An utterly engaging and hilarious memoir in a graphic novel about Huda Fahmy navigating the, sometimes difficult and oftentimes funny, terrain of finding love and arranging her marriage under the tenets of her Islamic faith. Fahmy is the ripe old age of 25 (a cat-lady in training) when she finally lays eyes on her future husband Gehad and begins to spin the wheels to get her marriage arranged. But before the big day arrives, she laughingly takes the reader through her history of dating and not-dating to get to Mr. Right. Fahmy is a little snarky, a little self-deprecating, a little nerdy, and a lot funny. I really loved how she drew her cast of characters (overbearing but loving mom , gossiping aunties, etc) with such irreverence - poking fun, but always with a loving heart. And, while this is an overwhelmingly cute little love story, there is great import here too, as Fahmy doesn't pull punches on the sexism and Islamophobia she experiences on a daily basis.

If you want to smile, check out this little gem, and the rest of Huda Fahmy's work.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this. It was cute, it was funny and I learned about arranged marriages. I liked it so much I even read the acknowledgements and glossary.

The writing is very witty and the art is a perfect match to it. I would highly recommend this as a quick, fun read.

*ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I have not read many illustrated books but this one caught my attention and I had to read it. I am so glad I did, because I loved it!

This comic book tells the story of the author and her arranged marriage. For people like myself who are not familiar, I loved the insight this provided into their culture. I also loved the humor that was through out the book!

A solid four stars!

I loved the author's previous book so when I saw this one I knew I needed to request it right away. It was just as good as the last one. It gives you an idea of what her life is life but far from dry. You can really get a sense of her personality. I would highly recommend this book.

I've followed Huda Fahmy (@yesimhotinthis) on Instagram for a while and I find many of her comics to be hilarious. I'm not Muslim-I'm actually not even religious-but that doesn't mean I can't identify with a lot of the messages in her work, or even sympathize or emphasize with her experiences.

I hadn't read her previous book, but I added it to my to-read list immediately after finishing this one, which I absolutely adored. While Fahmy's experiences may not be those of many non-Muslims (and even several Muslims), the way she creates her comics makes them easy to understand and often quite relatable to experiences you may have had. And she's freakin' hilarious! Her wit and, specifically, her snark, made me absolutely love this collection.

I can also see how this book would be a great guide for a Muslim woman who may be following in Huda's path, to see that she's not alone (and it's okay if you're not married by 25!).

Highly recommend this one!

This very amusing graphic novel tells the story of how the author, Huda Fahmy, met and married her husband. The artwork and colouring is quite simple in style but I think this enhances the story because the simple style manages to convey the complexities around life, love and relationships.

Huda Fahmy tells her own story about her marriage and how she navigated societal and religious expectations. She takes the time to explain that arranged marriages come in different forms and are not the same as forced marriages. As someone who comes from a conservative culture I could recognise some of the aspects of her story even though I am not a muslim. The aim of courtship or 'dating' is marriage and there are very clear steps to marriage which involve the entire family and sometimes community, not just the couple themselves.

As someone who was brought up in both liberal global north cultures and conservative global south cultures, I really appreciate this book and I could see elements of myself in it. I remember my mother trying introduce me to the son of her friend and that didn't go anywhere because the young man in question liked his food too much. After that my parents left me to my own devises.

Huda's story echoes the concerns of anyone hoping for love and marriage. As she hopes for her future she discovers more about who she is as a person. She learns to love who she is and this helps steer her path. It doesn't mean that she isn't anxious about meeting someone, it is just that she eventually manages to balance her desire for a relationship with the need to live her life to the full. Huda goes to university, goes on conferences qnd gets on with life, all the while dealing with her anxieties about her biological clock. What I liked most is the way her culture and religion empower her to voice what she wants from a husband. Her expectations weren't vague and she wasn't afraid to say that she wanted to get married.

I also appreciated the way that her family and friends supported her quest. Some of this support was a bit too intrusive for my global North ways. I dont think I would have wanted my mother to chaperone my dates, but I liked the way her Dad was there for her when one suitor became unsuitable.

A lot of emotion is conveyed in this story, as well as the complexities of culture and religion, and the challenge of expressing both of those in a liberal more secular culture. It is a great book because it tells a story about a young woman's search for love in a very humorous and engaging way.

Copy provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Definitely a book for Muslim girls to read after they've "got another wedding invitation." Or if someone asks to marry you and says, "I find you...r citizenship attractive."
Although anyone would enjoy reading this book because it is so hilarious, it's especially relatable and enjoyable to read as a (single) Muslim American woman.
I can relate to all of Huda's horror and humourous stories.
There are even some words of wisdom! "Find someone who shares your level of faith wants to grow with you."

