Let’s be honest – we don’t really pick up romance novels looking for an unpredictable, genre-bending read. We enjoy the happy endings and the journey that gets us to them. As a long-time fan, I can say that there is an amazing, awe inspiring amount of creativity that can happen within that equation, but sometimes the stories are simply a fun, if predictable, way to spend an afternoon. If you’re looking for the latter, Accidentally Engaged may be the book for you.

When Reena Manji first sees Nadim Remtulla enter her apartment building she is impressed with her hot new neighbor. Nadim asking her out minutes after their first greeting has her heart soaring – but it quickly plummets to earth seconds later. Once Nadim learns her name, he tells her something rather embarrassing for them both. It turns out Nadim is meant to be Reena’s new fiancé, an engagement arranged by her parents without her knowledge. Since Reena definitely doesn’t want to be married, especially to someone her mom and dad have chosen for her, she advises him there is no chance she will ever wed him and then keeps a polite but friendly distance from him, hoping Nadim will quickly go back to where he came from.

This being a romance novel it doesn’t, of course, work that way. One night Reena locks herself out of her apartment just as Nadim arrives at his. Seeing this lovely damsel in distress, he invites Reena to wait for the friend who has her spare key at his place. They share dinner and under the influence of alcohol, open up to each other a lot more than they would when sober. One of the secrets that comes out is Reena’s dream of winning a local cooking competition which would enable her to leave the boring world of finance and (possibly) live her bliss as a cookbook writer or café owner or baker. The only problem is that the program is about home family cooking and any audition tape sent in needs to have a couple who are either engaged or married. That’s a pretty limited way to look at family in the twenty-first century but, I digress. Nadim and Reena decide it would be fun to do a demo of them cooking together and they submit the resultant video to the contest site.

Naturally, their intoxicated selves have amazing chemistry and the food they make turns out picture perfect. Their clip is gold, the producers love it and Reena quickly receives an email informing her they’ve made it to the next round, which means she finds herself asking Nadim for a huge favor: will he pretend to be her fiancé for the duration of the competition? He, of course, says yes. The two start hanging out together for the sake of the show and I’m quite sure you know what happens next.

What works in this novel is the excellent prose and the fact that the story really captures the joy of meeting someone special and making the magical, life changing discovery that they are ‘the one’. Both Reena and Nadim were unlucky in love before meeting each other, and they take a lot of pleasure in figuring out just how right they are together. The tale also does a nice job of resolving the issues within Reena’s family; they love each other but have a difficult time communicating. When events force them to actually start talking to each other, rather than just at each other, they develop the close, open relationships they’ve always longed for.

Unfortunately however, I never really connected with the hero and heroine. I struggled with Reena because she has a tendency to blame others for her problems; for example, she blames the blog written by her younger sister about the trend towards healthier cooking for costing Reena’s carb rich blog sponsorships, thereby forcing her to close it. Seriously? Where has this woman been? Cameron Diaz was bemoaning not eating carbs as early as 2006 in The Holiday. Later, Reena believes her mother lost her a job she wanted when that wasn’t at all what occurred. Reena struggles to accept any responsibility for her own troubles.

I liked Nadim a bit better. He’s funny and charming and perfectly amiable, and he deals with Reena’s moodiness with patience and compassion. He seems able to get along with anyone and everyone and has a positive outlook on life, even when it isn’t going well. I did have a small issue with him though, and that is that he plays fast and loose with the truth – often. He prevaricates endlessly and as the story progresses, so does the scale of his deceptions. Once we get to know Nadim we realize why he so readily agrees to be Reena’s fake fiancé – much of his life has been about faking it.

I was also a bit disturbed by the fact that he’s come to Toronto planning to marry Reena, yet he hooks up with someone else almost immediately after getting to town and then tried to hook up with Reena before knowing who she was. That seemed a tad sleazy to me.

