Rating: 3.5/5 ☀️

I read It All Comes Back To You a couple weeks ago and I’ve really struggled with how to approach this review (hence the delay). While there were parts that really missed the mark for me, it’s a messy family drama and second chance romance at its best. Ultimately, I think it comes down to being a novel that was well worth giving a chance, especially with its relatable representation.

The story follows Kiran and Deen, whose older siblings, Amira and Faisal, announce that they plan to get married. However, Kiran and Deen secretly dated years ago, and as they come face-to-face once more, Kiran is intent on finding out what happened that led to Deen ghosting her, even if it means sabotaging the wedding, while Deen attempts to do whatever he can to secure his brother’s happiness. At the same time, both Kiran and Deen have been chatting with an online friend over a video game, and as they get closer to their anonymous gamer friend, they clash even more with each other in person – any guesses where this is going?

The heart of the story is the various complicated familial relationships Kiran and Deen have, and while all the characters are seriously flawed and go to extremes at times, it was really believable. But – and this is probably where I had the most issues with the book – Kiran was way out of line at multiple points throughout the story and we’re just supposed to accept it because her reasons are based on protecting her family. I get that her arc is about realizing that she has to trust her family and let them go, but up until the very end, her intrusions and sabotage were too much. It’s one of the worst parts of desi and South Asian culture, all the meddling and acting like you know better, and she embodies it entirely. It just made me dislike her so much that I thought Deen was the superior main character by the end, even with his occasional random misogyny and fuckboi behavior (although admittedly he’s not the worst fuckboi and I agree with Faisal that it seems like a front) (but it was pretty funny how he was straight up called a desi fuckboi).

Despite constantly screaming internally for Kiran to stop, I still found myself immersed in the story. I loved the setting and the way the characters were connected through the mosque and how their relationships to Islam and their culture are important to the story and their own growth. Also, there was something really genuine about the characters and their relationships. When Kiran wasn’t plotting, I was endeared by her and I could even see myself relating to her. And both Kiran and Deen’s respective relationships with their siblings were really sweet, and I loved that their backstories explained why they were the way they were, between Kiran’s protectiveness and desire to keep her sister close to Deen feeling indebted to Faisal and doing anything for his happiness.

Meanwhile, Kiran and Deen’s relationship was just perfect, both online and offline. I loved that they were each other’s confidants and falling in love (again!) without even realizing it, and even in person they were challenging each other as they figured out who they were. I also liked that the story wasn’t necessarily about them ending up together again and it was bigger than them, although there is definitely a shift by the end that has me feeling optimistic for them. However, I do wish the gaming chats had been used more, I felt like there was more potential there that wasn’t reached.

Ultimately, I would say I really did enjoy this book, even though I can’t get past some of Kiran’s actions in the name of the plot. Still, it was a very fun and witty story with amazingly relatable characters and a beautiful exploration of diasporic relations with culture and religion. I’m still on the fence about this, but I’m leaning towards feeling mostly positive about this book. If you can get past some of Kiran’s worst plotting, I think you’ll really love it.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to TBR & Beyond Tours, Farah Naz Rishi, Netgalley, and Quill Tree Books for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Oh man, there was a time where I was in Kiran’s situation. Even though my dad didn’t pass away, I didn’t really want her to date anyone because I didn’t want her to be unhappy again, or hurt again, but alas life happened. While in this situation, it wasn’t Kiran’s dad that she had to worry about, it was her sister, I could still understand that feeling of being put off guard about the plan that she had in her mind being derailed.

I thought it was pretty interesting that both sets of siblings end up dating one another at one point, and thought it was kind of funny that Deen and Kiran were the ones that dated first. I don’t know if Amira and Faisal knew about their siblings dating, but I don’t know how I would feel about that. Luckily I wouldn’t be in that situation, but I could just imagine dealing with that, especially since the whole reason for the ghosting hasn’t been revealed to Kiran. I totally understand wanting to find out what the reason was, especially if it will bring some sort of closure.

I appreciated that both Deen and Kiran have such strong feelings of protectiveness for their siblings, and I think that is one of the better aspects of this novel. I think the character development that they had to go through in this book, learning more about themselves and how they should strengthen their relationships with their family. I would recommend this novel for sure, but just don’t go into the novel thinking that it’s a rom-com. That may be a miscommunication with how it was marketed, so if you don’t expect that, then you’ll enjoy it!

Farah Naz Rishi’s It All Comes Back to You is the sort of book one would call perfect. Perfect books are hard to write a full review for, because the sentiment in the title and this collection of words is, “stop reading this and go buy It All Comes Back to You!”

Kiran Noorani is struggling with grief after losing her mother, and in the process is desperately holding her family together. Deen Malik is crumbling under the pressure of being “the perfect son”, which is almost too much to handle. Kiran and Deen would likely fall into the category of barely keeping it together, but they are managing. That is until their siblings, Kiran’s sister Amira, and Deen’s brother Faisal, get together, and folks, it’s getting serious. While their fragile states are enough to be shaken by this development, Kiran and Deen are in for a rude awakening when they discover that their old tryst from three years ago is perhaps not as long-forgotten as they hoped. Kiran is desperate to understand what went wrong in the past when Deen ghosted her, and Deen is trying to conceal the truth. Therein lies the perfect setup for a moving coming-of-age romantic drama that will surely have you both smiling ear to ear one moment and have you in a fetal position the next.

