Farah HeronRezensionen

Unnecessary swearing, unlikely hook-up. Loved the contest aspect and learning about the food.

Recommended: sure
For a sweet story with some actual mystery to it, for a fun integration of nerdy gamer things that you'll be in on the joke for if you're a gamer, for characters who support being their true authentic selves

Thoughts:
This starts off with a premise that could easily fall to the lazy, boring trope where the conflict is driven by people simply not talking to each other. Happily, that lazy boring trope is not where this book draws from. Instead, there's a well-developed sense of identity and authenticity, as well as mutual support. Considering this is a fake-dating trope, it's really impressive that it still felt very genuine for the characters!

I loved that they were pretty honest with each other from the start. Even though there's the one obvious lie of pretending this guy is an excellent gamer, they both focus on staying true to themselves and encouraging each other to do the same. Daniel's interactions with Samaya's friends was focused a lot on who he genuinely is, rather than solely on his assumed persona. They even call that out to each other after, which was a heartwarming moment of clarity. This is a critical basis of any relationship, so I was quickly invested in them, regardless of if romance came or it stayed as a strong friendship.

As a sense of identity is a core of this story for both main characters, there's also a side dish of racial commentary. Devin's parents look down on Samaya's family for not being Indian-Indian; Daniel gets all kinds of micro-aggressions about being a great player for a Filipino -- and even that feels like an improvement over the outright racism and violence he'd dealt with previously. It's not the full core of the story, but they each find ways to deal with it and commiserate together to find community and support.

One little aspect of this that niggled at me as a gamer was how some of the gaming things just seemed incorrect. Now, note: this only annoyed me because I have done these things and could see the logic holes, but realistically, they didn't affect the story of the novel (and were usually being used to propel it, in fact). One weird idiosyncrasy was that Discord, an online platform for voice chatting, was acknowledged to exist. Yet somehow their gaming guild was only able to play and talk by being in a room together, instead of using Discord to connect like just about every other gaming guild around???

But to be fair LAN parties can be hella fun so no shade at the end result, the excuse for it just didn't make sense. xD

Anyway, I definitely enjoyed this one and was pleasantly surprised at the depth brought to what's usually a bit of a fluffy trope for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Skyscape for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review.

I loved this! Great banter, great characters, and I did not guess the ending. There are lots of cozy mystery series that revolve around food -- I've tried a few and haven't liked any of them. But I really liked the food stuff in this. It made me want to eat so much bread.

*3.5 stars*

This was such a fun YA romcom with the most adorable MC. Honestly, Daniel was just plain adorable. Sam was also so much fun and I loved that she had brains and it was not a shown as a defect.

In a nutshell, this is your 'fake dating to get revenge on a bad ex' becomes the real thing with some truly adorable main and side characters. I enjoyed the representation and diversity and Farah's writing just flowed seamlessly.

Recommend for a low-angst, fluffy, romcom.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyscape for the ARC.

*Do not read while hungry* You have been warned.
What a delightful book! It hit on all counts with representation, banter (OMG the banter!), and the glorious food. Romance tropes are awesome when done well and this had the “Fake engagement” one which is always quite delightful.

Reena feels so real with all her family- and self- expectations and I just adored seeing her forge new paths, shake off past failings and find her purpose. This might be a small thing, but I appreciated that she didn’t think Nadim was hot immediately she saw him (I mean ofc she noticed the buns

Five years ago Jana Suleiman's life was turned upside down by a terrible betrayal.

Now, she and her young daughter are headed to Tanzania for a destination wedding for two of Jana's oldest friends. Of course, she fails to realize that the man who broke her heart all those years ago will also be there.

Having to be around Anil is bringing up old memories and hurts. She doesn't know if she can ever forgive him, but for the sake of their daughter, she needs to try.

