Enjoyable in parts but I didn't love it
I love the fake dating trope in romance books so the premise of this book sounded great. The story follows teenagers Zara and Adnan who are best friends with families who are also close friends. They decide to start fake-dating to protect Adnan's actual girlfriend who wants to keep the relationship secret from her parents, and also to fulfill the wishes of Zara's parents who desperately want Zara and Adnan to be together.
I initially liked the dynamic between Zara and Adnan but as the plot progressed I struggled to see theirs as a genuine friendship. Adnan is selfish and Zara seems incapable of standing up to Adnan.
It was great to read a contemporary romance book with Bangladeshi protagonists and, while I can't comment on the accuracy of the representation, it felt like the book did a good job of celebrating the culture and values of the characters.
By the mid-way point my interest started to wane as the plot felt repetitive and like it wasn't going anywhere. The introduction of a new love interest for Zara was full of cheesy banter that made me cringe. There were also some unnecessary jibes at white people which was disappointing to see.
I also wasn't a fan of the pop culture references either e.g. Pokemon Go! As a general rule I don't like pop culture references in books anyway as I always feel like they say more about the interests and preferences of the author than they do the characters in the book.
Overall this had some enjoyable parts to it but there was quite a bit that stopped me loving it unfortunately.
Thank you to Readers First for the copy of this book.
I initially liked the dynamic between Zara and Adnan but as the plot progressed I struggled to see theirs as a genuine friendship. Adnan is selfish and Zara seems incapable of standing up to Adnan.
It was great to read a contemporary romance book with Bangladeshi protagonists and, while I can't comment on the accuracy of the representation, it felt like the book did a good job of celebrating the culture and values of the characters.
By the mid-way point my interest started to wane as the plot felt repetitive and like it wasn't going anywhere. The introduction of a new love interest for Zara was full of cheesy banter that made me cringe. There were also some unnecessary jibes at white people which was disappointing to see.
I also wasn't a fan of the pop culture references either e.g. Pokemon Go! As a general rule I don't like pop culture references in books anyway as I always feel like they say more about the interests and preferences of the author than they do the characters in the book.
Overall this had some enjoyable parts to it but there was quite a bit that stopped me loving it unfortunately.
Thank you to Readers First for the copy of this book.