A Second Look

by Hannah Matus

Caught in a struggle to navigate the often-conflicting demands of faith, career, and relationships, Elizza BenTaleb is a young Muslim woman in her final semester obtaining MBA. While dreaming to open up a clean energy business to help people in Libya on the one hand, she is trying to mother her four sisters, each divergent in their own ways – from uber-conservative to Insta-famous Hijabi – on the other.
Elizza's life takes a complicated turn when a successful Libyan businessman, Firas Tarseen, is hired for a semester to give lectures at the university. Elizza has some less than genial encounters with the fellow, but can't seem to avoid bumping into him everywhere. Can they overlook their first impressions of each other to realize that they may have more in common than they know?

Genres: Adult, Muslims, Fiction

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2023

About the author

Hannah Matus, Esq. is a licensed attorney in the state of Ohio and a mother of three. Holding an MA degree in English in addition to her J.D., Matus’ most pleasurable hobbies are reading and writing. A Second Look is her debut novel.

Reviews

[آية · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deserves so much more popularity! It is honestly the best Pride and Prejudice retelling I've read. It does a splendid job parallelizing Austen's characters with the modern-day Muslim American version of them. They're all Libyan, and while I am Arab I'm not Libyan nor have I read any books with Libyan main characters so it was interesting to read about some of their unique cultural aspects, like in terms of weddings, phrases, etc.

I only think that it could've used *slightly* more editing. The plot could've been slightly different so that it would've been more surprising/suspenseful instead of completely predictable (bc it almost perfectly mirrored the OG P&P). Some character arcs could've been more satisfying...I liked the direction it was going with "Leedya," almost giving her a redemption of sorts that she didn't get in the original P&P, but then I felt like it didn't fully make the point it was aiming for. There were also several details that could've been elaborated on, like whether certain characters (especially Darcy and Bingley) were raised in Libya or America. It makes a HUGE difference in the characters and it could've easily been clarified, but I was left with the impression that some who were born/raised in Libya were speaking with too much American slang for them to be truly Libyan so I was confused.

Also there wasn't a solid sense of *place* - like I knew when the characters visited NYC or Libya but where in America did they live to begin with? I think that's an important detail that could've added so much more depth. What kind of house/neighborhood did the sisters live in? We know it has three bedrooms, but was it a town house or did it have a front/backyard and what sort of neighborhood was it? What was the social landscape of their Muslim community? We only ever heard about other Libyans but as a Muslim American I'd assume that their social sphere consisted of more than *just* Libyans? Just details like that could've been added for a richer and smoother and more immersive story.

I love that all of the characters in this book reflect some very real/relatable personalities from our own American Muslim communities. I thought it was really ingenious to make Lydia Bennet's mirror character to be a hijabi social media influencer, Mary's to be a reserved/introverted Salafi, and Eliza's to be a judgmental (prejudiced!) yet caring and passionate MBA student! Mrs. Bennet aka Ummul'Banaat was in some ways so much more infuriating than the original Mrs. Bennet because of how much more real she seemed to me--what with the admonishing of her daughters to settle for less and all the bukhur and blue eye charms to protect against the evil eye (which I applauded Maryam for refusing!). Bingley/Darcy could've been more appealing but they weren't bad lol.

This is what I call good Muslim representation. It's not just the different culture/language that are represented, but the characters' entire worldviews are also represented. Differences in religious opinion/practice, the way the MC wore her hijab, the conflict between religion and culture. Most mainstream Muslim representation is just surface-level, because liberal ideology doesn't care for diversity in thought, only in race/gender/sexual identity/language and so on. So this book gives us the representation of religious Muslim worldviews that we need.

In all, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would definitely read anything else the author writes. I highly recommend Austen fans or fans of Muslim fiction to pick this up.

[sara سارة · Rating 4 out of 5]

''Apparently, a girl was not allowed to imagine the possibility of landing the man of her dreams.''

muslim hopeless romantic girlies who want an actual halal story, this book is for you. you do not know how happy and relived i am to finally find a halal romance where the characters are proud of their culture, proud of their islam, proud of wearing the hijab. the fmc, elizza, is a libyan-american muslimah, studying bussiness in university. she is the muslim/hijabi representation i yearned for and wished for. there is NO incorrect portraying of islam, where she's ''abused and oppressed'' and somehow gets ''saved'' by a haram relationship.

