Much Ado About Nada

by Uzma Jalaluddin

Once they were sweethearts
Now they're strangers
Worse than strangers - practically enemies
But will a chance encounter offer
Nada and Baz a second chance at love?
Nada Syed is stuck. At twenty-nine, she's living with her parents and mourning the failure of her start-up baby, which failed because of a double-crossing business partner.
Nada's best friend Haleema is determined to pry her from her shell - and what better place than at the giant annual Muslim conference? And did Haleema mention that Baz will be there?
What Haleema doesn't know is that Nada and Baz have a secret history. And in their chance encounter at the conference, that history comes hurtling at Nada, bringing a moment of reckoning. Will Nada find a way to let go of the past but hold onto her dreams?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Retellings, Audiobook, Canada

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2023

About the author

I write funny, nuanced stories about Muslims, South Asians, Canadians, people. MUCH ADO ABOUT NADA (June 2023), THREE HOLIDAYS AND A WEDDING (Sept 2023), HANA KHAN CARRIES ON (2021) and AYESHA AT LAST (2019). Find out more at www.uzmajalaluddin.com and thanks for visiting!

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

Terrific. I am not an Austen fan, still less a fan of Austen retellings, but this didn't feel weighted by Persuasion thank goodness: it stands on its own.

Nada and Baz have a lot of history which unspools throughout the book, often quite painfully. It's fair to say that neither of them made a terribly good fist of thinngs the first time round, and both of them had a lot of mess to clear up inn their own lives. We see it happen with Nada (Baz clearly grew up offscreen) and it is really satisfying to watch her get it together.

Deeply rooted in Muslim faith and desi Canadian/South Asian culture, and the book brings that across really well. The characters are beautifully drawn, such that at points it's quite painful to read them messing up, but that makes the romance really plausible and engaging amid a lively plot of quite a few people being ridiculous around them. A really enjoyable romance.

[romancelibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Uzma Jalaluddin made my dreams come true with this Muslim retelling of my favourite Austen book 🫶🏽 I’m a simple gal–you say Persuasion retelling and I am running to read it 🏃🏽‍♀️ This is also a formal plea for more Persuasion retellings, please and thank you.

Six years ago, Nada’s love life and dreams were destroyed in one fell swoop. She has been living like an empty shell ever since. After six years of heartbreak and regret, Nada and Baz are reunited at a weekend conference, where they are forced to interact because her best friend is marrying his brother.

I have a lot of respect for authors who have written or want to write a Persuasion retelling because 1) second chance romance is a difficult trope to execute and 2) second chance romance à la Persuasion is even harder to write, especially in a contemporary setting. Jalaluddin’s Persuasion retelling is fresh, nuanced, and relatable. I love the way she borrows elements of the classic and gives them a Muslim twist. As a reader, it was a lot of fun to draw parallels between Persuasion and Much Ado About Nada.

Persuasion is all about the yearning and the regret of a long-lost love and oh man, Nada and Baz tortured me so much with their angst and pining. The author nailed that Persuasion type of angst and pining. “Half agony, half hope” perfectly encapsulates Nada and Baz’s relationship. For me, the torture was amplified at the halfway mark (iykyk). There is an unexpected trope that turns up; although in hindsight, I really should have seen it coming 😂 I went through a rollercoaster of emotions with Nada and Baz. I literally could not stop reading until these two had their HEA. I inhaled this book in less than 24 hours 💀

Second chance romance is tricky to get right. Every reader has their own little pet peeves and requirements when it comes to this trope, and I am including myself here. I feel like it’s easy to get bogged down by the logistics and the details of who was right, who was wrong, and who gave good advice, who gave bad advice. I think, overall, it’s clear that everyone in this book made mistakes. The characters are so complex and nuanced that it’s hard to place 100% of the blame on one person only. What is clear to me is that Nada and Baz were very young at the time. What is also clear to me is that immaturity, impulsiveness, and a lack of wisdom played a huge role in pushing them apart.

In addition, there is a lot happening with the side characters, who are as nuanced as Baz and Nada. There are multiple stories and conflicts, but they are all weaved into the main storyline in a seamless way. Somehow, the author managed to put everything together cohesively. Even the flashbacks were included in a cohesive way. I honestly did not feel confused or lost, even at the beginning when all the characters were introduced. I was always on track with all the characters, with the present storyline, and with the flashbacks.

I was so invested in this book that I stressed out over how everything would get resolved 😂 I’m overall satisfied with how everything came together in the end, but I’m also GREEDY because I’m obsessed with Baz and Nada 😩 There are certain things that I wish hadn’t happened off page because I’m so greedy for anything related to Baz and Nada LOL. I finished the book almost a week ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I can’t remember the last time I felt such a wide range of emotions while reading a book. I feel obliged to note that I’m very biased because this is a Muslim retelling of my favourite Austen book. It’s hard to be objective 😂 The fact that a Muslim version of Persuasion actually exists makes the world a better place for me 🫶🏽

A note for Muslim readers: Something happens that might lead you to question everything. Stick with it and continue reading because it will all make sense. I won’t go too deep into it because I don’t want to ruin your reading experience. I want you to experience the story the way I did, and hopefully you will love it the way I do.

