Kamila knows how to throw the best Biryani and Bollywood parties, how to coordinate her fashion for herself and her adorable dog, how to write articles of incorporation and crunch numbers, and most importantly, she knows how to care for her aging father. But does Kamila know best for her dear friends like Maricel, an aspiring dog trainer, or Rohan, her long-time friend? Does Kamila know best for her self-declared nemesis Jana?

Utilizing the framework of Jane Austen's Emma, Farah Heron has written a book I thoroughly enjoyed, and read in one sitting! Kamila does start out like Austen's Emma - a bit self-focused and a bit clueless that she might be meddling in others' lives instead of giving friendly advice. But just as Emma learns about herself, so does Kamila.

I truly enjoyed the twists that Heron added to the story, and I absolutely ADORED all the puppies in the book - I wanted my own Potato puppy by the end! Though I knew the general direction the story would go in, I loved that Kamila learned how to know herself better, and by doing so, was able to give others even more respect. I thought the emotional abuse that she endured was handled very well, and I loved that Kamila had already been to therapy and was able to realize when she needed to go again.

All in all a lovely read that left a smile on my face! My thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Emma was always my least favourite Austen, but Heron wrote Kamila in such a likeable way that I actually enjoyed this interpretation! I fell in love with Rohan after the first chapter. I am so happy I got to read this, I am a big fan of Heron and can’t wait to read more of her work.

Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the ARC of this one!
Release date of March 8.

I have to admit that I've never read any of Jane Austen's books, not a huge fan of the classics, but this one had me hooked by saying it's perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez and Jasmine Guillory, both of whom I definitely am a fan of, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well! Always fun to read a book by a new (to me) author and know there's a backlist I can enjoy! I definitely plan to read more of her work.

Our MC, the lovely Kamila (I don't know how I was supposed to pronounce it but I went with Ka-ME-La), is an absolute force. I want so badly to be invited to one of her biryani nights. She is definitely a hostess with the most-est! Watching her fall in love with her lifelong friend, Rohan, was a wonderful process! I was also able to use this book for the prompt of written by an asian/pacific islander for #yearofsmut2022, although it could've also been used for both leads are BIPOC.

3.75/5 stars for this one, for sure!

#bookstagram #netgalleyreview #kamilaknowsbest #biryaninights #romance

Farah Heron has written such a fun, funny, brilliant romance novel that has me wanting to read the classic Emma for which it was inspired. She has created a beautiful, world full of culture and love, friendship and family, amazing characters and fun pooches, and so much more. Heron has created one of my favorite novels this year! An absolutely wonderful work of art.

Kamila has always been the eccentric, colorful, bright, life of the party (hostess), accountant and animal lover that people love. Kamila knows that not everyone trusts her in her accounting world because of her colorful spirit. Her father and her best friend Rohan are around to support and guide Kamila and Kamila also supports her father and is health.

Kamila fights challenges throughout this story and some are internal challenges. Some challenges between her and her father, between her and Rohan, between her and colleagues and so on.

Kamila is also a huge matchmaker, even if she sometimes misses the mark. She spends a bunch of time focusing on others but somewhere along the way she found love herself. . .

Kamila knows best


📚Book review📚

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the arc in exchange for a review!

Kamila Knows Best is a fresh and modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma set in Toronto, Canada. Heron's vibrant cast is enhanced by the Bollywood movie nights and mouthwatering food.


Emma + Bollywood = Win!
Take this journey of Kamila with a one two punch of personality. I have to say I enjoyed this story mainly for how happy her character makes me. She’s got a big heart. I was practically seeing colors when I finished this one.


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. This book had me crying and laughing at 2 am. I simply could not stop reading it because I wanted to know what happens to Kamila. It is such a heartfelt story about relationships: familial, friendships, love and the relationship Kamila has with herself.

This Emma-inspired book was a really enjoyable read. I enjoy a good friends-to-lovers story and this one did not disappoint. It's a very sweet romance, with not a ton of spice. Kamila was a really fun and dynamic character to get to know - I really appreciated the focus on her being her true self, even in a finance-based career (I can really relate!). Also, the inclusion of depression/mental health representation (in a male character) and LGBTQ representation in some of her closest friends all added to the depth of the storyline.

Following along with Kamila as she came into her own was fantastic. Honestly, the romance was almost a secondary storyline to all of Kamila's adventures and interactions. It did feel a little slow to start with and it took some time for me to get invested in the characters. I appreciated the group of friends surrounding Kamila, and how they played a part in her character development, though some of them felt really one-dimensional.

