Farah Heron has written such a fun, funny, brilliant romance novel that has me wanting to read the classic Emma for which it was inspired. She has created a beautiful, world full of culture and love, friendship and family, amazing characters and fun pooches, and so much more. Heron has created one of my favorite novels this year! An absolutely wonderful work of art.

Kamila has always been the eccentric, colorful, bright, life of the party (hostess), accountant and animal lover that people love. Kamila knows that not everyone trusts her in her accounting world because of her colorful spirit. Her father and her best friend Rohan are around to support and guide Kamila and Kamila also supports her father and is health.

Kamila fights challenges throughout this story and some are internal challenges. Some challenges between her and her father, between her and Rohan, between her and colleagues and so on.

Kamila is also a huge matchmaker, even if she sometimes misses the mark. She spends a bunch of time focusing on others but somewhere along the way she found love herself. . .

Kamila knows best


📚Book review📚

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the arc in exchange for a review!

Kamila Knows Best is a fresh and modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma set in Toronto, Canada. Heron's vibrant cast is enhanced by the Bollywood movie nights and mouthwatering food.


Emma + Bollywood = Win!
Take this journey of Kamila with a one two punch of personality. I have to say I enjoyed this story mainly for how happy her character makes me. She’s got a big heart. I was practically seeing colors when I finished this one.


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. This book had me crying and laughing at 2 am. I simply could not stop reading it because I wanted to know what happens to Kamila. It is such a heartfelt story about relationships: familial, friendships, love and the relationship Kamila has with herself.

This Emma-inspired book was a really enjoyable read. I enjoy a good friends-to-lovers story and this one did not disappoint. It's a very sweet romance, with not a ton of spice. Kamila was a really fun and dynamic character to get to know - I really appreciated the focus on her being her true self, even in a finance-based career (I can really relate!). Also, the inclusion of depression/mental health representation (in a male character) and LGBTQ representation in some of her closest friends all added to the depth of the storyline.

Following along with Kamila as she came into her own was fantastic. Honestly, the romance was almost a secondary storyline to all of Kamila's adventures and interactions. It did feel a little slow to start with and it took some time for me to get invested in the characters. I appreciated the group of friends surrounding Kamila, and how they played a part in her character development, though some of them felt really one-dimensional.

This is the first book I've read by Farah Heron, but I'm looking forward to going back and reading more of her previous books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an e-galley of Kamila Knows Best.

This book was the perfect pallet cleanser to finish out this year. I loved meeting Kamila and her spunky personality. I felt like I was friends with the characters by the end of the novel. The character development through the story was excellent. And we all know I love a good friends to lovers slow burn.

If you are looking for a feel-good story to melt into, I would highly recommend this book!

Kamila Knows Best is a fresh and modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma set in Toronto, Canada. Heron's vibrant cast is enhanced by the Bollywood movie nights and mouthwatering food.

Our heroine has an incredible flair and sense of style but when it comes to her personal life, she's not as polished. Between her family obligations, volunteering, and her career, Kamila doesn't have a lot of time for romance. And to further complicate things, her nemesis is back in town and has her sights set on her longtime family friend, Rohan.

The relationship is both enhanced and complicated by Kamila’s familial expectations. Caring for her father as well as trying to honour his wishes comes at the expense of going against her own desires. She is a strong personality and a character with incredible depth.

Through witty banter, off-the-charts chemistry, and delicious descriptions of food, Heron's latest contemporary offering is an absolute delight!

4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
romance, classic retelling

Once I saw that KAMILA KNOWS BEST was a retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, I immediately knew I wanted to read it. I have a love/hate relationships with classical retellings: I LOVE that I get to see some of my favorite stories come to life a second time through different characters and a different culture, but part of me also kind of HATES that it means I know pretty much exactly where the story is going before I get there.

However, I'm happy to report that Kam & Rohan fell more onto the LOVE TO SEE IT.

Kam was a highly entertaining leading lady! She practically popped off the page with her vibrant colors and larger-than-life personality! Also, I would like to be invited to the next Bollywood movie night that she hosts because it sounded like basically the best party ever. Themed drinks, delicious food, and then I get to just SIT DOWN & WATCH A MOVIE - amazing.

I really enjoyed seeing the parallels between Kam & Emma. Their complete reliance on their one male friend, a father whom they cared for completely, a circle of friends they could not help mothering and matchmaking. And then there were the parallels within Kam's own mind where you can see her spiraling out of control when she realizes that she may lose her beau...just as she realizes he's the one for her.

