3.4 stars. This rating makes it sound like I maybe didn’t really enjoy the book… it’s not true, I did, but I think after reading Accidentally Engaged I expected something different than what Jana Goes Wild was. It was a fun book, but it just missed the mark for me.

Jana was awkward and I found her hard to relate to… I think I would have enjoyed the book more if we also had Anils POV just to break up Jana’s repetitive internal monologue. I found myself skimming some pages because her internal emotions and battles were VERY repetitive and there was a lot of unnecessary parts and over analyzing the same situations again and again. The story also heavily focused on Jana’s daughter, which is great, I have a daughter of my own and love kiddos, but it just didn’t really feel like a romance novel to me, and I thought about 25 pages probably could have been edited out of the book as it didn’t add to it. Also would have liked more slow burn and romantic tension building up.

I loved the safaris and parts in Africa and all the cultural components were really great - the FOOD!! Oh my goodness the FOOD! If there is one thing Farah knows how to write about it’s the FOOD. I dreamed of Samosas last night. The food and Africa components were by far my favourite part.

All-in-all was a fine book and I enjoyed it and read it quickly. Thank you NetGalley, Farah Heron and Forever for the ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

There were a lot of good aspects in Jana Goes Wild that I really enjoyed, especially the setting on safari in Tanzania. But there were some issues that had this at a 3 star read for me. I still think it was cute and if you've enjoyed Farah Heron's other books, you should give this one a try!

Synopsis: Jana and Anil have only been dating for two weeks, but things have gotten hot and serious very quickly. That is, until Jana finds out that Anil is still married and breaks things off with him. She is mourning the loss of their relationship and expecting to never interact with Anil again when she finds out that she is pregnant.

Fast forward five years, and Jana and Anil are successfully co-parenting their daughter Imani, though they interact only through a co-parenting app and never speak in person, as Jana holds a lot of resentment towards Anil for lying to her and doesn't want to see him face to face. So she's shocked when she and Imani are on their way to her friend Kamila's wedding in Tanzania and finds Anil at the airport, as she was told he wouldn't be able to attend the wedding.

To make matters worse, when they get to Tanzania Jana finds out that the man she just interviewed with for an international development job is also part of the wedding group, and that Jana's mother has been going around telling everyone about how even though they are divorced, Jana and Anil are great co-parents. Jana is upset that her mother is lying (she and Anil were never married) and is embarrassed of her, and she is afraid of her potential new boss finding out the truth and judging her for having an "illegitimate" child. She vows to try to keep Anil and her potential boss away from each other, but that means she has to spend more and more time with Anil, and eventually they have to confront the history between them and the feelings they just can't seem to shake.

Review: Normally I really enjoy a second chance romance, but the interactions between Jana and Anil felt forced and I didn't really see the chemistry between them. They go back and forth through the whole book about whether they should be together or not, and it's so hot and cold.

Additionally, I didn't think that the storyline about needing to hide the fact from her potential boss that she had a child out of wedlock worked well. Jana kept reasoning that people who work in development are good people and will judge her for this "mistake" and that her potential boss wouldn't want to hire her if he finds out. I've worked in international development for 10 years now and let me tell you, we do not care about these types of things! This part of the plot didn't feel realistic and so I didn't think it was super well executed or really added anything to the story, I thought that the conflict between Jana and Anil was more than enough to carry the story without adding this other strange layer.

There were some good aspects of the book though! It was cute to see how much Jana and Anil both cared for Imani and what good parents they were. I also really enjoyed the setting of the book, I have always wanted to go on a safari in Africa so I was really soaking in the travel vibes through the perfectly described settings! I also loved how the other bridesmaids forced their friendship onto Jana, who was a bit of a prickly person, and ended up realizing that she had more in common with them than she thought and that she valued their friendship.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Jana Goes Wild is a Second Chance Romance. While the story is cute overall, I had a really tough time getting over one of the key plot points. Jana and Anil fell in love (lust) after a wild two weeks, broke up for reasons (good reasons!) but are then thrown together again when Jana finds out she's pregnant. I really, really struggle with babies / children as plot devices.

The story really gets going 5 years later when Jana, Anil and all their friends and family travel to the Serengeti for a wedding.