It All Comes Back to You - Book Cover
Cover art for Farah Naz Rishi’s It All Comes Back to You. (Courtesy of Quill Tree Books)
There is so much of this story that will resonate with many people, but what will ultimately get everyone so wrapped up in this tale is Kiran and Deen. Kiran and Deen are not perfect characters, they are flawed human beings trying to do right for themselves and their families, even if their actions can be misguided. Without getting too in-depth into the whole will they or won’t they get back together elements of the story, it is important to note that the romance in the novel isn’t all it has to offer. The book is a candid portrayal of the hurt and pain that come with life. It explores in-depth the love we share for our families and ourselves. There is no determination of who is wrong or right. Instead, the book opts to be a generous offering to those who struggle to overcome hardships. Happiness is never a guarantee, but with honesty and love, we can get there. That is the lesson Kiran and Deen must learn, and we are on that journey with them.

As a teen, I rarely saw stories that spoke to my experience, let alone the experiences of my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. Our experiences are varied and despite our faith tying us together, we are not all the same. It is thrilling to have a YA book depict modern Muslims as they are, including messy AF. Now younger readers (and older ones of course) can dive into stories that have universal themes, yet honestly reflect people that have long-been misrepresented. We are complex people. We have familial troubles, issues with our mental health, and of course messy romances. It All Comes Back to You beautifully portrays the complexities of the characters’ lives with such care and respect, it is as though Farah Naz Rishi is softly telling you she sees you and cares about you.

It cannot be overstated how glad I am that narratives about Muslim people are beginning to grow in number, specifically in film, television, and books. More often than not these portrayals can be reductive or stereotypical, but as the necessary changes are being made with more effort being put forth for effective inclusion, diversity and representation, we get lovely books such as It All Comes Back to You.

What if your ex who ghosted you three years ago, comes waltzing back into your life, possibly about to ruin your sister’s life?

Kiran is about to lose it all when she knew her sister is going to marry Faisal Malik only after three months of meeting him. Even though it’s been a couple of years since her mother’s died, Kiran couldn’t believe that Amari is moving on that fast. Moreover, Faisal is Deen’s older brother. Deen, her ex who was suddenly gone from Kiran’s life with no news.

Kiran couldn’t tell her sister about their relationship because they promised not to tell anyone. To over complicated matters, Kiran believed Faisal is hiding something from Amari. She’s going to find a way to cancel a wedding that shouldn’t happen this fast. Meanwhile, Deen is going to do everything he can to make sure his brother gets the happy life he deserved.

Two souls with unfinished business are determined to do anything and eliminate everything that is going to threaten their siblings’ happiness.

In the first chapter, I was met with a conversation between two characters from a Discord chat room. What interested me the most is even though it’s short, it hooked me right away. From then, the story went and switched flawlessly between Kiran’s and Deen’s POV. I loved the dual POVs because I got to see the story from both of their sides. Furthermore, this highlighted what Deen was trying to say to Kiran, that every story has two sides and we cannot simply judge if we don’t know the whole truth.

There were books with the main character that I couldn’t connect with. That is not the case here. I liked Kiran; her strength and honesty were one of the things that made this book so much better. Left by her mother three years ago, she felt a sense of responsibility to take care of her father and her older sister, Amari. So when Amari told her that she was going to marry Faisal whom she had known for three months, Kiran’s protectiveness kicked in. Though I do not condone some of her actions, I understand why she did it, it came from her love for Amari.

Then there was Deen, the boy who disappeared from Kiran’s life. Unlike Kiran, he was happy about the news because Faisal deserved all the good things in the world. Seeing the positive change Amari brought into Faisal’s life, Deen could not let Kiran ruined the wedding. Deen was a charming and easy-going person that never let his true feelings showed. It was easy to fall for Deen’s smile and sweet words but what I liked most about him is his journey in resolving his past and made peace with himself.

Farah Naz Rishi wrote a lovely tale with one of the best desi Muslim representations. I loved how Kiran is proud of her culture which she shows through dancing. This book gave me a glimpse of how a desi Muslim marriage looks like, with family all around and the many foods presented. I also wanted to applaud how the relationship between characters is written. Not only the usual love story that I find in YA books, but It All Comes Back to You also included a relationship between siblings and parents. The good, the bad, and the difficult parts.

Overall, It All Comes Back to You was a brilliant, heart-warming read with relatable characters and a wonderful story. It showed perfectly how love is not simply the feeling you get. Love is work, it needs to be tended and cared for. This is perfect for readers who are looking for a newly released YA contemporary with a desi Muslim rep and a tale that going to leave a deep impression in your heart.

