Reading Accidentally Engaged was a rollercoaster ride for me. Farah Heron had me screaming into the pillow because of how cute Nadim and Reena were, and later also somehow had me confused and feeling lukewarm about their love story. I'm no writer, but I feel like this book suffers from a case of a lot of telling and not enough showing. The dialogue at times feels dense and almost boring, and other times is engaging and moved me to excitement. Heron's book does not feel like it was written for the white gaze, which I appreciate. At the same time, I personally have a problem with the glorification of arranged marriages in books by Indian authors. Additionally, the third act conflict and eventual resolution felt very wordy to me, and I was skimming through it, eager to move on.

All of that being said, the book was overall an enjoyable read, its focus on food (and the recipes in the end!!) was probably my favorite part and the theme of finding home in people rather than places really hit the sweet spot. I definitely will pick up the next book by this author, and I'm very grateful to Estelle from Forever for the e-galley in exchange for my honest review!

There's so much to love about Farah Heron's Accidentally Engaged. Reena is such a fun and unique heroine, Nadim is both lovable and mysterious, and the entire Manji family is a damn trip. Plus the food descriptions in this book not only made my mouth water but also made me decide that bread-baking will be the delayed quarantine hobby I take up next.

I think where things got a little hinky is that there's just too much going on in this novel. Reena and Nadim's parents setting them up! Reena's relationship with her sister Saira! Reena's past failed relationships! The cooking show subplot! The foot shenanigans! The secrets that Reena's family is keeping from her! The secrets that Nadim is also keeping from her! The list goes on and on.

The book is just shy of soap opera-levels of drama at the end, but the problem is that I don't really know if that's exactly what Heron was going for. I would've loved if there'd been fewer subplots with a little more depth added to the remaining ones, especially because there were some really important topics that could've used more exploration, like mental illness and treatment.

I think this one's around 3.5-4ish stars?

This book was anything but half-baked. Farah Heron expertly weaves together culture and romance while maintaining a well-proved plot. She also discusses mental health, familial pressure, and what it means to make a home for yourself. Overall a beautiful book that I couldn't put down. Plus she includes recipes for some of the delicious food mentioned in the book which is a win in my book!

I can't help the bread references, don't be sour about it.

Accidentally Engaged is such a delightful story of finding love, home, and acceptance with your family. Reena works in finance but has a love of baking bread. When she meets her new neighbor, Nadim, she learns right away he’s there as an arranged partner from her meddling Indian parents. Unable to ignore the spark between them, Reena and Nadmin fake an engagement to enter a cooking contest!

I loved the family dynamics in this book. Seeing Reena’s relationship with her sister and parents evolve was in my opinion the primary love story. Nadim and Reena have great chemistry and witty banter that was fun to read. The only thing I would’ve wanted was for this story to be dual POV so we got to see things from Nadim’s perspective. I also loved reading about their Indian culture and all the scenes involving food!

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

I wasn't sure I would like this book after being introduced to the narrator, Reena. However, I quickly found how funny she is and how she self-sabotaged love because of her past. She was committed to NOT committing to an arranged marriage or falling in love with a man picked by her parents. As the story unfolds, you see that Reena's family (and her new beau) is full of secrets that they believe they can hide well. This love story was not traditional and took us on an unexpected journey. Some of the portions of the story was a little slow, but overall, I think this was a wonderful book.

I was wondering what the deal was with the bread!

I saw this book all over my feed (with a piece of bread coincidentally in every picture), I was really excited to see what the deal was! Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for bestowing this book upon me as an earc!

I was laughing from the very first chapter. Nadim was just a delight of a character, he is literally the cutest guy I've witnessed in a rom com. The story of this book was always such fun. I've said this before with other culturally diverse books, but I love rom coms that delve into different cultures so that you catch a glimpse of what that culture is like, even if you're just reading about it. It opens your eyes to a new world that you don't necessarily know about or had the opportunity to experience so I always enjoy them.

Being a Canadian, I can't tell you how fun it was to know exactly where certain places were, for example, I know EXACTLY where Markham, Ontario is! It's just a fun tidbit for me!

Overall, I had such a good time getting to know Reena and Nadim and to go along their cooking journey. (I've always wanted to try parathas!! I'm definitely trying some after reading this!)

