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The Perfect Bow
You are cordially invited into the marriage ofSumayyah Rahman & Yousef HasanSumayyah was handed the perfect checklist of what life should education, career, marriage, and children. Having made her father proud by becoming a doctor, she honoured her mother’s wishes by agreeing to an arranged marriage.
Yousef was a simple man who had but one to have a family. With the blessings of his parents, he began his pursuit in search of the perfect bou.
Striving for perfection in all facets of her life, Sumayyah effortlessly stepped into roles she’d spent her whole life preparing for. If only she knew a battle was looming — one that threatened everything Sumayyah had worked towards and jeopardised Yousef’s dream.
As she drowns in the expectations set by others, Sumayyah loses herself. With her career now on hold and her marriage hanging in the balance, Sumayyah finds herself torn between the woman she’s been taught to be and the woman she wants to be.
Because if there is one thing she’ll learn, it is that perfection is anything but attainable.
Yousef was a simple man who had but one to have a family. With the blessings of his parents, he began his pursuit in search of the perfect bou.
Striving for perfection in all facets of her life, Sumayyah effortlessly stepped into roles she’d spent her whole life preparing for. If only she knew a battle was looming — one that threatened everything Sumayyah had worked towards and jeopardised Yousef’s dream.
As she drowns in the expectations set by others, Sumayyah loses herself. With her career now on hold and her marriage hanging in the balance, Sumayyah finds herself torn between the woman she’s been taught to be and the woman she wants to be.
Because if there is one thing she’ll learn, it is that perfection is anything but attainable.
- GenresContemporary
351 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2024
27 people are currently reading
445 people want to read
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August 18, 2025
i went into this thinking it was a romcom... what whiplash (bengalis mentioned but at what cost?)
this book focuses on marriages in south asian cultures and the pressures faced by women by the people around them after marriage. It is very eye-opening on the accounts of what women experience from their husbands and in-laws after marriage, and terrifyingly so because it's a harsh reality for many of the women in those cultures who experience things similar to those depicted in the book. it also explores the marriage situations of the protagonist's three friends, each with their own problems. i hated the husband and the in-laws, it's really sad that some people experienced these things
this book focuses on marriages in south asian cultures and the pressures faced by women by the people around them after marriage. It is very eye-opening on the accounts of what women experience from their husbands and in-laws after marriage, and terrifyingly so because it's a harsh reality for many of the women in those cultures who experience things similar to those depicted in the book. it also explores the marriage situations of the protagonist's three friends, each with their own problems. i hated the husband and the in-laws, it's really sad that some people experienced these things
May 2, 2024
Rating: 4 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Hero: 🌟🌟🌟
Heroine: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: No spice
Okay so I had to take a break to gather my thoughts around this book.
*Note there may be some spoilers*
I finished this book in one sitting and read through the night then I had to get ready for work!
This was my first south Asian book that I have read. I’ve never steered towards them as I’m more into my Mafia and Historical romances but this really stood out with the TikTok snippets and I waited eagerly for May 1st.
Where do I freaking start! This was such an emotional roller coaster ride. My heart ached for all 4 friends and their journey. Even if the main focus was on Summayah, we see her friends lives through her lens and all 4 friends leads their own lives having very different issues but they’re all in very similar boats. Don’t even bother going reading ahead, just go buy it or borrow the book from kindle unlimited.
Summayah is striving to be the best and try to fulfil her father’s dream. I think it’s quite common in South Asian households that children are pushed into following the dreams of their family rather than their own. It seriously doesn’t work out all the time and you end up sacrificing a lot and resentment settles in.
Anyway, back to the story, Summayah is striving and pushing herself to become a perfectionist for her father, she walks life according to his plans and works hard to complete the framework he’s created for her. She becomes the perfect daughter.
She’s introduced to Yousef once she graduates and she likes him. I liked him, he was funny, adorable and seemed to understand her apprehensions around this whole marriage thing. And it was so relatable because I’ve been through my fair share, it is not comfortable at all and sometimes it’s too funny.
I really enjoyed how the author wrote their interactions through the next months until they got married and shared snippets of their life after marriage. I hoped we’d get more of an insight into their relationship as it seemed after the initial few moments of happiness in their marriage, there seemed to issue after issue circling the drain. I found it a little difficult that Yousef didn’t defend Summayah given that he’d desperately wanted to marry her and had to beg his mother to accept this marriage. I would’ve thought he would have defended Summayah and intervened more. Summayah spends years trying to achieve the perfect wife and daughter in law title.
Yousef - I really liked him but the more Summayah endured and the more he and his family chipped away at her mould, making her sacrifice without anything in return, my admiration for him dwindled down. I had hoped he would realise and change but we don’t see that. And it is so very true. Very few men change for their wives and expect the woman to change everything as if she hadn’t just left her whole life, family and everything she loves behind. I do agree with some bits - Summayah’s expectation of Yousef knowing to do something or what to say is unfair on her part. Men aren’t mind readers. They need instructions, a map, a compass and handholding. It’s just how they’re wired after getting married. Clear communication is the ultimate key in making a marriage work.
I’m probably reiterating but I wanted to see more positive aspects of their relationship to make me believe that the relationship was worth fighting for. While there were many negatives of joint families highlighted here, there should have been an aspect of some positives because not all joint families tended to be so unhappy. It didn’t feel like it was worth it for Summayah to fight so much for the relationship and I kind of hoped she’d go down the route of a divorce quick!