I absolutely loved this book's vivid storytelling. Farah Heron really knows how to describe the African landscape to perfection. I felt like I was riding along with the characters. You can tell that it's somewhere near and dear to the author's heart. The love just jumps off of the page.

Farah Heron also made the double standard that exists between men and women deftly felt. Jana experienced a great hit to her personal and professional lives after the implosion of her and Anil's relationship. She's still feeling the after effects - whispers and judging. Whether or not she realizes it, there's an internal shame that Jana carries around because of what happened. I think the biggest thing of all is, with Anil, Jana really felt like she had met her person. She doesn't easily make friends and isn't close to many people, but with Anil it was almost instantaneous. She was on her way to falling for him, so to lose that so abruptly along with everything else that occurred at the time, really caused Jana to turn in on herself.

There is a lot for Jana to unpack, and the moments when Jana speaks her true self were some of the best in the book. Unfortunately, they're far between at first, as the story builds upon itself rather slowly. There were quite a few times where I felt like we were on repeat with the same situation coming up again and again. I still enjoyed the story, but felt like maybe some things could have been paired down and I don't think this would have impacted the growth that we got to see from Jana.

Overall, while the journey to the end was sometimes a little rough, it was still all worth it as the ending was perfect.

3.5 stars. I thought this was a cute book. If you enjoy reading about arranged marriages this is for you. Even though the family has it arranged they want to live their own lives. However, when a couple cooking competition came up, they pretend they are engaged.

In the past, the heroine and the hero had a wonderful time that resulted in a pregnancy. In the present time, the heroine arrives at the location of her friend's destination wedding with her daughter and mother in tow. There the heroine meets the hero, who she hasn't forgiven for lying to her in the past. During this time, the heroine decides to let loose. Along the way, the heroine reconnects with the hero. Will the heroine and the hero have a second chance at love in this book?

This Farah Heron book is the sequel to KAMILA KNOWS BEST but can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed the setting of this book and how the characters interacted within this setting. There were distinctive characters in this book, and I enjoyed how some characters from the previous book appeared in this story. There were some good and bad facets of the main couple of this book. I liked the growth that the couple made individually, but there were times that each of them was not likable in my view. It would have been nice to have a bit more details in certain areas of the story, especially in certain resolutions that needed them in my opinion. Overall, a nice Farah Heron book with a beautiful book cover.

** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron
Contemporary romance. Diverse / Own voice. Second chance troupe.
Jana falls in love but only afterwards finds out Anil Malek is already married. Jana is committed to give her daughter the best possible life so arrangements are made to evenly split custody and care. Jana does her best to never actually see Anil in the transfer between parents and it’s all working out. Both Jana and Anil are part of a destination wedding event in Tanzania, East Africa and as the karaoke and singing and parties put them together, their attraction renews and strengthens. Anil is single now all the friends and family help push them together. Resistance is futile.

Overflowing and rich with East African cultural references, local foods, dress, and traditions. The romance was a bit on-again, off-again but it was Jana coming to certain realizations that mattered and made a difference. The grand gesture was perfect.

Recipes for cheddar and potato samosas and mandazi fried donuts included at the end.

I received a copy of the from NetGalley and the publisher.

After a whirlwind romance that spans two weeks on two continents, Jana discovers her lover, Anil, is married. She angrily cuts ties with him only to find out weeks later that she is pregnant. Anil proves to be a great father, though, and the next 5 years they co-parent their adorable daughter, while keeping distance from each other. That is until they are both enlisted as part of the wedding party on a lavish destination wedding in Tanzania.

The synopsis for this book, as well as the gorgeous cover, had me really excited to read it. So, I was disappointed when after the first chapter the story dragged for me. Things did pick up after the wedding festivities began but I had a hard time warming up to Jana. I think this book might have benefited from a dual POV.

I’m rating this book 3.5/5 rounded up since the last half of the book was more interesting and I’m glad I stuck with it.

