My Other Half

by Neya B

It's crazy how fate can change the perspective of our future. Hayat didn’t plan to meet the man who will love her in this life and the afterlife. As a twenty-six-year-old web designer, Hayat was focused on her career, love was not on her agenda. Not even marriage. Anas, on the other hand, secretly hoped to find someone who could love Souhila as much as he did. Nothing prepared him for the day his daughter started school. The day he found what he was looking for. Two souls never meet by chance. This statement wasn’t easy to understand, but, in the end, it always made sense.

Genres: Romance, Love, Islam, Contemporary Romance, Muslims, Romantic, Fiction

394 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2023

About the author

Neya is an author of different literary styles, romance, thriller, fantasy. Her pleasure is to introduce her readers to differents worlds.

She likes to write from 3rd POV, to 1st POV and even double POV if it matches the book's energy.

She loves to represent muslims MCs, and/or North Africans, and she's very excited for you to discover what she has to offer.

Connect with Neya:

Instagram: @author.neyab

Tiktok: @authorneyab

Reviews

[Uswah · Rating 2 out of 5]

🥲🥲🥲

The plot had so much potential, but unfortunately, the author didn't deliver. 😭😓

It felt like I was reading a Muslim Wattpad story. I've read enough Wattpad stories and there’s a reason why I left that era behind. 😭 I don’t wanna read Wattpad stories. I was hoping for something else.

The pace was slow—definitely not the good kind of slow burn—and the writing felt a bit meh. 😐

I was really excited about this, but the author didn't do it justice. :(
_____________________________
Pre-read

A Halal Romance? 👀 Let’s see!!!

[Moralnreadsఌ · Rating 5 out of 5]

♪Tropes of the book♪
📌Halal romance (so cute in this book).
📌Muslim representation.
📌Plus-size rep
📌Age-gape(9y).
📌North african love story
📌Single father.

- My opinion:
It's rare to find a book that contains the purest form of love. Anas and hayat was my favorute couple that stole my heart.
Being muslim and reading about marriage and the love that results from it, made me feel happy as the book was incredible, discussing about heavy topics and dealing with it at perfect way
Anas was a perfect father and husband, he was so nice with hayat at the beginning and every thing he did to her as he bought her flowers and sent them to her house.
Hayat.. I loved her, i'm not skinny girl or anything, so i understand what she was thinking about when anas asked her to marry him, as she thought "why he would love her or even like her" because she's curvy girl, i wanted to hug her But when anas talked to her and explained how he was in love with her and he didn't care about anything that annoys her, hence they made me cry becauss he was helpful and not stressful with her
Souhilamy baby girl .. she was so sweet and lovely, the plot was so good and the conflict that happened with faiza, i didn't expect her doing what she did, but i understood her mind and why she did that
The book was so good, I read it in two sitting and i enjoyed reading it ...but I adored the chapters after they get married🤭💗.
My Rate: ★★★★★
I highly recommended.
My fav quots.

“ You're my nafs, my rooh, I can't leave without you”.
“ You're my home, Hayati. I love you in this dunya and the akhira. Until Jennah reunites us”.
“You’re my other half, Hayati. Even if I had chosen different paths, Allah knew I was going to end up with you. For eternity,”

[Ceylin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ - I loved the fact that it was a halal romance. However, there were some thing lagging for me. I didnt like the writing style for example. Would still recommend if you want to read a halal love story!

[Assma.T · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never been this bored in my whole life.

The whole book is narrated by the author who made sure there was about 2% of dialogue. The fmc hates herself and the whole thing is unrealistic.

I love the fact that there were religious habits and sunnah and quran incorporated throughout the whole book, but it's so dully written that I hated reading it. Don't get me wrong the plot has potential but maybe next time don't write whatever your brain says? I felt like I was reading someone's daydreams journal.

[samarah ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

it’s giving muslim wattpad and i’m not here for it

[Humaydah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a good concept, with good tropes but the writing was too juvenile. It was hard to read.

[mahra ☾ (arosio’s version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprised by how much I like this. I was reading a bit in the car and some scenes literally made me look at the window beside me and open the door and jump out the car 😭. My face kept on getting redddddd. Cuz I didn’t except the scenes that were in this book to be IN THIS BOOK cuz it’s a Muslim Romance book 😭.

