New coming-of-age rom-coms seem to be published every week. They're generally cute but fluffy - light but generally forgettable feel-good reads. But every once in a while, an author puts a little something extra into the story to make it more charming, more lovable, more memorable - like Syed M. Masood did for Sway with Me...

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com - and aired on Shelf Discovery

Contemporary YA romance is not my cup of tea so I thought I would not like this book at all. Boy was I wrong! This story is charming, delightful, and deals with complicated and abusive families in a touching, realistic, and well done way.

I really enjoyed this author’s previous book. This one was just ok for me. It was cute. Something was missing here for me, but I’m not sure what it was.

This book was a bit difficult to get into, but once I got a few chapters in I fell in love with the main characters. The natural pull between the two main characters was something that I did see coming, but it was easy to embrace because there were enough twists and turns along the way. I wish that the father storyline was a bit more fleshed out and got more time because there were some times where I found myself confused by what the dynamic was and the issues that were happening. But overall wonderful book!

“An apology is not a magic exilir that makes things the way they were again. It is a seed from which trust grows slowly, if it ever grows at all.”

Arsalan Nizami is your typical nerdy introvert: polite, courteous and with an astounding vocabulary. But like we know, how a person appears on the surface is always way different than how they actually are, and not everyone wears their battle scars. Arsalan carries most of his burden alone, and shares some of it with his Nana, who occasionally gives him an advice or two. He has had this fear of abandonment ever since his mother passed away. To protect him from the world outside, his Nana shields him in a way almost unimaginable for the most of us: to live in the old times, not interact with technology, which leaves Arsalan clueless about almost everything. Imagine it, a guy who doesn’t even use the internet? I can’t. So yeah, Arsalan is afraid that his Nana might leave him soon, and that would lay him vulnerable to his abusive father. To avoid that, he comes up with an idea to get married and Beenish’s step-mother does exactly that. The only way to get that done is to convince Beans to somehow make it possible, but Beenish instead makes a deal about how she’ll find him a girl if he helps her with the dance.

Beenish Siraj on the other side, is the complete opposite. She is famous, straightforward, and a completely awesome person who doesn’t take anyone’s shit. “Beans” is a fire, or like Arsalan says, a hurricane. She doesn’t really have friends though, and when Arsalan comes to request her to convince her step-mother to set him up with a girl, she takes the opportunity to ask him to help her with the forbidden dance, and their bond starts forming right there.

I personally like Beenish’s character more than Arsalan’s and it seemed like her character could use more depth than Arsalan’s because he still seemed bland after all the backstory. I absolutely loved Nana and all his banter, and the very shiny “Diamond” Khan (honestly who would change their name from Heera to Diamond is beyond my understanding but it’s funny lmaoo). The quotes and dialogues were well-written and the literature references were a good addition. Also someone please tell me how when I study science it’s just atoms and the periodic table but when physics geeks explain it in books it’s suddenly poetic and romantic? Petition to make studying science actually that wtf??!! It also made me smile at times with its funny aspects, and was overall a read I enjoyed.

You should read this book if you’re into:

GRUMPY X SUNSHINE!!!!!!!
Strangers to Friends to Not Friends?? to Lovers
A little bit of found family
A physics geek explaining love
traditional dresses?? dances?? count me in!!!
I won’t be talking about the rep because I believe that it is not my place to do so, but I’d like to guide y’all to some OwnVoices Reviews, so you can read Zainab’s review! I’ll link more ownvoices reviews here once I find them!

I should begin by stating I loved “More Than Just A Pretty Face.” With that said, I wasn’t quite as much of a fan of “Sway with Me” until farther into the book. It was a bit difficult to relate to both of the protagonists’ issues so I didn’t connect with the characters quickly. I really had to give them a chance to grow and mature which I’m not sure all readers would have the patience for unfortunately. If they do, it is worth it because the cast of characters form a unique family and their struggles are genuine. I look forward to reading more from Masood.

This author has the uncanny ability to interject irrevence and hilarity into books with some deep topics- very witty! I have loved all 3 of his books, he writes both YA (Sway With Me and More Than Just a Pretty Face) and adult (Bad Muslim Discount).
CW: parental death, domestic violence/abuse

Masood has written a fluffy romcom that feeds into many of your typical tropes, but also brings a few fresh elements. The incorporation of religious differences, and family conflicts keep the book from being too cut and dry, while the domestic violence element adds some darkness to an otherwise fluffy plot. However, Arsalan's naïvety and general haplessness are too much for even the most dedicated of romance readers. Overall, the book is perfect for YA romance lovers, but probably not a first pick for smaller collections.

