I began this story completely forgetting that Jana had been in Kamila’s story before! So my brain took a second to realize why it all seemed so familiar to me. Once I recognized the storyline, I became engrossed in finding out what might happen between Anil and Jana, as I had been at the end of Rohan and Kamila’s story. As a rather quiet introvert with massive RBF, I really do sympathize with Jana’s anxieties, especially being a single mother myself before. I loved the huge family/friends group that surrounded them and the ensuing chaos. I felt like I could picture all of the Tanzanian safari along with everyone, wishing I could be that close to a precious baby elephant! The portion of conflict between Jana and her mother is something so many Asian children go through, and was just so well-described. I don’t know what it’s like to be an only child, but I can imagine the pressure it might put on you to make your parents proud with every single thing you do. Anil was such a dream, I found myself constantly having to remind myself why we were mad at him haha. I really loved how much emphasis was put on not giving him a break bc he was Imani’s parent too, like why wouldn’t he have to do just as much as Jana? The difference between the old traditions and healthy new ones being brought forth into the new generations was lovely. I wish there had just been a BIT more discussion between Jana and Anil around the end, but it didn’t make me enjoy the ending any less.

I'm a sucker for second-chance romances and this one was a fun one! I didn't always like the MC, but as the story unfolded I learned to like her more and more.

This book was super cute. I enjoyed the romance and I liked seeing the development of the characters. There were times that Jana wasn't my absolute favorite MFC, but overall I liked the book!

I don't read a lot of second chance romances because they always make me cry. And, yep. Cue the waterworks. Pretty sure I cried a dozen times reading this sweet little love story. I was so invested in Jana and Anil's story: their whirlwind romance, the tense co-parenting of the daughter that was the product of their affair, and the simmering romantic tension that obviously never went away between them five years later.

This book hit every single chord that is guaranteed to get an emotional reaction from me.

Adorable daughter, plus a hot guy who is also an incredible dad?
Characters all over the place struggling to deal with their own generational trauma?
Years of pining?
People saying hurtful, regrettable things to their loved ones because they just can't handle the extent of their emotions?
Gorgeous destination wedding in the freaking Serengeti???

I was doomed.

This was my first Farah Heron book, but I'm definitely going to go ahead and check out Kamila Knows Best, now, because Kamila and the rest of the adorably supportive side characters were one of the best things about this book.

I would absolutely recommend this book to just about any lover of romance.

I always love reading about characters on vacation while traveling myself. It just hits a bit different. So I had been saving my arc for @farahheronauthor’s latest for this trip, and I’m so glad I did! It is out May 2!

I’m a big @farahheronauthor fan - I absolutely adored Accidentally Engaged and Kamila Knows Best. I was fascinated that this one digs in on Jana, a character we met in Kamila’s story. I will admit I wasn’t the biggest Jana fan then, but I really enjoyed her taking the leading role here.

Jana is a no-nonsense gal, excelling in her career in development but often feeling like she’s coming up short socially and when it comes to her mothers expectations. She grew up in a traditional household, so when she had a baby out of wedlock, it was a bit of a scandal. And she’s never forgiven the father of her daughter Imani, Anil, for the mistakes and betrayals in that relationship.

They’ve been successfully coparenting and avoiding each other for years, but she’s in for a rude awakening when he shows up for a weeks long trip in Kenya as part of Kamila and Rohans wedding party.

I sometimes struggle with the second chance romance trope, but this one was well done and felt authentic. I really enjoyed their journeys and growth through the book.

Big thanks to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for gifting me this advanced reader copy! Make sure to preorder or request from the library!

Will post on goodreads, my bookstagram @scottonreads and retail sites

Five years after Jana and Amil spent two whirlwind weeks together, the pair, now co-parents to a four-year-old daughter, find themselves in close proximity again for a family wedding in Tanzania. And though the setting is vibrant and beautiful, the trip ends up taking an unexpected turn due to some meddling and lingering feelings that refuse to lie.

Rating: 3.5 stars

This was my first experience with Farah Heron but imagine it won't be my last! I enjoyed her descriptive writing and hilarious character dynamics. Several moments made my heart so happy as Jana prioritized her growth and happiness. And it was wonderful to see Imani, one of the cutest kid characters ever, thrive and be the recipient of so much love.