"If I was alone with you right now, I would have kissed you until you wouldn't be able to think straight anymore."

U GET WHAT I MEAN NOW?!???? 😭

And then he kisses her on the neck and my leg just starts kicking the air 🧍🏻‍♀️.

GET READY FOR WHAT’S COMING NEXT!!!!

"Every second you spend before me is torture. I would love to undress you and claim you completely as my wife. But I can't, yet, since you're not ready. However, believe me, Hayat, when you are," he paused, locking his dark burning brown eyes into her hazel ones. "These clothes won't stand a second between my hands."

😳🙈😳🙈😳

Really enjoyed reading this. I was skipping at first and just reading scenes that had both our mains together and then when they got married… I READ EVERYTHING. LOOOOVVVEEEDDDDDD THIS 🤌🏻🤌🏻✨✨

[Yusra يسریٰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had so high expectations for this one but it was pretty disappointing.
At the start, I enjoyed it a lot. I love how calm both Hayat and Anas were in the face of difficulties. The way Hayat looked at hard situations. Like they were another challenge she needed to complete.

Anas's love for Souhila was the most beautiful thing everrrrr. It somtimes made me cry because he became so helpless due to fear.
"A man like him, trembling like a leaf after his daughter screamed in pain"

And Hayat's relationship with her father >>
"Ana tani nmout a’lik baba." (I would die for you too, Baba)

Hayat's and Anas's relationship with their mothers is so sadddd. But its so true. The fact that sometimes, mothers care too much about what the society will say that they fail to understand their child's feelings.

Plot-wise, it was good.

Writing-wise? VERY HARD TO READ. Sometimes, I had to read 2-3 times to understand who said what. Who did what. What was happening. It was pretty messed up.
Another thing that annoyed me was the nicknames. Souhila called her father "Baba". That fine. but why does he also call her "Baba"? Yea, it means something both ways, but dude...dont do that. please 😭

Overall, I'll say its not too bad not to read. Just a little annoying. And because this is Neya's debut, I think the book deserved a shot. I dont regret reading it at all. Just wanted to say: dont expect too much.

“You bring out the best of me, Hayat, and I want to do the same with you.”

[Aamenah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This attempted at a Halal romance is a well-intentioned exploration of the genre, but it falls short in execution. Written in the third person, the narrative lacks the engagement factor, and the excessive focus on inner thoughts makes it feel monotonous. The writing style is of amateurish quality, resembling content found on platforms like Wattpad. While the concept is intriguing, the book may benefit from a more refined approach to storytelling and character development. Had to dnf at 11%

[Neya B · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My Other Half" will soon have major modifications.

[Bookdragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I completed this book in 7-8 hours.
I was looking for something cozy and romantic at the same time.
And I would say the book was 3.7 for me.
I liked the charcters and the calm tone used by the author.The book was simple and there was no drama which I absolutely loved.
At some points I did felt like it's too simple.But I felt cozy and comfortable at times which I really wanted to feel.
A fun fact is I didn't hated any charcters in this book which is not so common with me.
Overall I enjoyed the book and it was good!!
Thank you

[Adiba(currently crying over exams) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was extremely excited to read the book since I got to know it's halal romance but it disappointed me to no extent. Almost everyone on Instagram and Goodreads was bragging about how good this book was and that was a lie. Firstly this book has so many things that go against the teaching of the Quran. From all the meetings they had before marriage as non mehrams to womens entering the mosque at the time of nikah . Also the staring that kept happening every now and then when they're not even mehram to each other was annoying. (No offence to eye contact I love them but eye contact between non mehrams while I am reading a halal romance is something I'll never romanticize ).Forcing myself to read this book was equivalent to walking on a rugged pathway barefoot. Honestly people's liking to the book is something beyond me .If you're a Muslim and reading it for the sake of halal romance this is not something you're supposed to like . Halal romance is not all about NO SMUT with Muslim ML and FML it's about a clean romance with Islamic representation and one moment in this book was like (smut about to happen-after smut) and I was so disappointed. I do not read smut and in most of the books there's smut but that's something I know, I know I'll have to skip but when you're reading a halal romance you do not have ''I'll have to skip' thing in mind.
Also the language at some point was so bad I don't remember the chapter but one of the characters in the last few chapters said "Did you cut your balls off". Yeah ! that was in a book with islamic representation was 😀😐🙂🔪 .
Also there was one moment when in the bathroom FML was looking at her body and remembering all the self harm (mention of self harm was there in the trigger warnings of the book) and I was like phew finally something sensible and after a few moments her husband was saying "You smell so good are you trying to seduce me?" and I was like what the heck bro😭😭not only this but there are so many moments in this book that doesn't even make sense !! . Also there are things that Anas did and said that are major sins in Islam and Islam also tells us to protect our gaze but but but the main leads don't care a single bit!! One of many things that irritated me in this book was mentioning of characters getting needy(this was legit too much). Ugg!! I've so many things to say but I am so done rn. I will end here but one thing I want to say is this book is definitely not A HALAL ROMANCE or book with Islamic representation and please don't read it if you came here for the review and haven't started the book yet. (Giving it one star because of the mention of Quran's Surahs).