I really liked that Bengali was being represented here because I don’t think there’s many that I have come across and I’ve seen my fair share of other ethnic backgrounds. Anyway, I really liked that here because being a Bengali myself, it did portray quite a few cultural realities that I could relate to. I was slightly disappointed as much as quite a few of the negatives was highlighted, I wish the author had highlighted a few of the positives.
I’ve grown up with an immigrant father and a British mother so it was quite different in our household and our circles were different so I wish there was a different sort of Bengali family was shown that was the same generation as Summayas and Yousefs families.
I loved some of the Bengali words added on, so funny and relatable as I’ve grown up with some of these familial phrases 😂
I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series. I wish I’d known it would be a series as I tend to avoid them until they’re all finished so I can read it altogether with no breaks 😂 but I’m sure the wait will be so worth it.
I wonder what else is in store for the 4 friends and their families?
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Hero: 🌟🌟🌟
Heroine: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: No spice
Okay so I had to take a break to gather my thoughts around this book.
*Note there may be some spoilers*
I finished this book in one sitting and read through the night then I had to get ready for work!
This was my first south Asian book that I have read. I’ve never steered towards them as I’m more into my Mafia and Historical romances but this really stood out with the TikTok snippets and I waited eagerly for May 1st.
Where do I freaking start! This was such an emotional roller coaster ride. My heart ached for all 4 friends and their journey. Even if the main focus was on Summayah, we see her friends lives through her lens and all 4 friends leads their own lives having very different issues but they’re all in very similar boats. Don’t even bother going reading ahead, just go buy it or borrow the book from kindle unlimited.
Summayah is striving to be the best and try to fulfil her father’s dream. I think it’s quite common in South Asian households that children are pushed into following the dreams of their family rather than their own. It seriously doesn’t work out all the time and you end up sacrificing a lot and resentment settles in.
Anyway, back to the story, Summayah is striving and pushing herself to become a perfectionist for her father, she walks life according to his plans and works hard to complete the framework he’s created for her. She becomes the perfect daughter.
She’s introduced to Yousef once she graduates and she likes him. I liked him, he was funny, adorable and seemed to understand her apprehensions around this whole marriage thing. And it was so relatable because I’ve been through my fair share, it is not comfortable at all and sometimes it’s too funny.
I really enjoyed how the author wrote their interactions through the next months until they got married and shared snippets of their life after marriage. I hoped we’d get more of an insight into their relationship as it seemed after the initial few moments of happiness in their marriage, there seemed to issue after issue circling the drain. I found it a little difficult that Yousef didn’t defend Summayah given that he’d desperately wanted to marry her and had to beg his mother to accept this marriage. I would’ve thought he would have defended Summayah and intervened more. Summayah spends years trying to achieve the perfect wife and daughter in law title.
Yousef - I really liked him but the more Summayah endured and the more he and his family chipped away at her mould, making her sacrifice without anything in return, my admiration for him dwindled down. I had hoped he would realise and change but we don’t see that. And it is so very true. Very few men change for their wives and expect the woman to change everything as if she hadn’t just left her whole life, family and everything she loves behind. I do agree with some bits - Summayah’s expectation of Yousef knowing to do something or what to say is unfair on her part. Men aren’t mind readers. They need instructions, a map, a compass and handholding. It’s just how they’re wired after getting married. Clear communication is the ultimate key in making a marriage work.
I’m probably reiterating but I wanted to see more positive aspects of their relationship to make me believe that the relationship was worth fighting for. While there were many negatives of joint families highlighted here, there should have been an aspect of some positives because not all joint families tended to be so unhappy. It didn’t feel like it was worth it for Summayah to fight so much for the relationship and I kind of hoped she’d go down the route of a divorce quick!
I really liked that Bengali was being represented here because I don’t think there’s many that I have come across and I’ve seen my fair share of other ethnic backgrounds. Anyway, I really liked that here because being a Bengali myself, it did portray quite a few cultural realities that I could relate to. I was slightly disappointed as much as quite a few of the negatives was highlighted, I wish the author had highlighted a few of the positives.
I’ve grown up with an immigrant father and a British mother so it was quite different in our household and our circles were different so I wish there was a different sort of Bengali family was shown that was the same generation as Summayas and Yousefs families.
I loved some of the Bengali words added on, so funny and relatable as I’ve grown up with some of these familial phrases 😂
I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series. I wish I’d known it would be a series as I tend to avoid them until they’re all finished so I can read it altogether with no breaks 😂 but I’m sure the wait will be so worth it.
I wonder what else is in store for the 4 friends and their families?
April 22, 2025
First read:
I never thought I’d cry by the end of this book. Absolutely moving and heartbreaking. Everytime I thought Sumayyah would get her family’s support they let her down miserably. How I wish that she was able to walk away earlier!!
Second read:
Although this was a re-read it’s amazing how it felt like I was reading the story for the first time. I enjoyed Sumayyah and Yousef’s early interactions completely aware of what was to come next. Every small thing that Sumayyah was overlooking or forgiving amount to the bigger sacrifices she kept continuing to make whilst brushing away her own wants and needs. As soon as I finished this book the first time I read it I knew I would come back again. I now have the second book on Zoya’s story in front of me and I never thought I’d say this, but I think I am ready for another heartbreak.
I never thought I’d cry by the end of this book. Absolutely moving and heartbreaking. Everytime I thought Sumayyah would get her family’s support they let her down miserably. How I wish that she was able to walk away earlier!!