''She would do what Allah (SWT) commanded, be her best Muslim self, but she silenty prayed for a partner to help her along the journey. Maybe she needed to do something tangible to get there? She woke up to pray tahajjud.''

adding to that, i loved how the author made the mmc a good muslim man. he didn't try to flirt, joke, none of that. but, she also didn't make him cold or rude. he helped her, and he comforted her in situations where she was struggling. it was halal. there was no him trying to hug her, touch her, etc. he asks for her hand in marriage respectfully and knows where his boundaries are. and..he called her beautiful ONCE THEY GOT MARRIED. my heart is so full 🥹

as someone with only one sister, seeing the relationship elizza has with her 4 was so fun, and it was REAL. they have their issues, try to advise one another, and each one of them has her own story. it's a very correct interpertation of what a lively muslim household looks like.

muslim authors, please write more of books like this. this is what we need, this is what we want. thank you.

4.5 stars!!

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could have done with a lot more editing and a lot more development of certain story elements, but it's a solid Pride and Prejudice retelling and I had fun overall.

[Riham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! the crossover with pride and prejudice was so genius and articulated really well! i had fun reading the book while fitting the story line/scene to the same scene in pride and prejudice. loved the libyan refrences, as i am also libyan and could strongly relate to the language the food the culture. im a sucker for a good romance, especially a halal romance (an enemies to lovers at that). the character development throughout was really clear and showing different peeks are tarseens personality and feelings helped the book grow. would definitely recommend this book!!

[Asma ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it ♡
Rtc

[Masa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I reached pg#68 in "A second look" novel and I fetl like the novel is actually a bit like "Pride & Prejudice", it is "Pride & Prejudice" the Libyan version ( Elizza being Elizabeth and Tarseen being Mr.Darcy). I really enjoyed it.
Just finished it, I really did love the novel , I loved Elizza personality, giving me a push to go on toward my aim , BTW Elizza we do have this organisation called " Leadership and Innovation Center" مركز الريادة والابتكار ,that actually help young libyans with business ideas for making Libya a better place (It supports BUSINESSWOMEN ).
Such a great novel with a magnificent plot.
Well done Hannah matus

[Rumaisa Bilal · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝐈𝐟 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧".
.
Mark my words for "𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤".
.
Lot of you always ask me about books for older kids, teens, as you rarely see them on my platform because they don't match "my criteria." Let me tell you why today. Read till the end😊
It's now Best Muslim book award holder as well.
.
👉Insta Hijabi sister 🤭
👉🏻References of social media 🤣
👉🏼a bunch of sisters on a spectrum of religion, and the way they practice it. From modest to conservative🧕🏽
👉🏾Two rich men are looking for suitable matches.🤵‍♂️
👉🏿Worried mom of 5 daughters to marry them off in a rich family👰‍♀️
👉🏽Lybian American culture, food, lots of Arabic.
👉suitable match hunt in Arab household.
👉no kissing, touching, meeting in alone, no hanky panky, no exchange of romantic words but rather the opposite. Read with full comfort, which proved that a good book doesn't "𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆" all of this to get a message conveyed. To make your reader "read a book" and fall in love with it.
.
I laughed out loud 🤣 the way it was written to catch your second look, according to 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐡. Tell me if you've read that Hadith in comments below.
.
The way I saw Islam in it, starting from hijab, Imam, praying in Jamah/Jamat/congregational prayer, I wish to see more books like this one in market when there are several Own voices coming for 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬.
.
I just wish to see a 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐦 as good guys rather than practicing for show off like an Imam, his aunt and Marium but as this is Debut novel, I can forgive an author for this and wishing her all the best for her upcoming work (I've discussed in detail with her in DM).
.
I'm just lost for words to praise this book anymore... speechless.

[Humaira · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not a huge fan of retelling in the first place and I feel like pride and prejudice is hard to get right without outright word for word copying.

I think this book tried it’s best to be a retelling of price and prejudice but I honestly didn’t feel the chemistry from any of the couples and I felt like Jana was written as too perfect.

There were some editing issues and some sentences were too clunky and needed some more finesse but this is a book that took way too long to get to the point and I felt like it was a meh read even through I was really excited by the premise.

[MilesofMystery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. I feel like it was the best muslim representation I've read so far in a published book (published because there's some amazingly written books on wattpad). Loved the various personalities of the sisters, and my favourite character was Abul Banaat. Would read anything else written by this author.

[⪧ Aqsa ⪦ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

My hardest trials and tests in life thus far, she thought, are watching the people that I love in pain.

"Every single person could use a reminder. No one is perfect. We've all sinned at one point or another. Every. Single. One of us."

What she wouldn’t give right now to go back to those simpler moments in her family’s history.

