I liked this fun enemies to lovers road trip story! This is a debut novel and I think it was well done. Maya is traveling to Pakistan for her arranged marriage. She knows the groom and likes him well enough but she doesn’t love him. She hopes that will come over time. Her adventure from Canada starts with an annoying guy in the airport who it turns out is also her seatmate on the plane and even worse they are both making the long journey to Pakistan. Their trip runs into a lot of complications and delays that pit them together for a lengthy time period. Through all of this it was wonderful to see Maya become her own person and learn what she wants in life. The dialogue between the main characters was great as was the descriptive writing detailing their travels. I enjoyed learning more about the Muslim and Pakistani culture as I always appreciate learning more about different cultures other than my own. Overall this was a great romcom.

Loved this book! It was VERY unique. I loved the incorporation of the culture. Very well done! I really liked it a lot!

Thank you so much @netgalley and @hearourvoicestours for the opportunity!

Maya's Laws of Love has cured me of my two-months-long reader's block and for that, I'm grateful. But I also promised my mom to speak the truth always and the truth is that it sucked - a lot near the end. It was similar to my interest in a new project. A great start, an average mid, then a bad, bad conclusion.

To talk about the intro - Maya's struggles were quite relatable. The writing was easy to get into (which I appreciate) and the dialogues gave me high expectations regarding 'toxic-family-culture' representation. As a fellow South-Asian Muslim girl, I think we often crave to be understood and be seen, therefore hoped to see our lives being reflected in the pages of the book but unfortunately that didn't happen.

See I've no problem with kissing scenes in a romance book. It's a romance book after all. But reading about a Muslim girl kissing her brother-in-law literally days before her wedding? Nope. Na-da. Absolutely not.

On her defense, she didn't know that the man was her brother-in-law but she still cheated on her fiance; and that is something I cannot and will not support. Does that happen in every other book? Yes but those protagonists aren't Muslim. So I don't care. I admit arranged marriages can be scary but not all of them have terrible ends. At the very least, it's worth a try before going down the haram way.

If you read the book with an open mind, without taking their religion into consideration, I suppose it can be a pretty good book. But since it's using Islam, Muslim people and their love stories to attract readers, I certainly have a right to complain - for twisting the beliefs we believe in and religiously abide by, and for creating false impressions.

3 stars. This was a cute, clean romance with some really sweet dynamics. I loved that Maya had a therapist—that alone set this apart from a lot of other books in the genre. The cultural elements were strong and well-done, and I appreciated the representation and Maya’s struggles as the eldest daughter in a desi family.

That said, while I enjoyed reading it, it just wasn’t super memorable for me. The story didn’t fully stick, and the romance felt a little predictable at times. Still, a solid debut, and I’d definitely pick up another book from Alina Khawaja in the future!

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Maya’s Laws of Love! I want to preface this review with the fact that I am not Muslim or Pakistani but I loved this book! I loved how every chapter began with a rule. I loved how we got to see Sarfaraz & Maya falling in love! I loved the forced proximity and fake marriage we got. It was a cute clean rom-com that I would definitely recommend!

A great story, the chemistry and romance were excellent I couldn’t be happier with the ending of this book

This book is so fun! I love all their adventures that Maya's bad luck brings her. I definitely had a suspicion early on that her travel companion was going the exact same place she was. This book is a beautiful story about finding your way to love and life while balancing your own path and your cultural upbringings.

I read Maya's Laws of Love back in February and since then I've been struggling to write the review of this book. It follows Maya, through her journey from Canada to Pakistan where she's supposed to get married to this really sweet person. But she met another man on the plane and got attracted to him more. 🤡 It was a journey that changed or I would say rather bought out the worst in her 💀
From the moment she set foot in a plane, she was super super annoying, acting like a child multiple times. All the cute moments were super forced and you'll get cringe feeling on every page.
The Muslim and Pakistani representation was HORRIBLE!!! I want (also don't want) to have a personal chat with the author and ask where she got inspiration for her super stupid characters. Even the side characters were far away from the reality. 🤮
All in all, I DO NOT recommend reading this one because there are better books available than this one and it is totally not worth your time 😔

Kind of boring, kind of predictable. The pacing was off. I wish there was more to the romance, I just didn't totally believe it.