This is the first book I've read by Farah Heron, but I'm looking forward to going back and reading more of her previous books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an e-galley of Kamila Knows Best.

This book was the perfect pallet cleanser to finish out this year. I loved meeting Kamila and her spunky personality. I felt like I was friends with the characters by the end of the novel. The character development through the story was excellent. And we all know I love a good friends to lovers slow burn.

If you are looking for a feel-good story to melt into, I would highly recommend this book!

Kamila Knows Best is a fresh and modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma set in Toronto, Canada. Heron's vibrant cast is enhanced by the Bollywood movie nights and mouthwatering food.

Our heroine has an incredible flair and sense of style but when it comes to her personal life, she's not as polished. Between her family obligations, volunteering, and her career, Kamila doesn't have a lot of time for romance. And to further complicate things, her nemesis is back in town and has her sights set on her longtime family friend, Rohan.

The relationship is both enhanced and complicated by Kamila’s familial expectations. Caring for her father as well as trying to honour his wishes comes at the expense of going against her own desires. She is a strong personality and a character with incredible depth.

Through witty banter, off-the-charts chemistry, and delicious descriptions of food, Heron's latest contemporary offering is an absolute delight!

4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
romance, classic retelling

Once I saw that KAMILA KNOWS BEST was a retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, I immediately knew I wanted to read it. I have a love/hate relationships with classical retellings: I LOVE that I get to see some of my favorite stories come to life a second time through different characters and a different culture, but part of me also kind of HATES that it means I know pretty much exactly where the story is going before I get there.

However, I'm happy to report that Kam & Rohan fell more onto the LOVE TO SEE IT.

Kam was a highly entertaining leading lady! She practically popped off the page with her vibrant colors and larger-than-life personality! Also, I would like to be invited to the next Bollywood movie night that she hosts because it sounded like basically the best party ever. Themed drinks, delicious food, and then I get to just SIT DOWN & WATCH A MOVIE - amazing.

I really enjoyed seeing the parallels between Kam & Emma. Their complete reliance on their one male friend, a father whom they cared for completely, a circle of friends they could not help mothering and matchmaking. And then there were the parallels within Kam's own mind where you can see her spiraling out of control when she realizes that she may lose her beau...just as she realizes he's the one for her.

I loved meeting all of the side characters in Kam's life as well - Asha, her father, Jana, Anil. I even loved Dane because I knew EXACTLY who he was supposed to be from Emma.

10/10 would recommend to any fans of Austen or friends-to-lovers romance!

Kamila isn't your typical CPA. She loves bright colors, patterns, photographing her dog for Instagram and dressing her dog in the latest fashions, and volunteers at the dog shelter. She lives with her father and spends every Friday night hosting a Bollywood-themed movie night for her friends that is very posh.
When her father needs to slow down at work for health reasons, no one believes she can take his work just because she is involved in so much and not the 'typical' CPA...especially her hottie friend Rohan that is also her dads business confidant.
After Kamila's dad has a major health scare and decides to retire suddenly, he wants to sell his company...Kamila's company. Now what is she to do? She can't go back to working with Rohan, she doesn't want to be the stay-at-home desi woman her father wants her to be.... And the feelings she has for Rohan are just getting stronger.

Trigger warning: references to past verbal abuse from parents. Kamila Knows Best to me seems to be a cross between a romance and a women’s fiction novel in the best possible way. Although I liked Kamila at the beginning of the novel, her growth into a mature and independent adult, while falling in love, throughout the novel is wonderful. I enjoyed reading about Kamila’s culture and adored how close-knit her family is! This was an enjoyable read perfect for fans of The Dating Plan! Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I luckily found this book after seeing Farrah Heron’s tweet about her new book on NetGalley. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found! The protagonist, Kamila Hussain, is an accountant who was established and happy in her day-to-day life. She's got a gaggle of girlfriends and her dog is even famous on the Tok! Everything is grand until her nemesis returns and her relationship with Rohan, a family friend, is challenged.

While I struggled with Kamila in the beginning, I grew to love her over the course of the novel. She works and loves hard, and will do anything she can to bring others to success. The connection between her and Rohan was on fire!

Overall, themes of growth, stereotypes, romance, and overcoming obstacles make this a book anyone will enjoy.
Thank you so much for letting me read this ARC!

