This was a cute and humorous book that shared the cultural struggles regarding dating and marriage of a South Asian/Muslim American girl. I learned quite a bit and laughed my way through all the frogs Leila had to date looking for her Bollywood Prince. I would have given it a higher rating but I found Leila’s personality a bit grating and wished she would have been a little more forthcoming with her parents sooner than later. But I thought it was a good debut and will definitely check out the author’s next book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. I received this digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the story of The Marriage Clock. While Leila wasn’t always a likable character, watching her move through the process of meeting her parents marriage deadline and witnessing her dating journey was definitely entertaining. Even though she didn’t realize it, all of Leila’s expectations about who her “soulmate” should be fell in line with her parents expectations too. Both were a bit rigid and unrealistic, but came from a loving (albeit slightly misguided) place. Romance is unpredictable and it’s a lesson that I think both Leila and her parents learned.

Just like romance is unpredictable, the ending of The Marriage Clock was too. I honestly thought it was going to be your standard, run of the mill romantic ending, but as Leila learned, not every Bollywood story ends the same.

In The Marriage Clock, Leila has just turned 26 and her parents have decided that it's past time for her to be married. She strikes a deal with them - she has three months to find a fiance, but if she hasn't found someone by that time her parents can arrange a marriage for her. I enjoyed this book but found it kind of stressful! The emphasis on marriage as being all-important - and the subsequent pressure on Leila - was very intense. I found Leila a little immature and judgemental, but at the same time I found her funny and sympathetic. Her attempts at dating were really amusing, although she was super quick to dismiss people. Though the focus was on finding a life partner, the book is really about finding yourself and what you want out of life. I zoomed through it, eager to find out what would happen to Leila. Recommended.

The Marriage Clock was such a delightful book to read. This seems to be the year of arranged marriage books. But I found this one different from books like Unmarriageable and Ayesha at Last.

Leila is an American born Muslim. Her parents want her to find marriage, they just have different opinions on how to get there. Leila wants love before marriage, her parents believe love comes after marriage. Leila's parents give her 3 months to find love, before they intercede on her behalf. What ensues is many comical moments, but more importantly a road to self discovery for Leila.

This is great summer read and I highly recommend. This will hit on a lot of tropes for those who love "summer reads". I think you will find there is some meat to this story, but how the author gets there is fun ride.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book, for an honest opinion.

Leila's parents are worried of their daughter's single status when she turns twenty-six. They decide to start finding her a husband. The only way for Leila can put them off it by getting them to agree to let her take three months to find the perfect man to marry. Half of this book is the disastrous dates. This became tedious because I was worried that the book would be nothing but bad dates. Then she gets her heart broken and she starts really thinking about marriage in her Indian Muslim culture and how much that means to her, an American.

I enjoyed this book. Besides that one lull when I wanted something different to happen then her dating another guy (there are no subplots), this book goes very quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed Leila. She was smart and little prickly but she was quick to admit when she was in the wrong. She didn't find her happily ever after with a man but the way the book is written, that's a good ending for her.

The Marriage Clock is Zara Raheem’s debut novel. This contemporary romance follows, Lelia, a young Muslim-American woman, who is given 3 months to find the perfect husband otherwise her conservative Indian parents will find someone for her and arrange her marriage. I found this book to be charming, witty, and could connect to the book on a personal level. Zara’s writing style keeps your attention throughout the full book. I also found it refreshing to read the view point from an Indian Muslim perspective as I am Indian Hindu and it was interesting to see what the similarities and differences were. With all of that said, there were some parts of the book that I found difficult to connect with fully which resulted in a lower star rating. First, I found Lelia’s personality to be a bit jarring, more immature, and delusional than I anticipated. At the same time, it didn’t surprise me as she was still living at home with her parents, but I expected a bit more openness and understanding from her. The ending made sense to me, but it felt me wanting something a bit more. Overall, I thought it was a great start for a debut. I’d recommend picking this up if you like contemporary novels.

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from HarperCollins in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

The Marriage Clock – Out 7/23/19
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Leila Abid's traditional Indian parents want her to find a husband and are willing to arrange a marriage for her but Leila, she keeps wishing for a Bollywood romance (love BEFORE marriage). Her parents tell her that she has 3 months to find a husband how she wants and then if she can’t find one, they will arrange one for her.
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I wanted to love this book! It is highly anticipated and I loved that it was based on South Asian characters and community but I was disappointed in it. The book is fast paced throughout because you are reading about Leila’s dating disasters and they are very entertaining but it all became very repetitive. I was frustrated with Leila because I found her to be judgmental and she went through the book with rose colored glasses on the whole time.

Ehhhh, I found this book so predictable and ended up mostly skimming it in order to finish and write this review.

I was so excited to read this book! The cover is adorable and I loved the idea of modern dating coming up against traditions. I loved what a quick read this was and the multiple locations. (SPOILER) My main issue was that it did not technically have a Happily Ever After. I felt that it was marketed as a Romance and was a little shocked by it ending without her finding love. I'm all for a story of a character finding herself but that wasn't clear. Overall still an enjoyable read and excited for readers to go on this journey with her!

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fast, enjoyable read - especially if you don't think too deeply about it. The protagonist is judgmental and self-centered, which means that she runs through a series of potential suitors (suggested by her parents who are obsessed with getting her married as part of their South Asian Muslim community's expectations) with a series of snap judgments. There is almost no character development, so each of the suitors comes off as a caricature. That said, it's fast-paced and a light read. I'd definitely recommend this for the beach.

