This is a lovely memoir, charting how Huma found eventual happiness both with herself and Richard.

Providing a window into modern family life, Huma's story is an uplifting read with a few tinges of sadness.

Exploring the confusion felt by teens and twenty somethings worldwide, as they find their place, the addition of a religious lens - and an eventual blended family - is thought provoking and heart warming.

Unfortunately, I am unable to review this title as I was only able to download the first few pages. My star rating is based on the appeal of the cover, and the promise of a fascinating and beautiful memoir to follow. I wish Huma Qureshi much success with this book, and hope that I will have the opportunity to read it in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for approving my request for an ARC.

As a semi-biographical account, this is a wonderfully written story and reflection on challenges when dating cross-cultures. Part reflection on what to tell one's children about how parents met in today's day and age that rely more on online dating, part reflection on to what extent intercultural marriages may or not be accepted by different cultures. It's also a testimony to following one's heart as well as being open to exploring one's faith beyond what one might know about it.

This is an interesting look into Huma's life and how it changes as she lives in different places.

My copy was incomplete but I found what I did read to be interesting insight into South Asian life.

This was my second memoir so far and coming from an orthodox family, I completely enjoyed reading about her experience, it was different altogether. The way she has written the story and the best part is the fact that 'and they lived happily ever after'
It alters between the currently lifestyle and the old one. There was something really deep and beautiful in the way I felt connected towards the story and Huma herself.
Huma is like every other South Asian girl out there with her insecurities and her feelings and that is one of the reason why I know many of the South Asian's will relate to her.
Definitely recommend it to the people out there!

I went into the book open-minded, to read a person’s life and experiences and not judge them. But by the end, sadly, it read to me like another stereotyping story on how the west is liberating and the east oppressive.

Huma Qureshi explores the story of how she and her husband met, and flits back and forth between the present and their life with three kids to how she was raised and the experiences that led her to meeting her husband.

It’s not that the book was badly written, cause it’s not. It’s not that I found it inauthentic or boring. But to be honest, when I finished it, I almost felt like the events in her life were written chaotically,, with her thoughts getting away from her and she herself would police herself or try to justify certain things about her life. I almost felt like she was worried about what the reader would say about her.

And to be honest, while I get that she went through cultural hardships and toxic auntie culture and had a toxic relationship with a Pakistani guy, I almost feel like she implies in this book that her white husband was so much better than any Pakistani guy ever could be, as even her brother says “why would he even wanna convert to Islam with all the rules and stuff”.

I hesitate to say it wasn’t good Muslim rep, because it is a Muslim’s experience and all experiences are valid. I just felt that it continued to push the same colonialist narrative, one in which being white is more liberating than being brown, (referencing Paris as the only time she was free in her life).

I did get intrigued to see how her husband’s conversion led her to actually re-exploring Islam, and she does declare that Islam is important to her, even while telling the reader that she does not practice it “traditionally” (she mentions praying side by side to her husband as an example).

Again, not that her experience is something I am judging, and her emotions are valid. I just felt like it was written from a place of hurt and in turn, led her to imply “traditional” Muslims are toxic (she says they “judge” her ). Which is truly a tiring and exhausting stereotype/trope to continuously see.

As a whole, interesting to read and a valid life experience of a Muslim, just maybe not a validating “Islamic story” per se.

The ARC of this book has only 2 pages. Requesting you to please provide a proper review copy of the same.

Sorry but the kindle file I received as ARC has only 3 pages.

Please look into the matter and provide me a copy of the book to be able to read and review the same.

Thank you.