Hana Khan is part-time waitress, intern at the radio station, and undercover podcaster. She works at her family's halal restaurant, Three Sister Biryani Poutine. When a new halal restaurant begins reservations, she is immediately locked into a feud with the new owner.
This was a really amazing romance that incorporates the need to tell your own story.

Hana Khan Carries On was delightful! Smart, funny, bold, sweet, and full of heart, I couldn’t put it down! Jalaluddin has written a charming and engaging story, with fascinating, multi-dimensional characters, laugh out loud humour, and a tender exploration of love – in all its forms.

Hana waitresses at her family restaurant part time and spends the rest of her time trying to achieve her dream of telling stories on the radio. In the meantime, she shares her thoughts and dreams on a podcast where she forms a close, but entirely virtual relationship with one of her listeners. A visit from her mysterious aunt and teenage cousin draws Hana into a long-buried family secret. A hate motivated attack complicates the situation further, as does her growing attraction to Aydin, the young owner of a competing restaurant about to open in the area. Hana learns to use her voice and draw on the strength of her community to help her decide what her future should be.

This enemies to lovers trope was set in my hometown Toronto, which always helps me enjoy a book more, since I can picture the settings. While Toronto is diverse and Canada is known to be a polite and accepting society, this story exposes the racism and division that exists beneath the warm exterior. There was in particular one extreme hate-motivated attack that happened in London, ON that killed almost an entire family that this made me think of. It can be hard to read but I think it's good to educate people and just make them aware of their own potential biases. I think this book did that very well.

It was overall a great story as well. There was great representation with the main character being a hijab-wearing muslim. The love story was really sweet and didn't focus on their conservative background. The characters were (almost) all likeable and Hana is a strong and independent woman that is a good role model for many.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to educate themselves on different perspectives or who enjoys an enemies to lovers trope.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Utterly delightful, full of emotion and light. The writing is easy to follow and the story is full of lovely surprises.

Original to be posted on FYA website and mini review on Instagram.

LET'S GET IT ON with Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin

First Impressions
After reading the book, this cover does absolutely nothing to enhance the story. It’s making me think this is a story about a woman who is obsessed with 1970s diva music and turns her karaoke gig into a recording contract (someone please feel free to write this book, just give me a dedication, kthanx). The international paperback cover is more contemporary and fits Hana a little better, especially because she mentions her love of leopard print multiple times.

What’s Your Type?
You’ve Got Mail retellings, positive Muslim representation, podcasts, competing businesses, tasty business focused on Indian food, close-knit communities, family secrets

Dating Profile
Hana is hoping to leverage her unpaid internship at the radio station into a job while she also juggles helping out at her family’s flagging restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine. She expects life to go on the way it has until a cute-but-cocky guy and his dickish father invade the Golden Crescent shopping center with a fancy new halal restaurant that threatens to put them out of business for good.
Aydin doesn’t know that the spunky sweetheart he’s attempting to put out of business is actually his anonymous internet friend, Ana, whose Brown Girl Rambles podcast brought them together. Is all really fair in love and war?

Meet Cute
Hana has been flirting with her only dedicated listener over the last six months or so, but she’s too cautious to reveal any identifying details. She finds herself inexplicably drawn to Aydin—it’s almost like they already know each other!—but she’s also extremely upset that he’s trying to put her mother’s livelihood out of business. There’s also the matter of the beautiful Zulfa, who says she’s Aydin’s fiancée…

The Lean
I won’t say this is the most successful enemies-to-lovers pairing that the You’ve Got Mail/Shop Around the Corner story has given us, but I’ll admit I have high standards (hardly anyone can out-Meg-Ryan Meg Ryan at her most adorable and neurotic). Hana and Aydin have good reasons to be at odds, but I did appreciate that when presented with alternate facts, like how Aydin can be kind and Hana supportive of Aydin standing up to his father, they are able to let go of their preconceived notions and actually communicate.

Dirty Talk
This book is strictly PG; you won’t find any sexy moments between these pages.