P.S. It’s fun, but also kind of weird to read about the places that I’ve been to. The commentary about Robarts library made me laugh so hard 😂

[Mai H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nada is almost thirty, living at home with her parents and brothers, and is otherwise stuck in a rut. Things weren't always this way. She was meant to launch Ask Apa, a search engine for Muslims, but ends up trusting the wrong people, who then steal her idea and launch it under a different name.

This isn't her only problem. Her best friend Haleema is marrying Zayn (I pictured our 1D boy - sue me). Haleema has done her best to get Nada to meet Zayn, but Nada keeps refusing. Turns out she has a secret past with Zayn's brother, Baz.

While Nada feels a little insecure about her business ventures and the like, and has generally become a likable person, the snippets of the past where she is truly so mean to Baz leave me heartbroken. I get it. Kids are kids, but it took a lot for them to overcome this.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I was engrossed from the very first page to the last. Women's empowerment is a very special thing. Just because it may look slightly different than you're used to doesn't mean it's any less good.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley

[Amina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Much Ado About Nada, but was stuck with some of the loopholes. I fee like if those had been fixed by an editor it could be a great story.

Nada is a successful engineer, living in her parents home. Her brothers, one single and the other newly divorced brother also live at home. Nada is being pestered by her parents to get married and settle down. She avoids their questions like the plague. When a Muslim convention comes up, her friend forces her to attend, hoping she might find 'the one,' and meet her fiance. Did she mention her fiance has a cute brother?

In a spiral of events, the brother happens to be Baz, a memory (better forgotten) from the past. The story unfolds with dramatic realizations and secrets. Nada slips in and out of stress in unhealthy ways with tiny outlets for coping.

I liked 'Much Ado about Nada' better than Ayesha at Last. It was funny, engaging, and the story moved along. I also respect Jalaluddin's attempt at representing Muslim culture in a mainstream way. There wasn't a lot of emphasis explaining things, rather talking about it in a way that makes the reader think.

I struggled with the timeline. The recent meeting of Baz and Nada happens after 6 years, with all that occurs, it took me out of the story. Also, through flashbacks and present day there wasn't a lot to count on as far as a relationship.

Overall 3.75/5

Also, this is not a retelling of 'Much Ado about Nothing.' The title can be misleading.

[♛ may · Rating 3 out of 5]

since i refuse to read the writings of old white men if i can help it, i have NO IDEA about the true story of "Much Ado About Nothing" so I can't really say if this is a good retelling or not

but I will say, this book was mighty entertaining.

This book follows Nada, a 20-something Toronto Muslim girl who is stuck. She's stuck with her job, her parents, her home-life etc. etc. As every Muslim girl's story goes, her mom and friends are trying to get her married but Nada's not all that interested (and for reasons you might not be able to guess) 👀

I'll say, this book kept me on my toes. Like I was expecting your average halal romance plot line but the reveals that happened did make me widen my eyes with Shock (and yes, one time I almost threw the book because i did not REALLY EXPECT THAT TO HAPPEN‼️‼️)

I have a love/hate relationship with books centered around the Muslim girl experience because every time, and i mean EVERY TIME i go into the book, I'm having the highest expectations about how well the romance will be written and I'm usually let down pretty badly.

It's usually due to the fact that whenever you approach the topic of 'love' and 'marriage' in a context for Muslims, it has to be really done carefully. There are a lot of restrictions when it comes to gender interaction in Islam, and usually when I read books about Muslim characters falling in love, it breaks A LOT of these rules and it makes me feel meh :/

I mean, i'm pretty white washed, starbucks addiction and all, but i'm not THAT white washed.

And for the most part this book was good with it. The gender interactions weren't horrible. I wouldn't say it's like the MOST HALAL romance but I think it was written pretty well and I really did enjoy seeing the ways this author approached it.

Also, the plot itself was just so fun!! I had such a good time reading it, I genuinely haven't been able to read much with life and still I was MAKING TIME in my day to read it and isn't that just the BEST feeling ever??

And extra points for this being set in Toronto, like it's kinda trippy when you read things in a book that you have ACTUALLY experienced or niche places that you actually visited, but it's a pretty cool feeling

My biggest issue with the book would probably be how rushed the ending felt. Like it was down to 20 pages and the main conflict had not been resolved but it was wrapped in a really cute, convenient bow within like 5 of those pages.

I'm just saying with the drama the past 300 pages gave us, i was expecting a bit more flair in the resolution.

But overall, was a great, entertaining read, I'm glad I picked it up

3.5 stars

[Rameela (Star) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is her strongest work for sure! And i feel like it’s the most relatable as a late twenty something year old that barely knows what she’s doing and keeps making mistakes

Also I think there has to be a warning that this book is halal but like there’s a point where I thought it wasn’t because of the way the book is written so when you get to that one part that might have you feel betrayed because you thought going in that it was halal, I promise you have to keep going and you’ll know the full story!