Second read:
Although this was a re-read it’s amazing how it felt like I was reading the story for the first time. I enjoyed Sumayyah and Yousef’s early interactions completely aware of what was to come next. Every small thing that Sumayyah was overlooking or forgiving amount to the bigger sacrifices she kept continuing to make whilst brushing away her own wants and needs. As soon as I finished this book the first time I read it I knew I would come back again. I now have the second book on Zoya’s story in front of me and I never thought I’d say this, but I think I am ready for another heartbreak.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2024
A welcomed insight into the ‘traditional’ views of South Asians. A lot of readers from this particular ethnic background will find at least one relatable page in this book. At times these similarities are a breath of fresh air. At other times, it can be triggering in how close to home some lived experiences are.
The writing can seem a little amateur at times but the book is so fast paced that you don’t have time to ponder on this.
This whole story comes with a wave of emotions, touching on all the different aspects of a woman’s life that may bring pain and sorrow.
To all the strong women out there, may we find strength in the decisions we make to put ourselves first 🫶🏽 🥂
The writing can seem a little amateur at times but the book is so fast paced that you don’t have time to ponder on this.
This whole story comes with a wave of emotions, touching on all the different aspects of a woman’s life that may bring pain and sorrow.
To all the strong women out there, may we find strength in the decisions we make to put ourselves first 🫶🏽 🥂
November 20, 2024
This book had me in tears 95% of time. Amazing story of strength and highlighting stereotypes of women and more specifically of them within religions in a realistic story of marriage. Will definitely be reading the rest of the series once it’s out!
June 15, 2024
Marriage is scary fr fr.
July 20, 2025
I can't be bothered to write a proper review, so enjoy this list of pros and cons instead:
pros:
- the friendship between the core four was really sweet. it was a lovely example of female friendship and was really heartwarming to read.
- the book touched on some interesting themes/ points of stigma in the south asian community that need to be talked about
- the book was (mildly) entertaining enough for me to read the whole thing. the chapters were short and I was able to make this book a quick light read.
cons:
- I could not feel sorry for sumayyah at all. I know she went through it and call me heartless idc, but she played the victim card ten times out of ten, constantly complained, never thought she had to change at ANY part of the book, kept going on and on and on about how she constantly lived for other people, and it was a massive case of 'tell, not show.'
- the writing was... how do I say this. not great there was a typo or grammar mistake practically every other sentence. i'm not a snob– I dont need every book I read to be the most poetically written masterpiece on the planet– but here, it was enough to be distracting. it might be difficult to get a book editor, but it seems to me that even the grammar/spellcheck function on the author's Microsoft Word was just gathering digital dust.
- the author wanted to give a more 'real' portrayal of the brown/muslim community and show that not everything is always sunshine and rainbows, but it seemed to me that we just couldn't catch a break. the overall impression given of the two was pretty negative, and especially looking at the marriages of the four friends, I dont think a single one of them had good things to say about their husbands. at risk of sounding like a man... not all men are like that!!
I get the idea of this book, I really do. but it just didnt do it for me :/
pros:
- the friendship between the core four was really sweet. it was a lovely example of female friendship and was really heartwarming to read.
- the book touched on some interesting themes/ points of stigma in the south asian community that need to be talked about
- the book was (mildly) entertaining enough for me to read the whole thing. the chapters were short and I was able to make this book a quick light read.
cons:
- I could not feel sorry for sumayyah at all. I know she went through it and call me heartless idc, but she played the victim card ten times out of ten, constantly complained, never thought she had to change at ANY part of the book, kept going on and on and on about how she constantly lived for other people, and it was a massive case of 'tell, not show.'
- the writing was... how do I say this. not great there was a typo or grammar mistake practically every other sentence. i'm not a snob– I dont need every book I read to be the most poetically written masterpiece on the planet– but here, it was enough to be distracting. it might be difficult to get a book editor, but it seems to me that even the grammar/spellcheck function on the author's Microsoft Word was just gathering digital dust.
- the author wanted to give a more 'real' portrayal of the brown/muslim community and show that not everything is always sunshine and rainbows, but it seemed to me that we just couldn't catch a break. the overall impression given of the two was pretty negative, and especially looking at the marriages of the four friends, I dont think a single one of them had good things to say about their husbands. at risk of sounding like a man... not all men are like that!!
I get the idea of this book, I really do. but it just didnt do it for me :/
August 8, 2024
This book was really good. I usually prefer books that have both characters point of views, but the author did a good job of highlighting the mmc’s voice as well.
This book follows Sumayyah and her childhood friends that are trying to figure out life while also navigating their family dynamics. Most of them are first generation and with that comes a lot of expectations. They all come from very strict families. Almost all her childhood friends have to enter arranged marriages. The fmc and her friends struggles made me really sad.
Here they are living in the UK and still they lack choices and the ability to make decisions with fear of being an out cast to their community and to their families as well.
I will say I highly suggest this book. It was a great read.
I’m excited for the next book.
This book follows Sumayyah and her childhood friends that are trying to figure out life while also navigating their family dynamics. Most of them are first generation and with that comes a lot of expectations. They all come from very strict families. Almost all her childhood friends have to enter arranged marriages. The fmc and her friends struggles made me really sad.
Here they are living in the UK and still they lack choices and the ability to make decisions with fear of being an out cast to their community and to their families as well.
I will say I highly suggest this book. It was a great read.
I’m excited for the next book.