Ms. Perky's Prize for Purplest Prose
Jalaluddin’s prose is straightforward with little fuss, and it was easy to fall into Hana’s family and her personal struggles to stand up for her beliefs and find her place in the world. I do think the pacing got a bit sluggish near the end and everything wrapped up almost too neatly, but I liked the mostly feel-good vibes. Sometimes you just don’t want to worry about a book breaking your heart!

We Need To Talk
While this is billed as a rom-com, I think the most interesting parts were Hana’s family, specifically her cousins from India that decided to come for an extended visit. Her teenage cousin, Rashid, whose “accountant” parents may or may not be in the Indian Mafia, was delightful and brought some much needed comic relief. Kawab Khala, Hana’s mother’s cousin, was one of those fabulous older women you desperately hope you can be one day (but you’re not even cool enough to be her now, so…). I could’ve spent more time with her just learning about her life.
While Hana does experience an encounter with a racist, xenophobic asshole, most of her story is not about pain or struggle. I loved the close-knit feel of Hana’s mosque and how her Islamic faith was just one part of her richly layered life. I am not a religiously-inclined person, but seeing how her community banded together when one of them was struggling does make me wish sometimes for that kind of built-in support system.

Was It Good For You?
This was light and sweet and perfect for an uncomplicated beach read!

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Berkley. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Hana Khan Carries On is available now.

Family, flirtations, and deceptions. Hana is a fabulously strong Muslim feminist who takes it all on! This book was hilarious and left me craving poutine biryani!

If you don’t already know this, Uzma Jalaluddin is one of my all-time favorite authors. I binge-read AYESHA AT LAST in a day when I was sixteen or seventeen, choosing to neglect all my coursework for it. When HANA KHAN CARRIES ON was announced, you can bet I did a little happy dance. And then I binge read it in two days when I got the ARC.

This book follows Hana Khan, the daughter of a Desi restaurant owner in Toronto. She works part-time at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, and her dream is to work in radio full-time, hosting her own show. Until then, she has a podcast and an online friend to keep her company. Everything else also seems to be going stellar — she has an internship, the restaurant is still running, and her older sister is expecting — that is, until a restaurant with a snarky new owner opens up right across from Three Sisters.

Now, Hana is torn because her new competition, Aydin Shah, is just as attractive as he is irritating. He gets on every last one of Hana’s nerves. Hijinks ensue with Hana trying to get his restaurant, Wholistic Grill, shut down. All during the while, Hana’s cousin and mysterious aunt show up with secrets of their own.

We already know Uzma Jalaluddin does a fantastic job writing, but this was at a whole other level. It was rife with plot twists, enemies to lovers excellence, real-life experiences, all while painting a realistic and accurate portrayal of the prejudices people of color and Muslims in Canada and the United States face.

Side note: My biggest flex will be seeing the plot twist coming because this was such an engaging read. I loved it so, so much.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. Of all the ARCs I’ve read for books releasing this year, nothing came up to how amazing HANA KHAN CARRIES ON was. I’ve read ten books this year (amounting to a lot less than the average blogger), but regardless, this was one of the only books that did not disappoint me. Did I expect that? Yes, I knew Uzma Jalaluddin could only write a phenomenal book. Am I obsessed? Yes, it’s my only personality trait going forward. Will I likely reread this book as soon as it releases, or right after finals? Yes, I definitely will, and I implore you to do the same.

What I really liked about the setting was the diverse cast in the book and with Hana's best friends Lily und Yusuf, there was also a couple with mixed roots included.

I loved the idea of reading a contemporary adaption of "You've got mail". Besides some comments of Hana's cousin Rashid, there were not so many funny scenes as aspected. It is a book dealing with serious topics, like finding your own path in life, deal with obstacles and with racism. Hana Khan, a young woman, has not yet found her place in life. She only knows that she is a born storyteller and wants to broadcast. But presenting a show that she is not 1000 percent convinced of? This decision is pretty tough for her. In terms of finding yourself, it was a wonderful story and I hoped for Hana to go chase for her dreams.

Something I could not really relate to was the love story. Don't get me wrong, not every romcom has to be steamy hot and sexy, but I hoped for a kiss! In this case, I was disappointed.