[آية · Rating 2 out of 5]

8/12/23 full review:

Like the author's other novels, this book has decent Muslim representation but the writing style and characters just didn't work. Unlike the author's other novels, this book had some scenes that were way more sexually explicit than necessary. Just be warned that if you're expecting a clean romance, this is not it, even though some label it as "halal."

I was actually more invested in this book than I was in the author's two previous books, and once I got to about midway, to my surprise, I always wanted to know what would happen next.

I love bullet lists so here you go:

- This is not a Persuasion retelling. I don't think it's fair to advertise it as one. The only similarities: second-chance trope, Nada is 28 years old and unmarried, and she's a middle child. Nothing else is similar to Persuasion--not the family dynamics, friendships, plot, or anything else. It would've been much more honest if the book was more strongly advertised as a Much Ado About Nothing retelling, because I definitely spot a lot of resemblances in characters, conflicts, and plots. two couples, couple A is sure they're in love, couple B is in love but would never admit it, then a problem happens and couple A almost break up but then couple B have to step in and save couple A's relationship and in the process couple B admits their love.

- The biggest problem in the story: for the first 66-75% of the book, I didn't feel like Nada was facing any consequences. The narrative seemed to imply that she is blameless, and that all of her problems are someone else's fault. It blamed her parents, her community, societal expectations, and certain individuals that harmed her in the past. But it doesn't hold HER responsible for her problems until 66-75% of the book, and by then I already developed a deep mistrust for the narrative AND a deep, unchangeable dislike for Nada.

- Characters: they're more like caricatures tbh. I disliked all of the characters BOTH because they were not well written (surface-level, I couldn't really type them into any personality test, they each had a bunch of labels but no PERSONALITY holding them all together, I didn't *feel* who they were) AND because they were all hella annoying. They made stupid stupid STUPID decisions and because of the way the timelines were ordered, I didn't trust that any of them were facing any consequences for their actions until 75% of the book, so the story made it seem as if the MCs (especially Nada) had the right to do everything they did and that it's everyone ELSE who's the villain.

- Multiple timelines: I'm usually chill with multiple timelines. But here it really weakened the story imo--they were not handled with the skill needed to make them work. It made me distrust the story, because all of the repercussions Nada faces after she made that mistake as a 21yo are not shown until the end of the book.

- Muslim rep: honestly, this was decent. The Muslim convention is what I would imagine a Muslim convention to be like (since many American Muslims have started calling MAS-ICNA MAS-FITNA, I totally expected all of the free-mixing and unnecessarily intimate/deep/too-friendly conversations and yes, even touches. It might problematic that the author didn't point them out as wrong, but I can't blame her for reflecting reality). But beyond that, I did appreciate some of the commentary on problems in the Muslim community. Parents not letting their children go...being overprotective to the point of disabling adult children...making it difficult on their children to get married and even once they get married making it difficult to have healthy marriages. Also, the obstacles Muslim creatives and entrepreneurs face, young women wrongly thinking their stay-at-home mothers don't have a fulfilling life. Etc.

- maybe 2.5 stars. 2 stars for the first 75% of the book, 3 stars for the last 25%.

Bottom line: it wasn't terrible, but I won't be reading any of the author's next books unless someone trusted highly recommends it and promises it's different than her first three.

8/10/23 reading update @75%
Ok guys I need to apologize. Partly. I spoke too soon. When I was upset about the secret marriage it was because at the time I was under the impression that the narrative was making Nada out to be an innocent victim. But now I see that she is actually facing repercussions/consequences, that the narrative punishes her and points out all the things that can go wrong with such a choice, and it is actually a warning against secret marriages--and secrets in general-- rather than a romanticization.

But I still only take partial blame for this because the writing quality is so terrible that the plot becomes confusing. Part of an author's job is to make you trust the narrative. For the first three quarters I completely distrusted the narrative and therefore missed the point that the author was trying to make--because for that entire period, the narrative treats Nada like a princess and implies that none of her struggles are her fault, and that everything she's going through can be blamed at someone else--business partners, family, society, love interests, friends, etc. I don't know why the author made that choice besides just to shock us with that thing at midpoint. The multiple timelines are just for the sake of a riveting plot, and have no other value. It actually decreases the value of the story imo, because it turns Nada into this untouchable character who can do no wrong. And because that's how I knew her for the first three quarters of the book, I still deeply dislike her, despite the deserved repercussions she's facing.

Also I realized that secret marriages without walis are actually considered halal in some cultures, and that apparently it was (maybe still is?) a common issue among Muslim American college students. The New Yorker had an interesting article about this phenomenon here https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals... . So I can be okay with the author including this and treating it as halal...but I'm not okay with the other ways it was handled--in ways that made me distrust the narrative.