This book had me more infuriated than entertained.
This was a Pride & Prejudice retelling with muslim Libyan American characters, which I haven't read, so cannot comment on how that was done.
The writing felt a bit akward at times. The cover is so elegant though 👀🤩

Their mother just desperate to get them all married anyhow, her total disregard for Elizza's feelings and career, and the family coddling Leedya all the time just left me frustrated.

If Leedya had just asked her parents about marrying George, they would have eventually agreed. And how she showed absolutely no remorse about what she had done and what her family had to go through made me SOOO MAD.
Understandably they were all relieved nothing bad happend to her but she faced no real repercussions of her actions.
...her father merely said, “I’ll know she is actually ready to be a married woman when she comes into my office to talk to me about it herself.” Elizza agreed, so she kept his statement to herself. Leedya, though, was convinced her father was out to get her and doing everything he could to sabotage her marriage.
“If I wanted to leave and go live with him right now, no one would be able to stop me,” she said mutinously. “I’m only staying here to humor him.” That’s what she said, but just where he was living, she would not say outright. They all listened to her rants dubiously until Elizza finally had it from Kawthar that his “stipend” for school was not going to be given to him until the start of the semester in a month. And that he was sleeping on friends’ couches until he could afford the deposit on an apartment.
OMG THE AUDACITY 😫😫

Also, I was confused- why was Jana facing difficulties getting marriage proposals? She was gorgeous, kind and well liked by the neighbourhood aunties, then I don't see what was the problem.

I couldn’t really feel any connection between Elizza and Tarseen either even Jana and BenAli; she was too good for him.
And the way Tarseen insulted her family (though to be fair, most things he said were true) was NOT OK.

Plus why did Kareena send Tasreen the reel screenshot, that wasn't explained?

I feel bad for the rating, I really wanted to like this 🥲. Still, others might like this more than me, especially P&P fans.
Nevertheless, it was fun to read about Libyan culture and the romance was halal.



...her heart gurgling in her mouth.
I had a fun time imagining this 😆😆

"I recently just lost my father, the backbone of our family, and it was a crushing experience to realize that the person you relied on was now gone, and you had to figure out your life on your own. I realized just how much my father was to me, meant to me and really supported me"
(Not a spoiler btw, this was a side character)

Elizza had stopped listening to music the year before, having read some hadith and commentary indicating that it was best to avoid it. And she could see why, really, given the fact that most music these days centered on themes of fornication, drinking, and other no-nos for practicing Muslims.
🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

Elizza herself was not big on birthdays—they seemed a pointless celebration, celebrating a person not for an accomplishment but for their serendipity of being born on a certain date.
Real

Instead, she pictured Kareema being punched in the face. Ya Rabb, she prayed, make it happen one day to humble her. Not me, of course. But Ya Rabb, someday, please send someone to punch her in her smug face, with me as a witness, to satisfy my yearning to see her taught a lesson, that leads her to becoming a better, or less awful, person. Ameen.
Ahaa 😌😮‍💨

[Nihad Askri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book retold the story of "Pride and Prejudice" without any additional plots or effort from the author

[Narmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

'A Second Look' by Hannah Matus is a well-crafted retelling of Austen’s 'Pride and Prejudice' from a Muslim perspective. It's a lighthearted and engaging read, with moments of suspense. I finished it in one day and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Duwa Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the cutest Muslamic book I’ve read!! This Muslim version of Pride and Prejudice was adorable, I read it so quickly, I was engrossed!! I wish a book like this existed when I was younger!!

[Khairun Atika · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Every single person could use a reminder. No one is perfect. We've all sinned at one point or another. Every. Single. One of us." - A Second Look by Hannah Matus

As a Muslimah and a Jane Austen fan, I would immediately devour any Muslim retelling of an Austen work. And this contemporary romance novel, based on Pride and Prejudice is exactly what I need.

Elizza BenTaleb is our heroine here, an ambitious and intelligent Muslim woman in America who is about to complete her MBA. Her dream is to set up a clean energy in her homeland, Libya, and she balances her dreams with taking care of her four sisters.

However, the arrival of wealthy and brooding Libyan businessman Firas Tarseen makes Elizza second-guess her choices, her opportunities, and even the actions of her family. While she is annoyed that she is bumping into him all the time, she cannot help but think how much they have in common.

This adaptation was spot on in modernising the characterisation of the counterparts of the source material. I loved how Lady Catherine is a haughty Hajjah, how Mr Collins is now Kamaal the condescending imam, and how Leedya is an influencer of sorts.

The fact that this is set in the home of a Libyan-American family also lends a sort of familiarity to me, as they constantly talk about Fiqh in Islam, and the mentions to various hadith also makes it a book I could resonate with. There are so many important reminders and teachings in the story, making it even more layered and profound, a wonderful reading experience for me. I truly enjoyed this one and am excited to read more from this author.

