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A modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice for a new generation of love. Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn't want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid, who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices, and who dresses like he belongs in the seventh century. When a surprise engagement is announced between Khalid and Hafsa, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and the unsettling new gossip she hears about his family. Looking into the rumors, she finds she has to deal with not only what she discovers about Khalid, but also the truth she realizes about herself.
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DNF at 52%
TL;DR = I didn't want to push through another 5.5 hours of the audiobook when I wasn't enjoying it
a) this was way oversold imho as a Pride and Prejudice "retelling". At least the first half was only vaguely inspired by the original
b) I don't care much for books where religion features heavily
c) I felt like the actions of the characters were aggravating (he says over and over that it's improper and he won't/shouldn't be alone with a woman, yet he IS, like in every other scene??)
d) the miscommunication/deception of Ayesha's identity = was really grating. The wording had to be absolutely perfect for nobody to realize what was happening, and not just in one conversation, but during multiple interactions Khalid's phrasing is *just so* by never mentioning [the wrong name]?? When the miscommunication can be resolved by one word change or line of dialogue = terrible
e) Khalid is dealing with a new boss who is clearly Islamophobic, but he also is constantly being judged by other Muslims, even in the mosque?? (an interesting and probably realistic element, but this also grated)
f) didn't seem like they'd had very many interactions to account for the feelings happening, especially since many/most of them were arguing or going poorly
g) the 'Hafsa gets engaged to Khalid and Ayesha must wrestle with her feelings about it' happens at the 50% mark, which makes the pacing of the book weird??
h) I liked that there were sort of parallels between conservative Muslim customs and historical societal constraints (i.e., interactions between unmarried men and women); but this is a barrier in Historical romance to emotional development, and that's exactly what was happening here too!
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