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Abdel-Aziz Family #1
Courting Samira: A Witty Clean Romance about a Love Triangle in a World of Arranged Marriages
Set in Sydney, Australia, Courting Samira is a charming and frothy romantic comedy about a twenty-seven-year-old Muslim woman who finds herself in an unexpected love triangle—a sparkling ode to meddling best friends, traditional courtship, The Princess Bride, and, of course, the possibility of love. Coming from a moderately traditional Muslim family, twenty-seven-year-old Samira Abdel-Aziz has endured her fair share of arranged matches—first dates she calls “doorknock appeals,” where she and her possible suitors eat snacks in her living room in the company of both sets of parents. Her general no shoes with tassels, no cheesy leather jackets, no mustaches. A girl has to have some standards, right? The truth is, Samira is already experiencing enough wedding drama as an assistant at Bridal Bazaar magazine and as a gofer for her soon-to-be-married cousin and nemesis Zahra. She’s not sure she needs to add any of her own. When she meets the charismatic Menem at a work retreat, Samira finds herself intrigued. But her best friend Lara insists Menem isn’t right for her, and now her childhood friend Hakeem has begun behaving oddly. Adding to the confusion, Samira is offered a promotion, yet isn’t sure it’s the job of her dreams. Suddenly, her life is full of drama and complications, and she realizes that part of growing up is making difficult choices about what—and whom—she really wants.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2011
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6038 people want to read
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June 29, 2019An enjoyable modern Muslim chick-lit/romance. Samira is a classic chick lit protag, with with a somewhat stalled career, string of useless men, wild female friend, and the long time family friend / new handsome man dilemma. She's also a hijabi who holds firmly (ish) to her cultural dating rules, which definitely puts a new set of problems in the way.
It's a fun read, with lots of heart, and I was entirely behind the resolutions. Also, behind the way that Samira recognised the oppressive aspects of her background without wanting to discard the whole thing: she clearly has choices and makes them.
It's a fun read, with lots of heart, and I was entirely behind the resolutions. Also, behind the way that Samira recognised the oppressive aspects of her background without wanting to discard the whole thing: she clearly has choices and makes them.
April 22, 2025
This was a hilarious light read that at times had me 🙄🙄 my eyes BIG TIME🤣🤣
Plot Summary
Courting Samira follows Samira Abdel-Aziz, a quick-witted Palestinian-Muslim woman juggling cultural expectations and her own dreams. While enduring awkward suitors and family matchmaking, an old flame reappears—forcing her to question what love really means.
Plot Summary
Courting Samira follows Samira Abdel-Aziz, a quick-witted Palestinian-Muslim woman juggling cultural expectations and her own dreams. While enduring awkward suitors and family matchmaking, an old flame reappears—forcing her to question what love really means.
January 19, 2024
This was one of the funniest books I've ever read, I nearly cried real tears at the Yasser Arafat paragraph, it was absolutely hilarious. Even though I'm not an Arab or Muslim I found this so relatable, and had such an amazing time reading it. If you love romcoms you need to read this.
January 11, 2024
Courting Samira is the literary version of the absolutely mediocre chick flick you watch when you're sick and have zero emotional investment and find yourself occasionally falling asleep to but not entirely hating.
Which is fitting, because I've been reading this the week that I've been sick with the flu.
Set in Australia with a Lebanese main character and her cast of cousins (a religious cousin, a non-religious cousin, and a cousin getting married), Samira is the quintessential chick flick heroine: unassuming, dead end job, no romantic relationships beyond failed rishtas, loyal to her family and their rules.
Enter a dashingly handsome blonde Arab dude she meets coincidentally at work before discovering that his brother is marrying her cousin, thus setting the scene for her to interact with him further.
Also a brooding, literary, too-religious-for-music-but-appapparently-not-religious-enough-to-not-text-Samira-regularly, quietly loyal other dude who she's known her entire life bc they grew up together but she never thought of ~ that way ~.
