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!

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐.5
SPICE: 🔥🔥

Sometimes finding love is all about timing.

Jana Suleiman learned a tough lesson about opening yourself up to someone. She trusted Anil Malek with her heart a few years ago only to find out that he was hiding a horrible secret. Unfortunately, their brief romance resulted in a pregnancy that they must now learn how to navigate together.

Fast forward a few years later, and they actually have done a great job of co-parenting and co-existing. And it is about to get tested. A friend's destination wedding in the Serengeti has Jana and Anil living in close quarters with their daughter Imani. Family, friends, and even possible employers get a front-seat view of their angst-filled journey to a second chance. Will they reach their destination, or is their history too much to overcome?

I don't get to read enough of these types of second-chance romances -- the kind where they had HEA within their grasp but the timing just wasn't right -- and I live for them. After a slow start, I did enjoy this read. Jana and Anil had a lot to unpack -- other than literal baggage -- and I liked following the progression of their relationship from co-parents to lovers.

The single POV from Jana's perspective made her a whole lot more relatable. I can definitely sympathize with an introvert trying to juggle responsibilities to herself and her daughter without buckling under social pressures and judgments. I did wish that we got a glimpse into Anil's thought process once in a while to get a better connection with him.

This standalone read is made even richers with Tanzania in the backdrop and South Asian culture fully represented. This is my first Farah Heron read (and it won't be my last as I just discovered she has an Emma retelling), but I believe the characters in this book had tie-ins in that retelling release.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Farah Heron, Forever Publishing, and Netgalley for providing an ARC. **

Jana is very much a by the book person who was on a business trip when she met Anil. They had a two week long relationship that she thought was leading so something much more until she received a message telling her to leave the married man alone. That would be easy to do if she didn’t find herself pregnant.
Fast forward 5 years and Jana and her four year old daughter Imani are heading with their family and friends to Tanzania for the wedding of some of Jana’s friends. Although she a Anil have a strict co-parenting contract, they’ve had very little don’t since Imani was born, so imagine her surprise when Anil turns up to help Jana travel with Imani and be part of the wedding party as well. The #bridalbrigade made Jana a “letting loose” list of things she needed to do while on vacation, like sing karaoke, wear a bikini, etc. nothing too serious but just enough to get Jana out of her comfort zone. In the course of the wedding events over the two weeks, she manages to cross things off her list and tackle the biggest one of all, her relationship with Anil.
I really liked Kamila Knows Best so very much-it was so fun and lighthearted. This book while being a sequel to that with Kamila finally getting her dream destination wedding, was much more serious and there wasn’t as much romance as I would have liked to see.
The best part was the setting. I loved all the descriptions of the animals and the various locations. It sounded absolutely amazing!
Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

4 ⭐️

This was an adventurous, fun read! I love books that feel transportive and like I'm traveling without ever leaving my living room, and this was that. Jana and her daughter, Imani are traveling to South Africa for an incredible two weeks celebrating a friend's wedding, and Jana's surprised to find that her ex fling, and Imani's dad, is on the trip too. They have to learn to get along during the trip, and learn how to be around each other without ripping their hair out (or clothes off 😉).

This is primarily a second chance romance, which is one of the hardest tropes for me to get on board with! I think the biggest challenge with the trope in general is making the mistake from the past something that's forgivable, both for the characters and for the reader. Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed the characters, diversity and plot, Anil's mistake from five years ago is not something I would have been able to reconcile, so it was hard for me to get on board with their relationship.

But, it wasn't enough for me to not give this book the great rating it deserves!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for my digital ARC!

Another terrific romance from Farah Heron! I felt like I was transported to Tanzania - the descriptions of the setting and the animals were so vivid, including sightings of elephants, giraffes, and dik-dik (which I'd never heard of but had a good chuckle learning about)! It was so fun to see characters from Kamila Knows Best and experience Jana and Kamila's friendship rather than their adversity. The romance was way steamier than Heron's previous books and I was there for it! A lot of difficult issues were touched upon, including sexism but there was also so much humor and a whole lot of heart. Wonderful character development for Jana and her mother. My favorite part might have been the cameo of Potato from Kamila Knows Best.

Reverse grumpy sunshine is almost always fun!