[Henna · Rating 1 out of 5]

writing style & layout was terrible. so repetitive and slow. female lead very annoying. last few chapters with his ex were unnecessary. characters lacked personality

[khayzzerrr ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི (vormxreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

IM SWOONING WTH I LOVE THIS!

this book is so so so good! a single dad, halal romance in one book?!??

u guys are really gonna fall in love w anas, hayat, and souhila once u read this book. the way anas and hayat met and also by how their relationship developed thru out the story LIKE STOP IT IM MELTING🥹💗

and special shoutout to souhila milovessss ✨💗 she is just the sweetest girl and i will not tolerate and slander against her 😭 IM READY TO FIGHT FOR U AND UR MOMMY AND DADDY 🤸‍♂️🤸‍♂️

anas, my love, my zdaddy, u r the best man ever!! i love how u love hayt and souhila w all of ur heart, u r so great i cantttt, and so hoottt like damn whew 💫🔥

hayat, MY STEM GIRLIE HOTTIE BADDIE! she’s a web designer like AAAAA plus she’s straightforward and she a milf lskdkck💗🥹 her character is so beautiful and so perfect that it made the story even better ✨

I LOVE THIS FAMILY AND PLS GO READ THIS BOOK BC UR GONNA MELT TO GROUND LAKXKFKF

[Aaiza عائزہ [Hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐.5

“I know. Ana tani nmout a’lik baba.” I would die for you too, baba.

I think I would've liked this a lot better if I had kept my expectations a bit low. I really had problem with Neya's writing style since she did a lot of grammar mistakes and in using pronouns and stuff. The thing that really irritated me was that Anas and Souhila both called each other baba. That got a bit confusing considering I normally had problem distinguishing who was saying what.

Also, I went in hoping there wouldn't be much strong romance in this but it did. It's probably a lot less than normal Romance books but I can't really judge this as this was my first ever proper Romance book. But I was really disappointed to read that Neya, despite being a Muslim author still did not know the limits. Yes, she didn't go far but just...maybe not for me. That's all I'll say. And it also felt like a drag at some places and got really boring later on.

Aside from all these problems I really loved the relationship between Anas and Souhila as well as of Hayat and Salim. The Muslim representation was done in a great way and I really enjoyed at many places. (Hydra, where in the entire book did you find the part where you ended up squealing, huh?)

Really bad of me, I know, but there was definitely something between Faudel and Kamila. I wished their banter was shown more often and why the hell they hated each other. Also, why were mothers on both sides of the family shown as bad? That's so...unfair.

I really loved the way Anas and Hayat followed all steps of the tradition for marriage. It felt really good to read something like that in a good way (this does not imply that I saw it ever being done in a bad way. Not that I've ever read something like it lol). Anddd, why the hell was Zahia shown in a way that we sympathise with her and then she turned out to be a sneering woman, huh?

I was about to give this book 2.5 or 2 stars when I finished it but after I read the acknowledgements (yes, I always read them), I definitely changed my mind. First of all, I forgive Neya for the mistakes she made because it's her debut book. Second, she specifically mentioned that English is not her first language and this was her first time ever trying to write a whole book completely in English and the efforts can definitely be seen and I understand why those mistakes were made now.

Unintentional and unofficial buddy read with Tush. (We read it at the same time together so I'll call it buddy reading whether you like or not).

NOTE: Please, I beg you, read the acknowledgements before judging Neya B in a bad way based on her writing.