I did struggle with Jana's character though. Though I sympathized with her position as a single mother who values her career, her insistence on viewing Anil as the villain in her story grew tiring. That man had the patience of a saint to keep going back for more battering each time he attempted to improve the distance between them. His relationship with Imani was adorable, adding it to my confusion as to why Jana refused to give him an inch for much of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Forever and Farah Heron for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

I enjoyed Kamila Knows Best so I quickly snapped up Jana Goes Wild as soon as I saw it. I should have read the blurb better, because I soon learned it contains the dreaded “second chance” trope.

Jana and Anil had a two week fling that ended badly five years ago, but are still tied together while coparenting their daughter. The reason for their break-up was a big deal, frankly, and I totally understood Jana’s resentment and ongoing mistrust. But even for a revenge monster like me, it was a bit much. Anil was groveling for years, it felt like, and Jana just couldn’t move on. But on the bright side, it was very refreshing to see a healthy coparenting team represented.

And because of her inability to forgive, I found her actions towards the end to be confusing and out of character.

Jana Goes Wild had a ton of side characters (and thankfully I remembered most of them from Kamila Knows Best!) and I enjoyed their interactions with Jana. Seeing her character eventually let down her hair and chillax was enjoyable, but it was a long time coming.

I wish I had enjoyed this one as much as the previous, but still a good read, nonetheless.

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the review copy.

Want to go in safari in Tanzania? Then you need to pick up this gorgeous book!

This book was more than just a second chance romance. There was so much exploration into the shame that Jana felt getting pregnant by a man who was still married and raising the child on her own. And there was also the trauma she experienced when that affair became public and she lost her job.

I really enjoyed all the characters, whether they were main characters or side characters. They were all real and helped Jana get through her story. There were sometimes so many characters that it was hard to keep track of, but it made sense for the storyline with the big wedding party.

Anil was such a great father, and Imani was cute. But it really bothered me how hot and cold Jana was towards Anil, especially when they have been coparenting for so long. I know that it explains in the book that they hardly saw each other, but she could have been a bit more civil towards him.

Along with that, it went on for so long that started to take away from my enjoyment of the book as I became frustrated with Jana. She would just respond or talk without thinking and hurt Anil before she had seen the whole picture.

Jana Goes Wild was a great story of second chances, friendships, letting go and moving forward. And I really enjoyed it!

Jana Goes Wild picks up five years after Kamila Knows Best with Kamila's wedding to Rohan. Jana's daughter, Imani, is now four years old, and they are traveling to Tanzania for the wedding and a safari. But as they get there, they are surprised to learn Anil, Imani's father, will also be there. If that weren't enough stress to put on a family trip, she also learns that the man who just interviewed her for a job she really wants is at the wedding as well.

I so greatly appreciated the amount of character growth we see, not just within this book but even before the book starts. And the back story between Jana and Anil makes so much sense in a way that made it easy for me to root for them both and for a happy ever after.

There are such great antics, as they explore different parks on safari through Tanzania. I caught my breath with them, as they encountered amazing animals. I greatly appreciated the nod towards the world of international development and efforts to reduce global inequality. And I thought there was appropriate nuance in talking about the benefits and drawbacks of safari tourism.

There were a lot of characters, so I would have appreciated a character list or family tree. I felt best about keeping track of those I remembered from Kamila Knows Best, but struggled with some of the new additions. I definitely recommend reading the two in order.

I really enjoyed this book. It was such fun and immediately engaging. It's one of those rare rom-coms that actually made me laugh out loud. And I am pretty sure this is now my favorite book by Farah Heron.

Thank you to Forever for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

4.25 stars

I lost interest about 30% in, as the heroine's inner dialogue became repetitive and her worry about her potential new boss overwhelmed the true conflict--the romance. Also not a fantasy of a romance with a kid in the mix, though Imani was realistic/not annoying or too precocious.

Jana Goes Wild is such an adventurous and emotional romance. When Jana and Anil first met, Anil failed to mention he was in the process of a divorce and not actually divorced. When Jana becomes pregnant, they find themselves tied together by their little girl Imani. Five years later, they have a functional but cold co-parenting relationship. Anil and Jana both end up as members of the wedding party on a destination wedding to Tanzania. Will their time in Tanzania be enough to help them become friends once again…or something more?