Let me start by saying that It All Comes Back to You by Farah Naz Rishi is the kind of book that will put a smile on your face. That’s probably the best review I can give it – and the review you want right now, if you’re coming here to try to decide if this should be your next read. You want something light and fun and just heartwarming; this is the book for you.

And it’s not even because the “they hate each other in real life, but they’re actually bffs online” trope is one of the best tropes there is, though there is that. I will try anything with this trope.

It’s mostly because as I was reading, I felt like I was reading fanfic – and I say that as the highest compliment. Sometimes I read fanfic because it makes me happy, in a way not all books manage. Fanfic is comfort. Fanfic is joy. Fanfic is, often, the best parts of a book, just conveniently cut together for me. It All Comes Back to You gave me that same feeling, of a book that instinctively knew not just what I wanted, but what I needed.

This book is a romance, yes, but I think goes a little beyond a romance. Not that I think any book in the romance section is just a romance, that’s one of those misconceptions of people who don’t read the genre. Every romance book is about more than romance, because romance is just a part of our lives, and even if a book focuses on that part, well, the romance still requires …people.

When I say this book is something other than a romance, however, I’m merely referring to the fact that the book doesn’t spend as much time on romance, at least in present time, as it spends on Deen and Kiran just …figuring stuff out about themselves. I particularly enjoyed Kiran’s storyline revolving around grief, because I found it absolutely relatable, but there’s something really great about Deen’s story revolving around his own self-worth.

You do get the cute flashbacks, though! The flashbacks are adorable, and they help inform the personalities and the decisions of the characters as they exist in the present tense.

In the end, Kiran and Deen are messy teens who don’t always make the right decisions, and who keep secrets they shouldn’t be keeping, and try to deal with things alone that they absolutely shouldn’t be dealing with, but that feels very in line with what being a teenager is. The book takes them on a journey of self-discovery, as people and also as part of a whole, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see where they end up.

Also, as I said at the beginning, this book is gonna make you happy. It’s gonna make you smile. And, if you’re like me – I make little noises when I get excited, and sometimes, I even stop and do a little dance, what can I say? – it might make you stand up from your chair and cheer on these characters, this story.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
It All Comes Back to You is available today wherever books are sold.

4 solid stars for the growth of the MC

So I have to admit, I did not really like the MCs in this one. While I knew that there was something sketchy about Faisal's past, I still liked how he carried himself--I could see the good in him the way his brother could. But Deen and Kiran were just not all that likable in the sense that you could see them making really poor choices when it came to how they thought they were protecting their older siblings. In fact, there were many times when I thought they could have avoided the whole conflict if they had each just talked to their respective siblings, whom they each clearly loved. I mean, I understood why Deen and Kiran felt they couldn't tell each other about what they were going through, especially because Deen was clearly under a gag order with his overbearing and shallow parents (okay, they were probably an extreme example of Asian parents, but as an Asian American, I am familiar with that in my community, although not in my own parents, thank God). But as much as I wanted to yell at them sometimes, I was caught in the story because I really wanted Amira and Faisal to have a happy ending. And as the book progresses, and Deen and Kiran continue to move towards disaster, you can see them start to question themselves, although at this point they are so caught in their respective points of view that they have no idea how to back out of it. Ultimately, what struck me about the book was that even though they made terrible, terrible choices, they did it for the wrong reasons AND they eventually realized it and did what they could to make amends. What I liked was that this did not all end with everything tied up in a nice package and bow. It still required a lot of work on their parts (and even on Amira and Faisal's parts) and that was a lot more realistic to me. Ultimately, this ended up being a pretty fun novel about teens making mistakes and learning how to make up for them, and about what love really means. I appreciated the discussions with the Imman in particular and thought it really added to the story. Also, although I'm not familiar with the Bollywood style of dancing, I loved how the author incorporated it into this novel.

This is my second novel by the author and I definitely enjoyed it more than her first one. I'm not sure if it's because the plot of this book is more straightforward, but I had no difficulty following this story and I really enjoyed how she used Cambria in this novel. In some ways, that's similar to the first novel where there was a parallel conversation happening while real life was happening. But this was a lot more clear and the connections were easier to follow. I would definitely recommend this book to those looking for an easy read and what is ultimately a coming-of-age story for teens who make realistic mistakes and learn from them.

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books for providing an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

TL;DR: Although I ultimately enjoyed this book, I do have mixed feelings about it because I didn't enjoy the reading experience as much as I hoped to, but since I've had time to sit with the story, I've found myself thinking about it and the characters a lot. This is so much more than a romance. This is a rich and diverse coming-of-age story that delves into darker themes. It's about familial love and sibling relationships and dealing with change. It's about growing up outside of your culture and finding your own space in it. It's about dealing with loss and grief and finding a healthy way to move forward. This was definitely not what I expected but I'm so glad that I read it!