[Mero · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this the day it came out lol.
let me start with what I loved!!
The Muslim representation was AMAZINGGGG very accurate and so fun to read about. there were some micro things that annoyed me but over all the rep was great and I ATE IT UPPPPP
I have read books where the couple would kiss or what ever and be so meh about it but WHEN THESE MFS HELD H A N D S I WAS SCREAMMIINGGG. like I almost fell off my bed when they had their first hug, I was so close to passing out.
I loved loved Hayat, even though she was a little out of pocket some times
Anas was so (astagfirullah) hot but he was such a genuine hmar at the end. The groveling was good tho, so I will let it go.
Hayats family was so cute I loved them.

the overall story was cute and sweet and I liked that it didn't make it a plot point to defend muslims or make it one of those "muslims aren't bad !!!" narratives where the author has to defend Islam. Like homegirl author said "im not gonna make my characters go through a hate crime just to show that muslims are peaceful, y'all are gonna get a silly little romance between two grown ahh adults are youre gonna like it" and let me tell y'all, I absolutly did.

Now for me to be a judgy rat (sorry)
Overall I think the book was ok. its definitely a debut novel.
The writing and pacing was not the best. it definitely needed to go through another round of heavy editing because there were a ton of spelling and grammatical mistakes.
No clue if it was self published, but that's the vibes it gave. It was honestly hard to follow along with some of the speaking paragraphs because the dialogue format was really off most of the time and the flow was seriously wonky. Also some of the rhetoric was so strange?? like it was really purple prose when it could have been simpler. The quality towards the end seemed like it had to meet a deadline.
There were also no consistent character descriptions. I straight up had to imagine what Anas looked like with all my brain power after finding out he was Moroccan. He was not fully described until wayyyy later in the book.
The villain was super lame and so annoying. I was so done with her and the second hand embarrassment she gave me.
Also, I really hated the unresolved last minute other woman drama. I feel like there were some loose ends that needed to be tied up, but what ever I was there for the rep and the vibes.

Overall a fun read, Im forcing my entire friend group to read it. I would recommend if you want some head empty halal romance.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

“𝐇𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫.”

Anas Saudi, a single father, and Hayat Mazari, a web designer, are the main characters in My Other Half by Neya B., a halal romance.

This was such an anticipated read, but really I do not think this book was for me.

Maybe because this was an e-arc, the writing needed some editing, and there were just so many unnecessary descriptions that detracted from the novel. Also, there were a lot of acts and descriptions that were repeated, such as the fact that Hayat was a young woman, had hazel eyes, and kept running into Anas' arms. On top of that, I absolutely disliked the final chapter since I thought there was still a lot to be said, particularly regarding Anas' ex-wife.

I did, however, enjoy learning about Muslim customs and the great lengths men will go to in order to get the girl they hope to spend the rest of their lives with. I also liked how softhearted Anas actually was and how easily he would become flustered. Seeing Hayat be so warmly welcomed by Anas and his daughter Souhila showed how wholesome their entire family dynamic was.

Overall, the book's writing style and execution did not appeal to me, despite the enjoyable and wholesome scenes.

*Thank you to the author Neya B., for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

[Sahar Jennah · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 Now this is what I call Muslim representation!!! This is a first time I’ve read a book that I felt was truly good Muslim and especially hijabi rep!! The love story between Hayat and Anas was so pure and fun to read. I liked how we got to see their life after marriage and how Hayat navigates that. As a hijabi it’s barely talked about and I’ve never read a book about exploring your sexuality, adapting in a new relationship, and being such a strong independent woman. This was so refreshing to read and I got emotional at some parts because Hayats thoughts were just like me. For a debut novel this was such a great read and I hope to read more from this author!

The reason I gave away .5 to the rating was because figuring out who was talking was a bit confusing at times with the dialogue.

[fadheela ♡ (mid-terms ia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neya B actually made me see Islam from a different perspective and I love her for it. This book taught me to never ever settle for less. I loved how Neya incorporated Islamic ethics, which we all Muslims do in our day-to-day lives. I enjoyed reading this cute book and learned more about the correct way to approach or know someone before marriage. The only problem for me was the writing style and the pace which bored me out sometimes, but otherwise I do believe, the author will do better. Looking forward to the second book and can't wait to see what Hayat's and Anas's future look like!🥰😍💕

P.S: To the Non-Muslim readers who want to read this book and know more about our wonderful religion- THIS IS YOUR SIGN<3.😉

[Grishma · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all thank you Neya for choosing me to be an Arc reader .

