Reena Manji is struggling with the weight her family puts on her -- pressure to join the family business (which she doesn't want to do), tension about getting married (when she can't find the right guy), and the general stress to succeed. So when she's downsized (again!) she refuses to tell her parents until she finds a new job.

Reena meets attractive Nadim across the hall and is instantly attracted to him -- until she finds out her parents arranged their marriage. The stress of being unemployed and lying about it gets to her, and she seeks refuge in breadmaking, her favorite hobby.

When Reena finds out about a cooking competition with her dream prize of pastry school as a reward, she's reluctant to join. It's a family competition, so she would need a significant other to participate with her. Reena is resigned to not participating when Nadim drunkenly suggests she cook for him and they film it. They enter the competition and their video is so dynamic they're an instant success.

Reena is thrilled to have her chance at the prestigious (and very expensive) pastry school, but her feelings for Nadim begin to get complicated. Is he interested in Reena, or the business deal their parents made for their marriage? And will lying about their engagement put a strain on the relationship she wants to have with Nadim?

Recommended for fans of diverse romances, contemporary romance readers, and foodies who enjoy romances.

I loved this book so much! There were so many delicious food references that left my mouth watering. I also really loved seeing the main character’s personal growth and development throughout the story as well as her developing relationship with her sister.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters and their stories at first, and I think that is partly due to the writing. I much prefer books written in the first person, and I think this book would have benefitted from that narrative style. We never really got to know Reena, or any of the characters for that matter. I feel like a lot of things were introduced, but we never really explored them. The author threw in a lot of elements that would have made for a great story, but the execution just wasn't quite there.

I also found quite a few plot holes, inconsistencies, and things that didn't make sense, which frustrated me to no end.

However, I LOVED all of the food descriptions! This book definitely made me hungry.

This is a beautiful story with a diverse cast of characters. The romance is pretty tame but the angsty buildup is very well done. The descriptions of baking and cooking in the book cause my mouth to water. I love the writing style and look forward to more books by this author. Themes include family, marriage, culture, sibling relationships, friendship, and food....specifically baking.

What a fun book! It was just the light, frothy read I needed. I really enjoyed the relationship between Reena and Nadim and well as seeing the evolution of Reena's relationship with her family. The setting being local to me was a nice bonus too.

This book was super cute. I loved the sourdough bread as a way to a man's heart. The miscommunication and lack of communication leads to a great happily ever after. This book would be great for fans of Sonali Dev or Roselle Lim. I love the food romance sub-genre.

Well one thing is for sure...the book made my mouth water. The food and bread baking descriptions were drool worthy ...and then add in Nadim, the perfect swoon worthy lead, and this is me the whole book. 🤤

This was such a fun read. I loved that it takes place in Toronto, so fun to read about a location so close to where I live. The cooking competition premise was so unique and was seriously my favourite parts of the book, I wanted more of it!

This isn’t your straight forward, light romance, both main characters are complex and flawed...my favourite type of characters. They make mistakes, but ones you don’t fault them for because they are realistic. This is a perfect romance for those who prefer a non steamy romance!

Thanks to Read Forever Pub for the #gifted copy to review!

one of my new favorite romances!
I absolutely loved the characters - both individually and as a couple. even though I'm not currently going through exactly what Reena is going through, I was able to relate to her & her emotions/feelings/thoughts a lot which ended up making me really feel for her. I thought Nadim was super sweet as well. I also appreciated the sister relationship and how it was worked on throughout the story.
I know a lot of people will not like the fade to black sex scenes in here but personally, it really worked for me. I also really enjoyed the cooking/baking aspects of the story, especially when specific Indian dishes were highlighted.
the one thing I could have gone without was the whole family drama with the father's business and whatnot - it felt a little bit Godfather-esque and I just didn't really care for it, but it didn't hinder my overall enjoyment of the book.

Reena Manji works in finance during the day and bakes in the night. Baking and cooking are some of the only things that bring her joy and serve as an escape from Reena's overbearing Indian family (who is insistent she marry soon). Reena is intrigued when her new, mysterious neighbor Nadim moves in across the hall, but that intrigue sours as she realizes this is the latest set-up concocted by her family. When Reena is given the opportunity to enter a cooking contest, she jumps at the chance — the only catch is that couples can enter. Nadim offers to be her fake date for the entry video, but things heat up as they go through the contest.

I absolutely adored Accidentally Engaged — Farah Heron crafts a witty, fast-paced plot and her characters are well-developed. Reena has a complicated relationship with her family, especially with her sister, who indirectly brought down Reena's food blogging career. I really loved the heart-to-heart Reena had with her sister (and later her family) and they opened up about their mental health and past (the ending, which I won't spoil, made my heart so full). I also loved reading of Reena and Nadim's relationship and how they found home within another through food. This was such an important read to me, as I am also Indian and very rarely see myself represented so well in literature. I would highly recommend this book.

