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cagell's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
readingrobin's review
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Read this for this Lincoln Award Nominee reading challenge.
I thought this was a pretty cute book as far as romances go. I can't attest to the authenticity of Muslim and Pakistani representation, which I have heard conflicting opinions on, so I'll leave the discussion to those who are qualified to do it.
As far as a read for teens, I'm glad that it addressed the ideas of revisionist history, colonialism, and examining the perspectives of the conquered and the conquerors. Danyal was an engaging protagonist, one that was relatable, humorous, and worth rooting for. I liked that, despite his faults, he had some strengths, particularly in cooking. He was cracking me up in some places and making me slap my head in others, which are natural reactions to teen boys.
The flow was a bit off in places, with some events landing at odd times in the story when they probably would have been better occurring earlier or later. I would have like a bit more development between Danyal and Bisma, but I think it works for the most part here.
I thought this was a pretty cute book as far as romances go. I can't attest to the authenticity of Muslim and Pakistani representation, which I have heard conflicting opinions on, so I'll leave the discussion to those who are qualified to do it.
As far as a read for teens, I'm glad that it addressed the ideas of revisionist history, colonialism, and examining the perspectives of the conquered and the conquerors. Danyal was an engaging protagonist, one that was relatable, humorous, and worth rooting for. I liked that, despite his faults, he had some strengths, particularly in cooking. He was cracking me up in some places and making me slap my head in others, which are natural reactions to teen boys.
The flow was a bit off in places, with some events landing at odd times in the story when they probably would have been better occurring earlier or later. I would have like a bit more development between Danyal and Bisma, but I think it works for the most part here.
kells_'s review
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I mean... it was alright. I kinda(?) liked it, but it wasn't spectacular. It was mid. Let's get straight to the point.
What I didn't like/found iffy:
1) Okay yall, I am not a Muslim. I'm not a part of that community and I don't know a lot about their religion. However, despite me not being a Muslim, it's still evident that this book perpetuates Muslim stereotypes that are harmful to how the community is seen. I can clearly see that. I don't want to really get into super specifics because I also don't want to accidentally say anything offensive or speak on a subject I'm not 100% informed on, but an example of the problematic religious representation in this book is how there's one character (Sohrab) that was basically viewed by his friends in the book negatively because of his religiousness. Look, I'm not religious and most of my friends aren't. However, the way the author portrayed this still left a bad taste in my mouth. For more information on this subject matter, check out other reviews from other actual Muslim readers.
2) The pacing of the book was off to me. I felt like I didn't entirely get what I signed up for when I started this novel. The synopsis of the book already states that our MMC Danyal recruits Bisma to help him out to win an academic competition right? I like the whole idea of MC recruits other character to help them get with another character they actually like but end up falling for the person helping them out instead. What I failed to realize was Bisma and Danyal don't actually make this arrangement between them until HALFWAY through the book???? They had interactions between that but things between them were going slow. I just didn't like the pacing of the story and it didn't feel right to me. Because it started off slow, and they didn't even make the main arrangement of the story until HALFWAY, the remainder of the book felt a little fast.
3) Our mmc Danyal was overall a good guy and his friends were cool for the most part too but there are some things said in this story that really either gave me the ick or were just straight up disrespectful and wrong . I'll quote and give an example of this. Right off the bat in the start of the novel, Danyal says “She could’ve made a burka look sexy.” The author is Pakistani-American and comes from a Muslim background. Wtf made him think that was ok to put in his story? None of his editors found that problematic?
This was somewhere between 2-3 stars for me. From the first half it already felt like a 2 cuz things were j slow and cuz of the problematic things I've mentioned in particular but I'll say that there were still things I liked and the second half of the story was better. I liked that Danyal had smth going on for him/his own passion despite being bad at school (also he was a classic case of "he's smart but he j needs to apply himself"), I liked his relationship w Bisma, I liked how it was friends to lovers, I liked Danyal's relationship with his mom, his friendships w his buddies etc.
I can't ignore the bad and this story was nowhere near a "pretty good" of a 4 star but Danyal and Bisma's relationship was pretty cute. I'll settle on a 3.
What I didn't like/found iffy:
1) Okay yall, I am not a Muslim. I'm not a part of that community and I don't know a lot about their religion. However, despite me not being a Muslim, it's still evident that this book perpetuates Muslim stereotypes that are harmful to how the community is seen. I can clearly see that. I don't want to really get into super specifics because I also don't want to accidentally say anything offensive or speak on a subject I'm not 100% informed on, but an example of the problematic religious representation in this book is how there's one character (Sohrab) that was basically viewed by his friends in the book negatively because of his religiousness. Look, I'm not religious and most of my friends aren't. However, the way the author portrayed this still left a bad taste in my mouth. For more information on this subject matter, check out other reviews from other actual Muslim readers.
2) The pacing of the book was off to me. I felt like I didn't entirely get what I signed up for when I started this novel. The synopsis of the book already states that our MMC Danyal recruits Bisma to help him out to win an academic competition right? I like the whole idea of MC recruits other character to help them get with another character they actually like but end up falling for the person helping them out instead. What I failed to realize was Bisma and Danyal don't actually make this arrangement between them until HALFWAY through the book???? They had interactions between that but things between them were going slow. I just didn't like the pacing of the story and it didn't feel right to me. Because it started off slow, and they didn't even make the main arrangement of the story until HALFWAY, the remainder of the book felt a little fast.
