I read this book in pretty much one sitting. I was drawn in and simply had to know what happened next. The ending definitely caught me by surprise. Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Librarians Group is the official group for requesting additions or updates to the catalog, including: I did really enjoy the family aspect in this book, and the way Zara navigates her relationship with her parents; it was really sweet and lovely, and I wish we'd had even more scenes with her parents in. I also really loved the representation of Desi culture - while I can't comment on the accuracy of the book as I am not South Asian myself, it did feel really authentic and I loved reading about it. Hats off for a book that didn’t turn out to be exactly what I thought it would be. No spoilers, here, but I liked how it surprised me a little bit here and there! most of all, I fell in love with myself. I embraced that I am who I am, no excuses, and I realised that I don’t need to cater to what everyone else wants for me. I can still be loved by those around me while doing what I want’.

The course of true love never did run smooth, but Zara's love story is messier than most... A hilarious and heartfelt romcom, told with a light touch, perfect for fans of TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE, EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY and HANI AND ISHU'S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING. Having a romance fan (both of books and movies) as a main character really added a little extra something to this story. We definitely see how expectations clash with reality, how everything Zara builds up in her head doesn’t end up happening as planned, because, well, life isn’t a perfect rom-com.

Toys

Zara loves love in all forms: 90s romcoms and romance novels and grand sweeping gestures. And she's desperate to have her own great love story. Crucially, a real one. So when her best friend Adnan begs her to pretend to date him to cover up his new top-secret relationship, Zara is hesitant. This isn't the kind of thing she had in mind. But there's something in it for Zara too: making her parents, who love Adnan, happy might just stop them arguing for a while. She may not be getting her own love story, but she could save theirs. While this book fell flat, I still enjoyed my time reading it and liked how the book ended. I'm definitely excited to see what the author comes out with next. So Zara agrees and the act begins: after all, how different can pretending to be in a relationship w ith your best friend be to just hanging around with them like usual? Turns out, a lot. With fake dating comes fake hand-holding and fake kissing and real feelings... And when a new boy turns up in Zara's life, things get more confusing than ever. The course of true love never did run smooth, but Zara's love story is messier than most. So Zara agrees and the act begins: after all, how different can pretending to be in a relationship with your best friend be to just hanging around with them like usual? Turns out, a lot. With fake dating comes fake hand-holding and fake kissing and real feelings... And when a new boy turns up in Zara's life, things get more confusing than ever.

the most important thing I learned throughout it all: I did find love; it just wasn’t in the form I was looking for…. The winners of the Diverse Book Awards 2023 have been announced, with one winner from each of the four categories announced: Picture book, Children...

Anika Hussain Press Reviews

Zara loves love in all forms: 90s romcoms and romance novels and grand sweeping gestures. And she's desperate to have her own great love story. Crucially, a real one. So when her best friend Adnan begs her to pretend to date him to cover up his new top-secret relationship, Zara is hesitant. This isn't the kind of thing she had in mind. But there's something in it for Zara too: making her parents, who love Adnan, happy might just stop them arguing for a while. She may not be getting her own love story, but she could save theirs. So Zara agrees and the act begins: after all, how different can pretending to be in a relationship with your best friend be to just hanging around with them like usual? Turns out, a lot. With fake dating comes fake hand-holding and fake kissing and real feelings... And when a new boy turns up in Zara's life, things get more confusing than ever. I found the detailed Pokemon Go thread, which formed a lot of one part of the plot, a bit much, kind of old-fashioned where the rest of the book didn’t seem to be trying to be, and it was annoying that Zara didn’t have enough oomph to stand up for herself a bit more. Adnan’s girlfriend Cami’s arc was a bit melodramatic in the end, and it was a shame that girls ended up pitted against each other. However, the characters annoyed the HELL out of me. Every single one of them. Especially Adnan and Cami, who, despite asking Zara to do this massive favour for them so they could be together in secret, had the audacity to be mad at her for not doing that quite right. There were parts where I was pretty confused about - like, why couldn't they just hang out without Zara there, especially somewhere not in public? I didn't quite understand all of that. It felt like Cami and Zara were just being pitted against each other for drama's sake and I think it would've been a better message for that not to happen. From start to finish it’s hard not to find these two so endearing. Though their actions may have been crazy, they were carried out with good intentions. Problems arise, but welcome to see the importance of being true to yourself and not being over concerned with keeping others happy. Zara and Adnan are justfriends. Always have been, always will be. Even if they have to pretend to be girlfriend and boyfriend...