Cue mild chick flick plot with Muslamic Arab flavor. On the plus side, no hating on religious characters (religious cousin is actually quite sweet and pops up with gentle religious reminders), although Hakeem (second guy)'s level of religiosity just seems quite inconsistent.
I didn't like the ending, and it felt abruptly and unnecessary for it to literally end with a haraam kiss, even if they are engaged by that point. Nothing more haraam than that tho, so I guess there's that.
Truly mediocre but not despicable, all things considered. After all, I didn't hate it, and I did make it to the end.
2/5 🌟
Which is fitting, because I've been reading this the week that I've been sick with the flu.
Set in Australia with a Lebanese main character and her cast of cousins (a religious cousin, a non-religious cousin, and a cousin getting married), Samira is the quintessential chick flick heroine: unassuming, dead end job, no romantic relationships beyond failed rishtas, loyal to her family and their rules.
Enter a dashingly handsome blonde Arab dude she meets coincidentally at work before discovering that his brother is marrying her cousin, thus setting the scene for her to interact with him further.
Also a brooding, literary, too-religious-for-music-but-appapparently-not-religious-enough-to-not-text-Samira-regularly, quietly loyal other dude who she's known her entire life bc they grew up together but she never thought of ~ that way ~.
Cue mild chick flick plot with Muslamic Arab flavor. On the plus side, no hating on religious characters (religious cousin is actually quite sweet and pops up with gentle religious reminders), although Hakeem (second guy)'s level of religiosity just seems quite inconsistent.
I didn't like the ending, and it felt abruptly and unnecessary for it to literally end with a haraam kiss, even if they are engaged by that point. Nothing more haraam than that tho, so I guess there's that.
Truly mediocre but not despicable, all things considered. After all, I didn't hate it, and I did make it to the end.
2/5 🌟
January 12, 2024
This cover has been continually catching my eye at the bookstore, so I finally decided to give it a try. It was so witty and charming!
Set in Australia, it follows Samira Abdel-Aziz in the midst of her failures with traditional Muslim courtship. Opening with a bad match, I really loved Samira. She was very self-aware and funny! The constant comparisons of her life to a Jane Austen novel made me giggle.
Filled with heartwarming friendships that also explore a spectrum of Muslim women, I really enjoyed the peek into lives unlike my own.
And though Samira finds herself at a crossroad between two very admirable but different men, it serves more as a journey of self-reflection as she reevaluates what she wants for her future. Ending with a final choice that surprised me, in the best way!
(heat level: kissing only)
Set in Australia, it follows Samira Abdel-Aziz in the midst of her failures with traditional Muslim courtship. Opening with a bad match, I really loved Samira. She was very self-aware and funny! The constant comparisons of her life to a Jane Austen novel made me giggle.
Filled with heartwarming friendships that also explore a spectrum of Muslim women, I really enjoyed the peek into lives unlike my own.
And though Samira finds herself at a crossroad between two very admirable but different men, it serves more as a journey of self-reflection as she reevaluates what she wants for her future. Ending with a final choice that surprised me, in the best way!
(heat level: kissing only)
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
April 3, 2024
It was a solid romance but fell a little flat for me.
I think because...I kinda really wanted Samira to end up with Hakeem. It felt like they had more chemistry than Samira and Menem.
I think because...I kinda really wanted Samira to end up with Hakeem. It felt like they had more chemistry than Samira and Menem.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2024
2.75 stars ✨
This was….frustrating to say the least. I hated both of the love ‘interests’ or I guess ‘suitors’ and I wish Samira didn’t end with either of them 💀
This was….frustrating to say the least. I hated both of the love ‘interests’ or I guess ‘suitors’ and I wish Samira didn’t end with either of them 💀
January 31, 2024
3.5
Samira is a loveable heroine. In some ways, this book gave me Bridget Jones vibes.
Samira is a loveable heroine. In some ways, this book gave me Bridget Jones vibes.
March 31, 2024
There's many scenes that feel more like filler content, which made the story a bit boring for me.
