I had high expectations for this book as the early reviews were so high!
When I started it, I was hooked straight away. But I don't feel like the pacing stayed fast enough, and frankly just became a little odd! I am getting used to books that are 'out there' in their efforts to get noticed, but bits of this book just confused me!

Oh, this was such fun! I absolutely adored this book about a Pakistani American woman finding her strength in Sedona amongst fake healers, gurus, psychics and a whole lot of fantastically vengeful ravens. My favorite fiction read in I don’t know how long.

This is a surprising book with several layers. First is a gripping crime story. Then comes an ironic look at the alternative people in Sedona. It also addresses racial prejudices and finding your real self. The reader experiences the novel through several personas but the most fascinating is Ronnie who manages to grow from shy, and insecure to a strong woman. The narrative is vivid with some incredible characters and a surprising end. For me, it was an entertaining, enjoyable ˋmust read‘.

Eh. This one was okay. I thought the idea behind it was interesting but the story just didn't work for me. I understand what the author was going for but it wasn't as engaging as I thought it would be.

This is the second book in a row that I've read (the first being The Last Lie Told by Debra Webb) that featured twins and had a pretty similar type of twist. This may have been why I guessed it about halfway through, although it might have just been obvious since I also guessed some other twists in this book. That being said, I found this to be a really enjoyable read.

I enjoyed the dark comedy tone of this book and its poking fun at wellness culture. It definitely made me laugh at certain points, and I was invested in the story throughout. I would recommend if you're looking for a book of suspense that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Also, the ravens. They were the true standout of this book and their chapters were a clever addition.

From my blog: Always With a Book

This is Amina Akhtar’s debut novel and I have to say, as oddly quirky and weird as this one was at times, I liked it. And I will definitely be keeping an eye out to see what this author writes next because she sure is talented.

This is an unsettling read that kept me on edge while it also pokes fun at the health and wellness industry and I just loved it! I think the fact that there were chapters told by ravens totally won me over and this just might be a book I will have to reread at some point because I am sure I missed a few things as I tried to figure out what the heck was going on. But I will say there is a rather colorful cast of characters, some more likeable than others, that keep you invested in the story and you cannot help but want to know where things are heading.

Between the fact that a killer is on the loose, ravens are keeping an eye on things and the story was set in a place that I really do hope to go to one day, I found myself totally caught up in this story – and as I did listen to it and it was told by a full cast I was in heaven – but more on that below. Again…I really did enjoy this one as bizarre as it was because it really was very entertaining and at the end of the day, that is why I pick up a book – to be entertained!

So, this one was weird, so, so, weird, bizarre, creepy, dark, and disturbing - it was too disturbing once I figured out the twist and the ending. Also, the ravens were creepy too - gave me a whole new perspective on ravens.

This was a very different mystery/thriller type book. It's about Ronnie, who's ready for change and to leave all her old life behind and become a new person. Ronnie follows her life coach, Marley in a big move across the country from New York to Sedona, Arizona and they move in together to live a healthy life with yoga, crystals, healing, and everything. The relationship between Ronnie and Marley is a bit strange, to say the least. I mean, who picks up and moves across the country with their life coach and then moves in with them? Then there was mention of Ronnie's past life with her aunt, who was very nasty, mean, and abusive and it seemed like Ronnie realized the unhealthy nature of her aunt and their relationship - can we say codependency, etc and then went and repeated it in her leaving that past life.

Once they get to Sedona, AZ, things get weirder with how murders start happening and other things with Ronnie, Marley, the ravens, and Caroline - a new 'friend' they make and also the twins with the store where Ronnie gets a job. Ronnie tries to figure out what's happening some, stay safe and keep Marley safe, but then things take a turn with the twist at the very end and it gets very bizarre, dark, and disturbing.
If you like unreliable narrators, dark, disturbing, a bizarre mystery, thriller, and suspense books, then you'll like this one, but I am not a fan.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for letting me read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Those looking for a funny, quirky, warming, empowering novel will feel right at home in the world Amina Akhtar builds for us in "Kismet." Should remaining true to her Pakistani culture mean being a doormat (or worse) for Ronnie Khan as she lives under the iron rule of her aunt? Moving in with an empowerment coach, Kahn makes a mistake in trust before believing, for a third time, that she has found true friendship and the true secret to a self-centered life involves. A close-to-satirical take on how current culture influences our lives.