Thank you to Shelf Awareness, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A well done Emma adaptation. Took me a bit to get into it but by the middle I was fully on the ride. Worth reading.

I loved this book. Should be 4.5 stars. A totally different “enemies to lovers” trope…a social media fashion influencer and a “Plant Boy”…what could go wrong?? This book gave me all the feels. The will they/won’t they, the Pride and Prejudice vibe. The unrequited love between the sister and Plant Boy’s best female friend. The funny Ts. The family pressures to do what they think is right, which isn’t necessarily what is right for you. I also liked how the author focused on the pressures of social media and the toll it takes on people to get that next like, that latest connection to advance their presence. And all the flowers! I could picture the gardens that Rowan created. I also appreciated how the author dug into the background of garden design and how botany and gardening comes together to create beautiful flowers variations.

fiction - a fun, modern Emma reboot with desi-Canadian (and incidentally Muslim) cast. If you are looking for the delightful angst of unrequited-love-before-you-find-out-it's-actually-requited-love, that is all here, but you will also find some clever complications that add a new, modern depth to the old story. Plus, there are puppies.½

This one started off a little slow for me, but I am really glad I kept going as I fell in love with Kamila and Rohan. The narrator did a great job bringing everything together. I also loved the addition of the sound effects for certain parts like the text chains.
Initially the author made Rohan come off as much older than Kamila. It was almost like he was her Dad’s best friend. The talk about his age and his salt and pepper facial hair made it seem like it was going to be a large age gap. It was not as Rohan is only five years older than Kamila.
As I said earlier, this started off a little slow for me. However; I was devouring every scene between Kamila and Rohan and was loving their friendship. They were what kept me reading. I just loved their chemistry and the friends to lovers vibes that we were getting.
I loved the additional culture aspects of the story as well.
Mental health is touched on lightly but never goes into too much detail.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and thought it was super cute.

This is such an entertaining and adorable read. Reena’s parents have set her up with Nadim. And it turns out they actually do hit it off as they pretend to be engaged for a TV cooking competition that’s only for families.

Of course that’s not the only secret they’re keeping but you’ll have to read this book to find out more.

I’d recommend you either be prepared with some Indian food or some delicious bread or both when you read this book. It made me hungry…

Warning: If you are hungry, do not read this book.

However, it IS the perfect book to sit down at a small café, drink your coffee, and have a snack. The summary states that Reena treats her dough like they are real people, and that is no exaggeration. They have names and she gives them all her love and attention, ensuring they grow into the perfect loafs. Reena thinks she has every thing she "kneads", but her parents have other ideas for her needs - like a man. A living, breathing man.

And like all good parents, they have found her another perfect match - Nadim. The way Farah Heron describes him definitely left my mouth watering.

Luscious descriptions of bread, perfect for the carb-lover that I am. Captain America with a British accent? Let's just say I had zero problems getting through this one. As my first book from this author, I am chomping at the Boule for more. This one has the perfect DDT (desired dough temperature).

Okay, enough with the puns and bakery innuendos. Go to the bookstore. Buy this book. Read it. You'll thank me.

Full review here: http://girlwellread.blogspot.com/2022/01/kamila-knows-best-by-farah-heron.html.

Full review here: http://girlwellread.blogspot.com/2022/01/tahira-in-bloom-by-farah-heron.html.

teen fiction. Desi Canadian (who happens to be Muslim) teen who aspires to be a famous designer and get into the prestigious FIT school takes a detour into a small garden-centric town when her fashion internship is canceled.

the characters are funny and likeable; I liked that Tahira gets disenchanted with the instagram-obsessed crowd. A cute story with a strong protagonist.

Quite liked it

"Art. Culture. Breathtaking beauty. You reminded me that I needed all that in my life, and that little bit of discomfort when something is new is worth it."