The way everyone (both friends and family) keep calling Samira "innocent", "too trusting", and "naive" feels very infantilizing after a while. Maybe she’s a bit of a pushover, but they all treat her like a child and I'm pretty sure they are part of the reason why she has internalized it.
This book was marketed as having a love triangle, and I'm aware that the rules would be a bit different from the usual execution of this trope since the element of religion has been added to the mix, but for most of the story Samira is told by other people that one of the two supposed suitors (Hakeem) has feelings for her, but that is all said by others and never shown through actions. Hakeem doesn't even do anything real to show that he likes her, and only at precisely the 87% mark he shows up to tell her he wants to marry her (but only because he sees he could actually lose her to someone else now). This doesn't look like a love triangle at all to me.
Side plot detail that bothered me: Samira has colleague that she call a friend, and who she spends time with outside of work as well. This friend starts dating the guy who’s constantly throwing racist microaggressions at her at work (and let's be honest, she says pretty ignorant things too). In that case, can you even call her a friend?
The way everyone (both friends and family) keep calling Samira "innocent", "too trusting", and "naive" feels very infantilizing after a while. Maybe she’s a bit of a pushover, but they all treat her like a child and I'm pretty sure they are part of the reason why she has internalized it.
This book was marketed as having a love triangle, and I'm aware that the rules would be a bit different from the usual execution of this trope since the element of religion has been added to the mix, but for most of the story Samira is told by other people that one of the two supposed suitors (Hakeem) has feelings for her, but that is all said by others and never shown through actions. Hakeem doesn't even do anything real to show that he likes her, and only at precisely the 87% mark he shows up to tell her he wants to marry her (but only because he sees he could actually lose her to someone else now). This doesn't look like a love triangle at all to me.
Side plot detail that bothered me: Samira has colleague that she call a friend, and who she spends time with outside of work as well. This friend starts dating the guy who’s constantly throwing racist microaggressions at her at work (and let's be honest, she says pretty ignorant things too). In that case, can you even call her a friend?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2023
This is such a cute, classic romcom style book that is so thoroughly engaging, I ended up flying right through it. Samira is a very relatable and flawed MC, and I connected to her almost instantly. I loved learning more about Muslim traditions surrounding courtship and marriage, and seeing just how it impacts someone who doesn’t quite fit the mold. And while there is a love triangle here, the author executes it to perfection in a way that brings all of the Bridget Jones’ Diary vibes.
ʀ ᴇ ᴀ ᴅ ɪ ғ ʏ ᴏ ᴜ ʟ ɪ ᴋ ᴇ :
•classic romcoms
•learning about other cultures
•love triangles
•relatable characters
•Bridget jones’ diary
Thank you Harper Via, Booksparks and Harper Audio for my gifted copies.
ʀ ᴇ ᴀ ᴅ ɪ ғ ʏ ᴏ ᴜ ʟ ɪ ᴋ ᴇ :
•classic romcoms
•learning about other cultures
•love triangles
•relatable characters
•Bridget jones’ diary
Thank you Harper Via, Booksparks and Harper Audio for my gifted copies.
July 3, 2012
A funny and heartwarming story. I guess I could relate to Samira alot.
I finished it in a day! :)
I finished it in a day! :)
2023
October 22, 2025Valentine's Day TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia
September 22, 2023
2.5 rounded down.
This is a re-print-this book was originally published in Australia. Be aware that there is a glossary of Arabic words and terms at the end of this book. I read it as an ARC and was not aware of this. Also, if you are an American, be aware that there are a lot of Australian slang terms used that don't show up as definable on the Kindle reader!
That being said, I did see a lot of similarities to Bridget Jone's Diary, but not an exact copy. Close. But not exactly.
I will also say that though this is a religious book, it is not hugely so. I did enjoy learning about the Arabic culture and more about the Muslim faith. I did not like the book for other reasons, and chiefly, it was because of Samira's cousin. What can I say? Sometimes, secondary characters are just as important in how they come off as the main characters are. I also didn't like how Samira treated her workplace; she spent more time on her personal business than actual work.
