The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed could be called a second chance romance, and that wouldn’t be a lie. Sana and Daniel grew up together until they were torn apart by a feud between their families. They haven’t seen each other in 18 years until he comes back to New York. But it’s also so much more than that. It’s a love letter to both the importance of family, even when it’s complicated, and the necessity of following your own heart to chart your own path.

As a white, western woman, there’s so much I can’t relate to in this story, but I think those are some of the best books for people to read. It’s on me to learn, to put in the work, and as a lover of romance novels, I love reading own voices stories that introduce me to things I haven’t yet encountered otherwise. I had no clue about the intricacies of arranged marriages, the many complex steps taken in making a match. Even though it’s obvious from the jump that this arrangement is not going to work out for Sana, the narrative doesn’t talk down about or write off the process. It’s a huge part of the culture and works for many people, but we need a little conflict in our story, so of course it doesn’t work for our heroine.

Following Sana as she tries to juggle her family’s expectations with her lifelong feelings for Daniel as they work together kept me intrigued to the end of the book. The pacing was a little slow at the start, and so I think the second half of the book was much stronger. I loved Sana’s relationship with her brother Zia, who is autistic, and I did expect him to be a bigger part of the story. Their scenes together were very sweet and authentic and lovely. And honestly, the environmental issue Sana and Daniel were investigating at work could have been its own interesting novel in. There’s a lot happening here, and the payoff is satisfying, but it does meander a bit to get there.

Thank you to the author, Alcove Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This debut is a Muslim hijabi take on Jane Austen, but with many more complications thrown in. I say "many more" and I think overall I would judge this as trying too hard to be too much. Family dynamics (some more toxic than others), cultural clash, immigration, socio-economic struggles, autism, workplace harassment, arranged marriage - all this and more made the narrative lose the light and fun tone that I was hoping for. Don't get me wrong, a bit of depth in a romcom is wonderful, and I loved the representation of people on the spectrum (the protagonist's younger brother), as well as the desi culture (although I did find it a bit too top-heavy on Urdu without explanation). Neither of the love interests seemed to mesh for me - and I did feel that Adam (the arranged marriage aspect) was hard done by, although I kept expecting some nasty reveal from his past to pop up (and no. it did not). Overall, a respectable debut, and I hope the author will persist in her endeavors.

An incredibly moving and heartfelt debut about a 33 year old hijabi Sana who is torn between being a good Desi daughter and trying to find that elusive ishq (true love).

Sure true love isn't in the cards for her, Sana agrees to enter an arranged marriage in order to become guardian of her autistic younger brother only to be reunited with her forbidden childhood sweetheart and new boss.

Part workplace romance, part love triangle, part Erin Brockovitch-esque, environmental mystery/suspense but 100% enjoyable. This was also good on audio and perfect for fans of Jane Austen lovers and anyone who's read and enjoyed books by Uzma Jalaluddin.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! I'm excited to read more by this talented new author!

Best friends, second chance romance, and mutual pining my beloveds 🥺

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the e-arc!!

Content warning: racism, Islamophobia, death of parent(s), past abuse

Sana Saeed is in her 30s and still not married, which is stressing her mother out. In addition, she won’t appoint Sana her autistic brother’s legal guardian unless Sana is married. Sana loves Zia with all her heart and eventually agrees to an arranged marriage to Adam. Just as she does, her childhood friend Daniel enters her life. Sparks fly but their families are feuding and would never approve of the two of them having a relationship. What’s Sana to do – stay with the practical Adam or risk it all to be with Daniel?

This was a cute romance. A tad predictable but I think most romances are, aren’t they?

SPOILER ALERT: I was actually rooting for a different ending. I thought Daniel was a jerk and couldn’t see what Sana saw in him. Adam was so sweet and seemed perfect for her. Even so, I enjoyed this book.