I think this book is done a disservice by being marketed as a romance/rom-com. While there are romantic and humorous elements to it, it’s much more a coming-of-age story. Our protagonists are distinct and well-defined teenagers who are flawed but their emotions and actions are realistic and relatable (to a point). Again, I wouldn’t say it was an entirely enjoyable read because there were a lot of frustrating moments full of teenage angst and wilfulness that made me want to give these characters a good hard shake. But that being said, I was still able to empathise with them because there's so much depth to their characters and so much behind what drives their (re)actions.

It All Comes Back to You deals with darker themes such as Islamophobia, bullying, parental abuse, death, grief and loss, and there are mentions of substance abuse, too. However, despite dealing with heavier topics than the synopsis and stunningly vibrant cover may lead you to believe, there are still plenty of happy and light moments to enjoy. Also, major cover appreciation because the character details are *chefs kiss!*

Dance was a big part of Kiran’s character and you could sense her passion for it in the scenes where she would dance her heart out to the loud thumping bass of Bollywood music. This book is rich with vivid descriptions of desi culture, from fashion, food and wedding madness, and I absolutely LOVED it! I also really loved how gaming was a big part of both characters' lives and I loved the chats they (unknowingly) had through their MMO-RPG characters on Discord. Yes, if you’re a fan of mixed media formats, this book is partially told through text and chat messages, with alternating POVs and timelines between three years ago and the present day. My heart ached for Kiran and Deen's "baby love" from three years ago because their chemistry was undeniable and they built a strong friendship which eventually became more, and their banter was so on-point! The cheeky and witty humour gave me some good (much needed) laughs.

My favourite aspect of the book was its strong focus on family relationships and sibling love. Regardless of the messiness of their situations, there’s no doubt that Kiran and Deen love their siblings very much. They would do anything to see them happy and they go to great lengths to protect their siblings from hurt because they’ve already experienced a lot of pain and have had their lives altered by past events. However, it's that same drive to protect that changes them to make increasingly messy and disappointing decisions that had me tied up in knots of frustration and looking on as this derailing train went full speed ahead!

Surprisingly, Kiran's actions bothered me the most in this story. She's tenacious and doesn’t like change. She's still reeling from the loss of her mother and her mother’s dying wish for her to take care of the family. Like Deen says, Kiran's like a wolf who has caught a scent and won’t stop until she catches her prey. As much as I understood her need to protect her sister, I’d be lying if I said her actions didn’t make me uncomfortable and that feeling only increased as she dug herself deeper into this frenzied need to drive a wedge between the loving couple.

Deen also isn't perfect and the way he took things for granted was frustrating! He and Kiran are equally hardheaded which makes it easy for them to come to blows every time they're together. While he also did questionable things, his actions weren’t done with harmful intent, which made it a bit easier to deal with his actions. He has a fairly complex relationship with Faisal—it's full of guilt, shame, loyalty and devotion, which stems from the incident in the past, about which Deen also feels greatly indebted to his brother for. Despite the complexity, I loved how much of a champion Deen was for Faisal and ugh, if there's a character I'd love to give a huge hug to it'd be Faisal! Even though he's a secondary character, my heart truly broke for him and what he experiences both outside and inside the house. Familial and cultural expectations play a big role in the story, especially with Deen's parents. M&D were truly something else and that family was toxic AF! Coming from an Asian family, I understand how important it is for parents to keep up a certain appearance, even more so in more religious communities, so as not to be judged or even shunned by society, but it was really heartbreaking to see how they 'so casually' gaslighted and emotionally abused Faisal.

That all being said, even though it took time to get there, these characters experience considerable growth and take the time to acknowledge their mistakes and the hurt they've caused. They do their best to make amends but most importantly, they also take the time to confront their own struggles in a healthy way. It might've been a tumultuous journey but it was an utterly satisfying and happily peaceful ending! I'm sure that many readers will be able to find something to relate to in this coming-of-age story.

Dramatic. Ardent. Messy. Three words that are bound to raise emotions; three words that best describe this story and its two main characters, Kiran and Deen, who carry each other’s memories from the past and fight for their siblings in the present.

For Kiran, her mother’s last words have left her with a responsibility to ‘look after them’, look after her father and elder sister, Amira. For Deen, an incident around his brother, Faisal, pushed his family to simply pack up and leave one day. And he left too, but without a goodbye. Kiran hated him for it. Deen couldn’t risk telling her the truth. The last thing they both expected was to meet as the siblings of two people in love.

Amira and Faisal are hinting at a marriage proposal and Deen is ecstatic for his brother to have found a partner, found happiness to start over. But Kiran can’t fathom getting engaged with someone you’ve known for just three months; she can’t let her sister marry a “stranger”, especially not after spotting a possible red flag around Deen’s sweet but mysterious brother. And so it commences: a constant push and pull between holding on and letting go.

Their purposes continuously conflict with each other. While Deen is motivated by guilt and a secret he wants to desperately keep under the wraps for the weight it bears, Kiran is prompted by the need to protect her sister from taking a dangerous plunge because that is exactly what it would mean for her to truly be there for Amira. Throughout the book, these opposite forces build an energy filled with grudges, mistakes, grief, happiness, and a lot of unsaid feelings.