For people who are supposed to be adults, they spend an awful lot of time acting like teenagers. Perhaps that has to do with the culture.
All in all, this was a fast read but not one that I enjoyed. I found no humor in it, just a lot of angsting and backstabbing.
*ARC supplied by NetGalley.
This is a re-print-this book was originally published in Australia. Be aware that there is a glossary of Arabic words and terms at the end of this book. I read it as an ARC and was not aware of this. Also, if you are an American, be aware that there are a lot of Australian slang terms used that don't show up as definable on the Kindle reader!
That being said, I did see a lot of similarities to Bridget Jone's Diary, but not an exact copy. Close. But not exactly.
I will also say that though this is a religious book, it is not hugely so. I did enjoy learning about the Arabic culture and more about the Muslim faith. I did not like the book for other reasons, and chiefly, it was because of Samira's cousin. What can I say? Sometimes, secondary characters are just as important in how they come off as the main characters are. I also didn't like how Samira treated her workplace; she spent more time on her personal business than actual work.
For people who are supposed to be adults, they spend an awful lot of time acting like teenagers. Perhaps that has to do with the culture.
All in all, this was a fast read but not one that I enjoyed. I found no humor in it, just a lot of angsting and backstabbing.
*ARC supplied by NetGalley.
July 26, 2025
Courting Samira is an Australian set romcom following a 27 year old Palestinian-Muslim woman’s journey through courtship, career dissatisfaction and family dramas.
This was a sweet read and I really liked Samira as a protagonist. However, I disliked pretty much every other character in the book and struggled to feel any real connection or chemistry in the romance. It’s a shame because I loved the exploration surrounding Samira’s Arab Muslim culture and community. I also really enjoyed the classic romcom and bridget jones’s diary vibes it was giving.
That said, overall this was a fun and easy read that was enjoyable enough for me flying through in practically a single sitting. It also made me very hungry.
what to expect:
• classic romcom vibes
• love triangle
• focus on family and female friendship
• wedding drama
This was a sweet read and I really liked Samira as a protagonist. However, I disliked pretty much every other character in the book and struggled to feel any real connection or chemistry in the romance. It’s a shame because I loved the exploration surrounding Samira’s Arab Muslim culture and community. I also really enjoyed the classic romcom and bridget jones’s diary vibes it was giving.
That said, overall this was a fun and easy read that was enjoyable enough for me flying through in practically a single sitting. It also made me very hungry.
what to expect:
• classic romcom vibes
• love triangle
• focus on family and female friendship
• wedding drama
September 23, 2023
*Actual Rating: 3.5/5 Stars*
"Courting Samira" is a re-print for a larger international audience of an Australian-Palestinian romance, but also a semi Bridget Jones Diary-esque novel that also touches on Samira pushing herself to break out of her comfort zone, stop diminishing herself and to follow her passions and dreams. Samira is our titular character and sole narrator for the book as she navigates her workplace, suitors to be via Arab arranged marriages, and balancing being a hijabi in the public sphere.
When we meet Samira, she has rejected another suitor (termed Manga Boy because of his hair) and is also slowly updating us (the reader) about her life. As an American Muslim reading the book, this was the first Palestinian character that I had read that did not go out of their way to tell me that they were Palestinian. Maybe it's because Samira is also Australian, and that is a key difference between Aussie Palestinian diaspora communities compared to their American counterparts, but it took me a while to remember at times that they were Palestinian.
There are two potential suitors (I hesitate to say love interests and I'll get to that soon in my review) for Samira during the course of the book: her childhood friend Hakeem and a Menem, a Lebanese Aussie that she meets after a staff retreat for work. The two of them are different from each other: Hakeem is a standard Arab Man according to Samira in terms of deportment, looks and how he approaches his relationships (he's also been engaged twice before they were called off, which for me was a red flag clocked) and Menem is outwardly looking not Muslim or Arab (though he is), and is very different to the Arab Men that Samira has grown up around. He also (apparently Samira knows this because of how he talks to women) not as religious as her and her family.