Get swept away in this fun teenage rom-com. Sheltered Arsalan doesn't understand people, relationships, or love. But he does want to fulfill his mother's dying wish that he not be alone. And Beenish can help him with that, all he has to do is be her dance partner for an upcoming dance competition. Beenish is strong, assertive, no-nonsense and she is just what Araslan needs to learn what real friendship and love look like.

I tried finishing this book and could not get into it. I did not write a Goodreads review because I try not to put out negative reviews for books that are still trying to gain traction.

Syed M. Masood never fails to make me laugh. This book is wonderful for the way it portrays family, and geeky, lovable men. We being with a very fumbling main protagonist named Arsalan, trying his best to convince super cool Beenish to speak to her desi aunt matchmaker for him. The plot involving the two of them dancing together and getting closer is a bit contrived, but you're just so busy laughing at their jokes, and enjoying their banter, that you don't mind. And Arsalan's Nana is a wonderful supporting character. I love books that can show loving intergenerational relationships. As an immigrant who grew up living with a grandparent, this felt very real to me. There are also important discussions of race in this book, but it doesn't feel preachy. I liked the way Masood had the characters talk about how some desi folks want to be matched with lighter skins folks. Internalized oppression right there. I think this is a thoughtful way for young folks to think about who they are, and what they believe about their race and cultures. It's a sweet romance, but it's more than that.

Pitched as a lighthearted desi take on She's All That, Sway With Me was significantly more sobering than I expected. There's a cute and sweet romance, but it's more a coming-of-age / family story. Arsalan's really sweet, and I like how he and Beenish helped each other with their respective family situations.

I think, because of all the rather dark themes explored in the story (parental abuse, spousal abuse, horrible abusive men with power, gendered discrimination, forced marriage, etc), my absolute favourite part of this book is Beenish's friend Diamond. He's hilarious, and a welcome bit of joy in every scene.

That being said, I think that the romance between Arsalan and Beenish really hit its stride late in the book, when Arsalan realizes Beans' true motives for asking him to be her dance partner. His insight leads to a deep conversation about their relationships with their respective mothers, and it was a nice realization of how well they'd gotten to understand each other. They also have a lovely conversation about gravity and how opposites not just attract but balance each other out, which is sweet.

I like the other members of their families as well -- Nana is a hoot, Aiza Aunty is a star, and Qirat is super relatable. But those stories were a tad more depressing than I expected from a rom com, and scenes featuring Arsalan's father and Qirat's fiance can be downright triggering. 

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Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This review will go live on my blog on Dec 28.

While I enjoyed the story in the end, I wasn’t enjoying it until probably 2/3 of the way into the book. The premise was interesting but I had a hard time getting into any of the characters initially. In the end I loved how the character had developed and how it ended but was not in love with it as a whole.

"𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘈𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘶𝘴.(...)"

'𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐞' 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐌. 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐝: 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

First, let me tell you about some 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: childhood abuse and trauma; dealing with the loss of someone close; forgiveness; and real life pain.

This book was one of the most emotional ones I've read. There was a scene I was literally on the break of tears. Arsalan is a teenage boy who's afraid. He's spent all his life being afraid. Scared of his father, scared for his Nana, scared of his feelings for Beans, scared of making new friends. But all of it changed. Beans, the girl he has feelings for, got him to come out of his shell and that was just beautiful. 🤿

The way this book was written was magnanimous and the author also brought important themes such as relationship violence and feminism and it was so well-incorporated! I love the dynamic between all characters but especially Nana and Arsalan. A wise great-grandfather and his great-grandson having important discussions on life and playing chess. There's just a vibe you can't get past here. Also, MASSIVE representation on Muslim culture and community. Absolutely incredible, I recommend it so much, especially now, for the Holidays, since there are scenes set around Christmas! 🎄

Syed M. Masood, author of More Than Just A Pretty Face and The Bad Muslim Discount, returns with his third young adult novel, Sway With Me. Masood combines elements of self-discovery and the struggles of navigating relationships—set to the backdrop of a dance showcase—to create a work that is more coming-of-age than contemporary romance. . .

This is a wonderful book that I had the opportunity to read for a TBR and Beyond blog tour interview!

Refreshing. Entertaining. Humorous. More of a coming-of-age than a romance, this contemporary fiction manages to hold one’s attention through emotional facets amidst the fun of a desi wedding and the distinctive, strong personalities of desi characters.

Sway With Me is a coming-of-age YA romantic comedy featuring Muslim Pakistani-American characters.

Having spent all his life like an old soul submerged in books and distanced from a world that fellow teenagers easily fit into, Arsalan is worried about the loneliness that will soon cloud over him after his aged great-grandfather will inevitably leave. When his abusive alcoholic father is expected to enter his peaceful abode, the traditional and shy Arsalan opens up to the idea of an arranged marriage. Now all he wants is a matchmaker.