8/9/23 reading update @69%
[I have to do it here bc I need to mark it as a spoiler]
IF ANYONE READ TWO-THIRDS OF THIS BOOK LMK BC I'M FUMING. Seriously?? The author thinks she can trick us into believing that Nada and Baz's relationship is halal??? Clearly she was right to some extent bc some of these reviews show that most readers don't know what nikah even means. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A NIKAH WITHOUT A WALI. So no, Nada can't just go behind her parents' back and ask a random imam and 2 random witnesses to do a nikah for her and the PROCEED TO LIVE 8 YEARS UNDER HER PARENTS' ROOF BEING MARRIED TO BAZ WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE. The author is just trying to justify their intimacy to her readers BUT GUESS WHAT. THIS INTIMACY IS STILL NOT HALAL BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT A NIKAH.. Just...what??? This is not even realistic NOR is it halal. And unfortunately this is not the first time I come across a book in which the Muslim characters do INCREDIBLY stupid things thinking that whatever they did was halal and the narrator/author clearly think it's halal as well.

Bottom line: that mid-point event that everyone tells you not to worry about because it will be explained? You should worry about it. Because the explanation sucks and potentially makes things even worse.

[Melindam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again (as with the author's Hana Khan Carries On), I’m a bit torn. This novel is at least a very strong four stars for me, but probably not five.

Much Ado about Nada is marketed as a modern retelling of Persuasion, and it certainly borrows some of its core emotional lines, but I don't think it is retelling in any strict sense, more like a novel "loosely inspired by Austen" (and who isn't inspired by her, anyway?! ☺️). Uzma Jalaluddin filters this book, as well as her other novels, through a modern, culturally specific lens that gives the story its own independent life and the twists in her plots are distinct and unique.

Life is hectic at the moment, so I’m not sure I’ll have time to write a proper review anytime soon, but I still want to mention how much I like Jalaluddin’s male main characters — and the curious fact that they tend to be more immediately likeable than her flawed heroines (Khalid from Ayesha at Last is still my favourite, though!) . With the latter, I really need to work on myself -just as they need to work on themselves- to like them. But by now I know that patience pays off; if I read a good chunk of the books, I always end up appreciating them in the end.

Jalaluddin’s stories are never just romances. She explores the protagonists’ lives as second-generation Muslims born in Canada, the challenges of identity within their own community, and the clashes they face with both their parents and other cultures. There are always layers to her characters, though it takes time to discover them more in depth, but ultimately all books have been rewarding reads.

A shout-out to narrator Farah Kidwai as well, who did a great job!

[Bailey (semi-hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

reference: i have never read much ado about nothing!
started out mid turned out good౨ৎ
this book was really boring the first 100 pages but the ending was aMaZiNg
the problems mentioned in the book i felt were diluted ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ
i didn't care for nada's character and the other characters (´•︵•`)
+the plot was a lil spotty but it was ok...
rating:✰✰✰.5 (3.5 stars)

[dodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

i want to begin my review by saying this: good muslim representation will always get extra stars from me. call me biased, i just love reading representation i feel at home in, it just warms my heart. i adore umza’s writing, i think it’s super witty and she describes muslim communities and culture super well. whenever i read the dynamics she creates between the families and friends, it always feels super realistic and i really appreciate that. the drama and the worries the characters have are always relatable to me, which is reason why i feel myself being biased whenever i rate books with muslim representation. so take that into account if you read this.

now for the actual review, much ado about nada is a nuanced, raw, and complex story that kept me on my toes. nada as a character is so relatable to me, and my heart ached for her when she started narrating the worries and troubles she went through. in the first flashback, i sort of hated her for how she treated baz. i wish the book touched upon baz’s feelings towards the nada during their early years but it sadly didn’t. i feel that there were a lot of instances in which this book would have benefited from dual pov, because the shift in their relationship in the flashbacks happened a tad too quickly from baz’s side, so knowing his thoughts would’ve made it much more believable. how did he fall for nada when she treated him so horribly, i wonder. nada spent most of her youth getting away with so much shitty behavior towards baz, that i was a bit shocked to see how their story evolved. however, getting to know nada more throughout the book made me understand her and her choices much more, and made me feel for her as a character much more deeply. the way she describes the pressures she faces from every corner of her life, and how her worries eat her up, made me tear up with how relatable it was. all the other characters were portrayed in a realistic way as well, and i liked how everyone’s story got a satisfying resolution.

the pacing in this book is sadly borderline frustrating. unlike other reviewers, i did enjoy the pacing of the flashbacks and the d&d event but my frustrations lies in the last 25%. the ending wrapped up way too quickly and too “softly” for the drama that was brewing. when i finished this book i was sitting down with a question mark written on my face because throughout most of the book nada is fearing people’s reaction to her secret just for umza to breeze through the reveal.. you’re telling me i was running around my house stressing just for us to get a “cliffhanger shock moment”. 😬.

i feel like i’ve mostly been somewhat negative in my review but i genuinely loved reading this book. it has some amazing, swoon-worthy moments that made me melt. the “i missed you, habibti,” scene will run through my mind rent free for the next foreseeable future. kudos also goes to the fact that the second chance romance made sense. their first break up was actually realistic and fit into the story and who the characters were at the time it happened. they’ve definitely grown in the present time and i can see them being happy and loving together in the future.

last note, men please.. stop singing in books.

i wrote this at 3:30 am please excuse any mistakes lmao.