TW: mentions of depression, emotional abuse

4.5 stars; Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I loved this book so much! I thought it was so cute. The relationship between Reena and Nadim is so cute and I love the way it developed. The writing was fun and easy, making this a really fast and fun read.

This book was a surprised delight. I loved all of the food, the fake dating, the friendship, the competion.

I really loved chatting with Farah about her hobbies. I was so inspired by her journey.

Farah was a guest to the podcast. Please see attached link.

Accidentally engaged is a fun and refreshing read that quickly made it's way to my top favorites list of 2021! It's smart, funny, and absolutely unique! I need to buy a copy for my bookshelves because I loved it so much! I highly recommend it!

4.5 stars, rounded up

I am usually quite hesitant to read novels about South Asian characters surrounding arranged marriages, as I believe there are too many of them and these stories seem to be what the publishing industry expects from South Asian romance authors. With this, I was a bit wary when I began reading, but ended up really enjoying this novel and finding it such a fun read.

A few things I loved about this novel – all of the cooking and food that was described, the friendship between Amira and Reena, and highlighting the extent of the Indian diaspora. Reena’s love of cooking and baking was extremely relatable, and even inspired me to end up making egg curry for dinner one day. Her love of baking bread was so relatable, since this has been a hobby many of us took up over the past year of lockdown. The friendship between Amira and Reena was one of my favorite parts of this novel, and I was happy to learn that Amira’s story has its own book, The Chai Factor, which I haven’t yet read but definitely will be reading soon! Finally, I really loved the representation of Reena and Nadim’s families both being Indian, but also from Tanzania. Many people, especially in the Western world don’t realize the reach of the Indian diaspora and this novel really highlights the extent of it, which I loved.

I was constantly craving some yummy sourdough bread when I was reading this book and just had to get a lovely loaf from my favorite local bakery Acme Bread Company to curb my cravings.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Grand Central Publishing for the gifted ARC and finished copy of this lovely book!

I love fake dating troupes and I really love cooking and baking so this book had two checks in my plus column from the very beginning. I really loved both these characters and getting to live in their world. The side characters were also very entertaining and I really liked the world building that was done.

This book is a delight! With magnetic characters, a laugh out loud plot full of romance and friendship, and food descriptions that made my mouth water, this book checks all the boxes for me.

I liked Reena from page one, but it took me longer to warm up to Nadim. Since Reena was an instant favorite, I was suspicious of Nadim's motivations. Their obvious chemistry gave me swooney heart eyes though and I came around to their fake engagement and eventual romance.

After Reena and Nadim's first few interactions, I thought this book was going to be steamier than it was. It's a mostly closed-door romance, definitely on the sweeter side of steamy.

As you've likely read in a hundred reviews by now, this book is filled with delicious bread and Indian food, and it made me want to find a snack every time Reena was in the kitchen.

Reena's family was a big part of this story, and her strained relationship with them was so hard to read. I didn't grow up with parents like hers but I felt all the empathy for her situation and how she protected herself emotionally.

This book was mostly a fun read, but the themes of family, culture, and heritage kept it from being fluffy. I'll definitely be recommending this to friends!

And now I need to go read The Chai Factor because I loved Amira as a side character in this book and want to read her story!

ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGED centers on Reena as she’s (somewhat quietly) fighting against her family’s expectations and trying to figure out how to make her career dreams a reality. There were quite a few subplots/side storylines in this one, and I think I would have liked it more had it been a bit more focused. I did really enjoy the cooking aspect of it, specifically the fact Reena is in a cooking competition! I love GBBO, so if a book has any kind of cooking or baking competition in it, I’m sold.

And the rumors are true about this one – it’ll make you want to flex (or test) your bread-making skills! Reena’s passion is baking and cooking, particularly sourdough bread. I’ve never made bread before but reading how much Reena enjoyed the process had me finally joining the quarantine-trend bandwagon. I chose a very easy recipe, and it turned out pretty good in my opinion!

Have you ever been inspired to try something out because of a book?

“And that’s what life felt like. Everyone taking a deliberate step onto a roller coaster while Reena stood by happily, anticipating their highs with them.”

When the people said this book will make you hungry, they weren’t kidding. One of the things that resonated with me the most from this story was Reena’s struggle to figure out her path in life, something I can definitely relate to. I enjoy fake dating - it’s been one of my favorite tropes of late, and there was a fun overall premise to this story, and you could instantly sense the chemistry between Reena and Nadim.

However, I felt there was a lot going on, between the fake dating, family drama and cooking competition; a few too many story lines trying to be wrapped up too quickly. I also felt like almost the entire time Reena was doubting Nadim and their relationship - which while understandable, it started to feel a bit too back and forth from one page to the next.

A really cute story if you’re looking for a low steam romance that’ll leave you craving lots of bread!

This is my favorite of Heron's books, which is what I say of everything she writes. The family, the chemistry, the growing pains on the past of both leads, felt so real. The hero is a dreamboat, and I was born thrilled for them and sad to see their story end.

