‘If I Loved You Less’ by Aamna Qureshi was exactly what I needed. It's a love story and a modern retelling of Emma. Firstly, let’s talk about the South Asian and Muslim representation here. As I am not a member of this community, this was a significant strength of the book. I'm familiar with the story of Emma, so I could easily follow the plot, and it opened a window into the experiences of another culture for me. I love it! I will note that it took me longer to read this book than others as I had to keep opening Google to ensure I understood all familial connections. I love that this book also opened my eyes to Muslim/Pakistani fashion! My Instagram algorithm has been flooded with some of the most beautiful garments! I am here for it! I love Fawad, and I both want to shake and hug Humaira. But the standout character for sure was Humaira’s father. I laughed and cried, and I would highly recommend Aamna Qureshi to anyone looking for a sweet romance.

Thanks so much to Aamna Qureshi, Harper Collins One More Chapter and NetGalley for the eARC. This book will be released June 17th, 2024

All I needed to see was the words “Jane Austen retelling” and “Desi” to know I was in for a treat, and boy was I. I was so happy to see this, that I only realized after requesting it that I had never read Emma. As I am not a person willing to read a retelling without the original, I got the pleasure of reading two books for this one. Highly recommend for anyone as it was fun to compare the two by reading them back to back.

One thing I struggle with while reading Jane Austen books is how dense the social community is rooted in her novels. It really is a lot of people going to other people’s houses, and it can be hard for me to be invested in each visit. I have read several books with desi leads (many also retellings), and they also have similar tendencies toward community and family dynamics. Unlike an Austen novel, If I Loved You Less and the others I have read give you a similar amount of characters and information about them in a much more digestible and fast-paced way.

I could (and basically will by the end of the review) write a book about how much I liked this book. I really don’t think I could come up with a critique if I tried. I felt all the feelings. I learned things. I loved the characters. This was an excellent retelling of Emma on top of being great in every way. The characters and plot were obviously very parallel to the original story, but there were some adaptations for the sake of desi culture and modern times that made this its own. There were also a few deviations from the original that I didn’t expect and LOVED (the ending particularly).

Aamna Qureshi, I hope to read another book of yours. And to any other desi queens out there thinking of writing a romance novel or already have, I am quite literally making grabby hands at the thought of these books. You gals know something or have something that I can’t get enough of. Incredible work. No notes

3.75 but I'm rounding up for Fawad. I love any and all Emma retellings (well the ones I've come across for now) and this was no different. As with Emma, and most retellings, the story follows the younger sister, in this case Humaira, who is pretty much the spoiled daughter of a rich man who finds joy in matchmaking and to her detriment thinks she is incredible at it. Despite the warnings of her longtime friend/frenemy Fawad she is dead set on setting up her friend, Shanzay, with her cousin Emad. I loved loved loved Fawad's character so much, he was so sweet. Humaira's heartfelt moments with him were my absolute favorite parts. My biggest gripe though was that I found the excessive usage of brand names to be a bit annoying, but I'm sure there will be readers who will like to perfectly visualize all of the outfits and would find this to be helpful. The book also has some extra goodies at the end and brb while I make some brownies.

Quereshi is a Pakistani author and as such there were a lot of Urdu words and phrases sprinkled throughout the book. A lot of which I understood but Miss Aamna WHAT IS MIXED CHAI?? lol

All in all a solid read. I look forward to more of her novels in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Adorable couple, fun read over all and makes you feel the feels. I love rom com books that have twists and a variety of characters to them they felt real.

humaira mirza is used to matchmaking for others, but she can’t seem to find the love of her own life. she’s convinced this is rizwan ali, a young and rich bachelor, but her lifelong family friend fawad sheikh seems to disagree.

i’ve been super excited to read this ever since aamna qureshi started teasing this, so i’m very grateful to have received an early copy!

this book is compared to jane austen’s emma and sarah hogle’s you deserve each other. i read emma three and a half years ago, and honestly, i’ve forgotten most about it, so i really can’t speak to how related this book was to it. however, i do agree with the you deserve each other comp. humaira and fawad definitely reminded me of naomi and nicholas, though humaira and fawad are just a bit nicer to each other.

i also loved the self-reflection in this book. it takes a while, but humaira does eventually reflect on her own actions and figures out how to fix them, which i loved to see.

i would recommend this to anyone wanting to read a halal romance featuring adult characters. i can’t wait for whatever’s next for aamna qureshi!

THE MUSLIM ROMANCE I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

I am so so grateful to NetGalley and the One More Chapter team at HarperCollins for this eARC.

Humaira and Fawad had my heart in a choke hold throughout. This was so enjoyable and I flew through it. I lived for the sister relationship dynamic as well as Humaira's friends so this was perfect!

The story felt a little clunky at the start but I think the way Aamna characterized everyone in this story really worked well to smooth that issue over.

This is perfect for Austen fans, also for the hijabis looking for halal romance <3

Thank you to Net Galley, Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for providing me the arc of If I Loved You Less.