[Azanta (azantareads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

was i supposed to be rooting for them??? what a bizarre book i genuinely don’t know what i just read-

ok edit it’s been a few hours and i told my friends the plot of this book and they all said it sounded like hot gossip so i will say that in that way, this was entertaining to read? or interesting at the very least

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

I absolutely adore every single one of Uzma Jalaluddin's retellings.

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhh! This was so good. My favourite Uzma Jalaluddin yet. A wonderful second chance romance and a Jane Austen's Persusasion retelling set in Toronto's Muslim community. You know a romance is well done when the plotting feels tense and unpredictable even though you know the characters will end up together.

I loved all the characters (except for the villain, whom I loved to hate) and loved to see their growth. The protagonists' dynamic was awesome, so much chemistry and such a unique story.

Also loved how Jalaluddin tackled ableism and sexism in her community, very thoughtful.

Did I mention this book is really funny too in addition to being very romantic? One of my favourite reads of 2023!

[Rosamund Hodge]

Delightfully charming. I think that mashing up Persuasion with Much Ado About Nothing was a brilliant idea, because that makes it different enough from both works that you're not reading a scene and thinking, "Austen/Shakespeare did it better." And it really does nail the tone of self-hating regret that makes Persuasion my favorite Austen.

Also, I vibed so hard with the spot-on representation of "I am 100% committed to marrying a man from my religious community, but why do so many men in my community have terrible issues with women??" You and me both, Nada. 😔

If I had to pick a weak point in this book, it's that the descriptions of Nada's "Ask Apa" app were pretty clearly written before we all started worrying about the ethical implications of ChatGPT. But the details of the app were really not the point of the story, and I certainly don't pick up Austen remixes because I'm looking for a nuanced and up-to-date discussion of internet technology. So it's not something that super bothered me.

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Uzma Jalaluddin's since reading and loving her book, Hana Khan Carries On. Now she is back with a new RomCom that is a loose retelling of Jane Austen's classic, Persuasion that has a modern Muslim twist.

Nada Syed's personal and professional lives haven't turned out the way she expected. At the strong urging of her best friend Haleema, Nada attends a Muslim convention in Toronto to meet her BFF's fiancé and is confronted with a blast from her own past - Baz. Baz and Nada have a long history together and readers will feel the tension between them, but not immediately know the reasons, for their unease around each other.

The story is told using flashbacks to Baz and Nada's youth with notable Toronto locations, giving readers a chance to get to know where this couple's problems began while realizing neither of them is blame free. But what stood out for me the most was the page time given to secondary characters and minor storylines which were well-explored and provided compelling aspects to the story that showcase issues with expectations, relationships, culture clashes and betrayal.

I've never read Persuasion, but I enjoyed this slow-burn story featuring a strong Muslim voice and a sweet romance about long-lost love, second chance romance and knowing what you want out of life. There is a fantastic and unexpected twist that I loved which will give readers a different perspective on things. And that's all I'm saying about that!

This is a relatable, modern romance with a wonderful complexity that gives readers a peek into Muslim culture. Jalaluddin skillfully juggles multiple storylines and characters and their many conflicts into a smoothly told story about the complexity of relationships - romantic and familial, expectations, disappointments and a hefty dose of romantic angst and betrayal for good measure.


Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to HarperAvenue - HarperCollins Canada for the advanced copy that was provided in exchange for my honest review.

[Yusra ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.7 rounded up.

RUN AWAY IF YOU WANT GOOD MUSLIM REP OR HALAL ROMANCE CUZ YOU WON'T GET ANY

I honestly had mixed feelings on this book. I feel like story is very…confusing. It was a good story, but Hana Khan Carries on and Ayesha at Last we’re both much better in my opinion. This relationship seemed kinda toxic to me and I generally don’t like it when characters go for a “second chance”. Almost always it doesn’t work out. I didn’t like (matter or fact hated) the ending before the epilogue. Come on, this is something you have to tell your parents! Also, this is definitely NOT a halal romance. So if you’re looking for a halal romance, then run away from this book. There was no wali when they were getting married, nothing really added up. But some things I liked about the book is the characters, the way characters for previous books were involved in this, and how the story would sometimes go back in time for us to get the whole story. But the plot was kinda off and the Islamic elements of marriage were completely wrong, but over all I would give this book 3 stars

[Basma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t vibe with this at alll, I can’t stand the love interest and I really feel like we just jumped to resolution without any explanation. This kinda felt like a different author completely :/

I received an e-arc of this title from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Rincey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a 3.5 star rating?

A modern retelling of Persuasion by Jane Austen, Much Ado About Nada is perfect for people who love a second-chance romances (or just love Persuasion). I love the way Uzma Jalaluddin updates these classics and puts her own spin on things but I had a rough time with these two main characters.

Watch my full review: https://youtu.be/rSX0gHn-4gQ

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3/6/23] I—wow. Okay. RTC, but this book is hitting me in a lot of ways I wasn’t prepared for and I’m going to need a minute to process it.

CW: divorce, bullying, brief ableism, mentions of depression
--------------------
[18/6/23] I have a somewhat mixed track record with Uzma Jalaluddin, and I wasn’t originally planning to request this for review – but the publisher reached out to me, and once they’d offered, I wasn’t going to say no! But having proceeded to devour the book within 24 hours, and then sit on my feelings for over a fortnight, I’m still pretty conflicted about this book.

