3.5 ⭐️ The first line of this debut desi romance novel is a tongue-in-cheek co-opting of Jane Austen's famous opening in Pride and Prejudice. [As an aside, I felt like I had read a similar opening before, so for my own notes, it's Polite Society by Mahesh Rao.] Throughout the book, the characters reference Bollywood and Pakistani dramas as well as famous stars in their banter and good-natured jibing. There are certainly some recognizable drama tropes in this: the love triangle, overbearing parents who have a longstanding feud, missed opportunities and misunderstandings, forced proximity with work (male lead is boss of course), rescues by male lead, the patient kind second male lead, separation by plane, birth mothers and hinted birth secrets etc. When Sana's mother does that monumentally -- thing and her friend nonchalantly normalizes it as something Desi MILs and moms do, I gasped.

The storyline is grounded though by the deep family ties that bind. Marriage within this close-knit South Asian community isn't only between two people, it's also the joining of two families and groups. Sana wrestles with herself whether to be with someone who is kind, a safe choice and approved by family versus a childhood love who makes her heart race but is inscrutable. Sana, Shahri and Adam have to balance fulfilling their families' wishes against following their own hearts. Thanks to the author for introducing the concept of ishq to us readers unfamiliar with the term. The world of Desi matchmaking with rishta, biodata and chaperones is interesting. I liked how Urdu was interspersed in dialogues.

Content warning for Islamophobia and racial slurs. Being Muslim Indian, Sana's parents had escaped race riots in India to the United States. Sana wears a hijab and is a target of Islamophobes. What is depicted in the book is chillingly realistic. March 15th has been declared by the United Nations as International Day to Combat Islamophobia with the goal of taking “concrete action in the face of rising hatred, discrimination, and violence against Muslims”.

Thanks to Alcove Press and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I really was excited for The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed, but I unfortunately was let down. There were so many characters to keep up with and I felt disconnected from the story due to occasional confusion. A bummer for me, but I hope this book finds its audience.

This book is just lovely. There is so much beautiful pining between two characters who deeply love their family and want to do right by them, as well as doing right in the world, and seeing them come together for a happy ending as well as being a light to lead the future was just so, so, wonderful.

Sana is a wonderful, hard working person who loves her family and who she is. She is committed to doing right in the world and by them and agrees to an arranged marriage with a very nice man her family approves of. Even though she has hoped for more of a romantic connection, the future seems like it will still work out well, for everyone she loves and cares about.

However, her childhood sweetheart, who she still has feelings for, but who is basically forbid due a feud between their families, Daniel, is thrown back into her life as her boss. And the chemistry is undeniable. As are their shared values and their ability to work together well for the good. They are just clearly so right for each and fit so well, you immediately want them together.

Daniel, for his part, also yearns for Sana, despite his own loyalty to his family and their shared culture and desire to do what is right. What ensues is so much pining and some very tough maneuvering to allow everyone to move forward and end up where they belong, well still loving and respecting each other.

It is such a beautiful read and so well-written. I highly, highly recommend it.

<i>I received this title as an ARC on Net-galley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you publisher for the copy!</i>

<b>The Good</b>
I haven't read a desi romance before and loved learning about a different culture. I loved Sana from the jump. Her care and devotion to Zia was admirable. She is under a lot of pressure in a culture I don't understand but it's easy to connect with her and understand her. Daniel / Shahri is great too. He had a war with his past and his identity which caused him to be hot and cold but at his core he wanted to be with Sana so much. I liked Adam as well. I'm glad he wasn't villainized or pushy, he just wanted to get married to someone to make his father happy and thought Sana wanted those same things. This is second chance romance done very well. I love how the author incorporated flashbacks throughout the narrative in a natural way. It allowed us to really see their before and understand their current state in comparison. The writing in this is beautiful. The way Daniel and Sana describe each other is incredible and I found myself highlighting the most beautiful sentences.

<b>The Rating</b>
I give this book a <b>5/5🌟 rating.</b> I absolutely loved this book and can't wait for its release for a physical copy. This was a beautiful story with so much heart and depth.

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The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed is a sweet romance. The cover caught my attention, and I'm so glad it did. I was so captivated by the story and the characters that I finished it in a day. Highly recommend- four stars!

*I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This story had so much promise and I was so excited to receive this ARC, pushing aside other books for this one as soon as I downloaded it. So it’s with a bit of sadness that I say I really struggled reading it.

I had so much difficulty following along as the author switched from English to Urdu and back again repeatedly throughout the novel. I found the names of the multitude of characters so confusing being that they were all so similar,. Then there were all the Urdu ‘pet’ names as well – I felt I needed a cheat sheet to just to keep on track.

The story line also gave me no small amount of trouble. Often reading like a Bollywood drama, the story seemed over the top with arranged marriages, familial pressure, family feuding and friendships that didn’t seem like friendships but more like competitions. The story chopped and changed directions multiple times with many gaps in dialogue and character development, making it hard to connect with any of the characters. It often felt like the author had the idea in her head and thought she’d put it down on paper but hadn’t, with big chunks missing. Like when you read a text message and reply in your head but don’t actually reply…I felt like I was missing important aspects of the story. This was particularly true when it came to the main characters, Sana and Daniel’s emotional states – there was no clear movement from emotion to another, leaving me flicking through the pages searching for what I had missed.

More like a 2.5 star read, I’ve bumped it up to a three because it had/has so much potential. If this were my novel, I would have a bit of a re-edit, looking at the little stuff that doesn’t support the much larger story and building the connections that have been lost along the way.

With thanks to the publisher via NetG

It had potential to be great, but parts fell flat and felt too telling-not-showing. It seems to be a good picture of Muslim expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. What a whirlwind. A great book for second chance Romance fans.