Nadim and Reena both share a unique cultural background: they are Guarati-Indian in Canada by way of Tanzania. The book doesn’t really examine what that means except through “these recipes, passed down from our mothers and grandmothers” which apparently “are like the cornerstone of our culture.” As a result, apart from some of the food mentioned, the book reads pretty much like the story of any other thirty-something couple with interfering families. Which is actually why the novel hasn’t received a higher grade – it reads like a lot of contemporaries, with nothing to really set it apart. Even the characters feel as though they come from central casting.

That said, there are a lot of books like Accidentally Engaged out there because fans of contemporary romance novels are looking for these kinds of tales. So I would cheerfully recommend it to anyone in the mood for well written familiarity with a dash of multicultural flair.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible, or your local independent retailer
Visit our Amazon Storefront

**Thank you Forever, Grand Central Publishing for providing this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change.**

“My soul knows when i’m home”

Reena Manji is at an impasse, she is 31 years old, she hates her job and she does not have any prospects for marriage; her family is overbearing and they have no boundaries. She is only able to find solace in her kitchen, baking the most decadent loafs of bread. Enters Nadim, a sexy brown captain america with a british accent. It turns out that Nadim is just another Muslim bachelor that her parents have matched her with and they are to married in order to merge their fathers businesses. But Reena has no plan to marry the handsome tanzanian god with the irresistible accent, no matter how much they seem to be perfect for each other, as long as their families are involved their relationship will never work.

“...how do you always smell like home? Like you belong right here in my arms…”

This romance novel is based in Toronto, Canada and it showcases the blend of culture perfectly. This book touches on subjects such as arranged marriage, mental health and sexuality.

I really wanted to enjoy this novel, but felt as if I was unable to connect with any of the characters. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Reena and Saira, sisters should be able to rely on each other always. I also thoroughly enjoy the diversity and inclusiveness of the narrative, which is why I am rating this book a 3/5.

⚠️ HAVE BREAD HANDY!

Loved this book! Such a feel good story packed with humor, friendship, family, and calories! I seriously defy you to read this and not crave bread! Reena does not like her job, isn’t thrilled with her love life, and most of all is tired of her meddling family. Her parents have really outdone themselves this time they have moved her latest potential husband into the apartment right across the hall from her. There is no way Reena is going to date this man much less marry him. Even if he looks like an Indian Captain America, has a sexy British accent, and shares her love for everything food. Then one drunken night Reena and Nadim accidentally enter a cooking contest meant for couples. And so it begins! Reena and Nadim pretending to be a happy loving couple on television and trying to resist one another in real life.

This book was such a treat! Reena and Nadim were both great characters with such lovely personalities. The Romance was sweet and steamy both in and out of the kitchen. They both had some pretty complicated family dynamics and expectations and I liked getting a peek into the Muslim culture. The secondary characters were spectacular, colorful and caring. A fantastic book that I cannot recommend highly enough.

This book in emojis 🍞 📹 🍞 🐐 🍞 🦶🏽 🍞 🥚

*** Big thank you to Forever for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Aww this was just so good and so sweet. I loved the characters and reading the book just made me happy. I smiled a lot while reading this.

Reena meets Nadim and they instantly hit it off until they realize that their parents were actually planning to set them up.
Once Reena learns this, she feels like she can’t possibly like Nadim. She’s not trying to argue with her parents just for the sake of arguing, she just thinks she’d always question Nadim’s real feelings and motives.

But they keep getting drawn together and they do really enjoy each other’s company. Reena loves baking bread in her free time and Nadim keeps showing up right as it’s coming out of the oven.

After deciding to be friends, they wind up entering a cooking competition together. The prize is a dream for Reena but they have to pretend to be a couple.

As they pretend for the cameras, they start to fall for real. But with all the pretending going on, it’s hard to figure out what’s real.

I loved these two together. I loved the side characters. I loved seeing Reena and her sister trying to fix their own relationship, her sister wasn’t in this book just to add drama.
I noticed there’s a previous book written about Reena’s best friend Amira and now I have to get that one too :)

I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad to have found it. I read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thanks!