This book has given me the new perspective of another religion and it's so lovely . You all are gonna fall in love with the characters . 😍

My other half has woken me up from the reading slump . I really enjoyed it . I was so hooked from the first chapter itself.

200% I recommend this amazing book 🤗.

[Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

So goddamn fantastic. Full review coming soon

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
This is obviously a beginning debut novel, which is why I won’t really talk about the bad aspects of the book. Just for a heads up for anyone who’s willing to read it, there is a lot of grammatical and orthographic mistakes, sometimes it takes a while to understand who’s speaking thru the dialogues and the characters description were very repetitive. Also, the ending was a bit too fast for my liking. I didn’t get why the ex wife suddenly appeared and then disappeared without a trace, lol. Anyways, I would like to concentrate on the good feels this book brought me.
This book ultimately reminded me how much Islam is beautiful and how lucky I am to be a muslim. 🫶🏼

I have a lottttt to say. Let’s start with the obvious.
Anas Saidi.
He’s THE standard, THE man, THE one. No one should ever settle for someone less than him frl. He’s so perfect. I never loved a male character as much as I do now.

Nah frl I need to rate this book 1 star for setting my expectations in moroccan men this high. I’m moroccan. My parents are moroccan. My whole family and ancestry is moroccan. Morocco is my roots and my pride. I better end up with a moroccan man named Anas in the future (Insha’Allah) that works in real estate cause this is what reading this book felt like. I felt like I was Hayat, living the whole situation, since the book was so deep and heartfelt.

I absolutely love Anas for how he was patient and respectful with Hayat, even before marriage. He loved her so so soo deeply and sincerely and never hesitated to show her how he felt about her, even though his mom didn’t accept her. She wasn’t confident, before and after marriage, but she slowly gained it thanks to him. I also loved how he respected her wishes to take everything slowly, even after their islamic wedding, even if he desired her so much. That’s the definition of a real man. I loved every single thing about their relationship. The tension, the passion, the respect between them. Damn, he praised her and even blushed only looking at her from afar. That’s what I call pure love.

Enough talking about Anas and Hayat, let’s talk about Anas and Souhila. The man treated his daughter, not like a princess, but like a freaking queen. He made her feel like she was the soul of his life. He made her feel important and so deeply loved. For example, when he couldn’t make a choice in which house to buy for his job, he let her made that choice. He teared up every single time she drew something for him, or showed interest in connecting with her deen. That’s what I call a true father. He always guided and protected his daughter from everything bad that was surrounding her. I loved how he literally fought with his ex-wife to open her eyes so that she can realize that even though she’s the mother of Souhila, she’s not really it since she abandoned her when she was so small and needed her the most. This made me realize that we shouldn’t take kids, family and mental health for granted and lightly. Souhila literally had trauma because of her mom, but thankfully, Anas did absolutely everything so that she grew within a good memorable happy childhood.

Also, I loved how this book didn’t hide anything about Islam or Moroccan and Algerian cultures and traditions. The author’s note literally explains that this book was written to break the stereotypes about Muslims and North Africans, which really pushed me to read it and to get my hopes really high. This did not disappoint, not even a bit. I loved how this portrayed perfectly how a muslim relationship (before marriage) should be. There is a lot of stereotypes about forced and arranged marriages, especially within arabs, and the story of Anas and Hayat literally proved this wrong. This wasn’t forced or arranged, it was their choice, and they proceeded to follow all the halal steps to spend the rest of their lives together without any haram intentions.

I really loved the fact that this book portrayed Islam very accurately and perfectly. Islam isn’t about strict rules and praying 5 times a day with no reason. Islam, is a way of life. It’s the way of life. Even if you’re born in a muslim family, you shouldn’t practice Islam just because everyone does. You should practice Islam because you believe in Allah swt and the sayings of the Qur’an. As a muslim, I believe in the shahada, I pray 5 times a day, do zakat when I can, fast during ramadan and want to do Al Hajj Insha’Allah. All this not because someone forced me to, but because I realized with my open eyes that Islam is the way of truth and that I should always be grateful of having a healthy life surrounded with people that I love, even though this world is truly messed up.
On a another point, I really appreciated the soothing Qur’an verses in the book. It made me really reflect more on the translation and the meaning with the context of life.