The other players in this story are her cousins - Zarah and Lara. Zarah and Samira do not get along, and only talk because they are family (and their mothers) while Lara and Samira are fairly close. Samira lives with her parents and has an older brother who is married and has a child, and there is also her younger cousin Jamal and Sahar, who is also a hijabi but more religious than Samira.
I think my main hesitation with the book is the overall "romance" of Samira with her two potential MMCs, and her family dynamics and their inclusion on the page as characters (or lack thereof). Hakeem to me, should never have been a potential interest for Samira. Though Samira admits that she had a crush on him when she was a kid and later again in college, she herself says that she has always seen him as a brother or a close friend, and the stability that he brought to their dynamic. The other, more concerning issue for me, is the imbalance in how he saw himself to her, the fact that his interest only became apparent the minute someone else came around that Samira was showing interest in, and that once he suspected that other guy would be asking for her hand, she needed to know about his intentions, when he (nor his family) had ever given any intention of asking for her hand in marriage. To me, that is a stetch, even for a character that is designed to serve a purpose. For her cousin Lara to also push that just seemed bizzare for someone claiming that she wanted the best for her cousin - and the best is a man who has known her for his entire life, as been engaged twice, but has never asked or made any indication of his feelings?! (and even for the claim that he was obvious, fam, you were not!)
Menem was another issue - though their development was well paced and made sense, Samira had so many doubts and misconceptions about him internally that she could've cleared just talking to him, or not being so quick to make assumptions about him. He also was kind of random in how he had these expectations and timeline about her and their developing relationship. Even knowing Arab/Muslim traditional courtship, his timeline and expectations just seemed bizzare given how he had previously interacted with her. For the overall effect that it had in the arc of the novel, the other way that I wished Awad and had updated the text (especially with Menem and Samira) would have been how they communicated. The novel still uses emails and facebook as the primary methods of communication, even though (and not including not exchanging numbers because that would be a bit too forward) the characters are still suck in the 2010-2012 era when this novel was first released, and that shows in how the text has progressed for an audience in 2023.
Finally, her family just didn't really seem like big characters to support her in this overall novel. She (Samira) mentions them throughout the narrative as holding this place of importance in her life, but we don't really seen that play out in the course of the novel - nor do we see it when it comes to her interactions with them. There is an interaction at the dinner table where she and her brother get into the conversation about her being too picky about men, and he makes this offhand comment (classic Arab man in the patriarchy) but she just lets it slide, whereas every Arab girl I know (regardless of religion or country) would never let that comment go, or that there wife (who was also at the table) would let that comment slide in the context of reality.
Despite some questionable character development and overall packing everything of relevance towards the end of the book, this was an enjoyable read and I hope to see more from Awad in the romance space.
"Courting Samira" is a re-print for a larger international audience of an Australian-Palestinian romance, but also a semi Bridget Jones Diary-esque novel that also touches on Samira pushing herself to break out of her comfort zone, stop diminishing herself and to follow her passions and dreams. Samira is our titular character and sole narrator for the book as she navigates her workplace, suitors to be via Arab arranged marriages, and balancing being a hijabi in the public sphere.
When we meet Samira, she has rejected another suitor (termed Manga Boy because of his hair) and is also slowly updating us (the reader) about her life. As an American Muslim reading the book, this was the first Palestinian character that I had read that did not go out of their way to tell me that they were Palestinian. Maybe it's because Samira is also Australian, and that is a key difference between Aussie Palestinian diaspora communities compared to their American counterparts, but it took me a while to remember at times that they were Palestinian.
There are two potential suitors (I hesitate to say love interests and I'll get to that soon in my review) for Samira during the course of the book: her childhood friend Hakeem and a Menem, a Lebanese Aussie that she meets after a staff retreat for work. The two of them are different from each other: Hakeem is a standard Arab Man according to Samira in terms of deportment, looks and how he approaches his relationships (he's also been engaged twice before they were called off, which for me was a red flag clocked) and Menem is outwardly looking not Muslim or Arab (though he is), and is very different to the Arab Men that Samira has grown up around. He also (apparently Samira knows this because of how he talks to women) not as religious as her and her family.