I found Jana to be a really frustrating character - she lacks confidence in herself, cares way to much about what everyone around her things, and repeats herself endlessly. So every two pages you're hearing her inner monologue about how people might be gossiping about her, how she hates her baby daddy etc.

It's a cute story overall, with fun descriptions of the trip in Africa. I did not however enjoy hearing how her 4 year old daughter was behaving on the trip (picky eater, not sleeping, whining, getting sick).

Thank you to Netgalley & Forever books for the advanced reader copy.

i was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover! Bravo on that beauty.

This book follows Jana, as she travels to Tanzania for a family wedding. She brings in tow her young daughter, baggage from never quite fitting in, running into her potential employer and her maybe-amazing-maybe-horrible ex . As the wedding progresses, Jana starts to come out of her shell, putting together a list of things to try to go a bit "wild".

This is a second chance romance and has a slow burn. The setting is beautiful and made me want to experience Tanzania. But overall it was a bit too slow for me.

Jana is very buttoned up. The only time she ever relaxed and let herself fall in love, she accidentally got pregnant by a man who was not available. Now she and Anil co-parent their daughter together but keep their distance. When Jana goes on a safari for her friends' wedding, Anil shows up as a last-minute addition. Her daughter is very excited about her father joining the trip, but Jana is worried that she will have to keep her distance from the man who broke her heart. She is already worried about the appearance of her past missteps and the shame it brought her family. As the wedding group goes on safaris and enjoys the trip, Jana may have to come to terms with how she really feels about Amil and if she can get past the public embarrassment that their previous relationship caused.

This rom-com from trusted author Farah Heron was exactly what a rom-com should be- an interesting and different storyline with memorable characters and lots of sexual tension. I love that her books are thematic call backs to Jane Austen (this one is a sort of Sense and Sensibility) and I loved the African setting. This would be a good fit for fans of Jasmine Guillory or Sonali Dev.
Great cover- fun book. This is an open-door romance but not overly gratuitous.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Super sad because I had high hopes for this one – just look at that fantastic cover! It just felt like a chore to read this and I don't want reading to feel like that. I didn't particularly like the writing style, which felt repetitive at times. I did not understand why our main character kept getting so bent out of shape over the littlest things, and it very quickly got on my nerves.

I ended up DNFing it at 30%.

I've seen great reviews for this one, so it might work better for you than it did for me.

I found this solidly enjoyable. Jana’s doubts about her past with Anil make this a believable second-chance romance. And the Tanzanian setting is delightful!

I adored this book! While I had to stop and google some things due to cultural differences i could gather a lot of meanings of words (like Jana's mom calling her beta) by context as well. I really loved this multicultural story and having a strong, yet insecure, female MC that isn't afraid to try to do things her way. Her entire friend group, but especially the #BridalBrigade was so much fun to read about along with all the incredible descriptions of Tanzania. There were so many little touches i enjoyed and you better believe I'll be putting the recipes included to good use!

I was very much anticipated Jana Goes Wild, I have enjoyed previous books by this author.
This is second chance romance with all most too much going on. A two-week wedding vacation for her friends along with her kid, a super judgmental mom, the father of her kid, and her potential new boss. It is a lot!
The portrayal of the blurb for this book does it a disservice. This book was not about a character trying to lose their hang-ups and shed their flawless persona. Jana, in fact, was seeking perfection. Jana does move outside her comfort zone a few times, but they were hurried experiences that I cannot say she learned much from. The endless introspection by Jana and whining about the same things over and over again was at times too much to take.
This book is very focused on being stuck on a trip with her ex and overanalyzing their breakup and how it has affected her life. Jana is obsessed with the breakup. It seems to be the only thing she can talk about with him and anyone who will listen. Because of this choice of the author to use the breakup as her whole personality the character arc is very weak. The hero Anil equally lacks growth as a character, stunting the romantic relationship. Anil is a good guy, and he does stick to his commitment to Jana.
This was just not the reading experience I had hoped for. I also did not realize this was a sequel and a true standalone because of this I do think some of the back story was missing. The romance was not as centralized a I like, and I do think this title leans more towards women’s fiction. For this reason I was very close to DNFing this title

Jana was on a business trip when she bumped into Anil, someone she thought was single and quite literally ready to mingle. She was very wrong though when she received a message from Anil’s sister in law saying to leave the married man alone. Easier said than done when two pink lines formed on a pregnancy test.

