes me happy! I’m very eager to pick up Farrah Herron’s first novel, the Chai Factor after reading this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Add this one to your cart - it comes out March 2, 2021

Reena Manji is a financier but her secret passion is bread. She has a bread starter that is like her family and takes it everywhere. But Reena wishes she could escape her real family. Her parents are determined to interfere with her love life and set her up with a Muslim husband. Reena will not be a part of their matchmaking and does not want to be with anyone who works for her father, no matter how handsome or wonderful Nadim's accent. But when she is offered the opportunity to participate in a cooking contest meant for couples, Reena finds herself in a fake engagement with the very man she refused to marry!

Farah Heron told a story of love filled with so much drama that I could hardly keep up. I enjoyed the food and the culture. Both of the main characters were flawed but somehow managed to find themselves once they found each other. The family dynamic was so complicated and knotted, I didn't know if the author would have been able to unravel the storyline to a satisfying, realistic ending, but she did. My favorite scenes revolved around the cooking show. I found Nadim and Reena's banter refreshing.

The conflict with family and family acceptance is powerful and greatly described. There were a kitchen sink full of secrets that had me raising my eyebrows on several occasions. Saira was one of my favorite characters and her story was quite colorful but I loved how the author ventured into somewhat taboo subjects such as mental illness.

Thank you #Forever and #Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sorry I just could not get into this book as I did Heron's debut THE CHAI FACTOR. I could not connect with the main character and I did not want to connect with her love Interest.

Thanks anyway for the ARC.

Oh my goodness. This was so sweet! I loved the premise and the evolution of the relationship!! This was very fun to read.

This is the first book I read by Farah Heron and I am literally obsessed. This book is not even out and it will come out next year, but I am happy to say that it is in my top 5 of favourite books in 2020. I just loved everything about this book. I love how this book included mental health awareness, diversity, a fetish (which is the first time I see a mention of a fetish in a rom-com book, it gained points for originality). The characters were funny, sassy, likeable and REAL. I'm not gonna lie, I read 70% of this book in one day. The plot was nicely executed, it kept me on my toes and I kept wanting more. The family has many secrets and everything was nicely tied up in the end.

I am grateful to have learned more about Indian culture and Indian food through this book. There was also a great balance between the comedy elements and the more serious content of the book.

I loved how sweet Reena and Nadim's relationship was and how real and scary their emotions were for each other. There was definitely chemistry between the characters which made it easy for me to root for them.

After reading Accidentally Engaged, I'm looking forward to reading more of Farah Heron's work.

Thank you NetGalley for letting my read this book before it's publication date!

Thank you Forever for my review copy. All opinions are my own.
.
Back me up y’all. 2020 has been hard. I have found myself slowly sliding into unhappiness. With the world. With people. With myself. I picked up Accidentally Engaged to pull myself back. To remind myself what I love. Plain and simple. I love reading. I forgot how much I need to dive into someone else’s world. This one fit the bill 🙌🏻.
.
To speak on the actual novel....this was lovely. We had it all. A fun, but real female character who spoke to me through her love of carbs. A hot man with a British accent and that dimple. Fantastic supporting characters that were not afraid to highlight their crazy (yes, please). Solid fake relationship buildup. It was a win.
.
If you are looking for hot and steamy....this is not a good choice. It is absolutely closed door. However, I would sincerely recommend....it made me smile and transported me to Canada and out of 2020 for a bit ♥️.

This was cute, short, and sweet. Exactly what you want in a rom-com book like this one. I definitely would read more books by Heron in the future!

This book soothed my 2020 battered soul; it was such a treat to read. So much to love about it!

Reena, a middle child, with a very (overly) involved Muslim family works at a finance job that she doesn't love. Which makes it all the more insulting when she's laid-off. Her real passion is cooking but her younger sister managed to sabotage Reena's successful food blog and cookbook deal.

She comes home to discover she has a new neighbor - he's a brown Captain America with a gorgeous British accent and tons of charm. MeOW! Until she finds out that Nadim is the Good Muslim man she's supposed to marry to help her family's business. Hell, no! But, he's so dreamy...

After maybe one drink too many, Reena and Nadim shoot a cooking video and enter a contest. The prize just happens to be a scholarship to the very culinary school that Reena was thinking of emptying her savings to attend. The catch? It's a contest about family cooks so Reena and Nadim need to be faux engaged.

But she still tells her parents that she's not marrying Nadim. Even though she likes him. A LOT.

Reena is so relatable as a thirty-something woman trying to figure out her career, dealing with the stress of being laid off. Again. Not wanting her parents' help. Not really wanting to stay in finance but not sure about following her dream of culinary school. Wanting a relationship but not because her parents arrange it. Trying to figure out her relationship with her sister. Feeling like a failure compared to what looks like her older brother's perfect life.