The other players in this story are her cousins - Zarah and Lara. Zarah and Samira do not get along, and only talk because they are family (and their mothers) while Lara and Samira are fairly close. Samira lives with her parents and has an older brother who is married and has a child, and there is also her younger cousin Jamal and Sahar, who is also a hijabi but more religious than Samira.
I think my main hesitation with the book is the overall "romance" of Samira with her two potential MMCs, and her family dynamics and their inclusion on the page as characters (or lack thereof). Hakeem to me, should never have been a potential interest for Samira. Though Samira admits that she had a crush on him when she was a kid and later again in college, she herself says that she has always seen him as a brother or a close friend, and the stability that he brought to their dynamic. The other, more concerning issue for me, is the imbalance in how he saw himself to her, the fact that his interest only became apparent the minute someone else came around that Samira was showing interest in, and that once he suspected that other guy would be asking for her hand, she needed to know about his intentions, when he (nor his family) had ever given any intention of asking for her hand in marriage. To me, that is a stetch, even for a character that is designed to serve a purpose. For her cousin Lara to also push that just seemed bizzare for someone claiming that she wanted the best for her cousin - and the best is a man who has known her for his entire life, as been engaged twice, but has never asked or made any indication of his feelings?! (and even for the claim that he was obvious, fam, you were not!)
Menem was another issue - though their development was well paced and made sense, Samira had so many doubts and misconceptions about him internally that she could've cleared just talking to him, or not being so quick to make assumptions about him. He also was kind of random in how he had these expectations and timeline about her and their developing relationship. Even knowing Arab/Muslim traditional courtship, his timeline and expectations just seemed bizzare given how he had previously interacted with her. For the overall effect that it had in the arc of the novel, the other way that I wished Awad and had updated the text (especially with Menem and Samira) would have been how they communicated. The novel still uses emails and facebook as the primary methods of communication, even though (and not including not exchanging numbers because that would be a bit too forward) the characters are still suck in the 2010-2012 era when this novel was first released, and that shows in how the text has progressed for an audience in 2023.
Finally, her family just didn't really seem like big characters to support her in this overall novel. She (Samira) mentions them throughout the narrative as holding this place of importance in her life, but we don't really seen that play out in the course of the novel - nor do we see it when it comes to her interactions with them. There is an interaction at the dinner table where she and her brother get into the conversation about her being too picky about men, and he makes this offhand comment (classic Arab man in the patriarchy) but she just lets it slide, whereas every Arab girl I know (regardless of religion or country) would never let that comment go, or that there wife (who was also at the table) would let that comment slide in the context of reality.
Despite some questionable character development and overall packing everything of relevance towards the end of the book, this was an enjoyable read and I hope to see more from Awad in the romance space.
October 26, 2023
4/5 stars
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!
This was such a cute romance! I ate it up in one day and I enjoyed it SO much. Romantic comedy? Check. Muslim main characters? Check. Lots and lots and lots of Arabs? Check.
Samira Abd-Alazziz is a 27 year old Palestinian who has has met with many suitors and has found them all lacking in some way. She thinks it’s hopeless and to make matters worse, her cousin gets engaged and forces her to help with pretty much everything.
Love interests. There are two!! One: childhood best friend Hakeem, a sullen, brooding, intellectual guy who’s considered the strict one in Islamic matters. I’m not sure why texting a girl daily doesn’t seem to bother him but anyway, he’s the “strict” one.
Number two: blond beautiful Lebanese guy named Menem. I absolutely loved him. He’s fun and sweet and gorgeous and !! The brother of her hated cousin’s fiancé. This bit was actually so funny!!
The romance was really sweet and I enjoyed the drama throughout. I loved Samira as a character she’s so fun and relatable.
Honestly though if you’re hoping for a halal romance and you’re expecting rules to be followed…drop the expectation. I enjoyed the book!! But I’m not sure why there was so much extra stuff done outside the Islamic way, it seemed really unnecessary and just hinted at the romance failing…and then it didn’t.
