Cover Image: Accidentally Engaged - A Preview (Ch 1-4)

Accidentally Engaged - A Preview (Ch 1-4)

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Member Reviews

This first 4 chapters of this book was absolutely delightful, but the lack of space errors throughout made it difficult to read. This is only am issue with the preview so order a copy for yourself or try to get approval for the full galley.

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I can't wait to find out what happens next! There are so many draws for me with this book and I hope that Reena is able to make her own cookbook. The audacity of her sister to ask for her eggplant dip!

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YESSSS! I'm so here for this funny and lighthearted book and can't wait to get more! I really enjoyed the preview, and look forward to seeing what's in store for Reena and Nadim. Fake dating/engagement? Diverse characters? I'm for it! I’m also excited to see Reena evolving in her cooking career, and to drool over the pages as they describe the dishes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the chance to read a preview!

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Quite the promising starter to a story that has a heroine, Reena, who yearns to attend a top culinary school and be cook, while trying her very best not to conform the life her parents have set out for her and the sudden realization that her next door neighbor, handsome, flirtatious and with a sexy British accent is her husband, chosen by her parents in light of the customs of an arranged marriage.
I love Reena already because she speaks her mind with her friends while at home...well, that's another story.
Thanks Netgalley for the teaser now can I get the whole book? Please?

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This was such an intriguing preview of this book. I wish I could read the whole book, as this really made me excited for it.
Reena and Nadim are both such likeable characters and I’m excited how their story will evolve.
I’m also excited about how Reena is going to evolve her cooking hobby / career.

I’m very excited for this book to publish, so I can read Reena’s whole story.

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The premise of the story is great (hooray fake dating/engagement) and Reena and Nadim are two characters I will definitely like to read more about. The writing was a little stilted in the first two chapters but found it's flow by chapters three and four. This will be on my watch list for it's release date.

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I really enjoyed what I’ve read so far! The romance is pretty good so far, but the food descriptions???? *chef’s kiss* I need more!

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Within the first 4 chapters preview that we get for this book, we are treated to diverse characters, a sexy neighbour, an over bearing family and sibling rivalry that sets a fantastic pace and tone for the remainder of the book. Reena as an MC is confident, vibrant and independant and I loved understanding the various pieces of her life that form her identity. I enjoyed reading Reena and Nadim's interactions as it is clear that they have sizzling chemistry from the first meet cute. Reena's family dinner reminded me of my family gathering's and the various questions that relatives ask and all the catching up that takes place. Definitely brought back some nostalgic memories, especially the puri! I would love to keep reading Reena and Nadim's story and see where it goes from where the preview chapters left.

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This was a fun 4 chapter preview and I look forward to reading more. I quickly fell for both of our main characters but struggled a bit with all of the ancillary characters who are all so quickly introduced along with their connections. I hope that their purpose in the story is clarified a bit but that the focus remains on our main characters. Lovely to see a diverse cast of characters!

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This preview was absolutely delightful. So far I really enjoyed the diverse cast with a wide variety of personalities and job.

Three stars because I only have read the first four chapters.

A tiny point, but one that was important to me was "Accidently Engaged" acknowledging a small part of the huge South Asian communities that live around the continent of Africa. It isn't something that fiction writers acknowledge. I can't speak for the Muslim representation but I do hope that this book will show diversity with its representation of a Muslim community.

I'm really looking forward to reading "Accidently Engaged" when it does come out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing a preview for this book.

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A fresh and interesting start. I would read this book. The Kindle version is formatted weird on my app, it looks like there are missing spaces in between words.

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Accidentally Engaged sounds like a great contemporary romance with a fake dating twist.
Reena is an interesting and strong character and I look forward to reading more of her story in the full book.
Many thanks to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advance preview.

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The first four chapters shown in the preview are a very good start. The characters are likable, the banter is smooth and witty, the pacing is great. The one thing I'm holding my judgement on is the arranged marriage premise, but I trust that it could be handled in a way that the main character reclaims her agency, based on the way her personality is portrayed in the first chapters. Good start!

I received a preview in exchange for an honest review.

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I love how there are more and more OwnVoices writers in contemporary and romance, so I had to read this preview for Accidentally Engaged!

I wish I was able to read more. The writing is in third person, which I found refreshing since I usually prefer first person for romance books, and I flew through the four chapters. Our protagonist, Reena, is extremely likable. I kept on Googling all of the foods talked about in the book, and they look delicious!

Right off the bat, in the first chapter, we meet the man of the hour, the neighbor across the hall, the guy Reena's dad wants her to get hitched with, Nadim! And he's British *swoon.* In spite of their circumstances, Reena and Nadim have fantastic chemistry. The cherry on top is the fake engagement, because these characters think they are in control of their feelings, but they will end up falling…HARD!

This story is more than just about romance though, it is about the societal pressures that women in South Asian culture face from their family members and members of their community. I cannot wait for the entire book to come out. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this!

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This is a really cute excerpt and my mouth is already watering from all the bread mentioned in the first four chapters! Cannot wait for the full book.

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Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the chance to read a preview!

That cover with its green and pink contrast, and the eye-popping "Engaged" 3D font, was what caught my eye, but I was also pleased to recognize Farah Heron's name. I enjoyed her first book, THE CHAI FACTOR, and I was pleased to have a sneak peek at this next one.

This story didn't quite click with me, but most of it was a "me" problem and just a lot of nagging things adding up. Some--most--of the food references sound delicious, but some of the name checks--nachos, rose, "barrel-aged saison beer," and "triple creme Brie" just really felt like "look, a Millennial! eating hip Millennial food!" I was really intrigued when the cover copy compared the hero to Captain America, because hello, but then that same phrase got used *twice* in this short excerpt and it started to grate. There's a lot about sourdough starters (peak Millennial of course), which reminds me of my attempt to cultivate one for a few weeks before I got bored and let DoDo (dough-dough) die, so everything about the sourdough just stressed me out. Finally, I get the sense this book was written before covid, because the absolutely most stressful part was right at the end, when the heroine keeps sneezing and then she is still working and going all over the place and hanging out with people and handling food and ahhhhhhhh nooooooooooooooo. It kind of seems like it'll be some kind of foreshadowing where she's allergic to something important? But ahhhhh wash your hands before touching the bread please!

So, I can see where this book is cute -- unwanted arranged marriage turns into fake engagement for the sake of a cooking show, plus we have diverse romance, which is always important (I went back and realized, I don't think there's any white characters in this excerpt, that's pretty cool). But the voice, especially the pop culture/millennial references, just wasn't clicking with me and I'm not sure if I'll end up picking this one up. I hope it works for other people though! And now I have to go find some bread...

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The sneak peek at these first four chapters has made me wanting to read mooooore! I love this entire set up and can already see some shenanigans will be a foot!

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OK, I am loving it so far!

In these 4 chapters, Farah Heron sets up vivid characters, sibling conflict, a hot neighbor, delivers some funny lines, and introduces a realist MC who calls it like she sees it. I get Reena "and how she sees the world in a way I don't often bump into in romance. Of course, I'd want to be friends with her! I'm surprising myself by saying that... it's not a barometer I usually use for how much I enjoy a story.

I suspect this one is going to take a different tack than some of the arranged marriage romances we've seen over the last few years. As an East Asian (American) reader, I can't comment on the representation, but I *can* say the book already spurred me to Google more about Gujarati Indians in East Africa.

Did I already say, I need the rest now?! Oh, ok. Like I said.

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