Joy101 reviewed Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron
None
(not provided)
Paperback, 384 pages
Published Jan. 15, 2021
Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall--with hopes that Reena will marry him.
But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her …
Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall--with hopes that Reena will marry him.
But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.
As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.
(not provided)
I enjoyed this book. Reena gets a new neighbor across the hall, and crushes on him hard until she finds out he is part of their parents match-making plans. She then tries to resist his charms, but eventually fails.
The characters are fun to read about, and Nadim, the love interest, is charming as heck. The two are playful and witty throughout. The food is described so lovingly that I got hungry while reading.
This book has that trope where characters keep things from each other, but it makes sense here. Traditions in how the family behaves lead Reena to be very quiet about her wants and needs and concerns. They way it's resolved felt really natural as well, and you never get the feeling that anyone in the family is malicious. You can feel how much they care for each other, even when they make missteps.
I appreciated the representation of hard conversations in dating, family and other life arenas. I realize this book is a slice of a Muslim family behaving in ways that are questionable to many Muslim folks, and that made me consider it more and more as a fantasy story.