Accidentally Engaged didn't just deal with career woes and a pushy family. Farah Heron also addressed mental illness, stress, and depression.

The writing is so engaging with so much sparkling banter. Reena's friends are warm, supportive, and funny as hell. Shout out for the LGBTQ+ rep.

And the connection between Reena and Nadim is H-O-T! Super-steamy scenes ensue.

I loved learning about East Indian/African food and traditions. And OMG. Reena's bread baking had me absolutely salivating. I wanted one of those sourdough starter babies!

If you're a fan of Sara Desai or Sonali Dev, READ this! And then read the first book, The Chai Factor. Do it! Food, eccentric family antics, and a sweet, steamy romance - the perfect read.

Accidentally Engaged was a delightful and heartwarming read. Farah Heron wonderfully infused the book with elements of South Asian culture, tackling serious issues such as mental health and family dynamics/relationships while also providing moments of humor. The banter in this book was highly amusing, the chemistry was palpable, and the cooking competition plot was such fun! I adored the development of Reena and Nadim's relationship as the story progressed, and I loved learning more about their cultures (and foods!) along the way. It may have seemed over the top to some readers, but I could definitely relate to the amount of family drama and secrecy Reena has to deal with. I especially loved that mental illness was addressed in this book, as it's a topic that so often has stigma in Asian cultures/families. In addition to the romance, something that really shone for me was the authenticity of the characters. With Reena especially, it was wonderful to delve into her friendships and her relationship with her sister! Many thanks to Forever and NetGalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book deserves all of the fantastic five stars I rated it. Heron did an amazing job of balancing out the fun flirty moments with the deep serious moments and even intertwined aspects of South Asian culture throughout the story.

What I loved about this book:

1. Heron absolutely nailed the plot of this book and wrote absolutely lovable characters. I loved Reena's character and all her swoony interaction with Nadim. Their friends to lovers to fake relationship romance highlighted their great chemistry and I was absolutely rooting for them to find their HEA. I may have shed a few tears towards the end of this book, but I spent a majority of my time giggling and swooning.

2. The Manji family and all of their secrets took denial to the extreme, but it was also hard not to laugh a bit when I learned the lengths they went to keep them. You will definitely laugh out loud when they all come spilling out While Reena's sister had a few struggles of her own she was working through, it was nice to see her prioritizing the repair of her relationship with Reena.

3. I loved how aspects of both Reena and Nadim's culture were intertwined throughout this book. I loved learning more about their heritage and I definitely loved all the yummy food I got to read about. This book may have inspired me to get my own sourdough starter, but I promise not to make the same mistake Nadim did. If I do, starters for everyone. 😂

This laugh out loud amazing romance read is definitely a book you won't want to miss. Make sure to add it to your want to read list on Goodreads so you get all it's updates. This book is expected to publish March 2, 2021.

I enjoyed Accidentally Engaged so much. It made me laugh, it had me rooting for Reena and Nadim and it left me with a huge smile on my face at the end.

Reena is now one of my favorite book characters. I loved how Farah Heron portrayed her finding herself throughout this book and what she wanted to do with her life without the pressure from anyone else. I enjoyed her and Nadim's fake engagement and how it progressed their relationship progressed as they spent more time together filming their food videos. The additional cast of characters helped build the story and helped in understanding Reena and Nadim's backgrounds. One aspect of the book I really liked was that it went deeper with the discussions on mental health and doing things in life that you want to do, not what everyone else wants you to do.

"A delightful romantic comedy featuring a Muslim woman who fakes an engagement to the boy next door in the hopes of winning a couples cooking contest." - that's all you need to know, now go read the book!

This was a fun read perfect for brightening up my day. Reena and Nadim are likable characters, both dealing with checkered pasts and hoping to find something better out there for them. I loved the concept of the cooking competition and their chemistry on camera. And I really wanted to try some of Reena's bread! Some parts of the book were a little slow, but all in all this was a delightful read that I highly recommend. Now I'm going to go back and read Heron's first book (featuring Reena's best friend), The Chai Factor! I look forward to seeing more from her.

Reena Manji has been laid off once again and she dreads telling her parents because they will no doubt want to fix everything by giving her a job in the family's business. Her true passion is baking all kinds of delicious breads. One day she runs into her new, and very attractive, neighbor, Nadim. Turns out he is her dad's newest employee and apparently her husband to be!
She has no intention of marrying who her parents have decided for her and she makes it well known to him. After a night of much drinking, Reena and Nadim spontaneously enter a cooking contest while pretending to be engaged. Sparks fly and they can't deny the attraction between themselves, however, Nadim has a past and secrets he hasn't revealed.

This was a fun read! There were parts that dragged a bit, but overall it was a cute story and boy did it make me hungry! 😆 I love all cuisines, but there's nothing like authentic, flavorful Indian food! I liked how the author added a couple of recipes at the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the ARC of this book!

