I'm not sure why but I attempted to read The Marriage Clock a few times and couldn't get myself to finish. I've read a number of books with this plot but it's possible I was just not in a place for this plot. Either way, didn't finish.

Leila's parents only want the best for her. Leila only wants the best for herself! But "the best" according to Leila's traditional Indian parents certainly isn't "the best" according to her. For Leila, it's full-on Bollywood romance or nothing. She's been looking, and waiting, forever. So long, in fact, that her parents are running out of patience. If she can't produce a decent match within three months, she's agreed to go along with their marital choice. But can you put a timer on finding who, or what, is right? Leila needs to find the answer soon, because her time is running out.

FULL REVIEW ON FRESH FICTION
THE MARRIAGE CLOCK by Zara Raheem is a quick, fun read. Full of Bollywood references, aromatic food descriptions, and relatable familial frustrations, Leila is a modern woman in a traditional household, with the ever-looming expectation of marriage over her head. Leila goes on a string of bad dates, gets ghosted by the only man she felt a genuine connection to, and even tries speed dating. It’s a humorous look at modern dating, with the added caveat of finding someone her very traditional South Asian parents will like. While much of this novel was humorous, Leila was a bit of a mixed bag - at times she seems very committed to finding a husband in just three months, almost as if she’s doing it in spite of her parents. But at other times, she’s upset (and rightly so) that her only worth is tied to who she marries. She's caught between following her own instincts, let alone her heart, and upholding the traditions that are literally responsible for her family. Additionally, Leila finds fault with every single person in this book who isn’t herself - she complains about her parents, the men she tries to date, even her friends. There is a trip to India for her cousin’s wedding that was a much-needed change of pace toward the end of the novel, and it also served as a transformative space for Leila, where she comes to realize a few things about herself that change the rest of her story. An interesting novel!

Find full review here: https://culturess.com/2019/08/02/the-marriage-clock-raises-all-the-right-questions-about-societys-views-of-love-and-marriage/

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with Leila's story in The Marriage Clock. There were many enjoyable scenes but, overall, Leila's thoughts and behaviors seemed more suited for a teenager than a 26-year-old woman. There were also times I just didn't like Leila. She seemed self-centered, judgemental. and petty at times. I just didn't click well with this book. I can't say I would recommend it to anyone.

I know the old saying don't judge a book by its cover but that's exactly what I did when I chose to read the Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem. The bright, colorful, animated cover popped out at me and I immediately assumed it was one of the wonderful romcoms I so love to read. But while the Marriage Clock did have some elements of comedy and romance, after reading it I definitely wouldn't consider it a rom com at all. I think it's more of a coming of age women's fiction story where the main character Leila's struggle to pull away from cultural norms and determine her own life path became the focus of the story much more than any romance. I will say my initial judgment was correct in that I did really enjoy the book. I love seeing books written by own voice authors, especially female authors making it mainstream so I was very pleased with having a South Asian Muslim nation character.

I thought the Marriage Clock was very well written. There were elements of comedy that I really enjoyed, especially the parade of bad first dates Leila went through. I really was pulled into the quick romances and the author did a really great job of creating romantic chemistry in such a brief time frame. I was kind of disappointed that it didn't turn out to be the traditional romance happily ever after, but I understand that Leila had to learn to be happy with herself first.

I really liked how Leila grew as a character through out the story. I honestly found her to be quiet annoying and judgemental in the beginning but as I came to know the character better, and as Leila came to know herself and be able to acknowledge her faults through out the book it made me like her all the more. I think the part I enjoyed most was actually the friendship Leila develops with her cousin Meena. It's always interesting to see how someone else's perspective can make the situation seem completely different and I think meeting Meena really allowed Leila to learn and grow.

While the idea of setting a literal deadline to meet your future spouse or arranged marriage seems crazy to me, the author was able to give a like inside how such relationships develop in their culture and the points of views that many hold that allow those relationships to work for them. While I might not agree with it, I definitely feel like I have a better understanding. I really loved the end when Leila decided to take control of her own life. I actually wouldn't mind reading more about her in the future. I'd also really like to read more about her friend Tania who was such an interesting character.