I huge thank you to @ReadForeverPub and @NetGalley for the free advanced reader copy of this novel! I started this book the day after Christmas, and found myself flying through it! I never really joined in on the bread-making part of quarantine, but this book made me wish that I had. Who knows, maybe I will just start baking up a storm now! The novel hits shelves on March 2nd, 2021; Be sure to grab it then!
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Obviously, the version I read has not completed its editing stage, but apart from a few grammatical things that I’m sure have been cleared up, it read to me as ready to go. Reena is a well-crafted lead character that pulls you in and makes you want to love cooking as much as she does. I really felt like I had entered the Manji household and could hear the craziness around me as though I was living in it. Heron sets up a few twists and turns that keep the reader on their toes and watching all of the characters navigate their own problems while creating issues for others was absolutely engaging.

I loved this sweet and funny story of two people thrown together by proximity and family meddling. It was a mostly light-hearted delight to read, with effortless humor and charm.

Reena's overbearing family tries to insert themselves into every aspect of her life, but may have gone too far when they move her father's employee in across the hall from her in hopes she'll fall in love with him and marry. Reena knows she cannot marry him and give her family that satisfaction, even if Nadim is handsome, good natured, and willing to pretend to be engaged to her so she can enter a cooking competition. They start with an easy friendship, and though she knows Nadim is keeping secrets, eventually their relationship turns more serious.

Nadim was just so swoony and charming, I loved his love of Reena's bread and his other ... proclivities. I loved Reena's family and friends, they were all funny and brought a lot to the story. I love the cooking competition subplot, and I wish I could actually see the videos they made. I spent a good chunk of the book googling the different bread types and foods they discussed. I just loved it all!

the premise and the characters of this book attracted me a great deal at first, but the plot itself, its pacing, and the development of the aforementioned characters were not enough for me to finish this book. i DNF'd at the 65% mark due to dwindling interest in both the plot and characters. i did however really, really enjoy the representation of indians in tanzania within the story as well as the character of nadim.

Loved this one! The food made me so hungry and want to cook. Definitely don't read this one without some snakcs to much on. The banter between the two characters was so fun and I really enjoyed the cultural aspects included in the narrative. One of the best rom coms Ive read in a while.

Accidentally Engaged is so cute! The first half of this book plays to the tune of a diverse rom-com, and Reena with her unique point of view and not-so-typical behavior really draws you in and allows you to identify with her. Then, all of a sudden, sexy Nadim with his craft beer and rakish good looks turns the world on its axis.

The second half of this book went a little deeper, and I was here for it. The author swiftly and delicately discusses topics like self expression, mental illness, eating disorders, and familial obligation, and she does it spectacularly. I loved everything about this book, even the recipes at the back!

I came to this book for the promise of an awkward but beautiful romance. I stayed for the awkward family dynamics, the bread (c’mon), the sourdough puppies, and the recipes at the end! Do yourselves a favor and pre-order this book. I hope you’ll love it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reena belongs to an overbearing Muslim family. They are in her business and always trying to set her up with a good boy. She is dead set on not marrying anyone that her parents have a hand in. Imagine her surprise when her new neighbor, who she cleverly deems “brown Captain America,” asks her out, but turns out to be her husband in an arranged marriage. Nadim is charming, funny and a huge flirt that seems to really be into Reena. Too bad she’s not going to marry him (and tells him this every chance she gets). The two decide to become friends, but not tell their families. After a drunken night has them entering a FoodTV contest, the pair has to pretend to be engaged for the cameras in order to keep their spot in the competition. But as things unfold, there just might be more to their relationship (and each other) that meets the eye.

Accidentally Engaged is cute, funny and I loved it! I laughed out loud so many times, I lost track. I loved Reena’s quirky personality, especially how she names all her bread starters. But I also loved the twists and turns. There were so many layers of mystery and deception that the book kept me guessing. It was so refreshing to see both characters embrace their culture and share their food with others. While both families were overbearing and at times, over the top, I felt like the relationships were authentic and so real.

This is definitely a must read!

I just wanted bread and Indian food the entire time I was reading this book. It was funny and sweet. Parts of it felt a little contrived but it was fun. It was all fade to black, so no sex.

Last year, I absolutely fell in love with Indian culture through books and this one made me fall ever deeper. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing/Forever for this free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

When Reena Manji, 31, is baking bread, she’s in Complete control hates her career, loves baking bread and cooking, and is tired of her parents constantly trying to set her up and marry her off with what they consider to be good Muslim men. When Nadim, her sexy new Tanzanian neighbor with a heart stopping British accent moves across the hall from her, she starts to fall for his charm until she learns that not only is he is her father’s newest employee, but her parents have also arranged for the two of them to get married.