What a fun, Bollywood-esque Emma inspired book!! I’ve been a fan of Farah Heron’s books since the Chai Factor and have read and enjoyed all of them - but I have to admit I’m a bit extra partial to this one because the main character (and her dad!) are CPAs - just like me and my dad!!! 😁 I don’t remember ever reading a book with an Indian-American-female-CPA-who-likes-to-dress-nicely-and-worries-about-her-hair-in-the-rain lead character - talk about finding yourself in a book 😎 I really enjoyed this one and thought the retelling and it’s very own “Farah” flair was awesome - I can’t wait to see what’s next by this author 😍

Rating: 2.5 stars

I've been looking for a good modern version of Emma (bonus points for Asian rep) but after being burned by Austen retellings before, I tried to keep my expectations for Kamila Knows Best relatively low. I appreciate Heron's attempts to put her own spin on Austen's classic, but let's just say I'm still looking for a good modern Emma.

For whatever reason, authors seem to have a hard time bringing Emma into the 21st century and Heron is no exception. I actually liked some of the creative liberties she took with one of Jane Austen's more controversial heroines, but I feel like she failed to capture to spirit of the original which made this book a miss for me. What's so great about the Emma-Knightley dynamic is that she spends the entirety of the story completely blind to her feelings, but Kamila Knows Best and knows she's super attracted to Rohan (and his forearms) for most of the story which is fine if you want to write your own childhood friends-to-lovers story, but don't do it and try to sell it to me as Emma. The "maybe he loves Harriet" bit that was thrown in at the end felt especially random and forced. Overall, I think this might've been more enjoyable for me if I didn't go into this expecting something resembling Emma. I'm not looking for a carbon copy, but it just felt like Heron missed the point of the original and it kind of colored the whole reading experience for me.

A millennial twist on Jane Austen’s “Emma”. Kamila lives and works for her father, desperately trying to get him to realize her worth and contributions to the company. Her longtime friend Rohan is the debonair and honest Knightleyesque hero we want.

Had a hard time really liking Kamila. But Emma herself was a contrary character.

Thank you to Forever for the ARC to read and review.

I don’t know about you, but I love a book that makes me hungry. 😂

And, Farah Heron always delivers.
After reading, I had to order biryani from my favorite Indian restaurant,
💛💛💛

This book is a delightful retelling of Emma with a Bollywood flair. I love Austen and reimaginings of her works. I mean, Clueless remains a favorite film.

And, with Kamila Knows Best, readers meet effervescent Kamila Hussain, who cares deeply for her family, her friends, her clients, and her dog. She also loves throwing a great party and has a flair for fashion.

When people judge her by her whimsical exterior, they run the risk of underestimating her - even those who know her best. Even the childhood friend with whom her chemistry is becoming undeniable.
💛💛💛

Many thanks to @farahheronauthor
and partner @readforeverpub for sharing this gem with me. It hits shelves this March and is available for preorders now!

This is the first Jane Austen retelling I’m reading, and I was like — WHAT!

You have the main character Kamila, who has got it all good but lacks a little in the live department until Rohan is in the picture.

She finds out that she’s got a lot of growing up to do if she wants to get the best out of life — and she does just that. I’m in love with characters who grow as the story progresses. Kamila was a relatable character that gave me cause to really think of some decisions in my life too.

One thing I know for sure — Everyone needs a Rohan.

Kamila Hussain has a pretty perfect life. She works with her dad and his accounting firm, throws elaborate parties, and has a great circle of friends. Lately, however, she's been stressing about her father's health and busy planning the annual Dogapalooza to raise funds for the animal shelter. She is also confused about the feelings she is developing for Rohan, one of her closest childhood friends. Add to that, the return of her nemesis, Jana, who seems to also be interested in Rohan.
This reminded me a lot of the movie Clueless and Kamila definitely is similar to Cher. She has a big heart and just wants to please everyone, but she feels as if nobody takes her seriously. The story started off a bit slow which made it hard to pick back up after any pause in reading. It does pick up later and the ending was cute. Overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing for the digital review copy of Kamila Knows Best in advance of publication. Kamila Knows Best comes out on March 8, 2022.

This book is described as a Bollywood retelling of Emma, set in Toronto. I would say it's a pretty loose adaptation of Emma, which I view as a good thing. Retellings can be fun, but when the author sticks too close to the original it can make the story TOO predictable.

I found myself vaguely annoyed with Kamila - she's supposed to be great at her job, but she's also unable to communicate this to her father? I like that more authors are highlighting the importance of mental health and therapy, this is something that should continue to be normalized. It's obvious that she grew up in a toxic household, and she talks about her dad being in therapy, but it's not clear if she is in therapy (unless I am just forgetting that detail?).

I found this book disappointing when compared to the author's earlier novels, and I didn't really like the lead character very much. Even so, it's still a cute book, and not a bad way to spend a few hours.