I loved meeting all of the side characters in Kam's life as well - Asha, her father, Jana, Anil. I even loved Dane because I knew EXACTLY who he was supposed to be from Emma.

10/10 would recommend to any fans of Austen or friends-to-lovers romance!

Kamila isn't your typical CPA. She loves bright colors, patterns, photographing her dog for Instagram and dressing her dog in the latest fashions, and volunteers at the dog shelter. She lives with her father and spends every Friday night hosting a Bollywood-themed movie night for her friends that is very posh.
When her father needs to slow down at work for health reasons, no one believes she can take his work just because she is involved in so much and not the 'typical' CPA...especially her hottie friend Rohan that is also her dads business confidant.
After Kamila's dad has a major health scare and decides to retire suddenly, he wants to sell his company...Kamila's company. Now what is she to do? She can't go back to working with Rohan, she doesn't want to be the stay-at-home desi woman her father wants her to be.... And the feelings she has for Rohan are just getting stronger.

Trigger warning: references to past verbal abuse from parents. Kamila Knows Best to me seems to be a cross between a romance and a women’s fiction novel in the best possible way. Although I liked Kamila at the beginning of the novel, her growth into a mature and independent adult, while falling in love, throughout the novel is wonderful. I enjoyed reading about Kamila’s culture and adored how close-knit her family is! This was an enjoyable read perfect for fans of The Dating Plan! Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I luckily found this book after seeing Farrah Heron’s tweet about her new book on NetGalley. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found! The protagonist, Kamila Hussain, is an accountant who was established and happy in her day-to-day life. She's got a gaggle of girlfriends and her dog is even famous on the Tok! Everything is grand until her nemesis returns and her relationship with Rohan, a family friend, is challenged.

While I struggled with Kamila in the beginning, I grew to love her over the course of the novel. She works and loves hard, and will do anything she can to bring others to success. The connection between her and Rohan was on fire!

Overall, themes of growth, stereotypes, romance, and overcoming obstacles make this a book anyone will enjoy.
Thank you so much for letting me read this ARC!

What a fun, Bollywood-esque Emma inspired book!! I’ve been a fan of Farah Heron’s books since the Chai Factor and have read and enjoyed all of them - but I have to admit I’m a bit extra partial to this one because the main character (and her dad!) are CPAs - just like me and my dad!!! 😁 I don’t remember ever reading a book with an Indian-American-female-CPA-who-likes-to-dress-nicely-and-worries-about-her-hair-in-the-rain lead character - talk about finding yourself in a book 😎 I really enjoyed this one and thought the retelling and it’s very own “Farah” flair was awesome - I can’t wait to see what’s next by this author 😍

Rating: 2.5 stars

I've been looking for a good modern version of Emma (bonus points for Asian rep) but after being burned by Austen retellings before, I tried to keep my expectations for Kamila Knows Best relatively low. I appreciate Heron's attempts to put her own spin on Austen's classic, but let's just say I'm still looking for a good modern Emma.

For whatever reason, authors seem to have a hard time bringing Emma into the 21st century and Heron is no exception. I actually liked some of the creative liberties she took with one of Jane Austen's more controversial heroines, but I feel like she failed to capture to spirit of the original which made this book a miss for me. What's so great about the Emma-Knightley dynamic is that she spends the entirety of the story completely blind to her feelings, but Kamila Knows Best and knows she's super attracted to Rohan (and his forearms) for most of the story which is fine if you want to write your own childhood friends-to-lovers story, but don't do it and try to sell it to me as Emma. The "maybe he loves Harriet" bit that was thrown in at the end felt especially random and forced. Overall, I think this might've been more enjoyable for me if I didn't go into this expecting something resembling Emma. I'm not looking for a carbon copy, but it just felt like Heron missed the point of the original and it kind of colored the whole reading experience for me.

A millennial twist on Jane Austen’s “Emma”. Kamila lives and works for her father, desperately trying to get him to realize her worth and contributions to the company. Her longtime friend Rohan is the debonair and honest Knightleyesque hero we want.

Had a hard time really liking Kamila. But Emma herself was a contrary character.

Thank you to Forever for the ARC to read and review.

I don’t know about you, but I love a book that makes me hungry. 😂

And, Farah Heron always delivers.
After reading, I had to order biryani from my favorite Indian restaurant,
💛💛💛

This book is a delightful retelling of Emma with a Bollywood flair. I love Austen and reimaginings of her works. I mean, Clueless remains a favorite film.

And, with Kamila Knows Best, readers meet effervescent Kamila Hussain, who cares deeply for her family, her friends, her clients, and her dog. She also loves throwing a great party and has a flair for fashion.