August 10, 2025
Sumayyah has always been perfect to try and please her family and that carried on over to her married life. As is typical if most arranged marriages in south Asian culture, she gives and gives. Her inability to have a child makes her in-laws and husband treat her like shit. Slowly her life starts to unravel. She finds out her husband emotionally cheated on her, finds out he is the reason they cant have kids, even if she does have endometriosis. And in typical Asian culture, divorce is frowned on. When she asks for a divorce, she gets disowned.
May 14, 2025
Slightly wattpad-y writing you can tell it’s a new author but I loved loved the story very fast paced cried twice I love the main character her family reacted exactly how I expected them to I’m so glad she left it was nice to see her standing up for herself
Very realistic 7.85/10 kiss kiss
Hope the grandma slips down a flight of stairs <33
Very realistic 7.85/10 kiss kiss
Hope the grandma slips down a flight of stairs <33
July 24, 2024
its sad that this is the reality for so many
“It was like I had spent my whole life pouring water into everyone else’s vase, and there wasn’t enough left for me to blossom. I was just a sad, dying flower.”
“It was like I had spent my whole life pouring water into everyone else’s vase, and there wasn’t enough left for me to blossom. I was just a sad, dying flower.”
November 15, 2025
this book twisted a knife I didn’t even know had already stabbed me. It awakened fears about marriage I didn’t remember I had. It’s not that it was extreme- it’s the fact that what happened in the book is a very real possibility for me and others. It’s too real. The whole book was too real because I could picture myself in Sumayah’s shoes every step of the way.
June 23, 2024
I didn’t start this book with a lot of expectations but I can say that after finishing it I was filled with a lot of mixed emotions,
Anger towards her parents, her in-laws and her husband.
Sadness towards her friends and their marital problems but most of all my relief and admiration for her courage.
I don’t usually read books like this, but I found this by chance on TikTok, and I’m very pleased to say that this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. the only downside to this and it’s not really downside because this happens in real life the fact that they(the family members, both hers and his) take certain part of our religion seriously and ignore the rest, and in this case I’m talking about the divorce, I mean i know I’m not the most well read Muslim but I can say that all that happened were grounds for divorce but they didn’t want to agree with her because of culture and people’s say .
I don’t know how to express my feelings on the topic much but what I can say is that I’m going to recommend this to everyone I know they need to read it . I feel like a lot of women are going through this and nothing is being said about it.
I’m not Asian but African and I can say that it happens in this part of the world too. These are the kind of books we should see cause they feel like eye openers to what’s is going on in our society.
I have a lot of feelings on this so I can’t put it in words right now. I cried a lot reading this book and that’s saying something seeing as I’m not someone who cries a lot when watching movies or reading books.
And the AUDACITY from her husband!!!
All I can say is that I’m happy that she escaped from that sham of marriage and she thought about herself for once but at the same time I’m excited to read about her friends marriages, so I’m looking forward to the next book.
Anger towards her parents, her in-laws and her husband.
Sadness towards her friends and their marital problems but most of all my relief and admiration for her courage.
I don’t usually read books like this, but I found this by chance on TikTok, and I’m very pleased to say that this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. the only downside to this and it’s not really downside because this happens in real life the fact that they(the family members, both hers and his) take certain part of our religion seriously and ignore the rest, and in this case I’m talking about the divorce, I mean i know I’m not the most well read Muslim but I can say that all that happened were grounds for divorce but they didn’t want to agree with her because of culture and people’s say .
I don’t know how to express my feelings on the topic much but what I can say is that I’m going to recommend this to everyone I know they need to read it . I feel like a lot of women are going through this and nothing is being said about it.
I’m not Asian but African and I can say that it happens in this part of the world too. These are the kind of books we should see cause they feel like eye openers to what’s is going on in our society.
I have a lot of feelings on this so I can’t put it in words right now. I cried a lot reading this book and that’s saying something seeing as I’m not someone who cries a lot when watching movies or reading books.
And the AUDACITY from her husband!!!
All I can say is that I’m happy that she escaped from that sham of marriage and she thought about herself for once but at the same time I’m excited to read about her friends marriages, so I’m looking forward to the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2024
3.5 stars
I felt so incredibly enraged with this book and the characters, however I know this is a reality for loads of people in the South Asian community but the misogyny was so frustrating. Nevertheless, I still sped through this book.
What really frustrated me however was the jumping timeline. There was no headlines on chapters of how much time has elapsed and sometimes left me so confused. Some of the dialogue also felt very immature and also slightly Wattpad-esque.
I think this was an important read and covered a lot of important topics.
I felt so incredibly enraged with this book and the characters, however I know this is a reality for loads of people in the South Asian community but the misogyny was so frustrating. Nevertheless, I still sped through this book.
What really frustrated me however was the jumping timeline. There was no headlines on chapters of how much time has elapsed and sometimes left me so confused. Some of the dialogue also felt very immature and also slightly Wattpad-esque.
I think this was an important read and covered a lot of important topics.
December 6, 2024
This is probably the first book I don’t regret reading just after seeing a Booktok post. It’s written so nicely, very clearly depicting the struggles & mentality of women living in a male dominant culture. I’m a Sikh and this story was about a Muslim girl but trust me, I could see myself in her shoes if I ever end up marrying someone like Yousef.
Marrying someone like Yousef is my biggest fear when it comes to settling down & marriage eventually. I’m so scared of it that I probably will never get married and even if I did, I’ll always wait for the other shoe to drop. It will drop, there’s nothing like a perfect husband. I mean there is but i’m scared & sure it is not in cards for me.