Jana has always been a very straight-laced, good kid and adult, until a 2 week fling with Anil lands her as an unknowing homewrecker and pregnant with his baby. 5 years later, Jana is trying to flourish as a research developer, hoping to get a job that allows her to be stable and with her daughter more. She goes on a wedding vacation to Tanzania with some of her childhood friends and is shocked when she learns that her baby-daddy, Anil, is there as well. Jana still harbors a lot of resentment and hatred for Anil and he wants to use this 2 week trip as a way to try and become friends and better coparents to their daughter. Along the way, the #bridalbrigade (consisting of the bride and her bridesmaids) vow to help Jana open up to be a more vibrant version of herself by creating a "Loosen up" list which Jana attempts to complete throughout the book.


I went into this with high hopes. The premise sounded amazing and parts of the book were so much fun. I loved learning about the culture of Tanzania and could picture each area the cast visited thanks to the author's vivid descriptions. I can also relate to Jana being an introvert when everyone else is an extrovert and constantly feeling like you don't belong.

That might be where my like for the story ends. Jana has spent 5 years absolutely despising Anil for his mistake and won't even talk to him (she uses an app to send messages about their daughter and that's it). She never tries to make the situation better until she's forced to. Then she's mad because he has supposedly harbored feelings for her but has never told her (I'm sorry, but if you're constantly glaring and yelling at him, when is he supposed to do that?) The author also seems to allude to Jana having severe anxiety, and I wish she would have had Jana talk about mental health with anxiety more, instead of just having her constantly run away when things felt even the minor bit inconvenient. The story also seemed to drag on and felt like nothing was happening during a good portion of the book.

The wrap up of the story was fun and progressed nicely once Jana got her head out of her butt.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eArc of #JanaGoesWild in exchange for an honest review!

This second-chance romance will have you ready to pack your bags and go on safari in Tanzania.

Jana has been cordially co-parenting her four-year-old with her ex, Anil, ever since Imani was born. Does she still feel betrayed about how it turned out she was the "other woman" in their brief but passionate two-week fling? Sure, but she's moved on, and Anil's a great dad. But when they both end up at a destination wedding in Tanzania (for Kamila and Rohan from Kamila Knows Best) while Jana tries to let loose for the first time, will things change between them?

Full of meddling aunties, well meaning mothers, extravagant wedding celebrations, and lots of elephants, this book is just plain fun. The setting really comes alive and I loved the rich descriptions of the cultures and traditions. (And the food!) There was definitely some palpable tension between Jana and Anil with a will-they-won't-they feeling going on. Jana's leeriness of getting back together makes sense given their history and the negative consequences of the gossip that she faced while Anil mostly remained unscathed... infuriating, but also believable.

You don't need to have read Kamila Knows Best to understand this, though you'll be more familiar with the characters if you have.

If you're in the mood for something that feels a little like drunkenly singing karaoke to ABBA with a group of your friends at a bar (iykyk), dream about seeing lions, and can tolerate some miscommunication in your romcoms, you should check this out.

There was a lot I loved about this story, but ultimately I really struggled with Jana.

Five years ago an accidental pregnancy left Jana in a bit of a scandal, even causing her to lose her job. After years of animosity and co-parenting with Anil, she unexpectedly finds herself in forced proximity with him (along with their daughter) for a two-week vacation in Tanzania to attend a wedding.

From delicious food descriptions to safari adventures, the setting was definitely my favourite part! The perfect backdrop for this second chance romance. Lots of fun drama, too!

The chemistry between Jana and Anil was palpable from the very beginning. And I cannot express how much I adored Anil. Not only would he do anything for Jana, he was a picturesque father. It's so rare to see a positive example of co-parenting in a single parent romance, so major kudos for that.

I became a bit tired of their conflict, however. Jana was incredibly resentful towards Anil, and I'm not saying it wasn't warranted, but the repetitiveness eventually made it hard to sympathize with her inability to forgive.