Over three years, Kiran and Deen have created walls around themselves, have adorned masks to not let the emotional baggage make an appearance in any form, and each sequence reminds readers of this saddening tactic, bringing them closer to the characters in this process. Their equation defines the trope of online-friends-irl-rivals-to-lovers but make them exes, and this very contradicting motif endlessly entertains.

Though, an unfortunate lack of excellent chemistry disappoints in terms of romance. If one expects the above mentioned trope to pave way for more angst or charming banter, discontent waits for them. The only saving grace for their compatibility to come across the pages were the messages they had sent three years ago—carefully inserted in between chapters to showcase the past Kiran and Deen once shared. Similarly, the promotional pitches that promise a humorous undertone in this ‘rom-com’ are slightly misleading since the fun bits are often, understandably, overpowered with the individualistic emotions and none of the characters offer a funny intervention. This is not necessarily bad, just genuinely delusive to some extent.

Having said that, the author’s simplistic yet evocative writing—the very same that won my heart in I Hope You Get This Message—successfully fosters authentic character arcs and permeates themes like familial responsibilities and diaspora conjectures while faith and belief, sadness and grief, flaws and mistakes are incorporated seamlessly. It’s this writing that perfectly, almost effortlessly, juggles a present timeline of exes coming across each other after three years, a past they shared, and a parallel reality where the two are online friends.

The main characters make a mark for themselves by showcasing their vulnerabilities and messy personas, particularly through deep conversations and reminiscence. Even the side characters, especially Amira and Faisal, easily impress and it’s refreshing to see a contemporary romance highlight parents as independent characters with their own stories too—something made clear from the start itself when Kiran’s father discounts the shayaris, ghazals, and songs that compare love to fire, wine, and pain, by saying that love is all about passion; it’s “an act, a practice, a decision”. Basically, it’s easy to love every character in this story for they significantly propel the story but don’t get overshadowed by Kiran or Deen.

It All Comes Back To You uplifts the romance as it drives through a desi wedding, but that’s predictable since a desi wedding does easily enrich love with drama, gossip, food, and dance. Needless to say, the south asian culture depicted will bring a smile to every brown reader’s face. Maybe not the bits where aunties make absurd assumptions because eye-rolls are the best reaction to those. Overall, this coming-of-age romantic drama is an entertaining read that one would be glad to pick up for the right reasons.

After a sudden breakup without an explanation three years ago, Kiran and Deen meet again. This time it's because Kiran's older sister is getting married to Deen's older brother.

Kiran is determined to find out why Deen ghosted her three years ago but the truth will not be revealed easily. Deen is doing all he can to make sure she doesn't find out why he suddenly left last time.

Will the truth finally be revealed after three years?

Star Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)

I loved the text messages at the end of each chapter. It was cool to see how everything unraveled through Kiran and Deen's previous texts. I also loved the dual perspective because I got to see the two different points of view on the situation.

Overall, It All Comes Back to You kept me guessing and it was so intriguing. I finished the book all in one night AFTER doing high school homework. That's saying something right there.

15 REACTIONS:

Pretty and SEEN. That’s one of the first and foremost reaction and feelings I had when I saw this cover because – DESI Rep???? in YA???? My primary reading genre is YA and seeing Desi Rep in those really makes me seen and… appreciative of my culture.
I was fangirling pretty hard when I saw the things this book contained, no kidding. Video games, dance, AND criminal lawyer?? Oh oh and did I mention Bollywood music? I was pretty hung up on figuring out which song the book was talking about from Padmaavat.
The book started out at an amazing note which made me curious where everything was heading. I was sooo curious, I practically flew through pages and I may or may not have ranted about the book to my friends in between my lectures 😉
All the festivities in the book had me going a bit nostalgic, not gonna lie. Even though I am a person who generally tries to find their way out of any form of relative gatherings, wedding celebrations are an odd mix of anticipation and utter exhaustion lol. Especially with all the relatives and their questions around!
Apart from nostalgic, I felt sad for Kiran and her family. I might have cried too… grief is messy and I could honestly very much relate to the feelings they were going through, based on what I have experienced and seen around me, and while I hated all the scheming, I couldn’t hate Kiran 100%.
Which brings me to the fact that I WAS FURIOUS with the main characters honestly. Okay that is basically Kiran and Deen mainly. Kiran’s scheming honestly made me feel very bad, especially because of the damage she was doing to herself. And Deen? That guy honestly needed to get his head out of rut in the beginning.
And omg Deen’s parents?? They had me incoherently screaming… but not that surprised at the same time. It’s honestly not uncommon to watch parents like them but, oof, the emotional and toxicity that they had around them was very verryyy annoying (Mona Khala I am looking at you, yes.)
But keeping my anger at foolish actions aside, the book honestly unfolded with a really promising storyline. And I swear I will really want to go and see its adaptation one day!!
And more than everything, I was angry and numb after reading shit that people who face racism have to go through. It is really terrible that a person who’s being bullied, and their families have to be the one to – I don’t know live ashamedly – instead of the people who take up such sick actions.
And well, oh my, I just honestly cried towards the end because it was filled with one too many emotions I can’t even begin to say right now ooff.
There was a sort of understanding and attachment that I felt too deep when I was reading the bond between Kiran and Amira, Faisal and Deen. Sibling relations are honestly one of the most complicated and easy relations one can handle, honestly.
And the character development… I am still not sure how I feel about it actually. It wasn’t fully satisfactory but I guess that’s what makes it resonate more with reality.
I honestly enjoyed myself reading this novel a lot!
And, well, it also provided me with a sense of direction of sorts (I’m not spilling beans tho)… in parts with everything. Especially communication. While communication was the one thing missing Big Time in this book, it ended up telling us the importance of it… in a rather dramatic manner.
GOOOO READDDD THIS BOOOOKKK! I am going to practically shove this book to my friends… after ensuring that they remember nothing about it.