At 33, for Sana Saeed, who is Muslim and still single, the clock is ticking. Her family wants her married, especially since her father's passing years ago. She needs to be with a good man so her future is secure; a good man her family secures for her.

However, her childhood love has started working at her job. Daniel Malik might have a different look and a different name, but sparks fly immediately between them. Sana is bound to the marriage arranged by her family, but she truly wants a love marriage; even if that means marrying the son of her late father's biggest enemy.

This book really dives into Indian Muslim culture, and helped myself, a white female, understand nuances behind arranged marriages and love marriages.

Sana is a honest, real character and I truly enjoyed her development throughout the book.

A story about a thriving Muslim girl, fighting multiple battles. I feel that the story had a lot of potential elements. The knight-in0shingg-armor from the past, the cute tattooed rishta prospect Reading the book, I couldn't find it realistic, I believe if each scene had been given more time to develop, it could have been ana amazing story.

Coming to character's Sana's character made some really stupid choices that felt very un-Sana of her. The fact that she kept leading on Adam for so long was very weird. As for Daniel, his character had no consistency. He was cold from Sana's perspective but soft from his own and the actions were not aligned in both perspectives. Another character I found problematic was Sana's friend who, instead of helping Sana, was shown to be taunting and sarcastic, she got on my nerves every time she opened her mouth.

Conclusively, the writing felt rushed to me, the characters had minimum development arc and it had potential.

I really liked the cultural setting and I am all in for a Austin homage. Really enjoyable definitely recommend. I will be keeping an eye out for more from this author.

This is a dazzling debut full of family, faith, and second chances. Sana and Daniel leap of the page!

This is my first Muslim romance and I was completely captivated by it. Sana and Daniel grew up together but then a family feud tore them apart. Now, work forces them back together as Sana is in the promise of finding a husband through arranged marriage, which is still common for Indian families.

The emotions that Sana went through in this book broke my heart. From some hate crimes and targeting, to self doubt, and a need to not shame her family, she tried so hard to be everything for everyone. Daniels character, while cold at the beginning of the book, warmed up and he became the man Sana deserved.

There was a secondary plot about forgiveness in this book that really spoke to me. I don’t normally read anything with religious undertones but I didn’t feel uncomfortable reading this. It’s a diverse read and I definitely recommend adding it to your bookshelf!!

This book was alright - it had all the standard romance ingredients... it was fine. I think it was a case of not being the right reader at the right time, as I did like a lot of the ingredients - the cultural setting and I am usually all in for a Jane Austin plot-line/homage. But I think with this one it felt almost too predictable from the start, but then the book's pace was fairly sedate in getting to those plot points. I didn't dislike it but did find myself skimming along quickly at many points. Enjoyable but not one I'm shouting from the rooftops to recommend.

Second chance romance fans, childhood friends to lovers romance fans, Bollywood fans and South Asian food fans are going to want to put this on their TBR. This book not only has Bollywood references, it reads like a Bollywood movie itself; romance drama intertwined with family drama topped with grand gestures! But even though this is fiction, and therefore dramatized, the characters feel so authentic and I feel that desi muslims will be able to connect with, and feel represented by, the characters. It’s impossible to have a story about desi people without mentioning complex family relationships and values as it’s so ingrained in the culture- I hated Sana’s mother’s actions, but also had to acknowledge how hard she worked for her family, and why her kids forgave her every time- on the other hand, Sana’s love for her younger brother and willingness to do anything to protect him was so sweet, and you understand why she goes along with everything for his sake. Coming to the romance, I was worried it would be a love triangle, but it was no competition, Sana and Daniel have a lifelong connection that can’t be severed no matter how hard they, and the people around them, try, and if you like to see a lot of angsty mutual pining, you’ll love how their relationship develops. This is also a clean romance. Final note, keep a cup of chai next to you, and your local South Asian restaurant on speed dial, because you are going to be so hungry, trust me!

The Mis-Arragment of Sana Saeed by Noreen Mughees
3/5

I love forbidden romance. This has that in spades. Childhood romance? Absolutely. Was it refreshing reading a romance from a Muslim perspective? Yes! This did seem to drag in a lot of places for me personally and the family drama was better written than the environmental case they were investigating but I still enjoyed.

I love the plot idea and I really wanted to learn more about Sana's culture. But I was a little lost with the specific vocabulary and I found the storyline and scene too predictable. I didn't finish this book.

Uh oh, Sana’a childhood sweetheart,the love of her life, just showed up at her work… as her new boss. Theirs was a sort of Romeo and Juliet (with a bit of Persuasion) parting, forbidden love and all that. But now they are in their thirties, have responsibilities, have a boss/employee relationship and their families are still enemies. Plus she has just agreed to an arranged marriage!

Daniel also pines for his childhood sweetheart. No one has ever measured up for him. At first Sana didn’t recognize him but when she did, fireworks- and not the good kind- went off. There’s still a lot of misery between them and their families. Plus Sana’s arranged marriage puts her out of reach.

They have lots of obstacles to overcome but could they recapture their love? Each feels they’ve been betrayed. Both are very relatable and and appealing. We all recognize the quirky relatives that pop up here. A little bit angst is in store for those of you who love that, but the book is amusing and lovable.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There’s a lot of characters and names to follow, especially in the opening chapter. If this is your first South Asian/Indian romance set in the US, I’d have to say it’s a lot. Once it all gets going it becomes easier to follow who is who and what’s happening but there’s still an awful lot of aunties, brothers, sisters, cousins, dead fathers, and mean uncles to navigate. Closed door with plenty of tension. How about a list of characters in the front pages?

Sana is a sparky FMC who navigates her work and the demands of the family and I really felt for her and the tricky choices she needed to make. The tension ratchets up between Daniel and Adam. Recommended reading! Thanks very much to NetGalley for the ARC.