Spice 🌶️

This story is more plot than romance. (Not that that is good or bad, just heads up). The story was incredibly written and structured and was not at all what I expected (in a good way).

- mystery
- complicated familial relationships
- incredible rep
- philosophical blurring of right and wrong

The characters and the relationships feel so real and raw - a real credit to the author! Definitely a good read this year!

Overall the story and the way it all unfolded isn’t my cup of tea. It’s too “real” and not enough hallmark (I prefer reading to be an escape into fantasy and whimsy). However that’s my preference, I can still acknowledge that this was a fantastic real and raw story that was woven together really beautifully.

Thank you for this ARC from #NetGalley.

This book is a very different read and has had a lot of potential. I do think that calling this book a romance isn't accurate and could be confusing to readers who come in expecting one thing and getting something else entirely while reading it. This more reads as a coming of age story about a young man figuring out who he is and figuring out how he feels about religion and his relationships.

This was a super enjoyable read! As a white person, it was so interesting to read from the perspective of a Muslim character. (It made me realize I need to read more books by Muslim authors.)

I enjoyed The Bad Muslim Discount and was eager to read Syed M. Masood’s new novel The Last Man in Paradise, which did not disappoint.

The story is engaging, the prose is elegantly spare and witty, the pacing is spot-on, and the emotional pull is strong. Equally compelling for this reader and consistent with themes in the author’s prior work, Masood’s storytelling provides insight into the struggles and joys of a Muslim-American family as together and individually they consider (and reconsider) traditional religious dictates in the context of Western culture.

Specifically, our main character, Azaan, wrestles with the question of how to untangle his relationship with Islam from the childhood trauma inflicted by his father, a revered religious leader in his community. Azaan’s father believed raising his only son to be devout required beating him into submission. Azaan’s back is covered in scars. So is his heart. As an adult, Azaan has turned away from family, love and religion.

Here’s the setup: Azaan is called back to California after a decade away from home. His grandfather Baba’s deathbed wish is to see his grandson again. But there’s a problem. Azaan lives in London and is trying to make it as an actor. To simplify his life and to avoid what he believes will be complicated drama and histrionics, he has told a whopper of a lie to his family—they believe he has followed in his father’s footsteps and is serving as an imam in London when, in fact, he dropped out from the religious school years ago to take up acting. Azaan chose to take on (with secret help from a slippery uncle) the role of his life—a fake imam. What harm would it do to make his family happy? He didn’t intend to see them ever again.

Reluctantly, he returns to California and sees no choice but to maintain the pretense, complete with a glued-on beard and appropriate vestments. Now, his acting chops will be put to a real-life test. “Other people would probably have thrown their arms around each other and embraced. But we were not, as was perhaps the great tragedy of our lives, other people.”

It’s a wild ride from this point on as Azaan struggles to keep up the guise, is forced to “perform” religious services several times, then uncovers a dark secret from his father’s past now poised to break into a scandal that will engulf the entire family, and along the way, rekindles a relationship with Madison, a woman his father forbid him to date in high school, who is now a single mom.

Baba, it turns out, isn’t as close to death as Azaan was led to believe and seems, in his way, eager to help his grandson find a way back to the family by acknowledging the sadistic behavior of Azaan’s father. “‘You don’t know anything about us, do you?’ Baba raised his bushy eyebrows, cast a longing glance at the video stream suspended on the screen before him, and then put it aside. ‘I know enough. He made up strict rules for you. He tried to control you, to make you what he wanted. You rebelled. He beat the shit out of you. It’s not so complicated.’ I looked away.”

Masood is an excellent writer, deftly navigating his somewhat intricate plot with the anchoring strength of Azaan’s character and his dark humor. The characters throughout are unique, entertaining and believable. The commentary about Islam through these characters, all of whom have differing relationships to (and for some, interpretations of) the religion is a strength of the book. At the core of this novel is Azaan’s intimate journey as he, with the help of friends and family, begins to rediscover the joy of religion, and love, finding ways to sculpt both into the life he wants, finally separating both from the singular abuse endured at the hands of his father.

A terrific book. Highly recommended.

The Last Man in Paradise by Syed M. Masood is the first book i got to read and review on this platform and can i just say how great of a read it was.
This book delves into the life of Azaan, a young man who struggles to connect with the religion his father, a very powerful man in the community, follows. Azaan prefers to lie and deceive his father, to live far away from him in order to follow his dreams, rather than to tell him the truth.
This is a way of showing the reader the rocky relationship they have with each other. But one phone call makes him go back to the town he never thought he'd come back to, and to help his father nonetheless.
Now Azaan has to put his acting skills to play and try to fool everyone into thinking he followed what they deem as the right path.
This book was great and i loved it, it opened my eyes on many things that we might not go through ourselves but many people do. For example, the struggle of following a certain religion while undergoing pressure from your parents, living under a roof with people who either abuse you or don't support you on your dreams, and many more.
The characters were well depicted showcasing the different types of people in the world and how they act, the writing style is smooth and understandable making it so much easier to get immersed in the book and not put it down.
I hope the next reader gives this book a chance to realise how amazing, well written, well expressed it is. And if you are someone that enjoys reading religious and cultural distinctions and family drama this is the book for you.

This book was so interesting to me. I guess I saw a lot of myself in the questioning of the religion your grow up with a morality. I thought all the points this book touched on are so important.

Azaan choices and life is so interesting to me. I honestly thought this book was so raw and powerful. I don't know what else to say but give this a try. I loved it.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am very excited to be reading this book! My full review to follow.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting and a quick read. Some parts felt formulaic but overall, I enjoyed the story.

This was an interesting book! Azaan's character was fun and I enjoyed him learning and developing throughout the book!

I read and enjoyed "The Bad Muslim Discount," so I was interested in trying the author's newest book, particularly as it was tagged as romance. I think the writing is engaging, and Azaan is a very relatable main character. The romance, to me, is more of a subplot, with Azaan's relationship with his father, and his thoughts on his religion, taking the main stage. There are some tangents Azaan goes down that feel out of place, and the self-reference threw me off, but this is an easy book to get hooked on and a worthwhile one.

4 stars

This is my third book by this author, and if I was uncertain previously, I am fully confident now; this writer KNOWS how to bring readers right into the center of challenging relationships.

Azaan, like most teens, doesn't really want to listen to his father's demands or rules, and since his father is a religious leader and figurehead in their Northern California hometown, there's even more pressure and added scrutiny than a typical teen might encounter. When Azaan commits what most would consider a minor infraction, their relationship implodes. This results in a lengthy rift, a series of harmful secrets and lies, and an opportunity for redemption.

Readers journey between the past and present to learn more about the challenges that several characters either face or inflict upon themselves, and it's fascinating to evaluate the present-day fallout. Azaan has secretly become an actor and decides to use this skill to play the role of imam when he returns to his family, and this is just the backdrop for the real-life drama that ensues (and, in some cases, picks up from where they hit pause many years earlier).

Readers who enjoy stories about longstanding family drama, religious and cultural distinctions, and lost loves will find a lot to like in this newest effort from Masood. It's not an easy story, but it is a compelling read.