I loved Jana Goes Wild! Farah Heron is an auto-buy author for me. I love her vivid writing and sensory details, she makes you feel as if you’re right there with the characters. The writing is very descriptive with excellent depictions of the tasty food, heat of the Serengeti, and stunning safari animals. I’ve never been to Tanzania, but this book made me want to visit!

Anil and Jana both have heavy emotional baggage to sort through together and luckily they have their daughter Imani to bond over. Imani is very sweet and excited to see her parents together, which helps them try to become friendlier to each other. Farah Heron writes about joyful large families with ease; I loved the inclusion of Kamila and Rohan from her book Kamila Knows Best. Jana’s relationship with her mother was so well-done and relatable. They both loved each other so much, but were unintentionally making things harder due to lack of communication.

Jana Goes Wild is a love story about family and finding the courage to shake off societal expectations to find true happiness. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and it can be read as a standalone, though you should definitely read Kamila Knows Best next (or before, if you want to see Kamila and Rohan’s romance). Readers who enjoy Jasmine Guillory, Abby Jimenez, and Jackie Lau should check out this book!

Thank you so much to Farah Heron, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

An entertaining slow burn second chance novel that you can read and relate to with your best friends!! Jana faces all her fears and insecurities halfway around the world when she sees her daughters father has surprised them on a destination wedding trip. I did love the beginning story line a little more than the middle parts but really enjoyed it overall. Farrah is not afraid to turn up the heat in her newest novel.

Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron is a women’s fiction novel that follows the protagonist, Jana Suleiman.
 
Jana is a person who works hard for what she wants, and she tends to drive that to perfection. Other people see her as a bit too perfect and she tends to keep to herself. There is absolutely nothing wrong with her and I could totally understand her.
 
Her relationships were not the greatest and her recent ex is Anil, and he was a bit untruthful about the status of his marriage. That was immediately a red flag and Jana also saw it this way and ended things. However, she got pregnant and always had that connection to Anil.
 
For a destination wedding Jana and her daughter travel to Africa for a safari and Anil also happens to be there. This could be a second chance for their relationship however Anil still kept his previous pattern. Therefore, the whole romantic aspect was completely unbelievable to be, and they rather seemed like a dysfunctional family. Maybe that was also due to the fact that we never get Anil‘s perspective, but I just couldn’t warm up to him.
 
Overall, I liked the concept of this book, but the characters and especially their relationships stayed too shallow and there was barely any plot. 2 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I wish the cheating had been messier, but I understand why I'm the sole bearer of that hot take.

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.75⭐

Take Jane Fairfax from Emma and give her a main character moment as a South Asian woman on safari with her child and estranged baby daddy Anil? Yes please! The whole premise of this book was so fun and I absolutely loved journeying through Tanzania with this crew as they spotted elephants, giraffes and fornicating zebras.

Jana as a character was incredibly complex and wonderful--I loved seeing how her relationships with her mom, Anil and her friends developed throughout the novel. But ultimately her major challenges led me to the classic conclusion that Jana needed therapy more than she needed to reconcile with her baby daddy because she had many trust issues and preconceived notions about her relationships that needed to be worked on.

If you enjoyed The Unhoneymooners and Intercepted, this book is a great one to pick up. Though not my favorite of Farah's, Anil and Jana's love for Imani and Tanzania is truly the beauty of this book and it was a fun romp.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Jana Goes Wild is a follow-up to Farah Heron’s prior adult romance, Kamila Knows Best, with the main characters being prominent secondary characters. This one can be read as a standalone, although I do recommend the prior book as well.
Heron takes a trope and setup that I can sometimes be a bit leery about, involving an ex who betrayed the protagonist and wants a second chance, and makes it work. And a lot of it is due to the characters. Jana is rightfully upset about Anil’s betrayal, and while she still has feelings for him, she is also deeply hurt. The self-awareness with which the narrative navigates her complicated feelings of continued hurt, while also recognizing they’re not rational (because feelings aren’t always rational) absolutely spoke to me. But in spite of it all, I appreciate her maturity in being able to co-parent the child conceived during their fling, Imani, putting her grudge to the side in that situation. I also respect how proactively it’s stressed that having Imani was her choice, one she was free to make as other women should with their own bodies.
As for Anil, I respect that he actually did the work to become a better person, addressing what he did wrong five years ago. He was in a sticky situation with his previous marriage, which he was less than honest with Jana about when they were initially together, and that messed things up for both of them. But he not only stepped up to be a father and co-parent Imani, but he’s also been able to do the work to shift his own priorities and become a man without the baggage that got in the way of his being with Jana in the first place.
I really liked the romance between them for the most part, especially with them being thrown together for Kamila’s destination wedding in Tanzania. It was especially funny seeing them have to talk about being divorced, because Jana’s mother told their relatives they were, instead of the real story, likely because of the generational and cultural divide. I wasn’t a huge fan of the way they slept together before they fully talked everything out, especially when Jana still wants to dodge the issue in the aftermath, but there was enough self-awareness there (not to mention some cute moments leading up to it!) that I am willing to forgive this for the most part.
I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone looking for second chance contemporary romances.