Anyways, this isn’t a religious review, I’m just really happy and grateful that I read a book that respected my values and traditions. This book may break certain stereotypes if a non-muslim, non- north african person read it, which I really appreciate.
Representation in books truly matter in our society!!

I have so much more to say, but I don’t think anyone would want to read my hella long detailed review, so anyways, I’ll stop rambling now and hope that everyone will pick up this beautiful book! 🤭

[Aurora Herondale · Rating 5 out of 5]

IM MELTING I LOVED IT SO MUCH😩😩

This was by far the CUTEST halal love story I have ever read

It is so rare to find a story of a love so pure as that between Anas and Hayat. Because please why was I smiling and blushing when NOTHING happened💀?? Literally they would make eye contact and my heart exploded for them 😩.

AND ANAS - 🤌. Y’all before the wedding it was obvious he fell first and knew what he wanted but AFTER the wedding…a better Muslim husband has never been written about lol. His love for Hayat - HAYATI 😩💗 - and his even more immense love for Souhila was just beautiful

Souhila - cutest little girl ever 🫶🫶🫶, deserves all the love and she made the book a million times better - WHEN SHE MADE FUN OF HER DAD FOR BLUSHING LOL she was just so pure

Hayat, my stem girlie 💗, my love for this character is unexplainable I connected with her on so many levels and my heart broke for her struggles and when Anas would completely surprise her I WAS RIGHT THERE BLUSHING WITH HER EVERY STEP OF THE WAY 🤣💗

The Muslim rep in this book is unbeatable I have never felt more seen 💗, and I pray with all my heart that we all find a love as beautiful as the love between Anas and Hayat 🥰💗

To the author, thank you a million times over for bringing this beautiful story into existence it’s everything I needed to read today and more 🫶🫶

[Lupi_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

oo, what do I start with?
I think I wouldn't have blushed and felt hot all over had i been reading a full-on open-door romance. Who ever said this is Ramadhan approved is a liar.

But putting that aside, I gotta say, I really, really loved reading this book. It's about two Muslim people who fall in love in the sweetest way possible. There's Anas, trying his best to show his daughter love after his ex-wife left them, and then there's Hayat, dealing with her own struggles of self-worth. We get to watch them fall for each other during these supervised meetings (thanks to Hayet's dad and brother) and see how they navigate their relationship and eventually tie the knot.

This book was so wholesome and beautiful, it felt surreal. With Anas and his every-evening-at-the-gym-body and Hayat and her beautiful Hazel eyes that always seem to make Anas forget his existence.
Honestly, I'm just here for Anas at the end of the day, that man had me me wrapped around his finger since the moment he was presented in the book.

"You're finally mine."

"If I was alone with you right now, I would have kissed you until you wouldn't be able to think straight anymore"

"You make me weak Hayat. The mere sight of you drives me mad. I wasn't ready to have a woman like you."

And then when Hayat said this;

"Wouldn't you like to put on more Mastour clothes?"

That was exactly what I would have said as well (Mastour means modest).

That said, I want to make it clear that this book doesn't necessarily reflect real-life Muslim experiences or how things are in every country or region. I've been Muslim my whole life, and I've never come across a marriage like the one depicted here. It's kind of like a dream scenario (with a bit of drama thrown in, of course), especially with how respectful Anas is and how he goes out of his way to ask for her father's number before officially courting her. In other words, it's the kind of thing we might have fantasized about as kids.

And hey, while I'm on the topic, I feel like Islam has a pretty straightforward stance on homosexuality—it's strictly forbidden. So, for someone like Anas, who's knowledgeable about his religion and deeply devoted to it, to suggest to his daughter that having gay parents is perfectly fine within our faith just doesn't sit right with me.

Also, one more thing that gave me the ick was the name of certain things displayed in Arabic, why not just say tea why would you put "Atay" every single time? We get that some words can't be translated to English like "Wudu" or "Abaya" or "hannuna", but everyone drinks tea, just say tea.

PS: The author should really start a revision on the book because it has got plenty of grammar errors, there's confusion between "a" and "an", "she" and "he", and "his" "him" and "her". Also the switch from "we" to 3rd person POV, that was weird.

