Thanks so much to Noreen Mughees, Alcove Press and NetGalley for the eARC, all opinions expressed are my own!

I really wanted to enjoy this book, I get so excited when I see any south Asian representation in the form of a love story, but this however didn’t fit the bill. I really struggled with some aspects of the book and found that certain plot devices fell into the stereotypical archetypes associated with Asian and Muslim characters. The characters were not as developed as they could be and felt the plot was drawn out to accommodate the indecisiveness of both the MCs.

Sana and Shahri are childhood crushes, when Shahri disappears after his father years Sana’s family’s life apart, he returns after 18 years as Daniel Malik, Sana’s new boss.

I loved the premise of the story but found her mothers overbearing nature off-putting and her friend, Ainee, incredibly unsupportive. Adam, Sana’s other suitor definitely deserved better. There were a few moments that made me stick around, when Daniel cared for Sana when she was sick and the moments with her brother. Despite this, scenes throughout the book felt disjointed and the transitions was not as seamless as they could have been.

I do have to applaud the writing style, I truly did enjoy the words, even if the plot didn’t resonate with me.

Sonali Dev, Mona Schroff, and Farrah Heron fans would absolutely love Noreen's debut. Sana was such a great sister to her brother and saying they were a package deal was just so cute. I loved the sweetness and the writing. 5 stars for sure. A writer to look out for.

Phew! This book was a whirlwind! The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed feels like it's just out of a Bollywood movie or Indian soap opera. The dramatic family feuds, immigrant parent x eldest daughter dynamics, and childhood love felt so representative of so many of the South Asian stories we know and love. I enjoyed following Sana and Daniel navigating their families' tumultuous relationship with each other and their lingering feelings for each other. There were moments where the story did seem to be dragging on a bit, especially with Sana's constant back and forth feelings for being with Daniel vs. Adam, but I think this story did a good job of showing how emotional and life-changing an arranged marriage can be for South Asians and South Asian Americans.

Overall, I think fans of more serious, grounded romances with themes of intergenerational trauma and conflict or South Asian Muslim love stories like ones written by Uzma Jalaluddin will enjoy The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed! I'm not sure if Noreen Mughees has more stories planned for this world and characters, but I would definitely be interested in a book following Daniel's brother, Saleem and his ex-wife Reema.

I finished this in a day!! Noreen is officially one of my new favorite authors. The romance is the right level of swoon worthy and I’m a huge fan of the writing style. I like how it’s a halal romance and I heard this is going to be a series!!

I ADORED THIS!!! I adore muslim rom coms so much but especially desi ones. It was just so sweet and delightful and made me cry.

Noreen is such a beautiful writer. The storytelling is as captivating as Sonali Dev, but is completely unique and refreshing. I was invested in every character, and as a reader who’s not so emotional, I found myself tearing up at various points in the book. Noreen makes you feel every emotion that’s being discussed. I also loved this quote.

“I must leave, uncertain of my fate, and if you had given me a look, or even affirmed that you do love me, it would have been easier to find a way to stay”