Nadim and Reena become really good friends and from the beginning, she let him know that she will never marry him.

This book was REALLY good and it made me laugh out loud a lot. It was a 5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. Rom coms are quickly becoming my favorite book genre. It also made me very hungry between Reena’s bread baking and the cooking she and Nadim did during a FoodTV cooking contest. I’ve never had Indian food and unfortunately I can’t seem to find an Indian restaurant on Guam, but I’m really excited to try it one day! I also loved the relationship between Reena and her sister, Saira and I loved Saira’s Desi wedding planning. My only complaint is the typos throughout the book but hopefully they will all be caught before publication.

Accidentally Engaged by @farahheronauthor will be released on March 2, 2021 and I’ve already preordered my physical copy!

Accidentally Engaged is a delightful rom-com, with so much delectable descriptions of food and bread that I found myself needing to snack while reading (and order Indian takeout). I enjoyed following the relationship at the center of the book, and following how the main characters navigated the pressures of family and career against their feelings for each other. I immediately went and checked out Heron's first book.

I could not get enough of this book. The character development was done so well. The love that blossoms between our two protagonist will tug at all your heartstrings. I laughed so much because Reena was hilarious. The banter between Reena and Nadim is sooooo good. I could have honestly read 100 more pages cause I was not ready to let them go. The cultural and family ties embedded throughout the stories are complicated but shape the story in a beautiful way. The theme throughout the book was the connection we have to our roots through food and I so resonated with that. That’s how Peruvian food feels to me and Nadim constantly saying he felt at home when tasting Reena’s cooking made this story that much more special for me.

Accidentally Engaged is a fun feel-good romance about Reena, a Muslim bread baker, and Nadim, the latest of her parent's matchmaking attempts and their hijinks as they fake an engagement and hide a friendship to win a family cooking contest.

Reena is having a hard time, she's been downsized...again, the hot guy next door is everything she's ever wanted but he's her parents pick and officially off-limits, and her sourdough starters are her best long term relationship.

Nadim has got some secrets he's keeping from the hot baker next door, but I was still hooked from the first description of him as "brown captain America".

I liked the back and forth of Reena and Nadim's snarky conversation, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the family drama and the cooking were some of the best parts. I've never had/heard of most of the recipes mentioned in the book and now wish I had a place I could go to try these traditional meals.

I really loved this book! It focuses on so much more than just the romance aspect, it dives into the many facets of Reema's life as a single woman in her thirties, trying to find what makes her happy.

There are so many layers of complication to Reema and Nadim's relationship, and I was definitely rooting for them them the whole time. Nadim is the sweetest little quirky cinnamon roll, and I was smitten by him from the beginning.

Reema is real and relateable, even as she navigates a cooking show contest and a fake engagement, while trying to deal with a career crisis and her overbearing Indian family.

And the food aspect of this book left me with huge food cravings! Bread, craft beer, and the amazing Indian cuisine had my mouth watering. In fact, as soon as I finished, I made lentil soup and naan!

The writing is well-paced, and interesting, so I never felt a lull, and just kept turning the pages. I liked how the characters worked through their issues, normalizing mental illness and dealing with high-stakes problems in a purposeful way.

This book is the perfectly sweet HEA I was needing, and I'm looking forward to this author's other books!

I absolutely LOVED this book! It had me hooked form start to finish. This book was entertaining, funny, full of secrets and drama and it definitely left me feeling hungry for some good bread.

One of my favourite things about this book was that it featured a woman in her thirties who was single as most romances feature someone who is in their twenties. Reena whose passion for cooking makes her finance job even more boring, and real estate dealer, Nadim are thrown in neighbouring apartments by Reena's desi parents who are sent on finding a good Muslim husband for their daughter.

I loved the chemistry between Reena and Nadim as well as the family and friend dynamics, secrets and cultural expectations that make life hard.

This is an incredible romance which I would highly recommend to everyone!

This was perfectly serviceable but not the zingy novel I'd been personally hoping for. That being said, I can see this working for readers who will find the food angle, fake relationship trope, and family trials and triumphs to be enticing—it will likely make a perfect recommendation for a future What Should I Read Next guest.