🦇 Jana Goes Wild Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

❝ "Don't worry about what people think about you. The only person you need to impress is you...It's okay not to be perfect." ❞

❓ #QOTD Where did you go on your last family trip? ❓

🦇 When Jana Suleiman meets Animal Malek, it feels like there's the promise of a real future between them. It's not until after two weeks of passion together that Jana learns the truth: Anil is married. Unfortunately, she never gets the chance to put those two weeks behind her; not when she realizes she's pregnant. Five years later, she's the bridesmaid for a destination wedding in Serengeti National Park, unaware that her potential new boss and ex are attending until she arrives in Africa. In an effort to prove she's "vibrant" and worthy of the job, Jana lets loose. Can she embrace her wild side and let go of the feelings (good or bad) she's harbored for Anil after all this time?

💜 Jana Goes Wild is an adventure for sure! Jana Suleiman is a perfectionist striving to meet the expectations of everyone around her; no easy feat when you also have a curious four-year-old at your side. Her co-parenting relationship with Anil is beautifully healthy despite the anonymity she still harbors. Farah Heron's descriptions of Tanzania will awe you, each page dragging readers into the wilderness and on a safari through Jana's mind and heart. The main source of conflict in the book is internal as Jana is forced to confront the emotions she's shoved aside for too long, both for the sake of her family and career. Heron also immerses readers in Muslim and Indian culture, both through wedding customs, food (there are recipes at the end!), and traditional mindsets. As a Muslim reader, I couldn't help but feel the burden of familial expectations Jana experiences, making it a very relatable read.

🦇 As much as I love tension, a lot of the conflict Jana and Anil faced was of Jana's own making. When she finally comes to recognize her mistakes and begins to make amends with Anil, she unfortunately repeats the same mistakes. Jana was a victim of gossip but allows gossip to overshadow everything she learned during her trip alongside Anil. While realistic (not every lesson we learn STICKS), it was also a little frustrating to see Jana repeatedly get in her own way. There's a lot of miscommunication between Jana and Anil; proof that communication is key to any healthy relationship. However, Jana DOES recognize the roadblocks she's causing on her own, and that self-awareness makes her journey all the more realistic.

🦇 Recommended to anyone who knows what the pressure of meeting someone else's expectations and standards feels like. It's okay if you're not perfect; that's part of being human. Also recommended if you love to travel the world without leaving the cozy comforts of your reading nook.

Read If You Love:
🐘 Enemies to Lovers
🐘 Second Chance Romance
🐘 Forced Proximity
🐘 Mental Health Focus
🐘 Opposites Attract
🐘 Romantic Comedy

🦇 Major thanks to the author @farahheronauthor and publisher @readforeverpub for providing an ARC of this book via @Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I definitely want to attend a destination wedding in Tanzania right away and the way this whole trip has been described in vivid detail will make readers plan up a vacation immediately. It is time for Jana to go wild and enjoy the trip by doing things that she has never done. She comes to meet her ex and father of her child on this trip and with both being part of the wedding party keeps bringing them together on various cute occasions.

It is perfect for fans of second chance romance and Indian origin made it auto-read for me. Now Jana and Anil are ready to start off friendship and maybe more if things go smoothly. As most romcoms, there is this thread of miscommunication that breaks them apart and the onus is on them how they overcome this issue to come together. I adored and absolutely stan the #bridalbrigade,

I’m in the minority on this book. I gave 4.5 stars to Kamila Knows Best and was really looking forward to this sequel. It’s now over five years later and Kamila is getting her dream destination wedding in Tanzania, Africa. But the focus of this story is on a two people in the wedding party. Dr. Jana Suleiman is a bridesmaid and brings her mother and almost five year old daughter Imani for the two weeks in Africa. Unbeknownst to her Anil Malek shows up as a surprise groomsman. He is Imani’s father. Jana and Anil had a magical two weeks together before she found out he wasn’t divorced as he claimed. Anil has been a good co-parent and Jana keeps her distance allowing her mother to be there for Imani’s pick ups and drop offs.

Everyone except me loves Anil. I found his initial move manipulative, he claims he wanted to surprise Imani. Later when pushed he blames her for his lying because he didn’t want her to back out of the forced time together. He pushes her boundaries again and again and then backs off. In fact every time he is pressed about why he keeps something secret he blames fearing her reaction. So he gets to lie by omission more than once and it is her fault. This is to me the definition of manipulator.