She survived so many years in that prison man ! I would’ve said bye at the second or third year. She’s strong enough to get a divorce and move out on her own. I don’t know what I’ll do if someday I’m facing a similar situation and my parents may not support me. Their betrayal would hurt me more than my husband’s betrayal.
In this book, it’s not about just one marriage. It’s about every single marriage. Someone is over controlling, other is abusing, someone else is not treating you right or asking you to dress more conservatively. Over the years I’ve come to realize that we women cannot impress these men, no matter what we do. I saw a guy scolding his pregnant wife for doing everything slow while he sat on a sofa and demanded food. I believe I’m stronger than her or any of the female characters in this book. I really hope I am.
I hated everything about this book because It showed such a truthful portrayal of our society and culture. I got a headache from crying. I hate Summayah’s mom, father, sister, grandmother, the in-laws. I just hate them all plus the husbands of her friend group. It doesn’t matter if it’s an arranged marriage, a love marriage or a forced marriage.. the story remains the same.
I was so glad she finally got the divorce. She finally had the guts to leave Yousef’s sorry ass. I loved how author managed to show the readers how men will come crawling back to you after they do whatever they want to because they realize you’re the only one who can accept them with their flaws. They’ll replace you easily if you have any flaws. And hate how society has made it okay for them.
I’m honestly drained after reading it. The only star I didn’t give in the rating is because of how much I hated all these things. It has nothing to do with book in general, It’s a very good book. It’s realistic. It’s a 5 star book. I also loved how Zoya had finally decided enough is enough.
I just needed to see Yousef suffer more. A lot more than Summayah did. He deserves to suffer.
Marrying someone like Yousef is my biggest fear when it comes to settling down & marriage eventually. I’m so scared of it that I probably will never get married and even if I did, I’ll always wait for the other shoe to drop. It will drop, there’s nothing like a perfect husband. I mean there is but i’m scared & sure it is not in cards for me.
She survived so many years in that prison man ! I would’ve said bye at the second or third year. She’s strong enough to get a divorce and move out on her own. I don’t know what I’ll do if someday I’m facing a similar situation and my parents may not support me. Their betrayal would hurt me more than my husband’s betrayal.
In this book, it’s not about just one marriage. It’s about every single marriage. Someone is over controlling, other is abusing, someone else is not treating you right or asking you to dress more conservatively. Over the years I’ve come to realize that we women cannot impress these men, no matter what we do. I saw a guy scolding his pregnant wife for doing everything slow while he sat on a sofa and demanded food. I believe I’m stronger than her or any of the female characters in this book. I really hope I am.
I hated everything about this book because It showed such a truthful portrayal of our society and culture. I got a headache from crying. I hate Summayah’s mom, father, sister, grandmother, the in-laws. I just hate them all plus the husbands of her friend group. It doesn’t matter if it’s an arranged marriage, a love marriage or a forced marriage.. the story remains the same.
I was so glad she finally got the divorce. She finally had the guts to leave Yousef’s sorry ass. I loved how author managed to show the readers how men will come crawling back to you after they do whatever they want to because they realize you’re the only one who can accept them with their flaws. They’ll replace you easily if you have any flaws. And hate how society has made it okay for them.
I’m honestly drained after reading it. The only star I didn’t give in the rating is because of how much I hated all these things. It has nothing to do with book in general, It’s a very good book. It’s realistic. It’s a 5 star book. I also loved how Zoya had finally decided enough is enough.
I just needed to see Yousef suffer more. A lot more than Summayah did. He deserves to suffer.
May 3, 2025
Absolutely heartbreaking, I don't think I've ever cried more in my life. bingeread it in one day and sat for 3/4 hours reading the majority of it bawling, tears streaming that turneed to anger to go back to crying. A very realistic interpretation on cultural expectations on married couples as well as how not all couples end up with a happy ever after -- some go through struggles they don't speak about.
The amount of people I know who romanticise getting married should read this, whilst it's sweet to think that the idealised honeymoon period will last forever, this portrayal that spanned over years of a marriage was heartbreakingly real. As an unmarried girl, this has made me want to never talk to a man again, let alone marry one. The way her entire support system crumbled and just kept telling her to try more or say she was at fault because getting divorced was too shameful and embarrassing.
As a society, we see women put into such difficult positions, and only once they have gone past their breaking point does anyone have sympathy towards them. The men vs women cultural debate was so important to the plot, because if she had done even a bit of Yousef had done, his family would've split them before she even had a chance to beg him to stay --- Yousef had multiple chances in comparison and still asked for more, asked for a baby, for her to stop working, for her to spend less time with her family, for her to help his mum etc... she gave so much and had such little to show for it.
I'm glad that they didn't have a baby, it led to hee questioning her husband more as well as it would've been a difficult life for a baby who's mother would hold even a little bit of resentment towards it as it held more importance to him over his wife. With Yousef going as far as to say he would divorce her if she was proven to have issues, because that was his end all goal.
The fact that no one saw the invisible labour she was doing and all the sacrifices she made to fit into this mould him and his family had made for her.
Incredible book overall, made me feel so much. Inshallah anyone reading this never feels as hopeless as the protagonist or even her friendship group, may you all have righteous, faithful spouses who love you eternally, that doesn't change based on your looks, your biology or your arguments Ameen.