Thanks to some insomnia and pregnancy related discomfort, I was in bed A LOT in the last day and started and finished this gem! Thank you @readforeverpub for my ARC.

Accidentally Engaged is a sweet fake relationship rom-com, centering around a Muslim couple of Tanzanian-Indian descent living in Toronto. Reena spoke to me in so many ways, mostly through her love of food (specifically bread) and culture, and former tendency to make less than great decisions (girl same), and Nadim’s charm totally won me over. Didn’t hurt that his height, hair, and scruff had me picturing Rahul Kohli 😍I love a dive bar and really enjoyed their moment at one, but I definitely could have done with a little less talk about feet. I am so glad they banded together and got their happily ever after.

I definitely recommend you check this out, EVEN THOUGH the sexy scenes are glossed over! I’m growing, people.

I'll start this review off by talking about the Muslim rep (it's probably what I'm known for at this point). This book is #OwnVoices and it becomes pretty clear early on that both main characters and their families are secular Muslims. It set my expectations so I knew what I was getting into, and some of it was still relatable. It was really easy to feel Reena's frustration at being set up with another man by her father, and the secret keeping that went on in both the Manji and Remtulla families felt very same old, same old.

I thought Reena was a very interesting character. At the beginning, we follow her as she deals with suddenly losing her job by drinking away her sorrows. She's carrying around a lot of baggage and is dealing with bouts of depression. One of those bouts led her to start baking, and I have to say, all the food descriptions in this book were fantastic. The parts where they were cooking or baking were absolutely my favourite parts, and I would definitely watch their videos for the cooking contests because they sounded like a blast. That aside, at some point, after suffering another blow, she suddenly stops drinking, and we never really dive into why. And it wasn't just with Reena--I was missing a connection to the characters in general. Nadim was cheerful and friendly and hiding a few issues of his own, but while I can give Reena credit for taking control of her life and facing her problems, we never really see Nadim do that. Maybe it's because the entire book is written from Reena's POV.

I enjoyed the book and it was a nice enough romance, but because I couldn't really connect to the characters, I'm not sure I'll remember much about it after a few months.

Holy Moly, have your local Indian restaurant on speed dial while reading this book! I devoured Accidentally Engaged and was somehow still famished when I finished reading this book. Farah Heron can write some foodie romance. Between the indian food and the bread baking, I was totally salivating. I loved how Farah brought me into Indian culture through her writing. I loved seeing Reena and Nadim navigate their relationship -- and their families together. And their meet cute was so perfect. This book definitely kept me turning pages, I finished in just one day. I will be recommending this one to everyone!!!

--------

When it comes to bread, Reena Manji knows exactly what she's doing. She treats her sourdough starters like (somewhat unruly) children. But when it comes to Reena's actual family -- and their constant meddling in her life-well, that recipe always ends in disaster.

Now Reena's parents have found her yet another potential Good Muslim Husband. This one has the body of Captain America, a delicious British accent, and lives right across the hall. He's the perfect, mouthwatering temptation . . . and completely ruined by the unwelcome side dish of parental interference.

Reena refuses to marry anyone who works for her father. She won't be attracted to Nadim's sweet charm or gorgeous lopsided smile. That is, until the baking opportunity of a lifetime presents itself: a couples' cooking competition with the prize of her dreams. Reena will do anything to win -- even asking Nadim to pretend they're engaged. But when it comes to love, baking your bread doesn't always mean you get to eat it too.

Well. This was everything.

I love love loved Reena and Nadim. She’s more focused and determined than she knows. They’re both struggling a little and find comfort and friendship in each other. I loooooooved reading their banter and the fun they had together. I also enjoyed Reena’s sister and BFF.

Plot wise, it so good. I enjoyed the organic progression of their relationship and even though I wanted a little more truthful conversations, I loved the light angst and quick resolution. The family dynamic is layered and well meaning and meddling. Oh, and the last couple of chapters are just perfection.