The retelling
The first thing to say is that it’s barely a Persuasion retelling. In typical Uzma Jalaluddin fashion, it’s an extremely loose reimagining – I can see where she’s taken inspiration from Austen, but if I wasn’t looking for the connections, I probably wouldn’t have realised it was a retelling at all. Beyond being a second chance romance, the plot beats aren’t the same at all, and Nada is certainly nothing like Anne Elliot!

The heroine
I do appreciate Jalaluddin’s ability to write complex heroines, but my main feeling about Nada was just that she was messy, which is a main character type that I personally tend not to do so well with. While I did relate to some of her feelings, particularly around trying to navigate her two cultures, I mostly found her pretty unlikeable and annoying. She makes some pretty huge mistakes, both in the past and present timelines, and she just felt very immature and self-absorbed!

The romance
I also wasn’t entirely sold on the romance. While I enjoyed some of Baz and Nada’s banter, especially in the flashbacks to their original relationship, there wasn’t really much depth to their relationship beyond that. In the original Persuasion, we’re led to believe that Anne and Wentworth could have been happy if they had got married when they first wanted to. But Baz and Nada were completely wrong for each other at 21 – without spoiling anything, I was truly floored by some of the stupid decisions they made, and I absolutely cannot believe that they would have had a successful relationship if they’d stayed together at that point! And they never really discuss their relationship deeply in the present timeline either, so even though they’re both (supposedly) wiser and more mature, that doesn’t feel like enough to fix all their issues.

(That said, the overall discussion around getting married young – particularly in the context of South Asian Muslims – hit me hard and made me feel a LOT of things, so I have to give credit to the writing, even if I didn’t love the characters!)

The representation
In terms of the wider story, I always appreciate the way Uzma Jalaluddin manages to capture such a wide spectrum of ways of being Muslim (right down to her willingness to embrace the more uncommon Muslim names – among others, this book had a Bazlur Rahman, Owais, Narjis, Waqas, Firdous...) There was also zero Islamophobia or racism in this book (although a lot of Nada’s struggles have to do with navigating her South Asian-Canadian identity, it’s internal conflict rather than bigotry), which made a nice change!

However, your mileage may vary on whether you consider it halal. I would echo the reviews that say you need to stick with it at the moment where it seems to be not halal in a major way, because that does get cleared up (again, trying to avoid spoilers!) – but still, the milder moments may also stretch the boundaries of what different people consider appropriate.

So overall… I didn’t love this? But I do think a lot of that was down to personal taste, and if you like books about messy, twenty-something women who are allowed to make mistakes, it’s definitely engaging and propulsive!

(Also, this is totally irrelevant to my feelings on the book itself, but I cannot get over how misleading this title is! Every time I think about this book I'm bemused all over again that it's not a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing!)

Thank you to Atlantic Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[T ✩ Handmaiden Of Amidala]

The woman on the cover looks exactly like the author 😂

[niyya نية · Rating 2 out of 5]

Welcome back to another series of.... Niyya's rants about the absurdity of books these days! But special edition: she's so confused she doesn't know what she's writing! So if YOU get confused, that's why.

I honestly am feeling so many feelings, I can't grasp it all. If you want a halal romance, this isn't it. Spoilers below!

So when the book began, I was okay with it and it was going great, Nada has a secret as to why she doesn't want to go to the Deen&Dunya convention. I thought the fiance of Haleema, her best friend, was HER ex-fiance, which was why she was super dodgy about meeting him. But it's actually the fiance's BROTHER, Baz, that she's avoiding.

We arrive at the convention, filled with thousands of Muslims. I've been to MAS-ICNA and so I know about the free-mixing, which doesn't strike me as haram in this instance, if your intention isn't to be chasing after guys or girls and you're there for the sake of learning more about Islam or connecting with it. Nada sees Baz again because the fiance, Zayn, is in a band and has many fangirls (ick). She gets tickets to go to a speed-dating-matrimonial event at the convention and Baz is super cold towards her. Haleema suspects something and Nada tells her she used to be Baz's bully when they were kids.

The story of that: When they were eleven, Baz came to Sunday School as a new kid. Nada was like a queen bee there but she got bullied at regular school, not that it's an excuse, so she found a way to cope by doing it to someone else. She decided Baz was not someone to be liked. So she began bullying him constantly but Baz never stood up for himself. One day, there was an event. Baz played the daf, a Persian instrument, and Nada publicly humiliated him by calling him, "Duffman". Baz never came back to Sunday School after that.

That's that. After that, Nada gives her ticket back to Baz and there's a concert at the Islamic convention (I honestly don't get how that works?💀) where Zayn and Baz are performing.

This is where I began noticing red flags. Zayn squeezes Haleema's arm and Nada mentions how the Muslim crowd was probably giving looks of disapproval but she thinks the gesture was just a fiance-couple thing. I was skeptical but brushed it off because even though that is completely wrong- you shouldn't touch them until the nikkah is done- some people actually believe that.

Back to the story: Nada is shocked because she thought Baz stopped performing a long time ago, because of her.