The amount of people I know who romanticise getting married should read this, whilst it's sweet to think that the idealised honeymoon period will last forever, this portrayal that spanned over years of a marriage was heartbreakingly real. As an unmarried girl, this has made me want to never talk to a man again, let alone marry one. The way her entire support system crumbled and just kept telling her to try more or say she was at fault because getting divorced was too shameful and embarrassing.
As a society, we see women put into such difficult positions, and only once they have gone past their breaking point does anyone have sympathy towards them. The men vs women cultural debate was so important to the plot, because if she had done even a bit of Yousef had done, his family would've split them before she even had a chance to beg him to stay --- Yousef had multiple chances in comparison and still asked for more, asked for a baby, for her to stop working, for her to spend less time with her family, for her to help his mum etc... she gave so much and had such little to show for it.
I'm glad that they didn't have a baby, it led to hee questioning her husband more as well as it would've been a difficult life for a baby who's mother would hold even a little bit of resentment towards it as it held more importance to him over his wife. With Yousef going as far as to say he would divorce her if she was proven to have issues, because that was his end all goal.
The fact that no one saw the invisible labour she was doing and all the sacrifices she made to fit into this mould him and his family had made for her.
Incredible book overall, made me feel so much. Inshallah anyone reading this never feels as hopeless as the protagonist or even her friendship group, may you all have righteous, faithful spouses who love you eternally, that doesn't change based on your looks, your biology or your arguments Ameen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2025
2.5⭐️ - what a scary book. firstly ALHAMDULILLAH for having a family that will always support me and prioritise my happiness over anything else. i think the hardest part of this book was seeing how not even her own family were there for her. imo, you can get over shitty in laws but how on earth do you get over your own parents not being on your side? this book has only reinforced how thorough of a vetting process i’ll carry out because i WILL NOT PLAY about my career. f anyone who tells me to give up the very thing i have devoted my very being to? they were happy to brag about a doctor daughter-in-law but it’s a problem when she actually has to be the doctor. her father-in-law was sweet but his words were just that, words. even after she opened up to him, he didn’t actively do anything to make her life better, it was just an empty promise that made him feel better about his own daughter getting married. i despise this narrative pushed by everyone that you need to just let things go for the sake of a peaceful marriage, because no? if you set boundaries and expectations from the beginning it is clear what you want from this marriage– no grey lines they can use to make a fool of you with. i feel like there’s SO much more i could say but atp i’d be doing a page by page analysis LOL. ibrahim was the only guy who kept me sane in this book; in the sea of failures called men, he was the one man who kept my hope of finding a good man. my final point would be COMPATIBILITY matters SO MUCH MORE than love. making sure you two are compatible and have the same expectations from this marriage and for the future is so so so important. may allah grant us healthy, happy marriages when the time comes, filled with love, respect, and loyalty. ameen.
p.s. DEF not reading the rest of the books because i would probably have an existential crisis. alhamdulillah i see the world through rose-tinted glasses due to my own upbringing/environment and i’d like to keep it that way 😭 (+ i don’t think the writing was that great either)
p.s. DEF not reading the rest of the books because i would probably have an existential crisis. alhamdulillah i see the world through rose-tinted glasses due to my own upbringing/environment and i’d like to keep it that way 😭 (+ i don’t think the writing was that great either)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2024
This book was next level amazing. It made me laugh, sob like no tomorrow and sob even more. The way the characters are written, the way our culture is explained so well, the way the whole book is, it’s all next level, it’s definitely a 10/10 would read again type of book.
The relationship between summayah and everyone around her? Really does show us that whatever she did, wasn’t good enough. Especially with her husband? Made me wanna bash his head in. Her MIL and her mother made my blood boil. Especially her mother, why would you want your child to stay in an unhappy relationship, especially when he has cheated on her, blamed her for their marriage failing and then him lying to her about his test results? He watched her get the blame, being insulted left right and centre, whilst he knew he was the issue.
Her husband. How do I get started on him? I’m speechless about him. The way he was spineless then blamed her for things him and his mother had done. The way he blamed her for not being able to have children when HE was the issue. Then blamed her for his cheating? My gosh, I wouldn’t be able to contain my anger at him, his family, her family. The way he wouldn’t stand up for her but got mad when she stood up for herself?
Her friends? I can’t wait to read their stories. Even though they all had different issues within their marriages, really did show us that they were more similar than we thought.
This book made me sob. Made me sob much that I finished a whole box of tissues. My eyes are now hurting and red from sobbing too much. I’d totally recommend this book. Hell I’ll buy it for my man and make him read it. Let him experience our culture through a book.
The relationship between summayah and everyone around her? Really does show us that whatever she did, wasn’t good enough. Especially with her husband? Made me wanna bash his head in. Her MIL and her mother made my blood boil. Especially her mother, why would you want your child to stay in an unhappy relationship, especially when he has cheated on her, blamed her for their marriage failing and then him lying to her about his test results? He watched her get the blame, being insulted left right and centre, whilst he knew he was the issue.
Her husband. How do I get started on him? I’m speechless about him. The way he was spineless then blamed her for things him and his mother had done. The way he blamed her for not being able to have children when HE was the issue. Then blamed her for his cheating? My gosh, I wouldn’t be able to contain my anger at him, his family, her family. The way he wouldn’t stand up for her but got mad when she stood up for herself?
Her friends? I can’t wait to read their stories. Even though they all had different issues within their marriages, really did show us that they were more similar than we thought.