Enter Imani, playful 4 year old daughter of Jana. The two would be going to Tanzania for a wedding where they had no anticipation of seeing Anil, father of said daughter. As chance would have it, he was part of the wedding party also. Needing some “letting loose,” the people of the bride’s party made a “letting loose” list for her to accomplish while she was in Tanzania. These included tasks like hold a long conversation with a stranger, stay up all night, etc. Very PG rated tasks, nothing too risky.

Needless to say, Jana completed her “letting loose” list and fell back in love with Anil during the process. I’ll save you the details though.

This book was just not for me. The author was so careful not to offend anyone that the characters just seemed sooo sensitive and naive. I wish I could have liked this more because I tend to love this publisher but it was honestly so painful to read.

I'm grateful to Forever for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. After reading Kamila Knows Best and enjoying it, I couldn't wait to dive into Farah Herron's next book.

Jana, a minor character in the previous book, didn't leave much of an impression on me, but in this one, Farah has worked her magic and made me care deeply about Jana's story.

The book is a charming rom-com that centers around the challenges of unexpected pregnancy, where two people with hurt feelings and disappointment must learn to co-parent. I found the writing delightful and loved the subtle Toronto references that added an extra layer of authenticity to the story.

What really stood out to me was the vivid description of Tanzania and its mouth-watering cuisine. I was intrigued and delighted to discover a samosa recipe at the end of the book, which I can't wait to try out.

Overall, this book was a solid 4-star read for me, and I can't wait to see what Farah Herron writes next.

Since I really enjoyed Heron's other novel, Kamila Knows Best, I could not pass up the opportunity to read Jana Goes Wild. Sadly, Jana Goes Wild didn't meet my expectations. Truely a disappointment. More so that Jana Goes Wild is the first novel from publisher Forever (GCP) that I disliked and did not finish.

The story is supposed to be a second chance romance. But at 33% the romance aspect wasn't even in the crosshairs. Rather than focusing on the relationship between the main characters of Jana and Anil, the narrative was pretty much centered on Jana's daughter -- four year old Imani.

Not that I dislike children, but I really got turned off by the whining and fussiness of the child in this novel. I suppose it's supposed to be cute. But in my opinion, a four year old has no place in a romance novel set in a foreign country thousands of miles away from home.

Will I continue to read more from Heron? You bet. It's too bad that this latest from Heron didn't appeal to me. A DNF at 33% One unlikeable star.

I received a digital ARC from Forever (GCP) through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

This was such a cute romance. The setting is really what sold it for me and made it stand out. Also I would definitely judge this book by the cover so cute! Would recommend!

I was excited about going on Safari with Jana and her family. However, I quickly became frustrated with Jana and Anil and felt as if I were watching an over the top Hallmark movie. They just couldn't get it together at the same time and Jana has a tendency to overthink herself into a negative place that wasn't really negative. Thinking back about what I learned about the characters this may be a theme in Bollywood movies (I've never seen one, so this may be your taste, and may have been more to mine with more background. I did find myself rooting for them even through my frustration, but it was exhausting waiting for an ending I wasn't sure was going to happen.

4 Stars Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron was not what I was expecting from a second chance romance—it was better! Jana Suleiman has never felt like she fit in and the one time she let loose and went out of her comfort zone, she ended up pregnant and brokenhearted. That was five years ago and now the single mom is headed to Serengeti National Park as a bridesmaid in her friend’s wedding. Pretty much everyone Jana knows will be there, including her four year old daughter, her daughter’s dad/Jana’s ex, her mother, her potential new boss, and lots of meddling, judgmental aunties and uncles. Jana still hasn’t forgiven her ex, Anil, for betraying her five years ago, but she recognizes how great of a dad he is to their daughter, with whom they split custody 50/50. Jana’s determined to finally get over Anil and decides to let loose once again. With the help of the bride and other bridesmaids, Jana concocts a list of experiences to get her to get out of her shell and maybe go a little wild while on safari. The more that Jana steps out of her comfort zone and the more time she spends with Anil, the harder it is for Jana to remember why she still hurts over him all these years later and for her to deny her attraction to him.