3⭐️ I enjoyed this book and liked seeing a a woman’s romantic experience through a different cultural lens (although from several reviews it’s clearly not as appropriate or religiously accurate as they would’ve appreciated). Even if it was not perfectly executed I appreciated reading about certain norms included in the book like the wedding ceremonies, familial expectations from society, and how people are expected to treat strangers with kindness and hospitality. I liked how Maya while rooted in her religion also felt compelled to speak up for herself when it came to traveling by herself and working to support herself. I think one of my main complaints was the bad luck curse she claimed for herself. It got to be a bit irritating. I can understand how it was embedded in the fact that her dad left their family and it’s great that it’s one of the things her therapist was working on with her, but it still felt dramatic and immature at times (which can kinda make sense since she started attributing her bad luck to being cursed at ten years old). I enjoyed the aspect of forbidden love especially when it’s revealed that the traveling companion she acquired ended up being her fiancé’s estranged half brother. I also appreciated how even though their culture is based on strict gender roles that her mom and sister ended up supporting her no matter what regardless of judgment from others. It was also nice that her fiancé ended up feeling the same way about calling off the wedding and racing her to get to the train station and catch his brother in time, although a bit unrealistic and predictable. All in all I thought it was cute and good for Muslim culture to be represented, but it’s a shame that there were instances like them touching and sharing a bed, her missing prayers, etc. disappointed Muslim readers.

The main character felt like a villain instead of the lead. I did not want to root for her. Nonetheless I understand the intention of making an unlikeable and flawed character the focus, it holds up a mirror. A valiant attempt and I look forward to more books from Alina Khawaja

This was a cute and clean romcom that had some enjoyable moments. Maya, the heroine, had her funny moments, and I especially liked learning more about the Muslim faith and Pakistani culture. It was an interesting and refreshing perspective. However, the writing felt a bit choppy at first, and it took me some time to really get into the story.

One downside for me was that the book seemed to portray Muslims in a way that didn’t quite feel accurate or fair. That aside, there’s a lot to like here. Maya is confident in her faith and how she practices it, which is heartfelt but not overly traditional. The hero is a genuinely grumpy guy (sometimes kind of unpleasant, but in a very real way), and as the story goes on, you realize there’s more to him than meets the eye. The 'love triangle' element was handled well, and the discarded fiancé is actually a super nice guy who I felt deserved his own story.

I think the book might have worked even better with fewer romcom clichés. If the author had trusted the story and allowed the characters to develop a bit more naturally, it could have really shone. Still, it’s a fun and heartfelt read if you’re into light-hearted romance with some cultural depth.

I appreciated that this was a love story told from the perspective of a brown girl who was trying to do right by her family but it almost came off a little cringe to me. I really felt like a lot of the “chemistry” was forced between the FMC and the MMC and the FMC’s fiancé did not have realistic dialogue or reactions.

This was a cute and clean romcom. Maya was funny at times and I enjoyed learning more about the Muslim faith and Pakistani culture! I think the writing felt a bit choppy and took me a little while to get into.

Enjoyed this debut romance novel from Alina Khawaja! I enjoyed learning about the Pakistani culture through the romance between our main characters.

I really enjoyed this book and getting a glimpse into now another culture handles dating and marriage. I also enjoyed some of the surprises the author gifted us with. As someone who is out in the dating market here in the USA, it's hard to imagine living in a culture where they do arranged marriages, although sometimes I wonder if I would be better off in that kind of culture. This book fed that curiosity. The main characters were very charming and I enjoyed spending time with them. I look forward to reading future books from this author.

My Top-Five-style Review:

5. Maya's belief that she was cursed became frustrating as the story progressed, especially since her behavior lacked common sense. Because of this, the story kept me at arm's length. Maya wasn't cursed as much as annoyingly naive. 

4. The inclusion of infidelity in this story was a significant disappointment for me. Both characters showed a lack of respect for the female main character's engagement, which was frustrating. This element felt entirely out of character, especially for two characters who seemed deeply committed to their religion and beliefs. It felt like a betrayal on multiple levels.

3. This book cleverly employs a few fantastic tropes: fake dating, road trip/travel mishaps, and forced proximity. These elements added a delightful layer of fun and excitement to the story, keeping me thoroughly entertained.

2. This story's setting is truly one-of-a-kind: Switzerland and Pakistan. The vivid descriptions of these places took me on a delightful journey, making me feel like I was right there. It's a testament to the author's skill in painting a vivid picture of these unique locales.

1. I truly savored this book. It's a charming, heartwarming romance that beautifully showcases cultural diversity. The author's skillful storytelling and insightful cultural explanations made it a truly enlightening read. I always find joy in exploring cultures different from my own, and this book was a delightful journey in that regard.

Well written and sweet, I enjoyed the journey of these two characters and their development. I do always like when a book is written in first person POV, as it helps me relate to the story and characters easier than third person POV. It was a good book - just not a "wow" factor, it's easily forgettable.

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

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This book frustrated me at times because it took the FMC so long to get it together but she finally did and as it's a romance, there was the requisite HEA. I liked reading about all the travels. It was a debut and I look forward to reading more by this author.