Thank you for the ARC! I enjoyed it!

Cute but very simple, both in art and story. Simple isn't really a fault given that we don't have lots of accessible stories about arranged relationships or religious Muslim women finding love. It would be a good choice for a teen learning about other cultures, or a new college kid wanting to understand new friends (I didn't know any Muslims my own age until college, nor did I know anyone considering arranged marriage, so that would have been a great point to have something like this). The author compares her view of courtship to Jane Austen's, and it would be a good read along with some Austen or other Western work from that time period.

"That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story" is an interesting read, with a great start, and some very good visual gags that, unfortunately, falls shorts in delivering on the high expectations the author creates in the first pages.

In this graphic novel, Huda Fahmy tells the story of how she met and married her husband. It all starts really well, with a short guide for people that need to know some concepts about Muslim culture and then jumping to the moment she met her husband.

But stop! We need first to see, understand and go with Fahmy through the rules of dating, of intergender relationships, of courtship, of suitors... etc., etc., before we can go back to the moment she got to meet her husband. Some of this is great, with a funny and relatable way to explain things and a couple of very funny moments (and also easy to understand for people who could come from a different background).

However, it all end ups being overly simplistic, with repetition of the same gags and ideas over and over... and over. The chaperone one is one of the few that keeps being funny, but a couple of the others, on to of becoming repetitive, could also make some readers raise their eyebrows (but here we enter into the topic of believes, ideas, etc...).

Also, for what is supposed to be a love story, there is little of love or character development here: look how I met that guy, let's go back to see how I understood relationships as a young Muslim woman; see, we meet this guy again. Married.

End.

It makes for a blunt, over-simplistic, character arc. It is good to see how the character (and her environment) understands relationships, etc., but the author just telling me her husband is funny, handsome and the perfect partner does not make for compelling storytelling or laugh out loud moments.

I laughed out loud several times, learned some things, and wished I could meet her because she sounds dope.

Recommended: Yes!
For insight into what it's like to have a modern-day arranged marriage (note it's not a FORCED marriage), for a funny story about finding yourself and finding love

Thoughts:
This was like having a friend you can ask questions about without worrying you'll accidentally be offensive. Like the answer to the questions you want to ask but aren't sure you're allowed to. It was also HILARIOUS! And so, so sweet. I can never turn down a cute little love story!

And oh, man, was this funny. I laughed a lot, and those are often my favorite kinds of reads. Between moments in the story itself and the art that enhanced the jokes, I was positively cackling. It probably sounded a bit like my own zaghrit at times.

It's obviously a love story, and you pretty much know where it's heading considering the dedication is "To Gehad." That just makes it all the more delectable to follow along, cheering for her and thinking "Ooooh girl just wait till you see what's coming your way..."

There were also some good words of wisdom in there too, and one I particularly liked was when her mother challenges Huda, asking her "What, you think people who date first don't get divorced?" Like... yeah good point, right?

The main thing keeping it from five stars was the feeling that something was missing from the art style. It felt a bit awkward at first and took some getting used to. I think this is primarily due to the lack of variable line thickness and depth, which made it look very flat and like it was done entirely in MS paint. If it WAS done entirely in MS paint, then I'm actually super impressed. It took some getting used to it, but what she does with her art is fantastic and easily overrides any awkwardness in the style itself. The extra bits of humour and story done through visual elements added a lot to the story and the personalization of it.

PS - I read the foreword, and I recommend you do too. The "I don't sleep with my hijab on" disclaimer alone was worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrew McMeels Publishing for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A good edition to a YA graphic novel collection that offers a window into Muslim cultural practices. Fahmy's illustrations and dialogue and warm and humorous.

Thanks to netgalley for the ebook preview copy.

My rating is 4 stars.

I follow Huda on Instagram and like her uncomplicated art style and humour, providing an insight to her life and learning bits about arabic and islamic faith.

'That can be arranged' explains the meeting and marriage to Gehad through Huda's eyes. I loved the fancy party dresses and the chaperones on dates.

I asked my local library to purchase Hudas first book, and will recommend they purchase this also.

An inspired follow up to YES, I’M HOT IN THIS.

I adored cartoonist Huda Fahmy’s debut book, 2018’s YES, I’M HOT IN THIS: THE HILARIOUS TRUTH ABOUT LIFE IN A HIJAB. In it, she challenges and straight up slays the bald-faced bigotry and racist, sexist, and Islamophobic microaggressions hurled her way. (As a Muslim WOC living in Amurica, sadly there is little shortage of such.)