3/5 stars

- multiple POV + dual timelines
- pockets of great social commentary
- the first 60% felt slow and repetitive, ramps up a little and rushes at the end
- microaggressions that reveal blatant racism
- pokes and prods the wellness culture that focuses more on performative and individual healing while ignoring inner work and collective existence
- was engaging enough to finish the read but wouldn’t recommend actively nor reach for it again

Kismet is a deliciously creepy thriller set in Sedona. Unassuming protagonist, Ronnie, follows her new friend/ life coach, Marley, in a cross country move from New York to Arizona. She's trying to reinvent herself after a troubled early life. However, Sedona may not be the paradise she's searching for, as murders start occurring shortly after they get there. The best parts of this novel in my opinion are the mythical elements involving the ravens, and the shocking ending.

This story's definitely staying with me for quite some time. The creep factor doesn't hit you in the face, but you know it's there and you cannot stop reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc. This review is wholly my own opinions.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. I have heard of so many others who did not care for it, but I thought it was refreshingly different from anything else I have read over the last year.

Yes, some of the characters could get annoying at times, but they can't act the exact same way the entire time or it would get boring.

Marley was the character you love to hate and Ronnie was the character you were pulling for and prepare yourself for the shocker at the end! I loved it! Would definitely recommend.

This was a fun suspense set in Sedona with commentary on wellness culture. I felt like the ending was a touch predictable, but overall it was an incredibly entertaining story that I would recommend to psychological suspense readers and fans of authors like Caroline Kepnes.

Kismet is a cult thriller like no other that I have read. It was fast paced, unique and the ending was fantastic. I could not put this one down until the very end. This book is out now and I suggest you give it a read if you love cultish thrillers with an interesting twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!

This started out strong and interesting to me with the hiking and wellness with a Sedona setting. But the characters quickly became caricatures of themselves and I lost interest. Did not finish this one.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

A healthy lifestyle can be lethal. Simply ask Ronnie (previously Rania) Khan. She was living in Queens, New York, with her aunt Shameem in the house her parents when they died. Then she met Marley Dewhurst and in the blink of an eye moved to Sedona, Arizona. Soon she realises that what seems like a perfect life from the outside is actually just pretense and fakery. Not to mention damn dangerous.

Full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2022/09/03/kismet-amina-akthar/

Ronnie Khan is ready to make big changes in her life. After being orphaned and spending most of her life caring for an abusive aunt, Ronnie sells her house in Queens and follows wellness guru Marley Dewhurst to Sedona, Arizona. But Ronnie is not sure about the morning hikes, crystals, yoga and vampire facials are working for her. When the several sham self-help healers are found murdered, Ronnie fears she has made the wrong decision. Then Marley’s new BFF Caroline leads the ambitious woman to create videos and a vigilante movement to protect Sedona from this new predator and events escalate in several violent and deadly directions.

A unique twisty tale told from several POV. And I have a new appreciation for ravens.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer. My opinions are my own.

I throughly enjoyed this book from Amina Akhtar! She’s a new author to me, but wow!

Such a blast of a book, full of fun, oddness and mystique. Loved how it all intertwined!

I must say, this is a book of its own genre, it was such a mix that makes it quite unique and again, loved it!

I am a fan of wellness guru scam exposures, love animals and have experience with childhood abuse by family members, so it was rather a cathartic read. Finished it within a day!

Definitely will read the author’s next book!

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

I had high hopes for this book given the setting, and I do think it probes at the fraught wellness and spirituality industries popular in Sedona. But, the writing and character development was a struggle. I just had a hard time taking many characters' decisions seriously, and it verges on elements of horror and supernatural at times, which might feel jarring for traditional thriller readers.

That said, it's a fast read and one that would translate well on screen, so I'd recommend it to a reluctant reader or one who's looking for a rut-buster.

Kismet is a book that I had a hard time getting into and found to be less interesting than the description promised. Unfortunately I did not connect with this one but I appreciate the opportunity to read the book from Netgalley and the publisher.