An incredibly grateful THANK YOU to Estelle & Forever Publishing for approving me for this title on NetGalley - I could not wait to read this one & had to devour the book as soon as I could after getting it! *** Beware, you’ll pick this one up & suddenly realize you sat down to start it & suddenly you’re finished. ***

WHAT a great love story, and I could shout from the rooftops how much I adored this own voices, cultural tale that taught me plenty of new things about xx and wanted me to try ALL of the incredible food they cooked up in this book. I may just be a boring heterosexual caucasian female, but love knows no color or sex and I am here to cheer on ALL the romances…. even if they might be a pretend engagement to the man your parents want to arrange you to marry.

“Your father and my father just entered a business partnership together. And apparently…you and I are to be married.” He shrugged, one side of his lip raising slightly. “Surprise?”

Reena’s parents may want her to marry Nadim and live happily ever after in the version of her life they see, but she just wants to bake all the bread, forever. (my kind of girl, WHO doesn’t love bread?!) And who can blame her? She may be struggling with her career, but that doesn’t stop her from making it known what she wants and going after it. Encouraged by her endearing friends and even the sister she once felt betrayed by, this romance is full of heart and hope and SO much chemistry cooking up in that kitchen!

While I had not read anything by Farah Heron before this book, I have to say I will be a fan for life. The contemporary romance had a flavor of fun, while keeping it a quick and engaging read with the witty wording & incredible character development. Reena and everything she wanted (or didn’t want) was so relatable and true to herself, it had me cheering her on in the cooking competition, in life and in love.

Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron, for release March 2, 2021
.
“A delightful romantic comedy featuring a Muslim woman who fakes an engagement to the boy next door in the hopes of winning a couples cooking contest.”
.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Farah Heron’s writing style since I read The Chai Factor. I had no idea this was a companion book and was really excited when I realized! Accidentally Engaged is such a lovely blend of comedy while tackling serious issues.
.
Here are just some of the amazing things about this one:
.
💚Nadim is described as a Brown Captain America. Need I say more?
.
💗Farah’s books have amazing Canada rep. This particular one takes place in Toronto and I squealed every time it was mentioned 😅
.
💚As a self described glutton, all the food references made me hungry!!
.
💗This book also touched on mental illness and portrayed therapy in such a wonderful way.
.
💚The chemistry between Reena and Nadim from the moment of their meet cute was so enjoyable to read.
.
Massive thank you to Forever, Netgalley and Farah Heron for access to this wonderful read 💕

4/5

This book was sooo cute! I absolutely adored the East African and Indian rep in this book and all of the baking references. This book explores family, parenthood, trust, and mental illness.

I especially appreciated the discussions about mental illness because I think that's a taboo topic in general, but DEFINITELY in ethnic families. It's not taken very seriously, or even discussed at all, but this book highlighted that and showed the importance of open communication and seeking therapy.

The only thing I thought was a little weird about this book was the references to feet... I have an aversion to anything related to feet so I was more than a little uncomfortable lol but I guess, um, to each their own??

Anyway, this book was adorable and funny. I feel like I learned a little bit about Indian and East African culture, and I definitely learned some things about Islam. What a joy it is to read books about people from diverse backgrounds. I love this, and I'm looking forward to reading more like this one.

I'll be honest - this was so good. Going into it, I didn't know what to expect. As an Asian-Canadian, I generally don't like books that focus on Asian culture. Why? Maybe it's the cliché expectations of helicopter parenting or the cringe-worthy drama and stereotypes... Or maybe it's just because I grew up with the nitty gritty low-key trauma and now that I'm an adult, why would I want to re-live it in book format? Reading books with controlling Asian families and judgmental consequences make me quite anxious and a lot of the times I find it's very over-the-top. This was one of the reasons I didn't enjoy [book:The Kiss Quotient|36199084] as much. Despite all that, I decided to give Accidentally Engaged a chance because of the high ratings, and I'm so glad I did.

Ms. Heron's absolutely fantastic at striking that perfect balance between humour and Bollywood-style drama with realism and relatable characters that are surprisingly deep. The story touches on <spoiler>depression, anxiety, self-worth, anorexia, mental health</spoiler>, and showcases brilliant growth for all the characters. I noticed when I look back at book details that it used to be called "The Right Spice" and I think it's a cuter title than Accidentally Engaged. I wish they hadn't changed it. I'm also a sourdough baker (and have been for years) so I was so pleasantly happy to relate to Reena and Nadim more this way.

It was thoughtfully funny, in a way that is less of a laugh-out-loud humour and more of a I-want-to-be-best-friends-with-them. So happy I took a chance on this Indian rom-com and I can't wait to read more from Ms. Heron!