I’m trying to be vague and non spoilery but here’s the gist: chatting daily with guys seems to be okay in this one, which threw me off since the MC was a hijabi and raised in an Arab household. The “Islamic way of marriage” is also sometimes shown in a bad light. The resolution didn’t seem to improve Samira in any way, in fact it kind of felt like rewarding bad behavior. I’m not sure how I felt about the ending but overall it was a fun and sweet romance and I won’t dock much points since it aimed to entertain and it definitely did that!!
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!
This was such a cute romance! I ate it up in one day and I enjoyed it SO much. Romantic comedy? Check. Muslim main characters? Check. Lots and lots and lots of Arabs? Check.
Samira Abd-Alazziz is a 27 year old Palestinian who has has met with many suitors and has found them all lacking in some way. She thinks it’s hopeless and to make matters worse, her cousin gets engaged and forces her to help with pretty much everything.
Love interests. There are two!! One: childhood best friend Hakeem, a sullen, brooding, intellectual guy who’s considered the strict one in Islamic matters. I’m not sure why texting a girl daily doesn’t seem to bother him but anyway, he’s the “strict” one.
Number two: blond beautiful Lebanese guy named Menem. I absolutely loved him. He’s fun and sweet and gorgeous and !! The brother of her hated cousin’s fiancé. This bit was actually so funny!!
The romance was really sweet and I enjoyed the drama throughout. I loved Samira as a character she’s so fun and relatable.
Honestly though if you’re hoping for a halal romance and you’re expecting rules to be followed…drop the expectation. I enjoyed the book!! But I’m not sure why there was so much extra stuff done outside the Islamic way, it seemed really unnecessary and just hinted at the romance failing…and then it didn’t.
I’m trying to be vague and non spoilery but here’s the gist: chatting daily with guys seems to be okay in this one, which threw me off since the MC was a hijabi and raised in an Arab household. The “Islamic way of marriage” is also sometimes shown in a bad light. The resolution didn’t seem to improve Samira in any way, in fact it kind of felt like rewarding bad behavior. I’m not sure how I felt about the ending but overall it was a fun and sweet romance and I won’t dock much points since it aimed to entertain and it definitely did that!!
January 28, 2024
I would give 4 stars for the first ~90%. Up to then, it's such a light read, funny, and non-problematic. It's not very deep or dramatic or mindblowing, but it was kinda exactly what I needed at the time - something I can breeze by and enjoy without having to think too much about. It's honestly such a relief to read something that doesn't have me worried over whether the Arab/Muslim representation will be problematic.
I didn't appreciate the last part of the book as much. I felt like I was a bit misled on how to expect the ending. I mean really, the whole book is about Samira realizing her self-worth and not settling but then at then end she settles . Gross. There were also several things left unresolved - Samira's relationship with her mother, why her cousin was suddenly okay with Samira's marriage despite warning her about it nonstop for most of the book, etc.
I do like the dynamic of Samira's friends/cousins and their different levels of religiosity - I thought that was very realistic and also non-judgmental.
Anyways. It's definitely a light read all the way up to the very uncomfortable ending.
I didn't appreciate the last part of the book as much. I felt like I was a bit misled on how to expect the ending. I mean really, the whole book is about Samira realizing her self-worth and not settling but then at then end she settles . Gross. There were also several things left unresolved - Samira's relationship with her mother, why her cousin was suddenly okay with Samira's marriage despite warning her about it nonstop for most of the book, etc.
I do like the dynamic of Samira's friends/cousins and their different levels of religiosity - I thought that was very realistic and also non-judgmental.
Anyways. It's definitely a light read all the way up to the very uncomfortable ending.
January 13, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝘼 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮-𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣-𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧-𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙢 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚--𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨, 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚.
This was a fun and easy book to read. It was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I loved the diversity in this. It’s a semi-Bridget Jones Diary-esque novel!
I thought Samira was an interesting character to follow and had some relatable traits. I normally don’t mind love triangles, but it didn’t really feel like one in this one. One of the love interests didn’t get much attention so it was quite obvious where the story was heading.