Absolutely LOVED Hana Khan Carries On. This book gave me all the You've Got Mail vibes, with a fun spin. Podcasting was a modern take on this familiar trope. But probably my favorite part of this book was the cultural elements. I loved the focus on Indian and Muslim culture. And Hana's family was full of a great cast of characters. The food descriptions were delicious. I'm pretty sure I need to try Biryani Poutine now. Such a fun read, and the romance between Hana and Aydin was so cute. I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers, who really weren't enemies all along. Read this one!!

Really fun and a great read for contemporary romance lovers. I adore this author and found this book even better than her last.

This book was perfect!!!! Hana is such an amazing main character and I loved the tone of the novel. The setup was interesting, with transcripts from her podcast episodes throughout. Hana and Aydin’s friendship/enemy-ship had me screaming because they were just so cute! I also love that this book takes place in Canada and addressed important issues like racism, xenophobia, gentrification, and islamophobia. I think often times, we in America put Canada on a pedestal and act as though it’s so amazing and everyone is just so nice. When in reality, bigotry and hate happen everywhere. This book managed to address so many issues that people face while still maintaining warmth and a message of hope, and I can definitely see this becoming a comfort read of mine.

When her life, challenging though it may be, seems to be on track, that’s when it goes topsy-turvy. What can she do, but figure it out and carry on. After the soul-warming delight of her first book, I was tickled to pick up this latest that gives a nod to ‘You’ve Got Mail’ ala Canadian South East Asian Muslim-style.

Hana Khan Carries On is part Women’s Fiction, part RomCom, and was a full, richly-layered story told by and about a young woman who thinks she has a good grasp on her life, as complicated as it is, but discovers life has a whole lot more to throw into her path. Hana is pulled a few different directions. She has her radio career where she is apprenticing right now, but worries about focusing on that while her mom’s restaurant is floundering and her dad’s car crash left him struggling health-wise so she helps take care of his needs. She is kept busy with it all and barely has time for friendship let alone pursuing a romance with the online anonymous ‘Stanley’ who started as her first podcast follower and became something more.

Hana’s life shifts into high gear during the story as she faces personal career decisions, the identity of her online love interest, her family’s restaurant failing and the new competition, hate crime, mysterious relatives, and a family secret. She handles it as best she can, making a few mistakes, but also growing with her experiences that take up the whole book to help her see what is really important, who she wants to be, and who she wants to be with. The ‘You’ve Got Mail’ familiarity is there, but not dominant much of the time. It added a lighter element among some of the tougher issues in Hana’s life.

The story is actually bigger than Hana because it tells the story of the immigrant experience and that of a neighborhood of people that are in Toronto, but could be even my own country. Hana’s neighborhood is diverse and still small business, but they face the challenge of keeping the feel of the neighborhood intact while progress happens as well as face conflict from those who are against a diverse population and resort to more than words- though those are pretty awful.

It was also interesting to see behind the mike at a radio station and Hana’s podcasting. Hana’s storytelling was a highlight as she dug into personal and family for rich, significant tales to share with her listeners.

Like with her first book, Ayesha At Last, Hana Khan Carries On brings the reader into the warm, sometimes hilarious, heart-felt world of family and community with a South East Asian flavor to music, religion, social customs, work, and life in the Golden Crescent. I loved this aspect so much and the characters that the author created who peopled the neighborhood from the aunties to the Iman at the mosque to her friends, the cousin she is convinced is Indian mafia, and a certain frenemy who she can’t hate no matter how hard she tries.

There is a tough-fought romance for Hana, both with her anonymous online friend and the acrimonious real life attraction to the rich guy who opens a restaurant in competition with her mom’s. It was both funny and full of emotion as this all transpired.

All in all, it was a complex, colorful, emotional, and delicious character-driven story that satisfied from cover to cover. For those who enjoy cheering on an Asian heroine in a heartwarming, gently paced life and romance story, I don’t hesitate to recommend this one.