Overall, this was exactly as delightful as the other reviews say and definitely one of my top books of the year.

**Huge thanks to Forever for providing the arc free of charge**

All I want is delicious artisan bread (all kinds). This author must be an amazing baker because she describes cooking and making bread so well, I’ve spent the entire book drooling over the food descriptions. I’m also seriously contemplating getting my own sourdough bread starter and I can’t even have anything with gluten.... for now I’ll settle for this yummy gluten free cupcake that this book made me buy. 🤣

This epic romcom is a love letter to fans of good food, fresh bread and of course sweet romance. Also it’s had me laughing out loud a LOT. Highly recommend you all run out and buy it when it comes out on Tuesday (March 2, 2021). Thanks #NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

Accidentally Engaged is a fast-paced, tightly written romcom, with a solid set-up and a romantic couple who have definite chemistry. The premise really isn't as complicated as it sounds - honestly, whomst among us hasn't fallen for the guy we're faking an engagement to for the sake of a cooking competition, while strenuously refusing to ever get engaged as our parents have arranged, except now we're actually in love but we're definitely still not getting married? And all of it accompanied by exponential amounts of sourdough?

While there were a few moments that didn't really land for me, overall I found Accidentally Engaged to be a charming and breezy read that made me long for a fresh-baked loaf or two of my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advance review copy!

It was hard for me to imagine loving a book that was based around a potentially arranged marriage, but ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGED is amazing.

Reena is a 32 year old single woman whose parents are constantly trying to direct her life, her career, and her relationships. When Reena meets her new hot neighbor, Nadim, she is intrigued...until she realizes he is the man her father has planned for her to marry. Suddenly Nadim is the enemy that she can't stand, but needs help from to make her dreams a reality...as long as she can remind him daily that she will NOT be marrying him.

Reena and Nadim are so absolutely swoony! I just adored each of them. Reena with her sometimes cranky attitude and Nadim's good-natured charm. Reena is a self-taught baker and the food descriptions in this book will have you drooling! I had to stop reading a few times in order to make and consume some sourdough toast with fresh butter.

I loved that this book tackled really difficult family relationships. Farah Heron managed to incorporate cultural complexities within those family relationships with universal complexities that every reader has likely experienced. And those relationships improve as family secrets come out and as the members of Reena's family try and change the patterns they have fallen into. The author has managed to keep these changes authentic and true. I especially appreciated the story including Mental Illness and Therapy for more than one character.

The steam is this book is hot even without going into descriptive detail of the sexual encounters. This book is a PG-13 read and still feels incredibly steamy.

I loved this look into a culture different than my own, into family relationships, family secrets, beginning to heal, and learning to let go of the expectations that are forced onto us. All of this happens while a beautiful love story is unfolding that will have you swooning and cheering for a happily ever after. This is such a great book!

A delightful closed-door romance full of sexy banter, delicious food descriptions and a whole lot of culture!

I felt a strong connection to Reena and her way of being “fine”, even when she isn’t fine at all. I loved how she opened up as the story progressed, how her relationship with Saira unfolded and literally every single thing about Nadim. Even his foot fetish. 🤣

This was such a delightful read. This book has everything I love - amazingly described food (love Indian food), the thing I wish I could eat everyday (bread), complicated and real characters and a man with a British accent! I am here for all of that.

Reena Manji's life is far from perfect and nothing seems to be going her way, stuck in a job she hates and then laid off from, a meddling family and heaps of family drama. When her parents' latest attempt of a set up moves in across the hall then of course complications are a given. Lovely complications 😄.

The Fake dating trope is one of my fav and this story did not disappoint. The author perfectly balanced the romance, the family drama that a lot of us can relate to and the friendships between the secondary characters. The chemistry was great with not too much steam.

I really loved the fact that this story was set in the Greater Toronto Area and showcased the diversity of the GTA in the characters and friendships. As a member of the immigrant community I appreciated that mental health and sexual identity were highlighted in this story in a way that doesn't trivialize the issues.