In many ways, THAT CAN BE ARRANGED: A MUSLIM LOVE STORY feels like a natural progression: her husband and BFF Gehad is a frequent character in her comics (as is his ubiquitous red shirt), and of course her readers are dying to know how those two crazy (read: delightfully nerdy!) kids got together.

Huda and Gehad’s was an arranged marriage – but, as you’ll see, arranged marriages (not to be confused with forced marriages) take many forms. In her parents’ case, this meant marrying after just a single meeting – and divorcing many years later.

Huda, by contrast, spent several years trying to get matched with a suitable man. After turning down her only suitor (who turned out to be a stalkery sociopath), she spotted her dream dude by chance at an Islamic studies conference and promptly fell head over heels (all at the ripe old age of twenty-four – the horror!). She appealed to Sheik Z (aka Doctor Love), also in attendance, for relationship advice; it was Qadar (destiny) when he set Huda and Gehad up.

What came next was a chaperoned courtship (involving some of the funniest panels in the book; to wit: Huda’s mom eavesdropping on their Pokemon debate), meeting the ‘rents, setting a date, the kitab (signing of the marriage contract) and, finally, the walima.

Huda, by contrast, spent several years trying to get matched with a suitable man. After turning down her only suitor (who turned out to be a stalkery sociopath), she spotted her dream dude by chance at an Islamic studies conference and promptly fell head over heels (all at the ripe old age of twenty-four – the horror!). She appealed to Sheik Z (aka Doctor Love), also in attendance, for relationship advice; it was Qadar (destiny) when he set Huda and Gehad up.

What came next was a chaperoned courtship (involving some of the funniest panels in the book; to wit: Huda’s mom eavesdropping on their Pokemon debate), meeting the ‘rents, setting a date, the kitab (signing of the marriage contract) and, finally, the walima.

Like YES, I’M HOT IN THIS, THAT CAN BE ARRANGED dispels a lot of misconceptions that non-Muslims might have about arranged marriages. For example, while their courtship was governed my myriad rules, Huda and Gehad had he final say in whether to do the thing (again: arranged, not forced). I especially loved how she compared her own experiences to Jane Austen, giving many Western readers a reference point to relate.

I can’t wait to see what Huda does next. (Me, I’m rooting for the cat hotel!)

This was really fun and interesting to read! It was really cute at times and really funny at times. While I don't really like the art style, I really enjoyed the story. I hope others like it as much as I did!!

That Can Be Arranged tells the series of events that eventually lead toHuda Fahmy's arranged marriage. Huda talks about her early romantic life, which was very limited, previous attempts at proposals, the dating process for an arranged marriage, and the ceremony itself. Huda's cartoons are funny and self-deprecating., and the information about the process of arranged marriages is very interesting.

This book was amazing. I loved the characters and it was made even better that they were based on real people. The humor was relatable and I laughed out loud a few times. I also learned so much about a culture different than mine. Highly recommend!

I'm really far from familiar with this culture, so I think i've read this with no expectations. I laughed quite a lot, it was funny and interesting. The illustrations are not in my favorite style but it worked with the text. Liked it!

Funny, informative, relatable, and entertaining, this book has earned a place on a shelf of my favorite Muslim-authored books. Definitely worth multiple reads for multiple laughs. I highly recommend anyone, Muslim or not to read this book and I've done a full of it on my blog. Link below!

https://notepadnomad.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/that-can-be-arranged-a-muslim-love-story

I love Huda Fahmy's books. They are funny and thoughtful, and they give me a window into a world I want to know more about. I appreciate her perspective so much. She proves that our experiences may be different but we still can connect at the deepest emotional part of us. I relate to Huda Fahmy in ways I may not have expected, and it thrills me! My students will, too.
Can't wait to put her books into my classroom.

In her second comic, Huda Fahmy recounts the story of how she met her husband, Gehad. Marriage is always tricky, and especially for Huda as she faces gossiping aunties and overbearing parents who want the best for her. That Can Be Arranged is hilarious, quirky and quite refreshing. A simple story which also discusses misconceptions about the autonomy of Muslim women, and offers another way to understand what life is like for a Muslim woman in a modern age.

Fahmy’s sense of humour is strange, but I surprisingly enjoyed it. I see a lot of her art on Instagram so I knew I had to read this one. The story is practical, nothing too extreme, and I really enjoyed how open she was about her spirituality in her story. I also appreciated how she’s so unabashed when it comes to expressing all her struggles.

I’ll admit the art style isn’t my taste, but her wit and humour really makes up for it. Fahmy’s story is quick and simple, yet makes its mark about her longing to find someone, the struggles it entails and making sure she gets married for the right reason and with the right person.