A heartfelt coming of age story, It All Comes Back to You might not be the most completely enjoyable book to read, but it portrays flawed teens learning from their errors in a way that will certainly resonate with many readers finding their way back to themselves.

It All Comes Back to You follows Kiran and Deen, two exes with unresolved conflict after Deen ghosted Kiran three years ago. They are brought together when their older siblings surprise them with plans to marry. While Kiran attempts to break them apart, Deen tries to ensure the wedding goes smoothly, as they both deal with the repercussions of what happened in their own pasts and with the strange air between the two of them.

Kiran is dealing with the pressure of some of her mother’s last words to her about looking after her family, and Deen carries the weight of a years-old secret while trying to protect his brother. Though I didn’t particularly care about either of them or their romance, their growth over the course of the book really shined for me. Both Kiran and Deen make questionable choices, and some of them aren’t entirely comfortable to read. But their development is done well, and that is ultimately the goal of the story—to show the flawed decisions and actions of young teens figuring things out, and then portray how they learn and grow.

Deen’s arc deals with learning how to handle guilt as well as how to not bottle his feelings up, and Kiran’s involved discovering what kinds of things she wants to do for herself in the future. They both have to learn how to be kinder to themselves, and listen to their own wants and needs the way they do for other people, but they also are thoughtless towards others at times and have to become less selfish too. I loved how they were somehow both these seemingly opposite things at the same time, making them more multi-faceted and their growth more interesting.

At the heart of the story is both Kiran and Deen’s love for their older siblings and their intense want to protect them because of tragic past events in their lives. I appreciated seeing how important their siblings were to them, as well as how hard Kiran and Deen fought for them, even though they might have gotten carried away. I have a close relationship with my own sister, and I always love getting to read similar sibling relationships in YA. Both of their bonds were particularly heartwarming, Deen and Faisal’s in the midst of their parents’ neglect and expectations, and Kiran and Amira’s in the aftermath of their mother’s death.

And a minor thing I loved was how important dance was to Kiran! How she described it, as something expressing her soul and something she found freedom in, is exactly how I feel about dance. Though the story certainly is not focused on dance, I was pleasantly surprised to see it in the book at all, and it made me feel more connected to Kiran.

Unfortunately, the plot overall was not my thing. While it was driven mostly by Kiran and Deen’s desire to protect their siblings, much of it also hinges on miscommunication or lack of communication between the characters, which is one of my least favorite things to read. Because of that, I sometimes felt irritated by or uneasy over certain events in the book, and I didn’t feel invested enough to want to know what would happen. It was the characters’ development that really saved the book for me: while the plot wasn’t enjoyable all the time, it led up to a gratifying culmination of the character’s arcs and accentuated the extent of their growth.

The marketing for this book is unfortunately totally off. It definitely is not a romcom like it’s being marketed as, with barely any romance, which I would have loved to see more from. The mislabeling does the book so much injustice because not only will it disappoint people who expected a romcom, but it also is more than a simple fun romance. It is a coming of age book following characters making mistakes and figuring out what they need to do, dealing with family and identity and even tackling darker themes like grief and abuse.

Even though I felt indifference or even discomfort at certain parts, my feelings over It All Comes Back to You definitely remain more positive than negative. If you don’t love books that have miscommunication, or find yourself irritated by messy teen characters, you might not want to pick this up. But certainly give this a try if you love contemporaries with satisfying character growth and an emphasis on family and sibling love, with a tiny splash of romcom fun.

Wow this was so cute and so light. It was so fun and it made me have all the warm emotions. I think this was the perfect book to end summer with.

I always end up writing this line in my reviews about any sort of book that has desi characters and desi culture at its center, but these are the type of books that I really wanted in high school. I'm able to connect to these characters on a deeper level which has made reading them so much more fun. It All Comes Back to You falls into the same category, and became a book that I simply fell in love with. This was one of my most anticipated reads and I consider myself lucky to have gotten a chance to read it early.

Putting this down was simply not possible and from the first chapter, I was completely hooked. I think I would have ended up finishing this in one sitting had I not paced myself; and while that would have been, I wanted to take my time and enjoy this book. It All Comes Back to You is the story of Kiran and Deen, two people with a shared past and a not-so-forgotten connection. I am so glad that this was told in dual perspectives, because it really made me understand both Kiran and Deen a lot better. They're both complicated people, sharing the same need of wanting to protect their siblings, in their own ways.