Sweet romance book about finding love nor just in a romantic partner but also finding love with yourself. I really loved the main character and her group of friends - they were so realistic and funny, and reminded me a lot of me and my friends. I especially loved the ending and not to spoil anything but I thought it was such a realistic ending which is a nice change from an archetypal romance book.

A cute rom-com where the main character, a headstrong Muslim-American girl is given three months to find a husband or her parents will pick someone for her. I really wanted to like this book, but the main character seemed really immature for someone in her mid-twenties. She's obsessed with Bollywood and wants a romance to match. I enjoyed reading about the Muslim household, and it was well written.

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I was expecting a lighthearted romance from the title and the book description, but it's more like a personal journey of a woman finding herself and properly aligning her priorities. Which is lovely! But it's not what I was expecting with this book. I found myself frequently becoming annoyed by Leila, who felt very immature for a 26-year-old, and the ending of the book felt quite rushed, like all the pieces were just sloppily falling into place (and not in a way that made sense). There were moments where I really loved the book and some of its characters, but as a whole, this one didn't really do it for me.

I was given a free copy of this book by #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Leila is running out of time to get married according to her traditional Indian parents. As a result, she makes an agreement with them, that if she's not met her fiance by a certain date, that she'll allow her parents to arrange a marriage for her. Leila's proceeds to date, date, date, while her mother sets the Indian marriage network to work finding Leila a match. Cute story.

This book was adorable and quirky, the only real thing missing that didn’t make it a higher rating for me was the lack of a romantic happy ending. The author keeps you so enthralled with the main character finding love for the ENTIRE story and then you are let down in the end. I love a good strong female character but the way the author had this set up was more that she needed a man, not that she was as independent as the ending wanted you to believe. However, it was an adorable story about trying to find love and pleasing your family and for someone that doesn’t love a steamy romance this is definitely up your alley.

I don’t often read romcom/chicklit titles, though I do enjoy them on occasion. This sounded like it might be a fun one, but I quite quickly lost interest in Leila’s “journey.” Despite being impatient with the main character, I did enjoy the writing, particularly the descriptions of time spent in India. I’ll be interested to see future books by this author and imagine this title might be popular with some readers.

This book was fantastic. It was so witty at times, I laughed-out-loud (the speed-dating scene was hilarious). Yet it was also heartbreaking, frustrating, and enlightening. There were times I wanted to scream at Leila to tell her mom to leave her alone, but I grew to understand the culture in which she was raised. The descriptions of India - the food, the sights, the smells - put me right there. I honestly had no idea what was going to happen and each time I thought I knew, the author tossed out another bump in the road. It was unpredictable in a great way! I sort of hoped for a different ending, but the one the author chose was absolutely perfect for the book.

I look forward to more books from this author. On my to-do list is to watch a Bollywood movie :)

This is one where it might have been an it's me, not the book situation. It was a quick read, and I eventually found the ending satisfying, but I had a hard time with the main character throughout the story. It's a story that is mostly about Leila finding herself and figuring out her identity, but it seemed both rushed (she seems to have a massive awakening at the very end) and long coming.

I wanted to love this one much more than I did but almost halfway through the book wasn't really capturing my attention. It was a bit of a chore to make it to the end. On one hand I could relate to Leila as I'm about her age. And at that age so many of you're friends are coupled up and you really want to find someone but it feels like all the good men are taken. On top of that she had strict parents which made it that much harder. I thought the Bollywood aspects and matchmaking made it a little different from other rom coms. Usually romances hook me in and I can't put them down. Most of this book was just her meeting guys who were wrong for her and then going on more dates. Unlike Bollywood rom coms the quirky and zany situations were for the most part missing. The story doesn't really come to life until more than halfway through the book during a family wedding celebration and by then it's too late to make up for the time lost.