[On the Same Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciate how much focus there is on practicing Islam, and that different characters do this in different ways. I also liked how the author took the beats from Pride & Prejudice and adjusted them to fit within a modern setting, with Arab characters. I don't think all the changes worked equally well, but overall nothing stood out to me as extremely out of place or odd. There is one chapter from the perspective of Tarseen that starts by breaking the fourth wall, which did feel weird and kind of unnecessary. I think the point of it was to show that his intention is different from how Elizza perceived his actions, but we could've gotten there a different way.

The book is tackling some difficult subjects, like the idea that some Arab parents have about how their daughters should act and what their futures should look like, and how marriage and children should be the ultimate goal for any woman. Elizza doesn't quite see it that way, and her struggles felt very relatable.

That said, the thing that makes Pride & Prejudice such a beloved book for me is definitely the banter between Elizabeth and Darcy, and I did feel that we kind of lost there here. There aren't a lot of witty responses or sharp remarks. There is one mildly amusing moment, and I didn't dislike any of the interactions we got to see, but it also didn't have me excited to get to the next time they meet. It was a fine read, but as a retelling it does lack something.

This book also features characters from Palestine, although their origin doesn't play any part in the story.

[Katty Book Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
Had this book in my TBR for so long as I couldn’t find a ebook of this. Finally, I got my hands on one!👌🏼

This book was perfection (it would do some minor editing but otherwise perfect). It was a proper solid pride and prejudice retelling and I’m always a sucker for Jane Austen books and their retellings. This one was literally a muslim version with halal elements. It was soo good and wholesome!🥰
This book was proper halal romance, a type of romance I could relate and feel excited about. The characters were so different and not one dimensional, it was like reading about fellow Muslim men and women. They had their flaws as well as their perfections.
I had very low expectations when I first started this but it grew as I kept reading. 👌🏼⭐️

I’m glad I picked this book up. Onto the next one!❤️

[Malak · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10-- If you like Pride and Prejudice, try this Libyan/Muslim twist on the story.

This year in class we had to study Pride and Prejudice and I became so obsessed with the 2005 movie. So naturally when @bintyounus told me a Libyan Pride and Prejudice was sent to her, I had to steal it! It was beyond amazing to read a halal romance novel from my own culture (in English). A novel with Islamic principles embedded in naturally and an incredible cast of Libyan characters. A great way to experience Muslim Libyan culture and enjoy a well-loved classic.
Can’t wait for Hannah Matus to write more books, I’ll be eagerly waiting.

[Zenubia Arsalan · Rating 4 out of 5]

To classify this as a Pride and Prejudice retelling would not do justice to this novel. The author has made this her own, giving us a a glimpse into Libyan culture, with a full spectrum of characters with varying levels of religiosity. We get to witness the family dynamics within a Libyan American family, their struggles, their yearning, their bittersweet dreams for the homeland, and for their own lives. The setup, the characters, the pace all flow naturally and didn’t seem coerced into the pattern of the original story.

This is perhaps the first novel that I’ve read about a Libyan family. Read it in one go. Throughly enjoyed it.

[Zejneba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haha it was like a muslim version of pride and prejudice. I was reading and just thinking why do I lowkey know this storyline but not from where... Haha and THEN I REMEMBERED! I was soo happy but also I'm really not the biggest fan of people recreating pride and prejudice (Jane Austen) created storyline. But really good book otherwise!!

[Narjes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book. So refreshing to see candid descriptions of characters & their thought processes that are so relatable to people in my community. Well written (aside from a few typos) and engaging. Awesome debut book; would love to read more from Matus.

[Emma Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing Pride and Prejudice retelling.

[itaacci · Rating 5 out of 5]

muslim pride & prejudice 10/10 recommend

[edanurunlusoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing book, shocked me at the end. modern pride and prejudice.

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice

[Mona Gabr · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice romance book however the writing is lacking to engage with the characters and storytelling. Need more deep engaging with each character and more story about them rather than focusing on one character and ignoring all. The ending was disappointing, lack details and what message what to convey ?

[Serene In Wonderland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a Halal romance, looking for a fun read or has a soft spot for Pride & Prejudice retellings. I LOVED how the author captured the essence of Austen's characters in a modern day Libyan-American context. Being half Libyan I also loved the culture and Libyan visit included.

Content warnings:
All the romance stays halal. No language. I read this a long time ago but I seem to remember more mature topics being discussed (with tact) so more of a teen and/or adult read.

[Raneem Abu-Nimeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite novels, a captivating read.