I enjoyed how courageous Samira was and how she stood up for herself throughout the book. I thought the cultural aspects of the book were very well detailed and expressed. I did, however, feel like the pace was too slow and dragged at times. I also got frustrated a few times. Overall though, this was a quick and interesting read with great diversity.
Thank you so much BookSparks and the publisher for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!
•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Minor Misogyny
𝘼 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮-𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣-𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧-𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙢 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚--𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨, 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚.
This was a fun and easy book to read. It was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I loved the diversity in this. It’s a semi-Bridget Jones Diary-esque novel!
I thought Samira was an interesting character to follow and had some relatable traits. I normally don’t mind love triangles, but it didn’t really feel like one in this one. One of the love interests didn’t get much attention so it was quite obvious where the story was heading.
I enjoyed how courageous Samira was and how she stood up for herself throughout the book. I thought the cultural aspects of the book were very well detailed and expressed. I did, however, feel like the pace was too slow and dragged at times. I also got frustrated a few times. Overall though, this was a quick and interesting read with great diversity.
Thank you so much BookSparks and the publisher for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!
•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Minor Misogyny
March 24, 2024
2.5 ⭐️ I feel like the last 40 pages of the book were what I wish the rest of the book was like. I feel like there was a lot of internal monologue which I didn’t mind if there was more conflict and development with the love interests. It was funny throughout but the romance really lacked.
December 5, 2012
Absolutely hilarious! Brigid Jones meets Janes Austen in Sydney's Muslem community. Loved the character and her internal dialogue. Can't wait for the authors next book!
February 13, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyable.
March 2, 2018
Felt like watching a rom-com with an Australian muslim girl being the heroine.
April 2, 2024
i wanted to like this so bad
May 20, 2025
I wish I hadn’t started this during the return of my reading slump, it truly was a great read. I don’t read much romance (I much prefer watching it), but this was so fun!! I think maybe cause I related to the different characters and I was familiar with all the personalities/dynamics that I have very much witnessed irl. Ending was cute, never have I ever wished for a cheesy epilogue more than this though. Also I couldn’t help but dislike Lara, I get trying to add a silly quirky character to balance the serious parts of the story, but almost everything she did was sooo weird and mean… anyway I finished it, happy days
April 10, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
this was a sweet lil story 🥹
i can’t say it took my breath away & that i absolutely adored it, BUT i truly liked the progression of the storyline and the web of events & characters.
i also specifically enjoyed being a part of samira’s internal dialogue & thought process throughout the book.
the beginning & end were by far the best parts! the beginning had me squealing & shoving the physical copy closer to my face to see if i was reading it correctly; the end was just the most perfect thing, and i loved that for samira…
i would elaborate more but i fear that even if i put the spoilers alert on this review that sage will still read what i have to say before reading the actual book first 🙃 love her tho
this was a sweet lil story 🥹
i can’t say it took my breath away & that i absolutely adored it, BUT i truly liked the progression of the storyline and the web of events & characters.
i also specifically enjoyed being a part of samira’s internal dialogue & thought process throughout the book.
the beginning & end were by far the best parts! the beginning had me squealing & shoving the physical copy closer to my face to see if i was reading it correctly; the end was just the most perfect thing, and i loved that for samira…
i would elaborate more but i fear that even if i put the spoilers alert on this review that sage will still read what i have to say before reading the actual book first 🙃 love her tho
April 9, 2014
Not my usual genre, as I'm not a chick lit fan, but it appealed to me somewhat. As a Muslim, who grew up in Sydney in an Arab dominated neighbourhood, with a lot of Arab friends, I identified with a lot of things that were described in the novel. It was an amusing read. Samira could have easily been a friend of mine. I enjoyed it.
July 30, 2012
Loved it! It introduced me to a world I never knew existed.
June 30, 2019
Very entertaining. A Muslim version of Bridget Jones. I loved the ending. The last page was heart-warming. Look forward to reading more books by Amal Awad
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