Tahira in Bloom by Farah Heron was a sweet surprise. I thought it was going to be just a fluffy read but it was so much more. It was refreshing to see young people make mistakes and take full accountability. I loved how important communication and compromise were in the friendships and romantic relationships. I also loved that it showed that art comes in many forms, including flowers. Even though this book was essentially a coming of age romance, it touched on many deeper themes in lighthearted ways and it contained more than one kind of representation that was celebrated equally (Desi, Muslim, Black, Blindian couple, LGBTIA+)

My favorite character wanted to start a page to take pictures of books. Imagine that. 😜 It was also great to see how much of Desi culture the author infused into the book. There were scenes that made me laugh hysterically, lots of fuzzy warm ones that made laugh and some that made me question some of their character. Overall it was a cute and fun read with enjoyable writing. I would definitely read more of Heron's work. If you're into fashion, flowers, sweet romances and social media influencers this one might be perfect for you. Thanks to @amazonpublishing and @tlcdiversity for the gifted copy.

Some of the main points were:

💐 the algorithm favors white creators over others
💐 BIPOC creators are overlooked 8n many spaces & have to work twice as hard to gain visibility
💐 social media fame is not the end goal for everyone
💐 the fashion world can be cutthroat
💐 female influencers are deemed less intelligent
💐 there can be more than one path to the same goal
💐 first impressions aren't always accurate
💐 staying true to yourself and your values keeps you grounded

4.5 🔥

Something about Farah Heron's writing really works for me. The humor maybe?
Reena is smart and generous and all sorts of things, but she's also just... real. Her situation, stuck in a career field that she doesn't love, getting laid off once again and trying to avoid the pressure and judgment of family who (while well-intentioned) have no idea what she wants in life, is as frustrating as it is mundane. So often, we read about protagonists who have this overwhelming drive and a great career and all they're "missing" is a relationship. But Reena is just sort of floating along and that's really close to home, for me at least.
I loved the way Reena and Nadim came together, messy and complicated as it was. Reena's got a lot of life and family stuff to sort through, but the romance is central enough that I don't think it was overshadowed.
I was so happy to see Amira and Duncan again, too. :)

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher for review. A different version of this review will run at Shelf Awareness.

{Second in series; romance, Canadian, East African Indian, culture, low steam} (2021)

After reading this and looking at Heron's other novels, I realised that this must be a sequel to The Chai Factor since the description talks about Reena's best friend Amina but, obviously, I didn't feel I missed anything by not having read it.

Reena Manji is the middle child of Canadian-Tanzanian-Indians. She's thirty-one years old, currently single and doing a job she doesn't love so that she can live on her own in an apartment (in her dad's building) and her parents can't interfere with her life. Quite as much. But she does have to go to Sunday brunch with them every week. As she's heading out for brunch one Sunday, she runs into her new neighbour, who is a hottie with a British accent and also from Tanzania, and there's instant attraction between the two of them; but then they realise that he works for her dad and their parents have arranged for them to get married, so that obviously pushes him off the boyfriend list.

A brown Captain America. Nice.
She stepped closer to the door—outwardly to help the man, but really to get a better look. Plus, Reena had questions.
How did he ride a bike while holding a six-pack?
Did he live here, or (perish the thought) was he just visiting someone?
And most importantly, did his front come anywhere close to matching that fine back view?
Reena pushed the door open for him and finally got a glimpse of his face: smallish eyes, thick brows, and dark, floppy hair. Plus, a meticulously trimmed douche-beard a touch too trendy for her tastes. What a shame. He did have that nice sweaty-man smell, though. God, it had been too long.
“Thank you,” he said as he passed through the door into the tiny hallway, leaving his bike outside. “I’m not sure I could have managed that on my own.”
Mystery man had a British accent! And a deep, almost aristocratic voice. Totally unexpected. He put down the case of beer in front of the door across from hers and took a key out of his pocket before turning to Reena. He stared wide-eyed for several seconds before speaking.
“You’re the one.” Dark brows raised as his mouth widened to a grin. “The goddess who makes my apartment smell like a bloody French boulangerie!”
Reena’s eyes widened. Goddess? She’d been called elfish, pixie, and even a sprite once by a Renaissance fair-type boyfriend, but Reena Manji was never a goddess.
“It’s driving me fucking mad!” Sexy-voice continued, tilting his head and winking. Kind of flirty, this one.
Reena reassessed her first impression of his face. When he was smiling, his dark eyes sparkled under the fluorescent lights of the narrow hallway, and his lips looked wide and expressive. And that voice? Kind of swoony. Couple that with the impressive physique, and Reena started to think today was looking better. Nothing like a little British Isles to spice up this building.

