This was my first Farrah Heron novel and won’t be my last. I’ll be going back to Kamila Knows Best to read how we got to the events in Jana Goes Wild.

For starters, I loved the Tanzanian setting for most of this novel, and I loved that it was actually a part of the story. I’ve read other books in the past that were set in exotic locations but then had the story in a way that it could have been set anywhere. The environment and the culture infused into the wedding events was so vibrant on the pages here, and I felt immersed in it,

I don’t want to say that I pitied Jana, but I did feel sympathy for her and the struggles she faced as a single mother as a result of a relationship scandal she didn’t know she was a part of. I admired her determination to forge ahead on her path in the face of all the adversity and judgement she faced while also being an excellent mother.

I was frustrated with Anil. I don’t know if it’s because we didn’t get to see their past five year history leading up to the wedding trip, but I felt he was too frustrated with Jana’s hesitancy and distance given that he was the one who lied during their initial relationship. I appreciated his efforts to be an involved and loving father, and I could see signs that he still cared for Jana after all this time, but he wasn’t clear about it. To me, Jana was expected to let go of her ‘grudge’ without a ton of motivating actions from Anil to show it would be worth letting her guard back down.

In the end, the 4-stars are mostly for Jana’s internal work to let go of the judgment of others, including her mother, and go after what she really wanted for herself. She showed so much strength. Also, points for the Bridal Brigade (and Rohan) and their support for her.

The only thing better than this cover is the book inside!!I really loved Jana Goes Wild and I think it really boils down to Farah’s writing. This is my third book by Farah, and it won’t be my last. I plan to go back and read Kamila Knows Best (a modern Emma retelling!!!) because I want to see where Jana and Anil began.

I really loved the emphasis on coparenting and thought it was such an interesting and TENSE dynamic. I do think Anil was feeling a BIT bad for himself and didn’t quite respect how hard it was for Jana to be around him, but I understand it was ultimately for the best. I just loved that they both raised their daughter equally and then had to go on a trip together like good god the forced proximity!!!

This was super slow burn but the payoff was worth the melt. Both Kamila Knows Best and Accidentally Engaged were closed door, but I’d say Jana Goes Wild had around a sex scene and a half. My favorite was the coshowering 🥵🧼

Overall, this second chance romance was so emotional and set against such a lush background. I was in all my feels at ALL times. I really loved getting a book long grovel. I wouldn’t think I’d like a book that’s basically all third act breakup but I really, really did.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️.5/5

This was my first Farah Heron novel, but it won’t be my last. In fact, I will be ordering another as soon as I finish my review.

Dr.Jana Suleiman is a highly educated woman with a challenging job and is a single mother to an adorable 4-year-old daughter. She is also introverted, a perfectionist, and deeply concerned about how she is perceived by others. Her daughter is the result of a 2 week fling and drives the plot.

After the initial backstory, we find Jana is a bridesmaid at a destination wedding in Tanzania. At the wedding, she will be socializing with the father of her child, her mother, numerous longtime friends, and her potential new boss. Things don’t all go as planned, and the novel is a delightful safari ride to self-awareness and growth. The reader willingly believes all the coincidences and examples of how small a world we live in.

The romance is hot, the conversations between friends laugh-out-loud-funny, and the descriptions of Tanzania divine. This book was definitely not-put-downable.

I found Jana Goes Wild to be a fun romcom. The characters were well fleshed out and vibrant - I especially appreciated that there was a wide variety of supporting characters who actually had their own interests and were not just there to further the purposes of the main characters. I also found the setting to be lively and especially appreciated the detailed descriptions of things like food or the challenges of travel, as it made it easier to visualize and connect with the story. That said, the pacing felt slow to me; I tend to struggle with stories where an easily remedied miscommunication causes an outsized conflict and I felt like that happened one too many times in this novel.

All in all, I thought this was a cute story and would recommend it!

I’ve loved everything Farah Heron has written, and I’m so delighted to have had the pleasure to read this one early! Jana and Anil having their moment 5 years after the events of the last book makes a lot of sense for their story, and Potato is back — no longer a puppy! Anyone looking for Maricel though, she doesn’t make an appearance until 93%. So don’t waste brain space worrying if she and Kamila had a falling out (which is what I did lol my bad).

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC

It had a good vibe and the characters were good but I just didn't find them relatable and honestly I feel like this story was just okay. It was enjoyable but a bit boring and I wouldn't read it again.

Super cute story that I appreciated extra as someone with a South Asian background as well! I loved and connected with Jana way more than I thought I would. Often at times her stubbornness came through the page but you could always understand why she was thinking the way she was, even when her and the reader could acknowledge she might not be in the right.

Loved her chemistry with Anil right from the start, and the steamy scenes with both of them were SOOOO GOOD! I really liked the way the daughter was incorporated in the story, writing kids can be very tricky but this felt very realistic and adorable.

My only dislikes were the, not one but two(!) third act “breakups” or miscommunication plots. Ultimately I understand the need for this kind of tension but considering the first part of Jana & Anil’s relationship was ALSO built on miscommunication, it just became too predictable.

Thank you netgalley, Forever, and Farah Heron for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVE reading about characters and a story set in my home town of Toronto. Farah has a way of immediately activating my heart and head with her beautiful books. This book had a tad too much miscommunication (least favorite trope) for my liking but it's essential to the story and how the FMC & MMC navigate their way out of it. I ended up pausing to read so I could place a pre-order as I will absolutely need a physical copy for my forever shelves. Books that yank at my heart and brain strings and yell at the characters to get their s@#t together is one I look forward to reading again and again. Anil is book boyfriend #1 of 2023.

I think this author is not for me. I couldn't connect with the characters. The whole story had an amazing vibe and premise. I would still recommend it to fans of the author. It just was not my cup of tea.

Fantastic! Amazing! Never been done before etc etc.

Love feron’s books. Fun, desi, and exciting. Just as good as accidentally engaged.