I was really curious to read this book when I saw that it was a modern retelling of the Jane's Austen Emma.
I already expected the main character to have an extravagant and excentric personality just like Emma, but I still felt at times that Humaira personality and the way she behaved towards the people that she loved was too much and maybe that's why I had some trouble with the book being written in the first person.

Fawad perspective could've been something very interesting to add to the story. It would establish a balance between personalities and the storytelling would be more easygoing.

I still liked the romance and the slowburn.

I wasnt sure what to rate this one. So I'm going to rate it 4.25⭐️

If I Loved You less is about a slightly spoiled girl who has her flaws but is also a hopeless romantic. But she is also kind and helpful. She reads, she is smart and knows what she wants. Throughout this book my feelings for Humaira changed. Sometimes I loved her and resonated with her, and sometimes I didn't really like some of her traits (which is the point of this book but I didn't always enjoy that.) It in the last chapter that I truly liked her.

Actually the last chapter made me love this book immediately. It started out really well. It was fast paced and I liked it a lot. The writing wasn't always my favourite part but I devoured it. Somewhere in the middle and towards the end it became slower for me and boring. It felt like a lot of filler for the end. I didn't hate it or anything but I just wanted to finish this book. I do have to say that lately if been in this weird slump where I can't read a book for to long or I become bored. The last two or three books have all been three stars because I became bored so I think that might have happened with this one too.
But anyway... When I got to the last few chapters I really enjoyed it again and it became very wholesome. Especially the last chapter just made me rate this book 4.25 instead of 3-3.5.

While this is a romance book it is more about Humaira and her experience with friendship and boys and being a hopeless romantic. Only in the last chapter does she get with Fawad. I think that is important to know because I don't want people to not appreciate this book just because they went in blind.

Overall I would really recommend this to anyone who loves a cute romance with a cute main character.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is a love letter to love, it is gorgeously written, stunning settings, dynamic characters. Amana has a gift for storytelling and I hope that she never stops.

Humaira is not your typical rich girl. While she may have all the material comforts, her heart yearns for something more profound: the great love of her life. With a track record of successful matches for her aunt and sister, she sets her sights on the handsome Rizwan Ali as her own potential soulmate. What ensues is a series of misadventures and unexpected discoveries, all while navigating the disapproval of longtime family friend Fawad Sheikh.

The strength of the narrative lies in Humaira's endearing personality and her unique talent for matchmaking. Her journey to find love for herself is peppered with laugh-out-loud moments and heartfelt insights.

The writing style is engaging. The pacing is well-balanced, keeping readers hooked from start to finish. While the plot may follow some familiar romantic comedy tropes, the author infuses it with enough originality and charm to keep it feeling fresh.

Overall, "If I Loved You Less" is a delightful read that will appeal to fans of romantic comedies and contemporary romance. With its lovable characters, witty dialogue, and heartfelt moments, it's a story that reminds us that sometimes, love can be found in the most unexpected places.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=4.25 | 😘=2.5 | 🤬=3.5 | 14/15+

summary: Emma retelling set in a Pakistani Muslim community!! the classic next door neighbor friends to lovers matchmaking shenanigans.

thoughts: this was so cute 🥹 I loved the interpretations of Austen’s characters—different from Emma, but absolutely staying true to the heart of it. it was also great at simplifying Emma’s utterly chaotic plot down to its most essential elements. there were some slightly cringy moments, but in away that’s basically inherent to almost every romcom. overall, though, this was great!! really cute, and a lot of fun.

, I can confidently say that this book has left a lasting impression on me. The author delivers a beautiful contemporary romance that is deeply rooted in rich cultural elements, adding layers of depth and authenticity to the story. It touched on self-discovery, familial obligations, and the complexities of love in its many forms. What struck me most was how relatable it was. How it portrayed her struggles and triumphs, making her personal growth feel like I was reading similar chapters of my own life.

This was a pretty good book. It was not my favorite book ever. But the writing was good and I really liked the main male character. The female main character left a little too be desired.

I liked this book but not enough to rate it higher.

I was in a reading slump but this book helped me push through it.

Humaira as a character is difficult to talk about. I like her and understand her fears, her insecurity & her need to be in charge of everything and everyone. On the other hand I dislike parts of her character, that I also dislike in Emma.

Fawad has to be my favorite character out of all of them.

I can see why people would like this book- the premise, the setting, the characters (or should I say one particular male character)- but in all honesty I was disappointed.

I won't mention everything, as other reviewers have mentioned the reasons for disappointment much more eloquently than I can. The main issues here were definitely 1) the problematic Muslim representation and 2) the writing style.