Luckily, Beenish’s stepmother is one and hopefully Beenish has thereby caught on a few ways to set up a match. So a deal is made: she will help him find a future life partner and he, in turn, will perform a dance with her. But Arsalan isn’t much of a dancer and Beenish isn’t truthful about the risk of performing at her older sister’s wedding.

With a plot that is both refreshing and entertaining, the characters are allowed a great canvas to paint themselves against. With Arsalan’s studious personality often projecting him as an old-fashioned and quiet guy who turns to facts and rationality at every turn, he might take some time to sneak into the readers’ hearts but once he does, the kind boy who has been through a lot will make a place for himself.

Beenish as a love interest stands out with her intensely opinionated and fiercely rebellious personality that complements Arsalan through a subtle grumpy x sunshine romance trope. While the hilarious and heartwarming banter keeps the reader excitedly engaged, the romantic strings aren’t played with great intensity—not necessarily a critique if one prefers to gravitate more towards the endearing and touching individual story lines than the romance.

It’s the simple yet effective writing that establishes every side character with as much essence as Arsalan and Beenish. And it’s the same writing that turns this prose into an honest, philosophical, and religiously responsive narration. Unfiltered, unconventional thoughts are well presented through a diverging and diverse lens as tradition and culture are contemplated. The themes of family and friendship are smoothly integrated in a story where community and individualism is both appreciated and questioned.

Despite some aspects remaining under-explored, from the dance to certain familial relationships, Sway With Me does make one ponder over who matters the most to us, the timelessness of elderly love, being a misfit in a generation that runs on references, and the essence of finding someone in life who despite being different feels like home.

I like the oldie but goodie aesthetic and Arsalan's character, but definitely not a huge fan of Beenish.

Although this is a light YA contemporary, it also deals with some serious themes such as verbal and physical abuse, child beating and women objectification.

Definitely recommend this if you enjoy dancing elements, strangers-hate-friends-lovers romance and new found family tropes.

I struggled initially to get into this book and had to google a lot of terms like "desi" to better understand the cultural context. That being said, I enjoyed learning more about the culture and really enjoyed the different viewpoints on Islam presented in this book. It was refreshing to get out of my comfort zone and being forced to really think about what I thought would be an easy read! About halfway through I really didn't want to stop reading and was dying to find out how it would end! I loved how Syed Masood presented the idea of love meaning you are present with those you love and spending time with them instead of sacrificing for them to show your love. Arsalan was an endearing character and clearly one of us - my favorite line of the book was "one does not buy books, one befriends them"

Refreshing. Entertaining. Humorous. More of a coming-of-age than a romance, this contemporary fiction manages to hold one’s attention through emotional facets amidst the fun of a desi wedding and the distinctive, strong personalities of desi characters.

Sway With Me is a coming-of-age YA romantic comedy featuring Muslim Pakistani-American characters.

Having spent all his life like an old soul submerged in books and distanced from a world that fellow teenagers easily fit into, Arsalan is worried about the loneliness that will soon cloud over him after his aged great-grandfather will inevitably leave. When his abusive alcoholic father is expected to enter his peaceful abode, the traditional and shy Arsalan opens up to the idea of an arranged marriage. Now all he wants is a matchmaker.

Luckily, Beenish’s stepmother is one and hopefully Beenish has thereby caught on a few ways to set up a match. So a deal is made: she will help him find a future life partner and he, in turn, will perform a dance with her. But Arsalan isn’t much of a dancer and Beenish isn’t truthful about the risk of performing at her older sister’s wedding.

With a plot that is both refreshing and entertaining, the characters are allowed a great canvas to paint themselves against. With Arsalan’s studious personality often projecting him as an old-fashioned and quiet guy who turns to facts and rationality at every turn, he might take some time to sneak into the readers’ hearts but once he does, the kind boy who has been through a lot will make a place for himself.

Beenish as a love interest stands out with her intensely opinionated and fiercely rebellious personality that complements Arsalan through a subtle grumpy x sunshine romance trope. While the hilarious and heartwarming banter keeps the reader excitedly engaged, the romantic strings aren’t played with great intensity—not necessarily a critique if one prefers to gravitate more towards the endearing and touching individual story lines than the romance.

It’s the simple yet effective writing that establishes every side character with as much essence as Arsalan and Beenish. And it’s the same writing that turns this prose into an honest, philosophical, and religiously responsive narration. Unfiltered, unconventional thoughts are well presented through a diverging and diverse lens as tradition and culture are contemplated. The themes of family and friendship are smoothly integrated in a story where community and individualism is both appreciated and questioned.

Despite some aspects remaining under-explored, from the dance to certain familial relationships, Sway With Me does make one ponder over who matters the most to us, the timelessness of elderly love, being a misfit in a generation that runs on references, and the essence of finding someone in life who despite being different feels like home.