So wanted to like this book! Growing up desi and in a Muslim household, too, no less, I was dying to get into this one and have it weave like a familiar comfort blanket. Except, that's not what I got. I'm desi, I know the language and culture, and still, the writing took me by surprise sometimes by "what does this word mean?" or "what's this referring to?" when some concept or word was used - which threw off my footing, to say the least, and I now imagine someone not at all familiar with the world? I can see how they'd be totally confused.
The plot itself, at some point, started to make no sense. As soon as Daniel came back into the picture, it was complications upon complication upon drama...which got way too much too soon and gave me a headache more than enjoyment, unfortunately. Also couldn't get past the fact Sana was pretty much cheating on Adam by having feelings for Daniel after she'd already agreed to being in a relationship with Adam (if that's not cheating, then I wonder what is - the blurb made it seem she found Daniel and then fully and completely went into the rishta with Adam, except Daniel happened after the deal was almost sealed with Adam)
Overall, it could've been a very entertaining and engaging book, but it tried to be too much, too 'everything', which complicated it all and made it a muddle throughout

No fault of the author I just had a hard time staying focused on this one. And then in between reading I had some life events happen and I wasn't able to finish it.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬-𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐞𝐞𝐝
𝐁𝐲 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐀𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟏𝟎.𝟏𝟎.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒞𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒮𝑜𝑜𝓃!

Sana Saeed is thirty-three years old and works at the Department of Environmental Conservation. But to her Muslim mother’s unhappiness, Sana is not married yet. So, following tradition, Sana agrees to an arranged marriage, especially so that she can secure the guardianship of her beloved brother Zia.

Of course, once Sana agrees to the marriage to a really nice guy, her childhood love, Shahri (now Daniel) waltzes back into her life - actually her office … as her boss!

This is a sweet, and clean (don’t come looking for steam) romance. It offers so much: second chance romance, workplace romance, autism representation, Muslim and Pakistani culture and traditions, fun Bollywood references, and a HEA.

The rich cultural references and food descriptions will immerse you in Sana’s world. I especially enjoyed Sana’s relationship with her autistic brother, Zia. I felt for Sana as she struggled between familial duty and the desire for true love - a delightful read.



Thank you author @noreen_lekhak @alcovepress and @delightfullybooked for a gifted ebook.

Thanks to Tantor Audio for the ALC and netgalley, Alcove Press, and Kristyn Fortner for the eARC and the chance to give my candid review.

Available this coming Tuesday 10/10.

The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed
by Noreen Mughees

Narrated by Shawn K. Jain & Deepa Samuel.

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 3/5
Steam: 0 or 🔥 (0-5) I think there was kissing, but maybe not.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Autism representation and so much sibling love.
🤩 Pakistani and Muslim representation—the traditions, customs, and foods/smells are described well.
🤩 Childhood best friends-to-lovers.
🤩 18 years of pining.
🤩 But, there’s an arranged marriage.
🤩 How Daniel (MMC) comes to Zia’s (Sana’s brother) rescue.
🤩 Workplace romance, including some racism and threats.
🤩 Some shorter chapters mixed in.
🤩 Realistic love triangle. And I do love genuine jealousy in my books.
🤩 Very believable and captivating storyline.
🤩 Daniel (Shahri) takes care of Sana more than one way.
🤩 It was nice to have the physical/ebook copy while getting used the unique and unfamiliar names (even her car has a name).

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 When Sana still calls Daniel Shahri after he explains why he doesn’t like it.
💫 The narration is a bit slow and over-enunciated. I would have liked to been able to speed it up a bit.
💫 I like Adam (from the arranged marriage) so much—the love triangle hurt a bit.
💫 It’ s a little too serious and not many laughs—way more domestic drama than romance or romcom.
💫 Even when there’s no steam, I like more attraction and lusty feels in my books.

Here was me, starting to get jaded with romance novels when I spotted this one. The synopsis appealed to me and I decided to give it a go, aware that being European and agnostic I was probably not the target audience. Well, who cares about that?