It was easy to love them both, but Kiran by far was my favorite. I could connect with and relate to her a lot more than I thought (she reads fanfic!!). She's lost her mother and though time has passed, you can still feel her grief in her thoughts and in her emotions and in the way she acts throughout the story. Honestly, some of her actions did feel wrong and I was starting to not like her then, but I saw the place where she was coming from and by the time the story came to an end, she had solidified her status as my favorite character of the book.

I love Deen too, though not as much as Kiran. He belongs to a family that demands only perfection from him (and his older brother Faizal) and there is constant pressure on him to succeed. That part felt so relatable to me and it was one of the points that made me connect with him. He was written as a slightly douchey character, but nevertheless, if I had gotten to know him, I would have easily developed a crush.

Amira and Faizal are loveable characters too; while this is not their story, it does revolve around them and the way Farah Naz Rishi has tied their story with Deen and Kiran's was incredible and I loved every single part.

The way this ended was perfect too. It wrapped up Deen and Kiran's story pretty well; it is a hopeful ending that leaves you smiling and wondering - what now? It All Comes Back to You is a definite hit for me. I highly recommend this!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Their secret relationship came to an abrupt end when Deen ghosted Kiran. Three years later, Kiran’s sister was on the verge of getting married to Deen’s brother. Would these two be able to leave the past behind and move forward?

Though this book had some comedic moments, it was not the rom-com I expected. Nonetheless, I adored this tale, which was part coming-of-age, part second chance romance, and part family drama. Rishi did such a wonderful job combining these elements in perfect proportions, and the book was delightful and emotionally satisfying.

One of the things that really stood out to me was how committed Kiran and Deen were to their siblings. Though their motivations were vastly different, they both wanted to protect their siblings. I appreciated that this all came from a good place even if I didn’t agree with their actions.

Both Deen and Kiran struggled with who they were and what they should be in different ways. Deen’s family was all about appearances, and he tried to walk the line and meet their expectations, but he often had to betray himself to do so. While Kiran was attempting to live out her mother’s wishes and dreams. Both characters struggles were well drawn, and I was fully invested in their journey. I was really proud of the growth they experienced, and I was very hopeful for them as well.

There was actually quite a bit going on this this book, and I loved that it was all wrapped up in a wedding. The drama was interspersed perfectly in between the celebrations. It was fantastic to be a part of the planning and festivities, and of course, I loved when they went shopping up the street from where I live. The dancing, the food, the mood was captured so well. I truly felt like I was a part of it all.

This wasn’t the romance I was expecting, but I honestly loved this tale of Deen, Kiran, and their siblings. It was about grief and guilt, as well as love and joy. It was a delight getting to know Deen and Kiran as they got to know themselves. It was a bit messy, but the ending left me hopeful for them all.

When I was a teenager, I was always looking for representation in books. Any book that surprisingly included a brown kid, always came with an arranged marriage or said brown kid, fleeing a war. Those things happen yes, but they didn’t represent ME. “It All Comes Back To You” changes the game!


It all starts with the cover and what a beautiful cover it is. Dark skinned, desi characters. You can tell immediately that there is a wedding involved and that instant messaging is going to play a big part due to the mobile phones in their hands. I ADORE what Kiran is wearing – in fact I am sure that I have something similar in my wardrobe! - and the entire cover just screams culture at you.

The plot is predictable but in a good way. It is comforting to know what the outline of the story will be and roughly how it will end. What matters is the journey and the emotions we feel whilst getting there. I found the writing incredibly easy and smooth. It’s very conversationalist, like you are talking to a friend you haven’t seen in a while. There are lots of pop culture references and this generations dialect and I found myself falling in love with the writing style.

I also fell in love with Deen – hehe – he is so likeable. He is a typical Muslim boy, very realistic, kind but also a bit of an idiot. He has everyone’s best interests at heart and he loves his brother. I laughed with him, I was annoyed with him, I understood his pain and he felt like a friend to me by the end.

Kiran however, was not a favourite. I couldn’t relate to her and her reasons. I didn’t understand why she made those choices and why she didn’t just COMMUNICATE. Honestly, most of the protagonists' problems can be resolved very quickly if they just communicated with one another. But then I guess the book would be over in a few chapters! I understand what the author was trying to do, developing her character, building Kiran up so she could learn a lesson, but personally, I found her unrelatable. If that was me, I would be happy for my sister!

I found all the other little side plots intriguing. There were so many little stories, like the game room chat (which I clocked straight away - I read too many novels to be blind sighted by twists) and then each set of parents had their own storyline. I wish there was more of a focus on Amira – her character seemed very grounded and I would have loved to know more. Faisal however was written beautifully, capturing real life struggles those Muslim boy's experience.