The reality of the story is that having a child out of wedlock cost Jana her job at the time and a lot of personal and professional backlash. He faced none of that. He is charming and everyone loves him. To his credit he has referred her for other jobs and gives good professional references.

Jana’s relationship with her mother is also complicated. She lives with her mother who is supportive of Imani, but falling to cultural expectations she creates a fake divorce story so there is less shame for Jana and herself. But the claim there is a divorce makes Jana feel shame because her mom can’t accept the realness of her life. And this lie makes things thorny for Jana as she has interviewed for a dream job that will allow her to be home more in Toronto. And a potential decision maker happens to be on the trip.

The best part of the story is the location. I love the descriptions of Africa, the animals, hotels and camping. Second thing I love is Kamila as the bride and her being a good friend to Jana. I found her mother very insensitive and taking little responsibility for her actions and their impact on Jana. I think the author tries to redeem her but it wasn’t enough. I did like the South Asian muslim representation. Because of my dislike towards the Anil I went back to his many appearances in Kamila’s story. After reading the “never have I ever” scene I decided he really is an a$$hat. I didn’t want him for Jana or for them to end up as a couple.

I will absolutely read the author again but this second chance romance didn’t work for me. It was forced proximity torture for the heroine who continually has to relive the worst moments of her very successful life. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC and I’m leaving a voluntary review. (2.5 Stars)

3.5 stars

This is the first book I've read of Heron's but I'll definitely be picking up some of her backlist books in the future!

First off, the setting of this book was amazing. I loved that it was in Tanzania and all the safaris. The descriptions were so well done that it felt like you were almost there.

I really liked all of the characters and the #bridalbrigade.

There is a lot of miscommunication in the book and it felt extreme for 2 adults.

Overall a fun and cute read though!

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Pub for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I'm always a fan of Farah Heron's books and this one was no different. The story was nice and easy to read and who doesn't love a second chance at romance? I know that I do and loved reading about Jana and following her story. Will def be recommending this to my romcom friends and can't wait to read what Farah writes next! Thanks for letting me read an early copy!

If you want a good beach read, weekend read or just a feel good read… this is it!

I’m typically a Fantasy Fiction reader but I love great stories and great writing. I love books like this because they just feel so human and relatable!

Great characters that you instantly become invested in and you have to keep reading to make sure they are cared for through the story! I won’t spoil it but the way the book resolves is perfection! ❤️❤️

I will be reading more novels by Farah Heron, her writing style is so easy to devour and it has a great pace. Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

ARC Kindle Read from NetGalley and Forever Publishing, thank you for the wonderful experience with this book!

Publish Date May 1st, 2023

5 stars

Honestly, I’m shocked that I loved this but I should’ve had more faith in Farah Heron. This couple’s origin story was covered in Emma retelling KAMILA KNOWS BEST. Jana and Anil were the Jane Fairfax/Frank Churchill ship that ended in a *horrible* way, deviating from the source material. Like Jana, I was prepared to hate Anil forever. I was shocked when the next book intended to feature their HEA.

This second chance romance worked for several reasons:

1) it’s been five years and Anil has put in the work, both in co-parenting and personal growth. No instant forgiveness. The time gap takes the edge off Jana’s pain, though she still is rightfully prickly and unwilling to move on.

2) the healthy and cooperative co-parenting arrangement. Regardless of their ugly romantic history, Jana and Anil are FANTASTIC parents and do their best to keep conflict away from Imani. There’s a really sweet scene where they sleep in the same bed next to their sick daughter.

3) I adore how Jana acknowledges that she’s bitter for irrational reasons and makes no apologies. Feelings are irrational! Let her maintain the grudge against Anil merely because he’s “likable.” Honestly, she felt so relatable with her introverted nature and South Asian Daughter perfectionist tendencies.

4) a fake relationship for a legitimate reason that doesn’t sound ridiculous?! Amazing. I didn’t think it could exist, but I’m happy to be proven wrong.

Ultimately, this is so messy and angsty and intimate… I loved it! Plus, it was nice to revisit Kamila/Rohan for their wedding safari celebrations. I couldn’t find any sequel bait, but I wouldn’t be opposed to revisiting this Toronto friend group.

Read via audio (narrated by Soneela Nankani).

Disclaimer: I received a free audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.