This light and funny read touches on some important questions. What are your obligations to your family, your religion, and yourself? Leila is both an independent Los Angeles school teacher and a dutiful Muslim daughter of Indian parents. Her parents, who met through arranged marriage, are eager to see Leila get married… and if she doesn’t find the right man in three months, they’ll find one for her. Leila makes herself a list of desirable traits in a husband and sets about looking for Mr. Right, with the welcome help of her supportive group of friends and the less welcome set-ups arranged by her mother. Her friends play matchmaker, her mother takes her to a real matchmaker, she tries Muslim dating sites… but none of the guys are right for her and time is running out. She has to make a decision after she gets back from her perfect cousin’s arranged marriage in India. I appreciated Leila’s eventual choice, but the resolution seemed rushed. Leila is an enjoyable character to spend time with, though, and her dating misadventures are relatable.

Reviewed on Netgalley. I received a free copy in exchange for honest feedback.

I didn’t finish this book, it didn’t grab my attention enough to continue. There was too much time building up to the main plot.

I chose to read The Marriage Clock because I’m always interested in reading own voices writing about their culture. About this time last year I read a book the premise of which was finding a man through match.com. Though that book was comical, at the end I felt unsatisfied as a reader as the female protagonist didn’t seem to grow emotionally from her experiences. That is not true of The Marriage Clock. I flew through this book in just a few hours. Raheem’s writing style is simple, direct, and easy to read. Her characters, particularly Leila, are fully developed, funny, and all-to-human. She is a first-generation American with Indian parents. Leila is frequently torn between her more liberal American self and her family-loving Muslim self. Often she’s frustrated by her more traditional parents who have decided it is time she fulfill her destiny and marry, thus starting the countdown on The Marriage Clock. Leila is convinced she’ll find a partner equal to the men her favorite Bollywood movies but with more liberal qualities of an American male tossed into the pot.

Raheem’s description of Leila’s trials in finding a husband range from sad to pathetic to hysterical. Her marital rejects are each individualized with traits that range from funny to totally bizarre: the guy who uses the sound “bam” to punctuate every sentence, the one who asks about the past medical history of Leila and her entire family; the one who’s far older than he admits to; the one who’s already engaged, but fails to divulge this to Leila; and finally, the one who “ghosts” her after a seemingly-great date in which she thinks they really connected. I lived extensively in the Muslim world (though I’ve forgotten every word of Urdu I ever knew) and the world Raheem has created is very real.

This was not a typical romantic comedy, though those elements are present. There is depth to the narration, and the characters are all well-developed, especially Leila’s family and friends. In addition, the glimpses into the Muslim Indian community and culture are wonderful. The Marriage Clock is also an amusing look into traditional arranged marriages with “auntie” matchmakers, biodata spreadsheets compiled by Leila’s parents, speed-dating, and dating apps. The joy of this book, as mentioned above, is the personal growth of Leila and her journey to self-acceptance.

I wanted to like this book so much! The protagonist, a Muslim American woman who feels trapped into a deal she makes with her parents: find a mate before their wedding anniversary or have one chosen for her. She isn't really comfortable in her own skin, she isn't comfortable with her family, seems at odds with her religion. I waited for her to grow, to change, to commit to something. Sadly, though she whines about her mother, her friends, her circumstance, she just doesn't seem to get a handle on her life. Other reviewers seem to find great humor here, I wanted to know more, wanted the author to give me more than the journey of this woman in the shallow end of things.

This was a cute, fun read. The character development was a little light and the ending felt a little rushed, but it’s good for quick read with diverse characters.

This is a diverse literary romance, perfect for chick lit fans looking for something new. I would give this three stars, only because the ending was a little unsatisfying.

I was super looking forward to this book, but it does not live up to its earlier reviews or publisher blurbs.

Unfortunately, the main character isn't very sympathetic. On paper she's 26, but thinks, acts, and reacts like a character in a YA novel. It was hard to feel sorry for her or empathize with her situation when she enforces no boundaries with her parents, isn't forthcoming or honest but is judgmental with her romantic interests, and approaches love like a teenager. She even handles her big moment of self-discovery and standing up to her parents in a very melodramatic way, making a not-her social engagement all about her, instead. It felt like the equivalent of getting engaged at your sister's wedding reception.

It also isn't clear who the intended audience is for this novel. Bollywood movies and (I assume real?) Bollywood stars were mentioned constantly with no remarks or references to ground the reader ("[This actor], known for his emotional portrayal of..." or whatever): you either knew who they were or it meant nothing. Similarly, there were lots of little bits of conversation that weren't translated. Without popping on to Google Translate every other minute, they were just noise on the page.

I think of any specific person I would recommend this book to.

What started out as a simple fluffy romcom setup - Leila has to find a man she chooses for herself before her parents choose one for her, and struggle against her Bollywood notions of The Perfect Guy in the process - turned out to have quite serious cultural undertones. I enjoyed that aspect of the story and learning about one kind of Muslim American experience through Leila’s journey but I felt like something was missing along the way. I like where Leila ended up as a character but the development for her getting there felt kind of shallow. Still, it was a fun fast read that I’ll recommend to patrons interested in diverse romance titles!