Reena's love is cooking multicultural food, especially baking artisanal bread and she's had her eye on a course which costs far more than she can afford. When a TV cooking contest comes up that would enable her to go on the course if she won, she discovers that it would also require her to film with a significant other. Well, there is Nadim next door and there are already sparks between them so maybe they can pretend to be a couple - but they can't tell her family because that would just open up a whole can of worms. Especially if it stops being pretence.

This was fun to read. I could relate to the parts about family because family always stick their oar into your business - 'for your own good' - and the asides where Reena's parents were obviously not au fait with social media (to be honest, my mum is probably more tech savvy than I am but I'm sure my dad's clueless about social media) (and my kids always accuse me of being a dinosaur). I may have sniggered a bit (although, what was with all the snorting by the characters? Not very elegant). Reena discovers that her family members are all keeping secrets from each other (for their own good) which hinders communication between them but it was amusing when they all discover that they're not actually secret. There are some slightly steamy scenes but the descriptions pretty much stop at kissing. There are some recipes at the end of this e-book that are featured in the story that I'm thinking of trying.

It's a feel-good romance and even though there was the obligatory hiccup, there was no deep tragedy because Reena realises that she is a stronger person than she was before. I liked the way that her relationship with her younger sister Saira evolves to a new level and I liked the mentions of life in Tanzania; it made me nostalgic for my own African childhood. Maybe I should get a baobab tattoo. If there's a sequel to this, I wonder if Heron would explore London or - especially - Tanzania. She made it sound delightful.

September 2021
3.5 stars½

I was sent this book from the publisher/publicity team. My ratings and reviews will be my own personal opinions and are in no way influenced by publishers or authors who may have sent me books to review.

I was very excited for this one and was excited when it showed up at my door. I saw mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it.

This is told in two parts. I found myself smiling through most of part one. I was enjoying the funny banter between Reena and Nadim. I enjoyed how they meet and how everything unfolds within their relationship.

Mental health was thrown in with very limited detail. It really did not fit in with the story and I do not think it was needed. There was also an eating disorder discussed, but again it was a very brief conversation. These were just the heavy topics that were thrown in and where not needed. They did not match the tone of the overall story.

I also did not love how paranoid Reena was based off a picture. We did not really get the information around the picture or why it was so off putting until later.

I also enjoyed all of the cultural information which also focused a lot around food. It is a nice touch for some recipes to be added at the end of the book as well. This book will make you want some fresh bread!

Overall, I still really enjoyed this light hearted romance.½

Blog Review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2.wordpress.com/2021/02/01/january-2021-revi...

I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately only 46 pages of this book was available for reading but those 46 pages really impressed me!

One of the first things I like about this is her Gujarati heritage....because I've lived in Gujarat for most of my life so I just really loved the small nods to the culture...a puri chhole here, a dhokla there..

Another thing I loved was the sourdough bread...my mother has picked up this skill and I've been with her all, or at least most of the way....so I was really really enjoying the sourdough jokes and all of that!

I love the arranged marriage/fake marriage thing this seems to be building up to, because you just know, that's what going to happen and I, for one, can't wait to read the rest of this book!

I really loved this preview and I will definitely be reading the rest of this book when it comes out! Or when it's available to request!