This book made me sob. Made me sob much that I finished a whole box of tissues. My eyes are now hurting and red from sobbing too much. I’d totally recommend this book. Hell I’ll buy it for my man and make him read it. Let him experience our culture through a book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2024
Perfect Bow is a raw, emotional rollercoaster that stays with you long after you've turned the last page. I kept seeing it on TikTok and hesitated to dive in because I knew it would be a painful read, but once I started, I couldn't stop.
Summayah’s growth throughout the book is inspiring. I was so proud of her for finding the strength to stand up for herself. However, Yousef? I am so angry at him. 😤 His flaws and vulnerabilities make him human, but that doesn’t excuse his actions. I couldn’t help but feel frustrated by him, especially when he didn’t seem to fully own up to his mistakes. 😡
One thing I absolutely loved was the portrayal of Ibrahim and Myra's marriage. Too often in books, marriages are either perfect or dysfunctional without much in between. Theirs was not perfect, but it’s real and grounded in understanding, compromise, and growth. It’s such a refreshing change. I wish we could have seen more of them. 💕
Overall, this is deeply emotional, thought-provoking, and a book I won’t forget anytime soon. If you love character-driven stories that will make you feel all the feels, I highly recommend this one. Just be prepared to be angry at Yousef (and almost every other character. Yes, MIL I’m looking you 😑). 😅
Summayah’s growth throughout the book is inspiring. I was so proud of her for finding the strength to stand up for herself. However, Yousef? I am so angry at him. 😤 His flaws and vulnerabilities make him human, but that doesn’t excuse his actions. I couldn’t help but feel frustrated by him, especially when he didn’t seem to fully own up to his mistakes. 😡
One thing I absolutely loved was the portrayal of Ibrahim and Myra's marriage. Too often in books, marriages are either perfect or dysfunctional without much in between. Theirs was not perfect, but it’s real and grounded in understanding, compromise, and growth. It’s such a refreshing change. I wish we could have seen more of them. 💕
Overall, this is deeply emotional, thought-provoking, and a book I won’t forget anytime soon. If you love character-driven stories that will make you feel all the feels, I highly recommend this one. Just be prepared to be angry at Yousef (and almost every other character. Yes, MIL I’m looking you 😑). 😅
June 2, 2025
I couldn’t put it down. No seriously, I read it in a day. This book touches upon some very serious issues within our culture that a LOT of women still face. It discusses the ups and downs of their realities as well as how culture and society force them to put up with it. This was an amazing read. One of my reading goals of 2025 is to read more books by South Asian women and when I came across a snippet of this on Samirah’s TikTok I couldn’t not begin by choosing one from a fellow Bengali. I cried a lot through the chapters. Like many others, I highlighted quotes in my kindle that had me shook - snippets of cultural shock, misogyny, double standards and lines that perfectly described exactly what it means to deal with these. Sumayyah’s story perfectly encapsulates the struggles of the eldest daughter of an immigrant SA family, the pressure of be perfect, to reach past academic heights, living with a very strict MIL, and not to mention, become a doctor!! . This book has generally been one of my absolute favourite reads of 2025 so far. A must read !!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2024
This book was heartbreaking and beautifully written. It really captures the struggle of 1st generation south-Asian women who often struggle with adapting to British society that they were brought up in and the south Asian society that their parents grew up in. The conflict and division between the two worlds and the desire to find yourself was hauntingly captured in this book.
The final heated conversation with Summayah and her parents summed it up “I did my part, if I was being a good wife, I failed as a sister. When I was being a good daughter, I failed as a daughter in law. Where does one win, I can’t make anyone happy”
It is easy to see Yusuf and his mother as the villains in this story but as the author points out, it is society and cultural expectations that are the true villains.
Truly give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and would recommend reading it.
I cannot wait to see how the other characters in the book develops.
The final heated conversation with Summayah and her parents summed it up “I did my part, if I was being a good wife, I failed as a sister. When I was being a good daughter, I failed as a daughter in law. Where does one win, I can’t make anyone happy”
It is easy to see Yusuf and his mother as the villains in this story but as the author points out, it is society and cultural expectations that are the true villains.
Truly give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and would recommend reading it.
I cannot wait to see how the other characters in the book develops.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2024
one of the hardest reads I’ve ever had
When I first saw the blurb of this book on a TikTok, I figured it would be the typical boy loves girl, girl loves boy, but filled with tension and eventual love. I was not expecting a cultural hit that had me questioning my own status as a woman and what it meant to be a woman in this world, but I’m glad I’ve read this nonetheless. I rarely find a book that has moved me into these raw emotions, but the story has and I cannot wait to read the other books in this series. Samirah does a wonderful job writing the various emotions women feel when it comes to our coming of age, falling in love, and feeling betrayed. if there is one story you read, make it this series. I promise it will have you feeling so much rage, sadness, happiness, love, and devastation that you’ll be brought to tears.
When I first saw the blurb of this book on a TikTok, I figured it would be the typical boy loves girl, girl loves boy, but filled with tension and eventual love. I was not expecting a cultural hit that had me questioning my own status as a woman and what it meant to be a woman in this world, but I’m glad I’ve read this nonetheless. I rarely find a book that has moved me into these raw emotions, but the story has and I cannot wait to read the other books in this series. Samirah does a wonderful job writing the various emotions women feel when it comes to our coming of age, falling in love, and feeling betrayed. if there is one story you read, make it this series. I promise it will have you feeling so much rage, sadness, happiness, love, and devastation that you’ll be brought to tears.