This second chance romance was wonderfully messy, angsty, funny, and cute in all the right ways. Once I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down and I didn't want it to end.

Things I loved: Anil has put in WORK to co-parent his daughter and make up for his previous mistakes. Jana KNOWS that 5 years of holding a grudge and being bitter is irrational - this was SO relatable. Everyone is human and has irrational feelings and sometimes you just gotta really feel those!

I wish this would have been dual POV but other than that, I was pleasantly surprised by this read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader!

Another hit by Farah Heron! Farah writes some of my fav South Asian romances and this one surprised me! A single parent, second chance romance, set in the Serengeti, this book had adventure written all over it. Jana is definitely one of my favorite characters and I felt for her throughout this book. This book was definitely a hit for me and I'm just loving everything that Farah has been putting out. An emotionally heartwarming read for sure.

This book was M E S S Y. I didn’t expect to love this level of mess and angst as it is not normally my jam but I was totally hooked. Interestingly, I didn’t love the first book in this series, Kamila Knows Best, quite as much because as I’ve come to realize, I don’t really like Jane Austen’s Emma and therefore, Emma retelling aren’t my fave. I didn’t remember much of the book but I remembered enough to know that Jana and Anil were basically the Jane Fairfax/Frank Churchill of the retelling but without their happy ending.

Their happy ending comes in this book after much heartache and pain, 5 years, an unplanned pregnancy, and coparenting a young daughter. The two embark on a secret, short lived affair in book 1 that ends badly when Jana learns that Anil is actually married. Ooof. I was prepared to hate Anil, did actually hate him. But I think what worked was the time jump between book 1 and book 2, where 5 years have passed since Jana learned the truth and essentially evicted Anil from her life, if not her heart, only to learn she was pregnant with his baby.

I’m glad that this was not an instantaneous forgiveness, that Anil had to pay the price and earn his way back into Jana’s good graces, earn her forgiveness. And Jana needed that time to heal, to come to terms with her own hang ups and trust issues, and also work on learning how to move forward instead of staying mired in the past. I though this was one of the most interesting retelling of the lesser romantic arc in Emma and I really enjoyed it. I loved the setting (Tanzania, where this group of 30 some people gathered for the wedding of Kamila and Rohan, the couple from book 1), I loved the push and pull between the 2 MCs and I loved the side characters, the friendships, the complicated family dynamics. This book was messy and complicated, all feelings and vibes and I was really hooked.

Jana Goes Wild was a fun escape on a Tanzanian vacation! While this wasn't my favorite rom com I've ever read, I really felt like I was there in Africa, attending the wedding of my friends.

Now, if you know me, you know that the miscommunication trope is my least favorite in romances. This one definitely had it and I didn't like it. It also made me not like Jana much as a main character. She was very harsh towards Anil because of their past and kept pushing him away anytime their relationship seemed to get better. She was very punishing in her comments to Anil, where he was very kind and understanding. I kind of felt like she didn't want to be happy and wanted to stay closed off from the people in her life.

All that being said, the ending was pretty good and ALMOST made up for some of the parts I wasn't keen on. I like that Jana finds her tribe of friends and gets a second chance with the person she let down all her walls for.

Also, as a lover of book cover art, whoever created this cover really knocked it out of the park! I love love love the cover and might have to buy a physical copy just because its so dang pretty!

I give this one 3/5 stars!