When people judge her by her whimsical exterior, they run the risk of underestimating her - even those who know her best. Even the childhood friend with whom her chemistry is becoming undeniable.
💛💛💛

Many thanks to @farahheronauthor
and partner @readforeverpub for sharing this gem with me. It hits shelves this March and is available for preorders now!

This is the first Jane Austen retelling I’m reading, and I was like — WHAT!

You have the main character Kamila, who has got it all good but lacks a little in the live department until Rohan is in the picture.

She finds out that she’s got a lot of growing up to do if she wants to get the best out of life — and she does just that. I’m in love with characters who grow as the story progresses. Kamila was a relatable character that gave me cause to really think of some decisions in my life too.

One thing I know for sure — Everyone needs a Rohan.

Kamila Hussain has a pretty perfect life. She works with her dad and his accounting firm, throws elaborate parties, and has a great circle of friends. Lately, however, she's been stressing about her father's health and busy planning the annual Dogapalooza to raise funds for the animal shelter. She is also confused about the feelings she is developing for Rohan, one of her closest childhood friends. Add to that, the return of her nemesis, Jana, who seems to also be interested in Rohan.
This reminded me a lot of the movie Clueless and Kamila definitely is similar to Cher. She has a big heart and just wants to please everyone, but she feels as if nobody takes her seriously. The story started off a bit slow which made it hard to pick back up after any pause in reading. It does pick up later and the ending was cute. Overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing for the digital review copy of Kamila Knows Best in advance of publication. Kamila Knows Best comes out on March 8, 2022.

This book is described as a Bollywood retelling of Emma, set in Toronto. I would say it's a pretty loose adaptation of Emma, which I view as a good thing. Retellings can be fun, but when the author sticks too close to the original it can make the story TOO predictable.

I found myself vaguely annoyed with Kamila - she's supposed to be great at her job, but she's also unable to communicate this to her father? I like that more authors are highlighting the importance of mental health and therapy, this is something that should continue to be normalized. It's obvious that she grew up in a toxic household, and she talks about her dad being in therapy, but it's not clear if she is in therapy (unless I am just forgetting that detail?).

I found this book disappointing when compared to the author's earlier novels, and I didn't really like the lead character very much. Even so, it's still a cute book, and not a bad way to spend a few hours.

4.5⭐️

TW: death of parent, infidelity, emotional abuse, depression

This closed door romance novel was a modern retelling of Emma by Jane Austen that I enjoyed as it had one of my favorite romance tropes - friends to lovers.

What I appreciated the most was that the female protagonist, Kamila, was a bubbly, fashionable accountant and the male protagonist, Rohan, was a divorced tax lawyer and neither of them were stereotyped. I have never read a romance with such career choices for the protagonists before so that was a pleasant surprise.

Being an avid fan of Bollywood movies and a foodie, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Bollywood movie nights that Kamila liked to organize for her friends and all the food references throughout the book.

I empathized with Kamila in regards to her difficult relationship with her mother and how that impacted her. I just wish the mental health discussions were more in depth.

I recommend this upcoming release if you are looking for a light-hearted, escapist romance and enjoy Jane Austen retellings.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a long time since a book had me literally screaming - it was like watching a horror movie and yelling "Don't go in there!" at the screen, but romance edition. Except of course, in the best way possible. Kamila is so vibrant and beautifully herself and juxtaposed so nicely by the seemingly uptight Rohan. Add in that Farah Heron writes about food and love in the same steamy way, and you'll have a book that leaves you hungry and... y'know. I didn't realize that this was an "Emma" retelling at first, but the parallels work so well here. We have amazing friendships, a friends to lovers story, and a metric ton of biryani. What else do you need? (Puppies, obviously)

*Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Farah Heron is one of my favorite contemporary romance writers and I was thrilled to hear that she was releasing a new book in 2022. Kamila Knows Best can be best described as a modern day retelling of Emma. I didn’t really like the original story of Emma so I was a bit concerned on how I would feel about this book. Kamila Knows Best has a friends to lovers trope and is extremely slow burn. The contemporary romance explores friendship, family expectations, gossip, and authenticity. Overall, I enjoyed it! I liked that not only were the characters well developed and had strong backstories, but as a reader, I was able to see them change and grow in the story. There were times where the main characters annoyed me in certain situations, but I understood that was part of the story and how it helped with the story’s progression. Highly recommend picking this one up if you’re a Jane Austen retelling fan or if you love a good friends to lovers trope!