While Baz is singing, these muslimah fangirls start throwing hijabs that they bought on the stage like you would with flowers. My eyes went WIDE. Not because that's an absolute waste of hijabs since they're crazy expensive for no reason, but because that was something that just HAPPENED😭

While Nada is swooning at Baz's voice, a woman in front of her reaches for her bag to throw another hijab, but ends up colliding her elbow in Nada's eye. Nada passes out.

She wakes up to see Baz and Haleema's concerned face. Haleema goes to the command center or sm, idk, and leaves her with Baz. He's walking her back to her room and he's being respectful, not touching her. Green flag, right?

Then she stumbles and suddenly his hands are wrapped around her waist tightly😐 So unnecessary. But again, brushed it off, because I guess accidents (not really) like that happen?

Haleema mentions that Baz stopped the entire show when Nada passed out, hinting at something.

scibblydoo, we're back in the past, and it's the story of meeting Baz again at camp when they're fourteen. There's a new queen bee, Firdous, and she's an absolute brat. She's constantly after Baz, trying to get his attention. She has this friend, Bisma, who was actually sweet to Nada. While everyone was around the campfire, someone pulled off Nada's hijab. She panicked, of course, ducking her head. The next day, she sees Baz. He's super sweet, telling her no one saw anything. They make amends and become friends. She doesn't see Baz again after camp.

skipping forward: she meets Firdous again, still the same as before. Mooning over Baz and being a classic mean girl.

Yadayada, Nada ends up going to the matrimonial event because her older brother got divorced a long time ago and hasn't had a life since and so she decides to blackmail Baz into getting tickets. The first person she sits with is her nemesis, Haneef. Haneef is a fraud. He worked with Nada to launch her app, Ask Apa, but six months before her launch, HE launched an app called Ukhti. Then Nada's app became a dupe, a copycat and Haneef made millions.

They bicker and argue, then the next person is Baz. They talk as if everything was normal between them. I forgot what happened next.

Boom, the past again. This time, Nada's at college and Baz is there. They meet often in the library because he brings a prayer mat to college and allows Nada to use it. But they only exchange salams. Then they walk to jummah prayer on Fridays together and only speak for about ten minutes. They become friends and Nada starts to have a crush on Baz. One day, he forgot his sketchbook on the prayer mat. She opened it to see a drawing of her and a beautiful poem, potentially about her. Baz sees her looking at his book and gets angry, flustered, and upset. He storms out the room and never spoke to her again.

Okay, now we have a Muslim gala dinner. Nada and Baz talk and laugh for a couple of minutes before Firdous arrives. Then Firdous says something that sparks memories from their past, which makes Nada and Baz start arguing. Then Baz leaves and later, he's on the stage, and he sings. The song is about heartbreak and Nada starts to feel suffocated. She runs out and Baz is behind her.

Now. This scene. This was my catalyst. When Nada takes a step closer to him, I was like, "Oh no you don't. KEEP THAT DISTANCE. SIX. FEET. APART. 🤨"

Baz says he wrote every song for her and then his hands are on her waist again. GRFAGHHHH GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER.

Next thing you know, Allahu Akbar, they kiss. And it's not a normal kiss, it's a makeout session.

I shut the book and was left dumbfounded because there was NO WAY THEY KISSED AT AN ISLAMIC EVENT. SHE'S NOT EVEN YOUR FIANCE, LET ALONE YOUR WIFE. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KISS HER???

After they kiss, he whispers, "I missed you, habibti." I GAGGED. Habibti? HABIBTI? REALLY???

Anyways, Nada runs away even though he begs for her to stay.

Uhhhh, flash forward: They've been "married" this entire damn time. Baz asked out Nada (again, after flirting) and they began talking (slash flirting). It was okay at first, in public places, but then he began holding her hand and squeezing it. WHY. But Nada tells her parents about a "new friend" and her mother tells her that once they become more aqquainted, she should bring him to her parents.

Once Baz and her parents meet, they disapprove of him because he works with his father, dropped out of college to travel, and is an artist. But Nada and Baz stay strong.

UNTIL. UNTILLLLL, she nikkahfies (it's actually not even valid because there was no wali) Baz secretly. Her parents don't know, his parents don't know. Wonderful. Great. Subhanallah. They're super happy, super romanticy in public. They book hotels whenever they want to have $3x and lie to their families about why they were out so late. So healthy. So halal.

Then she gets advice after telling someone about Baz, who tells her that they should get divorced because imagine if her parents found out or she got pregnant? And also because since the marriage didn't start the right way, it wouldn't end the right way.

Next thing: Nada's period is two weeks late. She starts panicking and freaking out, even though the test was negative. She tells Baz, who was EXCITED because he thought it was positive. Then she says it wasn't and that's the issue and that they can't do this anymore. Baz begs and begs, but she refuses. He then tells her that if she wants a divorce, it'll be her who will divorce him. Then he leaves. For six years.

This is such a stupid story. I'm so disappointed by UJ because I really liked Ayesha at Last.