[Aera · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this but it just turned out bad. Firstly, the third pov was so irritating.😑 I am usually okay with reading books in 3rd pov but this was just not it. It was like reading wattpad book written really bad. I tried ignoring that as this is a debut book but I couldn't even relate to the characters.
Secondly, as muslims, I expected alot of thing that represent islam but no, it just ended with hijab and listening quran? ALSO WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THEM GAZING EACH OTHER WHEN IT'S CLEARLY NOT ALLOWED. In Islam, you gotta lower your gaze in front of the opposite gender.

Then we get to the part where Anas is clearly disrespecting his parents which also does not represent islam. You can't disrespect your parents no matter what they do to you. (Ignoring the extreme cases, I don't have much knowledge on that)
I DNF earlier but there is line something like "family having 2 moms and 2 dads is okay" Which is said by Anas to Souliha. WHAT?!! NO DEAR, THERE'S NO WAY THAT'S ALLOWED. I have read about prophet having 11 wives but that was not to have fun. Prophet PBUH was saving the widows because Arabs use to burn the widows. So he used to marry them so that they can live well. Well these are things I have been thought (Allah knows better and please correct me if I am wrong somewhere)

In conclusion, this book really disappointed me.

[Anta · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, we follow the story of Hayat, a digital designer, and Anas, a single father passionate about renovation. We witness their growth as individuals and as a couple, all while adhering to the principles of halal.
What I like most about this book are the topics addressed, including Islam, people who are overweight, and harassment. We live in a society where if you don't fit the established criteria, you are automatically subjected to harassment. It is important to discuss these issues so that anyone experiencing such things can move on and learn to love themselves.
I recommend this book to everyone, regardless of whether they are Muslim or not. It can help Muslims strengthen their faith and allow non-Muslims to form their own opinions beyond what the media presents. I also recommend it to anyone who would like to understand the daily life of a Muslim and how the teachings of Islam can help us in our everyday lives.

[Zoyaaa ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 loved the debut i can’t wait to read more by the author, i am taking every bit of muslim romance and loving it call me biased but I loveee love it!!
BUDDY READ WITH: mikii ♡ ♡ ♡

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

"احبك في الله "
My Allah grant everyone a halal love like this one. Ameen.
Truly halal love is the purest type if love and I hope every muslim gets to experience it. I love this book so much and i have some things to say💃
To start off it does a great representation of Islam and how love in Islam should really be. Considering this generation and how some people are convinced that “no man is gonna come through the door” therefore they normalized them coming from the window. Like even i was convinced that it’s not possible and you can’t know a guy without “dating” however reading the book and seeing the steps made me realize that Allah swt made things halal and haram for our own good and no matter how hard it is to understand why we have to accept it because Allah knows best. The way Anas asked for her dad’s number and how they both met with mahrams, the muqabalat and everything filled my heart with joy because everything was so pure and right. Yes it is fiction but no it’s not impossible to have this kind of life if you are close to Allah and seek his guidance on everything. I learned a lot actually while reading this book and i really enjoyed it. May Allah grant all of us this kind of pure love and happiness.

[refa · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 38%

Thank you, Maal, for inviting me to read this book together, but unfortunately, I had to dnf this book.

I feel disappointed because this is the first halal romance I read, and it's not that good. I know it's a debut novel, but I couldn't continue because of the bad writing.

I felt like this book was too long. There was a lot of repetition of events and unnecessary explanations in this book.

I also couldn't understand how Anas could like Hayat when in their first meeting Anas didn't even glance at Hayat. He just left and didn't thank Hayat for accompanying his daughter. But later on, he said he had an interest in Hayat and wanted to get to know her through her father.

In addition, I didn't like Anas' attitude when his father apologized to him. Although I know Anas and his parents don't have a good relationship because of his previous divorce.

As for Hayat... I can't think of anything about her.

This book is so cringe, and I can't help anymore.

[Cece !! · Rating 5 out of 5]

im speechless. this book had everything i expected in a 5-star. i loved how hayat and anas communicated throughout the book, even when mad.
im a #no.1zahiahater to the core !!
i saw a to be continued so i’m hoping to see more of the family !! maybe more of kamila 🤭🤭