Give this one a read! This is great for those who love a romance that is not too steamy.

Wow. This book will make you insanely hungry!

I loved this fake dating romcom with all its witty banter. Reena is a wonderful lead character, though she has some flaws I enjoyed watching her grow as a character - exploring her baking, learning to stand up to her parents, and settling sibling rivalry. This is a wonderful book that also gives insight to Indian culture.

My only negative is that I wish this had been a dual POV, I always love seeing the male character’s side of things.

I highly recommend this if you love the fake dating trope, delicious food, and want some cultural insight!

I enjoyed the friends to lovers aspect of this book- two friends whose families want them to marry. I also loved the the cooking show aspect. In the end I lost interest in the many different storylines (the situation with her sister, the job search, the show)- there were too many balls in the air for me and I DNF. but it started off strong!

Accidentally Engaged was hilarious while also being very real about family life and struggles. Reena is struggling to do what she really wants to do while balancing the pressures of her family and pressures from herself. It just so happens Nadim moves in next door and changes her whole world.

First of all, I loved loved Nadim. The way he worked hard to make Reena feel self-fulfilled and happy sealed the deal for me. All of the other characters play their part and do it well throughout the book (there is a number of side queer characters). As a reader, you'll enjoy seeing Reena's growth as she realizes that life unhappy is not a life worth living. Personally, I am a huge fan of family drama and healing; all of which played a part in Accidentally Engaged. The healing of relationships and opening of secrets was wonderfully done. The ending was beautiful and I was so happy because of it. I breezed through Accidentally Engaged because of the readability of it. Being able to see a different culture than my own in books is always beautiful and keeps me engaged in reading; Indian traditions, nosy and noisy family, and yummy food had me hooked from beginning to end.

Loved the South Asian/East African narratives! They exist but you never seen them. This was a brilliant romcom, I just wished the love scenes had been open door. They were already normalizing haram behavior! What would have been the difference! Overall, awesome for brown book boyfriends!

Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron was everything I ever wanted and more.
Cute, funny and entertaining. It was an absolute delight to read about a desi wedding, family and traditions.
Reena and Nadim we fun to read and the way their relationship progressed was so pleasing to read.
I can not wait to read more of Heron’s future works.

This was so cute! Accidentally Engaged is a romantic comedy about Reena, who is tired of her parents interference in her life. After realizing her parents want her to marry her Captain American Hot next door neighbour, Nadim, Reena vows to squash her crush before it can snowball. But when the opportunity to enter a couple’s cooking competition arises, Reena can’t resist Nadim’s offer; they can play pretend for TV and definitely not fall for each along the way, right?

Reena and Nadim were adorable, but I really loved the focus on family dynamics and the way mental health and culture were a core part of the book. It was so much fun seeing Amira and Duncan (The Chai Factor) and being back in the Toronto setting as a Canadian (West Coast but STILL). Accidentally Engaged was fast paced and hard to put down - I’m eager for Heron’s next instalment!

Homemade bread! Indian food! Romance! Family conflicts! What’s not to love about this book? Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron hits all the above topics and more with her new book. The story focuses on a community of Muslims in Toronto, Canada, of Indian and East African heritage. The younger generation is not as traditional as the previous generation and that sets up some conflicts. In addition to the main characters, Reena and Nadim, Heron provides us with a very interesting cast of secondary characters: Reena’s family members, neighbors and friends. Her best friend, Amira, is the focus of Heron’s earlier book, The Chai Factor, where apparently Reena is a side character. (I learned this in a Zoom book launch event tonight! So now I am going to seek out that book.) The themes of this book - other than the main romance - include the importance of food, family and culture, mental health, alcohol abuse, self-esteem, unemployment. The food descriptions alone are worth reading the book for! Like so many people, I’ve been baking bread during this pandemic and I could almost smell Reena’s baking projects. Also, I can totally relate to food and culture being incredibly important.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.