I actually thought this was one of the most wholesome, sweet, honest romances I have read in a good while. I think for me it actually helped that it was a completely clean romance, that focused on the emotional connection rather than the physical one. I think I have discovered I much prefer that,

I read a review that said that you would probably only enjoy this if you come from a similar background as the characters. I wholeheartedly disagree. I think love and being in love, family duty, regrets and kismet, those are universal themes, and therefore I found it really easy to connect to the characters. The fact that these were characters in their thirties really helped for sure. Plus I really liked how the author kept mentioning scents as well.

There were a few instances where the plot points were a bit iffy. For example, when Sana and Daniel meet again after almost twenty years, the fact that they did not recognise each other did not sit right with me. I found that odd. I think there would at least be something that nags at you. There were a couple more moments that did not quite make sense, but it did not really take that much away from my enjoyment of the story as a whole.

I had such a good time with this story that I would really recommend it, whether you think you are the target audience or not, because this was supersweet.

Second chance romance, family feuds, workplace romance, South Asian life- this has it all. Sana is 33, a hijabi, and she's finally agreed to an arranged marriage because she wants to be part of the guardianship plan for her neurodiverse younger brother. Only problem is that she can't get her childhood love out of her head- a love who left town after his uncle bankrupted her father. And then, then, guess who turns up at her work? Daniel's grown up into an attorney, the attorney assigned to work with her. But she's just met and has agreed to continue to see Adam, whose wealthy family is appealing to her own. What will she do? You know it, don't you? This is terrific for the representation of Muslim life and families. It's a little less so for some details (I was confused about what exactly Sana did for work and there's an offhand comment about her being in law school- on line?). That said, this one made me hungry (there's lot of food) and made me smile. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I have always been fascinated by arranged marriages and enamored with the strong faith and commitment to beliefs that seem to exist within the Muslim community so I was extremely eager to read this book.

Sana comes from a strict Muslim family with a mother who is set to arrange her marriage. This old time custom is at odds with modern Sana; however, she is desperate to find a partner so she can assume guardianship of her 17 year old autistic brother. The only problem is that the age of 33, she still pines for her teen crush.

I enjoyed watching the struggle Sana experienced as she was pulled between familial expectations and her heart. This was a solid debut and I will definitely look for more by this author.

Sana's family is ready to arrange her marriage but Sana's heart belongs to another. This book was sweet with its references to Jane Austen. I appreciated both Sana and Daniel's loyalty to their family but was happy to see love win in the end. This was a feel good romcom with great Autistic and Islamic representation.

Sana Saeed is torn between the traditions of her parents and what she wants from life. What she wants is to be able to take care of her younger brother, Zia, but her mother has put a condition on that guardianship: find and marry a man, and quick. So Sana agrees to consider an arranged marriage, which she hasn't done since her heart was broken years ago. But when David--the man who broke her heart--barges into her work life, confusing feelings ensue.

I can relate to the tension between desperately wanting a romantic spark, but also wanting the safety that a more considered match can bring. Was it just my cultural lens that made me frustrated that her mom was being manipulative by using her love for her brother to get her to marry? I did appreciate the second-chance romance story with Austen feels (think: Persuasion vibes), as well as the flashbacks being integrated into the narrative rather than being set apart by spaces or punctuation. In short, it was super angsty, things left unsaid, misunderstandings, fears, and traumas. Sana and David are emotionally all over the place as they sort through minor and major incidents in their lives, and it keeps the reader glued to the page until the very end.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

For some reasonthe netgalley app wouldnt let me read this book, despite the fact that it was a few hours away from expiring? Because of this I was unable to finish the book unfortunately and will provide an full review once I get the chance to finish it. What I read of it was enjoyable and seemed very promising though.

So well written. I haven’t read many books that include characters of different races. Not by choice, but I just haven’t found one to be very interesting. But this book had me hooked from the start!

I thought this was a sweet second-chance, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance!! I loved the South Asian Desi representation -- I'd love to hear from ownvoices reviewers too though! The standouts for me were the familial dynamics, and the connection the FMC had with her best friend.