Leila has traditional Indian parents who believe love comes after marriage. After being single for 26 years, still without a husband, her parents give her an ultimatum. Either find a husband in three months or they will arrange a marriage for her to a man of their choosing. Leila is still daydreaming about a Bollywood romance type of marriage where true love happens before marriage. So now she must try to satisfy her parents impossible expectations while checking off all the boxes on her list for a suitable husband. When time is ticking down and her deadline is almost up, Leila must face the consequences of what might happen if she does not succeed....

This book had all the right bones to be another smash hit for the Rom-Com genre this summer. However, I found myself struggling to get through this one. I felt that the bad dates had so much more potential and it really fell flat for me. I found myself putting this book down, more than picking it up. I did sympathize with Leila and her journey to find love and the terrible matches her mother was trying to persuade her to like. I found that about 70% through I finally started to get invested and excited for her potential love match. Personally, this may not have been the book for me but it did have great Indian culture background and religion mixed in there. The ending was not what I would have wanted it to be,, but did convey a strong woman power message which I think was great. The book overall is an easy, light, read.

SYNOPSIS: Lelia, a twenty-six year old Indian-American Muslim woman, hasn’t had much luck with relationships so far — her friends think she’s a bit too picky, but Lelia knows it’s good to have standards. However, after an argument with her meddlesome parents, Leila agrees that if she can’t find someone suitable to marry (or at least date) in the next three months, her mother can arrange Lelia’s marriage. With the clock ticking down and Leila dating as fast as she’s can, will she be able to find Mr. Right in time?

I really, really wanted to like this book more than I did — it started off okay, had a different plot and I was excited to see where it went but ultimately, it petered out without necessarily paying off. Now, all of this should be taken with a grain of salt because the book is obviously written from a cultural stand-point that I know absolutely nothing about. That being said, I just couldn’t get behind this one.

Lelia seems a bit naive about boyfriends, husbands, and relationships. It’s good to have standards but not being willing to compromise on any of her qualifications makes it difficult to sympathize with her inability to find anyone worth her time. There was also a lot of heavy-handed debate between whether getting married was a good thing or not, and Lelia always seemed to land on the side of wanting to be married but not really knowing why, which I found confusing.

I think the pacing of the book was a bit off, and that’s why I felt disconnected from Lelia, her friends and her potential partners. It was such a whirlwind that I struggled to invest any emotion in the characters — I think another ten or so pages would have easily addressed those internal aspects of character development that make readers connect.

Also, (spoiler!) it’s not a romance, or at least not how I expected it to be?? There’s plenty of potential romantic partners but Lelia doesn’t end up with anyone specifically, even though there’s plenty of hints thrown around. Instead, she chooses herself, which should feel empowering but instead just left me even more confused. Maybe it’s an attempt to set up a sequel, but it lacked that cute ending that I expect out of even the most modern romance novels.

I did not finish this book. I found the main character to be too immature for my taste. She is in her late twenties but comes across as a very young teenager. I was hoping for a character who understood her self worth more and was dealing with fighting against her traditional parents and the traditions of her culture. The character annoyed me so much that I was not willing to stick around and see if she grows.

This debut novel might easily be written off as "chick lit," but behind the humor, the angst, the determined search for a husband, is a pretty powerful look at the life of a first-generation Indian Muslim woman whose family's expectations for her are marriage--first, last, and everything. Zara Raheem does a fine job exploring the various sides of freedom of choice and arranged marriages, the generation gap, and the cultural divide of immigrant families. Her characters are interesting and three-dimensional personalities. Leila’s friend Annie is good at keeping Leila grounded, and their conversations are often both meaningful and funny. Even Leila’s mother, who seems so overbearing, is more realistic than caricatured. Raheem provides a surprising conclusion in this eye-opening book for "non-desi" readers, which would be excellent material for discussion groups.

The Indian-American experience in Western literature has a pretty specific formula - the family is usually Hindu and wanting their kid to get married, the protagonist is the daughter trying to figure out her identity, and there’s a happy ending. This book has a happy ending, but the protagonist is Muslim, unapologetically secure about her identity and career. But her ‘happily ever after’ journey is wholly original. I laughed. I teared up. And I desperately want a film adaptation.
The writing is very sharp, the characters are fully formed, and the book never had a slow moment. I adored it.