Guys, this book is a wonderful roller coaster ride with Indian parents and their drama in tow and is amazingly topped with Indian culture, Indian wedding, delicious food, homemade bread, and family secrets.

I could relate to Reena and her situation so much. She and Nadim are so good. It's was amazing to see them together making a life for themselves regardless of what their parents think and want.

This book is such a delight for all the food lovers with great food references. I loved the friendship between Reena and Amira and also liked how Reena’s bond with her younger sister strengthened.

It was an amazing read and I recommend it completely.

CW/TW: brief discussions of unidentified eating disorders and depression

I cannot emphasize enough how hungry this book will make you.

Accidentally Engaged might be my top pick for “don’t read while hungry.” Between our heroine Reena’s bread baking (there’s rye, there’s challah, there’s an ongoing battle with a sourdough starter) and her Indian and East African cooking, I was craving a feast pretty much the whole time I was reading this book. Reena is a supremely talented amateur baker and former food blogger whose career in finance doesn’t quite fulfill her cookbook and bakery dreams.

It also isn’t keeping her family off her back or out of her business. Reena’s job is precarious, her sister seems to be living Reena’s dreams and won’t shut up about it, and her parents have set her up with another potential fiance. One that has moved in across the hall. Even with Reena’s dad as his new boss, the very handsome and charming Nadim doesn’t seem overly invested in marrying Reena. More than anything he’s interested in the incredible bread that Reena makes.

Nadim is repeatedly described as Indian Captain America with a British accent which I know is going to delight the imagination of many readers. He grew up separated from his family most of the time and takes a lot of comfort in the way that being around Reena just feels like home. His relationship with Reena develops in moments that feel so adorably normal: from drinking together after a shared shitty work day to babysitting Reena’s sourdough starter when she goes away for a weekend (a very serious sign of trust).


Their proximity (and Nadim’s obsession with Reena’s baking and cooking talents) bring them together time and again, an easy friendship forming. Reena and Nadim bond over their shared Indian and East African culture (their families both immigrated from India to Tanzania a few generations ago, with Reena’s parents then going to Toronto) and their love of good food. They are such a pleasure to watch fall in love because their conversations are the perfect balance of playful ribbing and happy discovery of each other. They are easy and comfortable with each other, even as it becomes clear that Nadim has a past he’d rather her not know about.


They become so close that one night, after too many drinks, Reena asks Nadim to pretend to be her fiance for a cooking competition where the public votes on a series of home recorded cooking videos to pick who will receive a tv cooking special and a scholarship to attend a cooking school Reena has always dreamed of taking classes at. The only catch: they’re looking for family pairs.

So for the competition, they’ll be engaged. But their undeniable chemistry starts to trickle into an actual relationship and pretending to be engaged starts to make Reena ache a little and something from Nadim’s past starts to weigh a little heavier on both Reena and her father, who wants Reena to find out Nadim’s secrets. Sounds simple.

Once Reena and Nadim were together the book started to slow (this is about half-way through) as Reena’s storyline became more focused on her job hunt while her relationship with Nadim became something that was just kinda going on in the semi-background. Much of what happens in this section becomes helpful in the end as the book wraps up, but until you know what use it serves, it does drag a bit.

Accidentally Engaged also does an excellent job at sprinkling in just enough hints about Nadim’s secret past, answering just enough questions as the book unfolds, that when it reached its climax I found myself genuinely surprised.

Reena grows so much throughout this book that it’s difficult to get it all into one review, but of particular note is her how her relationship to her family and culture develop throughout the novel. Reena loves being Tanzanian and Indian, but rejects what she sees as her parents’ over-involvement in her life and the idea that they are capable of finding a husband for her. Throughout the novel she has to learn that there is a place between being a doormat versus completely pushing her family away without trying to understand them or explaining herself to them.

For a lot of us, there comes a moment where you look around and realize that everyone in your family is as much of a full person as you are. They are not, in Reena’s case, just the little sister whose obsession with healthy eating indirectly caused Reena to lose a possible book deal. It can be a hard adjustment, realizing that you have never tried to know your sister, that your defensiveness means you have never tried to let your parents know you, that your Muslim mom has a secret poker club (it’s fine! The money goes to charity!).

Accidentally Engaged is as much about this journey for Reena as it is about her falling in love with Nadim and I think it is one of the book’s strongest through lines. Reena’s parents are pushy about jobs and marriage, but they wanted her to know she has her family’s support. Her sister Saira is judgemental and health-food obsessed in a way I’m not sure the novel ever fully reconciles, but she is never irredeemable.

I think some people might believe the ending of Accidentally Engaged is too tidy, with the novel’s many threads finding their way into picture perfect bows in the final scene. There are some days that I might agree with them. But right now I’d like to believe that sometimes the ending does get to be as smooth as it is in Accidentally Engaged.

Best-case-scenario is not impossible-case-scenario and Accidentally Engaged has an optimism that I couldn’t help but carry with me past the end of the book.