If you love contemporary romances, you need to add Hana Khan Carries On to your TBR! I definitely think it is going to end up being one of my top favorites of the year! Thank you so much to Berkley Pub, Berkley Romance, Netgalley, and Berit Talks Books for the gifted copy. #berkleybuddyreads #berkleywritesstrongwomen

Hana Khan is an aspiring radio broadcaster and loves the idea of telling important and real human interest stories. For now she has to settle for her radio intern job and working in her family’s halal restaurant part time. The Three Sister Biryani Poutine is experiencing some slow business and becomes threatened by a new, hip halal restaurant opening in the neighborhood. Hana is outraged at first, but then begins to have mixed feelings about Aydin, the new restaurant owner. Hana devotes herself to helping her family business while also trying to pursue her own dreams.

If you’re are thinking this sounds like You’ve Got Mail, you are right. I loved the You’ve Got Mail retelling as it is my favorite movie of all-time, but I loved the Muslim twist on it with the rival halal restaurants. The romance is very subtle and sweet and not as in-your-face as some contemporary romances are, but I was still swooning.

I think what makes Hana Khan Carries On so unique for me is that it was the perfect blend of a contemporary romance and women’s fiction with a focus on dealing with important and relevant issues. The Muslim representation was a main focus of the story. It was so refreshing to see Hana so passionate about sharing what it is to be Muslim and not just the stereotypical issues. Hana made so much growth as a character in the story in trying to find out who she wants to be and deals with the adversity and harsh realities of Islamophobia. These are issues we need to continue to bring to light and Uzma Jalaluddin does an amazing job in weaving them seamlessly into a beautiful story!

OI was very excited when I realized that this book was chosen for the April Callisto Crate Book Box because I loved Ayesha at Last. I also got this as an ARC from the publisher in eBook form but kept delaying reading it because of time. I prefer reading physical books, so I am glad it worked out this way.

Hana Khan Carries On follows Hana Khan, a young Muslim woman of South Asian descent who dreams of her own radio show and has to outshine her fellow intern for the opportunity of a permanent job. Hana also has to deal with her family’s struggling restaurant. Her family’s restaurant is further threatened when plans are revealed for a new upscale restaurant opening close by. When she meets Aydin, who is opening the new competing restaurant with his father things get interesting because while they are competitors they are drawn to each other.

Fans of “You’ve Got Mail” will love this! I loved this element of the book!

This book gives you everything you need…a strong female character, strong family ties, thought provoking moments, a great love story and some mystery and suspense that kept me engaged. Like, why did her aunt just show up mysteriously from India? This story line kept me guessing and my mind was blown when the reason was revealed! The family dynamics in this was refreshing and I
loved her open minded and supportive parents.

I loved the family and the host of secondary characters, cousin Rashid was my favourite and had me laughing out loud. The importance of family and doing everything to save you family, without losing yourself was a great theme.

While this book was ultimately about family, self discovery and love, it covered some very important and difficult topics such as islamophobia. This topic was set up in a way that you didn’t see it coming but as the author stated, when these things happen in real life you never see it coming so she didn’t want to prepare readers for it. That I can appreciate.
The bonus for this book for me is that it is set in Canada, in Scarborough. I love when Canadian authors get the opportunity to set their books here.

This is a 4.5 stars for me and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC.

"When we have each other, we have everything." -

"Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter." - Brad Henry

"So much of what is best in us is bound up in our love of family." - Haniel Long

Nothing brings more peace to my soul and joy to my heart than time spent with family, and I was so lucky to have that this past weekend as I flew to Denver with my husband and younger sister to meet our brother's newest son, Matthew! It had been a long nine months since we'd seen Jeff, our sister-in-law Melissa, and our 2.5-year-old nephew, Cameron, and though the weather wasn't exactly what we'd hoped for (snowy and cold!), the weekend was full of baby cuddles, toddler giggles, Paw Patrol, belly laughs, and way too much good food!!

Talk about the perfect backdrop for reading Hana Khan Carries On!

A modern-day You've Got Mail, full of strong women, family secrets, an enemies-to-lovers trope, and heaps of beautiful storytelling and amazing food (chicken biryani, naan, and poutine, just to name a few!), this book will absolutely capture your heart and taste buds.

