Courting Samira: A Witty Clean Romance about a Love Triangle in a World of Arranged Marriages

Abdel-Aziz Family #1

by Amal Awad

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.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Muslims, Chick Lit, Australia, Adult

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2011

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

An 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.

[Alya ( 20 comments restriction ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Zainab Bint Younus · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 🌟

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

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)

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[🇵🇸🇵🇸 hasfia 🇵🇸🇵🇸 · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 💀

[BernLuvsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Bookish Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Samira is a loveable heroine. In some ways, this book gave me Bridget Jones vibes.

[Margherita · Rating 3 out of 5]

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?

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Nin N · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny and heartwarming story. I guess I could relate to Samira alot.
I finished it in a day! :)

[Dianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[mawadda · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!!

[آية · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 for the man who gaslighted her into feeling that she has multiple personalities AND ghosted her. 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 was rooting for Samira to marry Hakeem, her childhood friend, for the entire book. It's fine that that didn't happen - I understand she just didn't see him that way and it might not have worked out between them. But I don't see how it would've worked out with Menem, a man who seems so fake/ingenuine and on multiple occasions made Samira feel like she's crazy AND show signs of being a jealous control freak. Way too many red flags there.

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.

[Jonathan (Jon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

[G · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable.

[Ezra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felt like watching a rom-com with an Australian muslim girl being the heroine.

[Siobhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

i wanted to like this so bad

[moo · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[merve (hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

[riana taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Adilah Almas · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Simon Mouatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! It introduced me to a world I never knew existed.

[Anna Halabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Bookshortie · Rating 4 out of 5]

27 year old Samira lives in Sydney and now she’s of an age where her parents want her to settle down. However, so far she’s not connected with any of the suitors she’s been introduced to. Then she meets Menem and he has potential. At the same time her childhood best friend Hakeem starts to show an interest in her and she finds herself caught in a love triangle. Who will Samira choose?

The story is about Samira’s journey of figuring out what she wants and who she wants. Samira finds herself in a situation where she is trying to balance the traditions associated with being of Muslim heritage and living and dating in modern day Sydney.

My first impression of Samira is that she has a very funny sense of humour and I knew that I was going to like her. At the start of the book Samira is meeting a potential suitor but all she can think about is when she played a sugar plum fairy when she was younger and the fact that her suitor looks like a manga character.

I would describe Samira as someone who knows what she wants but doesn't quite know how to get to where she needs to go and because of this it causes a lot of confusion in her life. She wants to get married but she’s not met anybody that she has connected with and that’s all she wants in a partner. When Samira has given up hope that’s when she is presented with more than one potential husband which complicates matters. She meets Menem at a work event and it transpires that he is the soon to be brother in law of her cousin and nemesis Zahra. As one of Zahra’s bridesmaids it also means that she will be spending more time with him. The difficulty that Samira finds herself in is that there is another man in her life in the form of her best friend Hakeem. Although Samira liked Hakeem when she was younger she never told him how she felt and their time had passed never moving past the friendship zone. As soon as Menem starts to feature more in Samira’s life Hakeem becomes very protective. She is the only person who doesn’t see Hakeem’s over protectiveness as his way of indicating he likes her more than a friend. Samira finds herself torn between the two while trying to work out who is the best fit for her. As Samira is so indecisive this does cause problems with her cousin Lara who is more like her sister who is championing for Samira to pick Hakeem.

In addition Samira has been roped into helping with Zahra’s wedding. Not only is Zahra her least favourite cousin but she is a bit of a bridezilla. This in some ways adds insult to injury because rather than planning her own wedding she is planning another’s. Samira is quite an independent and forthright person but she does lack confidence. At work she makes coffee and doesn’t seem to have any career aspirations. Her manager believes she would make a good journalist whereas another colleague she works with believes she would make a good photographer. Rather than listening to others opinions Samira has to step outside her comfort zone and make a decision for herself.

I honestly didn't know who Samira would choose and I think the ending did surprise me a little but you'll have to read the book to find out who she does choose.

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique romcom for me, I haven’t read many roman e books where they follow the Islamic wedding/dating rituals so that was an interesting twist on an otherwise familiar trope!

The main character kind of pissed me off, but I’m glad she ended up with Menem!!