3) Our mmc Danyal was overall a good guy and his friends were cool for the most part too but there are some things said in this story that really either gave me the ick or were just straight up disrespectful and wrong . I'll quote and give an example of this. Right off the bat in the start of the novel, Danyal says “She could’ve made a burka look sexy.” The author is Pakistani-American and comes from a Muslim background. Wtf made him think that was ok to put in his story? None of his editors found that problematic?
This was somewhere between 2-3 stars for me. From the first half it already felt like a 2 cuz things were j slow and cuz of the problematic things I've mentioned in particular but I'll say that there were still things I liked and the second half of the story was better. I liked that Danyal had smth going on for him/his own passion despite being bad at school (also he was a classic case of "he's smart but he j needs to apply himself"), I liked his relationship w Bisma, I liked how it was friends to lovers, I liked Danyal's relationship with his mom, his friendships w his buddies etc.
I can't ignore the bad and this story was nowhere near a "pretty good" of a 4 star but Danyal and Bisma's relationship was pretty cute. I'll settle on a 3.
carolita1128's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
vmgomez92's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Thank you to @readwithshar for recommending this book for my 2024 #12Friends12Books challenge. I read this via Libby :D
This book follows Danyal, who wants to be a chef, but is mostly known as a "pretty face," so when he is nominated for the Renaissance Man, a school-wide academic championship, suffice to say it's a surprise.. In order to do well, he gains the help of Bisma, but is hoping to impress his crush Kaval's family. As he spends more time with Bisma, he starts to wonder is Kaval really is the right person for him.
I loved this coming-of-age story about Danyal, and how he explores being Desi, being Muslim, being a young kid trying to figure out what's right for him. I think Bisma was a great character; she felt resigned to her past continuing to haunt her, but simultaneously kept it moving and didn't wallow in despair. The friendship between Danyal and Bisma built up naturally, and I was rooting for them to find their happily for now. It was honestly so easy to root for them, as they were both so beautifully human and trying their best, and the way they found true companionship and camaraderie in each other was perfect.
No shade to Ariyan Kassam, the narrator, but I did not love the narration of this audiobook. I recommend the ebook or print copy if that's accessible to yall!
Thank you to @readwithshar for recommending this book for my 2024 #12Friends12Books challenge. I read this via Libby :D
This book follows Danyal, who wants to be a chef, but is mostly known as a "pretty face," so when he is nominated for the Renaissance Man, a school-wide academic championship, suffice to say it's a surprise.. In order to do well, he gains the help of Bisma, but is hoping to impress his crush Kaval's family. As he spends more time with Bisma, he starts to wonder is Kaval really is the right person for him.
I loved this coming-of-age story about Danyal, and how he explores being Desi, being Muslim, being a young kid trying to figure out what's right for him. I think Bisma was a great character; she felt resigned to her past continuing to haunt her, but simultaneously kept it moving and didn't wallow in despair. The friendship between Danyal and Bisma built up naturally, and I was rooting for them to find their happily for now. It was honestly so easy to root for them, as they were both so beautifully human and trying their best, and the way they found true companionship and camaraderie in each other was perfect.
No shade to Ariyan Kassam, the narrator, but I did not love the narration of this audiobook. I recommend the ebook or print copy if that's accessible to yall!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Genocide, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Death
chime's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
melinda_and_her_books's review
5.0
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy. I thought this was an adorable rom com. It made my heart so happy.
Danyal Jilani doesn't lack confidence. He may not be the smartest guy but he is funny, gorgeous, and going to make a good chef one day. His father doesn't agree with his job choice. None of that matters to him though.
All that matters to him is what his long time crush Kaval thinks. When he is selected for Renaissance man, a school wide academic championship it's the perfect opportunity to show everyone he is smarter than they think he is.
He ends up recruiting the brilliant totally uninterested Bisma to help him with the competition. The more time he spends with her though, the more he cooks for her and he starts to realize that happiness may be staring him right back in his pretty face.
In this book Danyal comes from a religious family that believes in an arranged marriage. They originally try to set him up with Bisma but they become friends and end up falling in love with each other all on their own. Danyal realizes that Kaval was too superficial and high maintenance for him and never really saw him the same way. Danyal also ends up standing up to his father and proving he is a real man by also standing up for Bisma and her judgemental parents that are always putting her down
Danyal Jilani doesn't lack confidence. He may not be the smartest guy but he is funny, gorgeous, and going to make a good chef one day. His father doesn't agree with his job choice. None of that matters to him though.
All that matters to him is what his long time crush Kaval thinks. When he is selected for Renaissance man, a school wide academic championship it's the perfect opportunity to show everyone he is smarter than they think he is.
He ends up recruiting the brilliant totally uninterested Bisma to help him with the competition. The more time he spends with her though, the more he cooks for her and he starts to realize that happiness may be staring him right back in his pretty face.
In this book Danyal comes from a religious family that believes in an arranged marriage. They originally try to set him up with Bisma but they become friends and end up falling in love with each other all on their own. Danyal realizes that Kaval was too superficial and high maintenance for him and never really saw him the same way. Danyal also ends up standing up to his father and proving he is a real man by also standing up for Bisma and her judgemental parents that are always putting her down
cobaltbookshelf's review
2.0
2.5 stars
I wish it wad Danyal and Bisma because thry are cute (and her sister) everything else is meh I really didn't like everyone calling Danyal idiot.
I wish it wad Danyal and Bisma because thry are cute (and her sister) everything else is meh I really didn't like everyone calling Danyal idiot.
mels_karsh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5