Like I said, this wasn’t what I was expecting, especially since the description doesn’t really give a clue as to why Jana and Anil didn’t work out the first time around. I understand why that experience left Jana hurt and why she hasn’t been able to let go of her pain for five years to move on. It’s made even harder by the fact that those all around her, including her family, haven’t let her forget what happened to her and Anil. Farah Heron did a wonderful job addressing how generational differences, cultural beliefs, and familial trauma can have lasting and detrimental effects on how we perceive others and how we internalize that to see ourselves too. Jana and Anil’s path back to one another wasn’t straightforward and at times it seemed like they may never get over their shared past, but the HEA was worth the journey. I really enjoyed all of the side characters, especially the #bridalbrigade and the dik-dik pics (iykyk).

I started this book with the intention to read only a few chapter. Well I lied because once I started I couldn’t stop reading!

Jana, her amazing friends, mom and the gorgeous Anil captured my attention and I needed to know everything!

I do wish I was able to get Anil’s perspective at certain points but not having that point of view also added to the angst and had me dying to read for outcomes!

Jana is a kick butt person! She’s a hotness at times but aren’t we all!!? She’s loyal, independent, strives for her goals and when she lets loose she lights up the world! I loved seeing Jana come out of her shell and grow!

I really enjoyed this second chance romance. The coparenting dynamic was great and I really enjoyed the characters so much! I would highly recommend this book!

🐘 As soon as I heard Farah Heron was writing this story, I was super excited. It also immediately made me think of my friend @artbymeezy ‘s "Father and Son" painting.

🧡 I loved this story more than I expected to and that says a lot because I was already really looking forward to this book. It's so nice being able to read about characters that feel familiar and that are experiencing some of the same things I'm struggling with. Thank you Farah for adding our bit of culture to main stream media and for so openly writing about and challenging the norms and expectations we have grown up with and around.

😅 The aunties and Jana's mom are so typical it's frustrating and amusing at the same time. Don’t even get me started on Shelina. Imani's energy is infectious and it's hard not to smile when she lures Mommy and Daddy into various subtle situations. Anil Malek rubs me the wrong way, but I love that Jana loves him and I love the person Jana becomes with him and around him and so I still shipped them hard. The reader's slow burn struggle (despite them having a child together) was so real, and Farah wrote it so well. My favourite was when Jana voiced her own sexual tension/frustrations in relation to being an overachiever. I can definitely relate.

🏷️ Thank you Netgalley and Farah Heron for this e-ARC. Now it’s time for me to go learn how to make mandazi and stare at my own elephant collection while y'all wait for your pre-orders to be delivered!

4.5 stars

I'll admit, what first drawn me to this book was the amazing cover but the book turned out just as great, better than I expected.

This book is a second chance romance between Jana and Anil. Jana and Anil had a brief fling 5 years back which ended very dramatically (Anil was still technically married) and Jana finding out she was pregnant after everything ended.

While Anil was a great at co parenting and a great father to their daughter, they were not really on speaking terms 5 years later.

After unexpectedly vacationing together for a friend's wedding for 2 weeks, things slowly start to change.

Well the book was slow, and even sometimes messy, I think Farah did a wonderful job telling their story. As with most books, I would loved for this to be dual POVs.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

After a whirlwind romance that spans two weeks on two continents, Jana discovers her lover, Anil, is married. She angrily cuts ties with him only to find out weeks later that she is pregnant. Anil proves to be a great father, though, and the next 5 years they co-parent their adorable daughter, while keeping distance from each other.
That is until they are both enlisted as part of the wedding party on a lavish destination wedding in Tanzania.

The synopsis for this book, as well as the gorgeous cover, had me really excited to read it. So, I was disappointed when after the first chapter the story dragged for me. Things did pick up after the wedding festivities began but I had a hard time warming up to Jana. I think this book might have benefited from a dual POV.

I’m rating this book 3.5/5 rounded up since the last half of the book was more interesting and I’m glad I stuck with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.