August 18, 2025
never thought i could read a book written to such perfection. there were a rollercoaster of emotions i felt throughout this book. this has to be the best i’ve read. i loved the lessons it taught, how it showed us the expectations of us south asian women. how society views women and me. differently. i loved the characters and the individual lessons they taught. summayah showed us how women are always downgraded and are made to be submissive. she also showed us that we should fight back against this expectation and fight for our rights. make our voices heard. she showed how she should fight for her own happiness even if it meant giving everything up. she taught us patience, perseverance and courage. well done samirah waiting for books from rani and halima’s marriage! ❤️❤️
May 4, 2024
I started this book yesterday and finished it yesterday!
I love the real life themes this book explores and can’t wait to read the next 3 books from the other women’s perspectives! Although this story is based on a specific culture I feel it transcends that one category and can be understood by the majority of women. I loved delving into sumayyahs story and the very real problems she faced, like many women. Reading the authors afterwords I completely agree and truly hope that this book brings forward the conversations that are needed. As always so beautifully written, thank you for blessing us with this insightful book!
I love the real life themes this book explores and can’t wait to read the next 3 books from the other women’s perspectives! Although this story is based on a specific culture I feel it transcends that one category and can be understood by the majority of women. I loved delving into sumayyahs story and the very real problems she faced, like many women. Reading the authors afterwords I completely agree and truly hope that this book brings forward the conversations that are needed. As always so beautifully written, thank you for blessing us with this insightful book!
July 11, 2024
I started this book after seeing all the tiktoks about it. it was definitely worth it! It shows perfectly how the asian community is and what it’s like to be a woman in the community. Her in-laws! Especially her mother in law kept annoying me because why are you being like that when you’re a woman yourself!! Even her own family wasn’t supportive of her decisions, like wth?!! You’re supposed to be standing behind her, supporting her. And YOUSEF?! As her husband he couldn’t even defend her against his mother or stand behind her decisions, but would be begging her to stay and would suddenly be able to do everything she wanted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2025
Every woman needs to read this book regardless of whatever culture, religion and ethnicity you are. There is mention of physical, emotional and mental abuse in this book. The way the author broke a stereotype has me balling like a baby!
This book talks about how women are treated by their partners and their in-laws and is just supposed to take it. The FMC is my hero. As a trophy and as a reminder that we can be a wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, and mother while still having our own autonomy; I’m going to purchase this book & so should you!
It was a fast paced book ( very quick read ). The song Labour by Paris Paloma best describes this book.
This book talks about how women are treated by their partners and their in-laws and is just supposed to take it. The FMC is my hero. As a trophy and as a reminder that we can be a wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, and mother while still having our own autonomy; I’m going to purchase this book & so should you!
It was a fast paced book ( very quick read ). The song Labour by Paris Paloma best describes this book.
June 6, 2024
I completed this book in one sitting . it had me so captivated because this is what women , especially of South Asian cultures have to go through up to this day . I hope women who are in a similar situation realize that there is hope for you, now always and forever
fighting is better than laying down and taking what's dished out
At the end of the day it's YOUR life and your narrative how you choose to write it is solely up to you. Absolutely loved this book. Looking forward to seeing the rest of them fight for their children as well as themselves
fighting is better than laying down and taking what's dished out
At the end of the day it's YOUR life and your narrative how you choose to write it is solely up to you. Absolutely loved this book. Looking forward to seeing the rest of them fight for their children as well as themselves
September 17, 2024
This book… OMG it hurts, but every woman (and man for that matter) should read this.
““We’ll do it right this time.”
“That’s the thing. I did it right. I did everything right. My whole life, I’ve never settled for anything less than perfect. I did everything I was supposed to do. It wasn’t supposed to end this way for me.” I just felt… empty. It was like I had spent my whole life pouring water into everyone else’s vase, and there wasn’t enough for me to blossom. I was just a sad, dying flower.”
““We’ll do it right this time.”
“That’s the thing. I did it right. I did everything right. My whole life, I’ve never settled for anything less than perfect. I did everything I was supposed to do. It wasn’t supposed to end this way for me.” I just felt… empty. It was like I had spent my whole life pouring water into everyone else’s vase, and there wasn’t enough for me to blossom. I was just a sad, dying flower.”
May 24, 2025
As a Bengali woman, this book was so accurate. Maybe that is why every single page felt like my own personal nightmare/rage bait, because i could truly imagine myself in Sumayyahs shoes.
Your depiction of desi (bengali) culture when it comes to the dynamics between men and women is ON SPOT.
I have been crying for the past 2 hours and my eyes hurt but i still want to thank the author for writing this. The ending was exactly what I needed to feel hopeful about life. I cannot wait to continue reading more from you.
Your depiction of desi (bengali) culture when it comes to the dynamics between men and women is ON SPOT.
I have been crying for the past 2 hours and my eyes hurt but i still want to thank the author for writing this. The ending was exactly what I needed to feel hopeful about life. I cannot wait to continue reading more from you.
June 28, 2024
So I picked this book up because of a post I saw on TikTok and I was intrigued, I decided to give it a shot. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump and this was the perfect book to bring me out of it.
I read the book in one sitting and it was WORTH IT!!!
I’m more of a let’s talk about it than let me write about it so for me to do this you know it was THAT good. Can’t wait to read other books in this series even if I’m not sure my heart can handle it.
I read the book in one sitting and it was WORTH IT!!!
I’m more of a let’s talk about it than let me write about it so for me to do this you know it was THAT good. Can’t wait to read other books in this series even if I’m not sure my heart can handle it.
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