The religious aspect of the book was extremely relatable. How many of us went to mosque but didn’t always pay attention? How many of us speak Urdu less and less, but somehow still remember it when we need to (just describing myself here!) I thought the Imam in the story was portrayed exactly how the Imam’s are nowadays. Pious, strict BUT modern, understanding and teaching the young in a way that works with the times.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this. I flew through it within 24 hours, needing to know what happened next and being surprised by the ending. I screamed, laughed, resonated and went down memory lane with Deen and Kiran. I would highly recommend this, not just to the Young Adult’s but to the older audience as well.

3 stars

Wow, do I have mixed feelings about this book!

Kiran, the m.c., and Deen provide joint perspectives into what is really their mutual terrible behavior. When the novel begins, Kiran's older sister, Amira, divulges that her relationship with Faisal is getting serious and she hopes moving toward marriage. This is happening fast, but Kiran's concern hangs on the disturbing fact that Faisal's younger brother, Deen, is her ex. This is only the tip of the strange secrets iceberg for these characters. As a result of Kiran's longstanding grudge (and she's not wrong to be upset) against Deen, she goes on a mission to destroy Faisal. It is difficult to watch.

Full disclosure, Kiran is dealing with a lot. Deen ended their relationship poorly...but three years ago. Her mother died around the same time. She is feeling wounded and alone. But she is so immature, weirdly secretive, and wildly vindictive. Somehow, she sees her actions as supportive of her sister, but she is the only one. Despite her tough circumstances, it is challenging to root for her.

Deen's behavior is equally bad but in completely different ways, which I'll omit to save spoilers. With so few likeable characters, at least at the center, it's hard to get a foothold.

While I find these characters frustrating, my biggest challenge is the overall length and the general subplot action. I longed for economizing often. The writing is great, but there is just too much detail. We move so slowly at times. There's also a gaming related subplot that seems fun at first but takes an abrupt twist that just did not work for me.

Because I enjoyed the writing overall, I'll definitely be coming back for more from this author, but I do think there is some unmet potential here.

It All Comes Back to You is a YA romcom about two exes who reconnect once their siblings start dating each other.
I originally requested this book on Netgalley for its beautiful cover, thinking it would be a cute, fluffy romcom, but It All Comes Back to You was definitely darker than my expectations.
It’s a story full of resentment, family secrets, lying, etc. and while that’s all fun to read about, I had an issue with connecting to the characters.
This is a personal hangup, but the way Kiran is described gave her character a “not like other girls” vibe, which quickly turned me off. Deen’s character is charming and sarcastic, but I found it difficult to sympathize with him. The side characters were also a bit of a disappointment, and their siblings' characters sort of fell flat for me.
There were still many enjoyable aspects to the plot. I didn’t love the amount of miscommunication and toxicity, but the drama kept me invested enough.
I think one highlight of this book was the diversity and representation of Muslim culture, which is a large element of the novel.
Overall, this was a fun read, but if you're looking for a lighthearted romance, this is might not be the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Quill Tree for the e-ARC provided in exchange for a review. I was really looking forward to this book and am thankful to have read it. I was really blown away right from the start, and was immediately invested in all of the characters. That rarely happens for me, because sometimes side characters or siblings just get less time on the page or less realistic depictions that don't bring them to life in the same way, and here I found that each character is compelling and real. I love stories about messy families and realistic portrayals of different dynamics in family relationships, and this book does that so well. There's the difficult aftermath in the death of a parent (off-page), sisters trying not to grow apart while at college, parents who don't connect in ways that their kids need them to families putting on a show for the sake of others... it's all very interesting and great to read through. The sibling relationships are incredibly strong and so well-done, but I'm really not seeing the rom-com element, as I didn't find much rom or com.

As I progressed with the story, it got much harder to read. Without spoilers, the family secrets and lying that propelled the mystery/curiosity behind the story got too manipulative and dangerous for me. I didn't actually want to find out any of the secrets or see if the rumors mentioned were true, they seemed cruel and off-the-mark, and so invasive of others' privacy and personal histories. I also didn't want to know what drove the couples together or apart. A lot of these issues could have been worked on with a hearty conversation between already-super close siblings? I think these plot points were the ones intended to keep readers reading, and I just didn't want to at times, and I wasn't satisfied with any of their resolutions because I don't know how a family really goes on as normal after going through so much snooping and lies.

I was excited to read this book thinking it was going to be a low-calorie, fluffy read to take my mind off some things. What was proven again to me is that I absolutely cannot objectively read books with the miscommunication trope. I was so frustrated reading about these characters who continually hurt one another in the name of "family." To be fair, these are two college kids who were grieving and unaware that they weren't processing their trauma. I just have a very low tolerance for the miscommunication trope and was unable to properly manage my frustration when reading.

It All Comes Back to You is perfect for contemporary fans of RPG games, second chance romances, and secrets that just won't stay buried. Deen and Kiran's dual POV story is about living for ourselves, grief that hits us like a tidal wave, and being caught up in this image in our own heads. Intensely emotional and brimming with moments of swooning, laughter which will surprise you, and tearful confrontations, It All Comes Back to You is an emotional delight.