Hana Khan has a lot on her plate. Juggling a radio internship and her own anonymous podcast, plus waitressing at her family's halal restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, and keeping an eye on her father, things are hectic yet manageable. But when new guy Aydin Shah and his father decide to open a new and more modern halal restaurant across the street, Hana becomes determined to save Three Sisters and her family's livelihood, even if it means doing some underhanded things. All is fair when it comes to competing restaurants though, right?

Although I loved the romantic aspect of this book, I appreciated even more that Jalaluddin used this story to address much heavier topics, including racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, hate crimes, and microaggressions, and that we saw all of these things through Hana's perspective. Strong, brave, smart, tenacious, and loyal, Hana is a force to be reckoned with, and as we learn more about her family, it is easy to see why and from where those incredible character traits come. Hana isn't perfect by any means, but her intentions come from a place of love.

As a woman who comes from a very matriarchal family line myself, I also really loved how incredibly strong the women are in Hana's family. KawKab Khala is an absolute warrior queen, Hana's mother is soft-spoken but not one to back down, and Fazeela is a great role model and source of support for Hana. Hana's cousin Rashid, is optimistic and wise beyond his years, and Fahim and Hana's father were lovely, as well.

From melting my heart to breaking it and then putting it all back together, this book is an absolute gem and I'm so happy that I was able to read it! This book came out last Tuesday (happy almost-one-week anniversary, Uzma Jalaluddin!), so definitely grab a copy ASAP and prepare yourself for some serious food cravings!

P.S. - Thank you so much to @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks and @dgreads for leading this amazing buddy read! I also couldn't resist taking a picture of this gorgeous book with this mouth-watering duck poutine from Acreage @acreageco ! It was absolutely delicious, and I highly recommend it!

What a delight! A recommended first purchase for most general fiction collections, particularly where WF is popular.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I thought this book was cute and it did hold my attention. For me, it started off pretty slowly, but picked up a bit near the middle. I wouldn't say it was the most exciting or memorable book, but I did enjoy it, especially thanks to all the fabulous food within the story. I seriously can't stop thinking about biryani poutine!

Hana works at her mom's Halal restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine. She also interns at a radio station, has her own secret podcast, and has dreams of a big career in radio. When a new Halal restaurant comes to town and threatens Hana's family's restaurant, she really needs to take a look at who she is and what she wants for her future. Oh, and I should also mention that the owner of the new threatening restaurant happens to be a pretty cute guy.

I enjoyed learning about Hana's family's restaurant and the struggles they were facing as I think the same could be said for many neighborhood restaurants. I also appreciated that the author details many parts of the Muslim experience, including instances of Islamaphobia. The conversations Hana has with her radio station boss and co-worker about what stories she wants to tell also really had me thinking in a different way.

There were a few things that drove me a little bit crazy in the book. I just don't love unlikely convenient coincidences, but I won't share any more than that so as not to spoil anything.

Overall, I enjoyed Hana Khan Carries On!

This is my second book by this author and I have to say, it's my favorite of hers so far. She does an excellent job of immersing you into the Muslim culture and has well thought out character development.

In this story Hana is struggling with her work identity and with her family owned restaurant that has seen better days. When a new restaurant enters the neighborhood with a handsome new owner, Hana fights to reinvigorate the community around her family's restaurant.

I enjoyed this one so much! I really fell in love with the characters, especially Hana's hilarious cousin. I also really liked how the romance aspect of this book wasn't the forefront of the story but more of a supporting role.

If you're looking for something a little different in the contemporary romance genre with depth and strong family themes, I highly recommend this one!

4.5/5⭐️

I struggled to follow the formatting of this novel, and often found myself wandering away to read another book. As I carried on, I kept waiting for the formatting to change, but it didn't.

I really was looking forward to the plot and story line from the preview.

Thank you @berkleyromance for a copy of the book. I love that this book was so multifaceted. At it’s core, it’s a rom com but it also covers issues such a racism towards the Muslims, the duty to do what your parents expects, family and community. I love how you saw a different side of Hana through her podcasts and her exchanges between StanleyPark. I love the supporting cast of characters that added so much depth to the story. The story was a bit predictable but overall, I really enjoyed all the different thoughts Hana Khan Carries On evoked.