There is an instance in the very beginning of the story where Sana goes to grab a manager at McDonalds because there are a group of racist kids harassing her and her younger brother (17 years old), Zia. While he is left alone, the love interest stumbles upon Zia and describes him as such: "He's a teenager but looks like he could be on the autism spectrum. He's covered his ears to shut out the noise and is rocking back and forth. Some asshat teenagers across the dining area are taunting him. He looks like he's about to cry. He looks like he's all alone. Who'd walk off and leave a defenseless kid by himself?" I do wish this was caught in some round of editing because the idea of someone "looking autistic" just doesn't sit right with me. There are indeed so many experiences of autistic people and I felt this scene painted the love interest as the "hero" who "saves" the "defenseless autistic kid".

cw: Islamophobia, hate crime, terminal illness, death of parent, cancer, death, infertility, toxic relationship, ableism

This was so much fun to read! It felt like I was watching a soap opera the whole time, wondering if the love interests would confess their love for one another!

This book had everything, family drama, childhood fiends to lovers, and representation!

I really loved watching the love between Sana and Daniel become more and more inevitable the deeper we got into the story. I also loved how much they cared for their family and would do anything for their happiness.

I also enjoyed the muslim & autism rep. that was mentioned throughout the novel so beautifully and wholesome.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet, second chance romcom. These childhood friends and sweethearts drifted apart when their families experienced a huge falling out, leading to a permanent rift and one of them moving to the other side of the country. Reunited on a work project years later, their chemistry is still there, but the trust isn't. While their years-long family, feud continue to keep them apart, or will they finally find their way back to each other. Or will Sana move forward with an arranged marriage that her family has chosen for her?

Set in a tight knit Desi community and in an environmental conservation company, Sana and Daniel are working together to protect the local community, this is a story about family, community and friendship.

Actual rating: 3.5, rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was sold on the premise of star-crossed friends-to-lovers. The plot is loosely based on “Persuasion”, and I love that - Sana Saeed and Shahri Khalil, now Daniel, grew up together and became the closest of friends as their families entered into business together. Then Shari’s uncle made bad choices that left Sana’s family in dire straits, especially after Sana’s father passed away, and the Khalils fled.

Following her traditional Muslim mother’s wishes, Sana agrees to an arranged marriage so she can be secure future guardianship of her younger brother, Zia. Even though her promised fiance, Adam, is great on paper, Sana doesn’t feel the all-consuming love she wishes for - and that she once felt for Shahri. Until he shows up in her life again, as her boss.

There were many things about this book that were very sweet. Sana and Daniel pining for each other, Sana’s love of her brother, Daniel’s relationship with his adoptive mother and brother.

This book was overflowing with Pakistani and Muslim culture, from words to food to traditions, which I really enjoyed. I’ve seen discourse about how some people wish there were translations in books that include other languages so they don’t have to Google every few seconds. My approach to this is that I’m not here for a lesson and I’m not expected to Google everything - I can get a sense of the meaning of most things from context. I’m being invited into someone’s world, and I appreciate the author sharing it with me. I think this romance will make many East Asian readers feel seen, while also hopefully make others feel as glad about getting a welcoming taste of the culture as I did.

In terms of the romance, I was very frustrated with Sana and Daniel constantly going hot and cold on each other. There were a few times where I was left hanging, like there was something missing from the scene - where did this character go, why did nobody reply, when did they talk about this? There was a lot of miscommunication, which I wasn't a fan of, but I enjoyed the tension of the reasons why they didn't think they could be together.

All in all, the romance aspect was a bit lacking for me, only saved by the knowledge that these two people had been best friends at a time, and therefore building on a previous relationship.

I’m also not a fan of incredibly meddling families when that’s not problematized and boundaries aren’t set at some point, so I struggled with Sana’s family. I know that this is a strong aspect of many cultures, mine included, but that doesn’t mean we’re supposed to sit back and take it.

tl;dr: If you’re looking for a diverse friends-to-lovers romance with no smut, plenty of tension and a HEA, you might want to give this a chance.