Let me tell you about Haleema now. Zayn, her fiance, is always with the fangirls, who are OBSESSED with him, which is concerning since they're all Muslim girls/hijabis. He's taking selfies with them all the time and barely has space for Haleema. He also hasn't announced his engagement to her because he wants to keep it quiet since the Zaynimals (girl wtf 💀) will go ballistic. So Haleema posts the engagement without telling him. He's a little upset about it but they're okay. Then comes their rehearsal dinner (what does that even mean) and we find out Zayn broke it off.

I honestly didn't like Zayn. A Muslim boy band idol who is okay with girls fawning over him and flirting with him. How- Okay.

But either way, Haleema gets a concussion and breaks her ankle after tripping on her lehenga. Zayn talks to Nada and explains he's worried he can't make her happy and that's why he broke it off. LAME!!!

Anyway, in the end, Nada gets justice for her app, and at the wedding of Zayn and Haleema, her and Baz make up and make out. Then Nada's mother witnesses it 💀 They explain everything and happily ever after.

Idk what all of this was, but it was not okay.

Things I did enjoy though:

How prayer was represented in the book. In Muslim books, prayer is barely portrayed, even though it's one of our five pillars. We see Nada pray all her five prayers, which made me really happy.

The feeling of being in an Ummah. When Nada walks into the convention, she's overcome with joy because of the amount of Muslims she sees since you don't see Muslims gathered like this unless it's at the masjid. I related to this so much because when I went to MAS-ICNA last year, I had that same feeling.

[Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adding this to my to-read and I am slightly bewildered and miffed about the fact that the book is a retelling of a classic but not the one that is referenced in the title. But the world deserves more persuasion appreciation so I am trying to ignore it.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Jane Austen retellings will not want to miss this latest from Canadian Muslim author Uzma Jalaluddin!!

I was already a huge fan but her newest book definitely slid into my favorites with its second chance, Persuasion vibes and the great UofT campus references. As an alum, I loved all the flashback scenes set around the university and especially enjoyed the rich Desi South Asian- Canadian culture - something Uzma does like no other!

Highly recommended, especially for fans of books like Jana goes wild by Farah Heron and EXCELLENT on audio narrated by Farah Kidwai. This was my first time listening to the narrator and she truly brought the story to life. I had a physical ARC copy that I struggled to pick up and read and I'm so glad I waited for the audiobook!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley and @prhaudio for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my GLOWING review!! Seriously, if you haven't read something by Uzma yet you are very much missing out!!!!

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second read from Uzma Jalaluddin and I loved it just as much as the first (which is to say I loved it a lot). This book has everything you could want from a rom-com: warmth, emotion, humour, drama, intriguing back stories, evil nemeses, 10/10 chemistry, pining and a few fabulous twists. I didn't realise I was such a sucker for a second chance romance but Uzma proved me to be very wrong.

Much Ado About Nada is a love story between one woman and her Muslim community, her family and friends and the man she couldn't forget and I had such a lot of fun with it.

[Lisa (NY)]

dnf at 54%. Dragged with too much back story.

[Leen Falastin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5⭐️

loved this!!! will update with full review later

[Haya AlBuraidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

The more I read the worse it got.

[Aamna Qureshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH THIS WAS INSANE, I READ IT IN ONE SITTING, A FULL BODY EXPERIENCE, 10/10

[Aylin Niazai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book 😭😭😭😭😭. Halal love, muslim representation, the fact that we don’t know the full story from the beginning, the ending. Everything 😭🥹❤️

[Salma19 (And I Darken stan) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF’ed at 52% 👎

This romance between Baz and Nada, it’s a no for me. I don’t buy it. Why would Baz be into Nada while he had mostly terrible memories associated with her? I don’t understand how you would decide to build a life with someone who bullied you and gave you childhood trauma. Nada always blamed anything but herself for her problems. At age 28, the "It’s not me, it’s always the others" tune gets super old for her. There is no point in finishing up a Romance novel if I don’t root for the main couple.

The pacing of this books had its fair share of oddities: half of the book is set at a convention during a weekend. I cannot believe that Baz and Nada would rekindle their problems in such a short amount of time. Plus, unlike Jalaluddin’s other novels, this romance cannot be considered halal, which is a bummer. We rarely see in fiction Muslim romances following Muslim ethics & rules. Most of Jalaluddin’s audience are Muslim women seeking to see themselves in her heroines. This authorial choice has personally let me down. I am not saying that every Muslim follows the rules to the T, but I have a feeling that this choice was made to satisfy readers looking for steamy moments (or spice, whatever you want to call it) in their romances. You know, there is nothing wrong with that. What I am pointing out is how the core audience for Uzma’s books feels left behind.

Without getting spoilers, I do not think that Nada would ever be forgiven for what she had done behind her family’s back and hiding it for seven years. Giving her a happy ever after ending would contradict the real road to such life choices.

Much Ado About Nada is Uzma Jalaluddin’s worst book to date. This is so disappointing as I really enjoyed her two other works. For this reason, this was among my most anticipated books of the year.

I am glad I did get this book from the library instead of spending my money on it. The library is your friend, folks.

Time for me to move on to other books that I will potentially enjoy more!