1) Muslim rep

I'm fully aware that there's a spectrum of opinions within Islam about what is permissible, and it's probably asking too much for the author to stick to the mainstream opinions on this. But given that the author is a woman who wears hijab, who has written a book which includes the MC exploring and renewing her relationship with her Creator, I was expecting some basic values. It appears that my expectations were definitely too high, as celebrating Christmas, haram relationships, sharing music playlists and characters that drink alcohol and dress/act immodestly were all on the list. And none of them were necessary! There was no point to any of these elements except to make the characters seem more Westernised, modern and 'relatable', presumably for non-Muslim readers to appreciate that Muslims aren't so different. Unfortunately I've forgotten the quotation for the one sentence that angered me, so apologies for that, but it was to do with how Humaira was outraged that a girl would dress immodestly INSIDE THE HOUSE and said that she didn't care how people dressed outside, but inside there were cultural expectations and lines that shouldn't be crossed. Like... what? Any Muslim reading this knows how bizarre this sounds, it's literally the opposite of our values. In terms of relationships- again, it's like Qureshi has come up with her own idea of what a 'halal relationship' is outside of marriage- so plenty of banter, being alone together, a strong emotional attachment, romantic tension, close proximity, touching, all of this is apparently fine according to Qureshi, the line is just drawn at kissing. "But how can you have a romance book without these?!" You can. You just have to think, be creative, and true to your values. What is more important to you as a Muslim author, holding onto your faith or succumbing to peer pressure and how a romance novel 'should' be written?

I would not be pointing out any of these if the author did not market the characters as practising Muslims. Muslim South Asian women have very little realistic representation in fiction, so I'm sure many young women and girls would jump at the chance to read this book. As a Muslim author who actively markets her books as having Muslim representation, you have a responsibility that many other authors don't. It's an honour and a privilege, please view it as such and write responsibly :-)

2) Writing style

Right. I know not everyone reading this book is expecting the characters to uphold Islamic values, so perhaps the previous criticism won't apply for a lot of people. A well-written book is a well-written book, regardless of whether the Muslim reviewers of the book like the values it portrays or not. But this was objectively... not a well-written book. The dialogue was weirdly stiff and formal- it gave me vibes of how people spoke English in India under the EIC? I know the author is from a Pakistani background but beta... have you been to Pakistan? Have you heard the way people speak English there? It's decidedly not this. The description in the book is not much better, I had to skim through a lot of filler paragraphs that didn't add much to the characters or storyline.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and Aamna Qureshi for the ARC.

I have never read Jane Austen's Emma, but I have consumed a few adaptations and retellings, and the thing I come back to, and which I could not stop thinking as I came to the conclusion of this novel, is just how much this shouldn't work and yet how much it does. Humaira, as the Emma of this story, is kind of awful, especially at the beginning of the book, it's really hard to relate to her, and yet. I actually had tears in my eyes during the last chapter, and even though when taken out of context the romance could be described as cringe, in this context, it just works so well, and I was rooting for Humaira and Fawad's relationship the whole book. This is a beautiful love story and Emma retelling.

This book was nice. I don't want to bog it down with a horrible review simply because of something on my part. The romance- impeccable. I just don't like to have to stop and research something every five seconds- which is what I was doing most of the time here. I understand it's not always an authors job to educate their readers on their culture, but if you want readers to understand your book and the verbiage used, a little bit of an explanation might be nice for someone not immersed in such culture. I recognized a few words here and there thanks to Never Have I Ever, but a lot of it was lost on me, and I think had I not stopped to look up what each word meant, I would've had an even harder time connecting with the book. Now, I also understand that this book was not particularly for me to connect to as someone not a part of that culture, I was not the target demographic and it was likely written for others within the culture to truly love and understand and I am coming from a place so outside that that it should not matter. But I also think that everyone should be able to simply enjoy a book regardless of where they come from or who they are, and it's hard to do that when there's not at least the slightest bit or education in there somewhere.

This was a lovely romantic story that had a lot of Pakistani culture and a lot of wonderful prose. The beginning of the book did drag, which is why I would really rate this a 3.5 rather than a four, but the last half was great. The romantic tension was on point. I even cried at one point. I wouldn’t call this a Halal romance and islam seemed really not repd at all. However, as a whole, it is a light fluffy story about two Muslim characters falling in love and I do appreciate that

this was the first book i've read from Aamna Qureshi and it has definitely piqued my interest enough to check out her other works. though there were some things here and there that made me side eye the main character, i was still very interested so see how she would navigate the tricky situations she found herself in and i was throughly entertained. i really enjoyed seeing a ml that was a bit stoic but still genuinely cared for and about the heroine which isn't much to ask for but you'd be surprised!

✨️ Thank you Netgalley, Aamna Qureshi and HarperCollins for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. ✨️

This was a cute book and Aamna Qureshi's writing is very engaging but I fear I have an issue with Emma-like characters. Humaira felt a bit too shallow for me and there wasn't much development (again, as it happens in nearly every Emma-retelling) and unfortunately her relationship and bond with Fawad weren't enough to make me ignore her personality. Fawad was a very interesting character and I really wished we got to learn more about him, as well as Shanzai.

Overall, this was a cute retelling of a story I don't really appreciate, but I'll definitely be checking out more of Aamna's writing.