I’ve been a fan of Farah Heron since reading Accidentally Engaged a few years ago. I absolutely adored the cover of Jana Goes Wild and really enjoyed the book!

I really liked and relayed to Jana. She was in Kamila Knows Best and I enjoyed getting to know her better! She has a brief relationship with Anil before discovering he wasn’t formally divorced. A few weeks later she discovers she’s pregnant. They co-parent well, but don’t spend a lot of time together. Jana is shocked when she’s on a family trip to the Serengeti for Kamila’s wedding when she sees Amil in the airport. Jana is also using this trip to try and get out of her comfort zone with a fun bucket list her friends help her create.

I think this replaced Accidentally Engaged as my favorite Farah Heron book! I loved seeing the scenery of the Serengeti. Jana took some time to warm up to them, but Kamila and her bridesmaids are a wonderful group of supportive friends. I loved the female friendship representation! The forced proximity with Jana and Anil was great too! I also loved her daughter Imani.

I can’t wait for Farah Heron’s next book!

Rated: 3.5 rounded up to 4 STARS
Jana Goes Wild features Jana and Anil, characters from a previous book Kamila Knows Best (which I haven't yet read, and although I believe this can be a stand alone story, it might have helped understanding some of the back story and history). I absolutely loved their story, chemistry and families/friends! The descriptions of the gorgeous scenery and delicious foods made me feel as though I was one of the wedding guests with them on their safari! What could have easily made this closer to a solid 4-5 STAR book, was less repetition. There was too much recap of the supposed reasons they weren't together, which after 5 years seemed honestly pretty flimsy considering all of the positives that they had going for them. There should have been a bit more substance to their falling out, not just the communication skills of immature high schoolers, when these people were entering their thirties and should have a better handle at resolving conflicts and having honest discussions. I'm looking forward to reading this author's next book and will also seek out to read the previous book to this one.

I truly enjoyed this story. I felt bad for Jana, because the circumstances she ended up finding herself in was truly not her fault. I loved how she persevered and was determined to do whatever she had to do to get things done. Even deal with her daughter's father. And it shows how mothers will be mothers across the bipoc community, especially how Jana's mother acts with her. It was such a fun story that made me believe I was right there with all of them. It definitely makes me want to do some more traveling and Tanzania is now one of the new locations I want to visit. Jana's character and her daughter was my absolutely favorites. Truthfully, Anil had to grow on me. This was such a good read just in time for summer traveling.

I should've known going in that this one wasn't going to be for me. Sometimes an unexpected pregnancy trope works for me, but others it really doesn't. This one just didn't work right off the bat. The fact that not only was it a TWO WEEK FLING, but also she was on antibiotics??? Come on.

The woman has a PhD, but sure let's make both people in the relationship forget you need double the protection when on antibiotics.

I DNFd quickly. I would be willing to read more from the author if it did not start off with an unexpected pregnancy and a lie.

What a delightful adventure! While I am typically not a fan of second chance, Farah Heron handles this one well. There is some miscommunication to work through but it was still a delightful story. The romance was swoony and the bridesmaids antics were hilarious. A fun summer romance read!

Oh man.... I didn't care for this much. It just felt like there was not plot and all of this came out of nowhere. Everything kept repeating but it wasn't a time loop novel. So many white lies and miscommunications. I am a fan of Farah, but this missed the mark for me.

I love when books are set outside America -- particularly rom coms. I am a SUCKER for it. Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron is mostly set in Tanzania. It follows Jana, a single mom who absolutely does not ever let loose. She is in Tanzania with her daughter Imani for her friend Kamila's wedding to Rohan. Kamila is from previous book Kamila Knows Best, which I am telling you right now you don't need to have read to be able to follow along. Oh and you know who else is on the safari wedding trip, Jana's ex, Imani's father Anil. Although the two week affair between Jana and Anil blew up in spectacular fashion years ago, it turns out there's still chemistry lingering between the two. Oh and Jana is about to let loose by following different tasks on her list such as singing karaoke, talking to a stranger and closing the bar down.

As said, I am a sucker for a good setting. I loved that Jana was connected to Tanzania in that she had previously been there for a safari when she was younger -- also that her family has roots there. Heron's Jana Goes Wild made me want to book a safari and stay at some of those amazing resorts instead of booking Disney again -- which is something. Also, I really liked the chemistry between Anil and Jana and how much they fight it -- but also how if they give in, the potential for something incredible and amazing is right there. This is such a lovely story. Absolutely give this book a shot if you are a fellow rom com fan.

Jana needs to learn how to relax, let loose and forgive. Not just for the sake of her daughter and her potential new job, but also for herself. What better place to find that sweet spot that on safari in Tanzania surrounded with the people you love the most?

This book was really cute and had a great premise. Unfortunately, I just could not stand Jana. "How do I stop being so grumpy?" Girl, that is a CHOICE you make. Jana makes life so unnecessarily hard for herself and her daughter. Just let go! I liked the book but the paced really dragged and I had a hard time staying interested.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

After being slut-shamed for five years by some in her South Asian community, friends and coworkers, Jana Suleiman must rebuild her life. She’s part of the marriage party in Kamila's destination wedding (that’s Kamila from the author’s "Kamila Knows Best"), and, shocking to her, Anil Malek, her deceitful ex and father of her daughter Imani, is also attending on the groom's side.

Jana was badly hurt by Anil when he claimed to be divorced, but not really; Jana received tons of vitriol and humiliation from Anil's in-laws, lost her job and most of her friends when their relationship and her pregnancy came to light.

The destination wedding is a safari in Tanzania, and it’s a wonderful setting for Jana and Anil to work through their feelings for each other, and for Jana to decide whether or not she wants to forgive him, even though irrespective of what he and his ex-wife's family did to her, he has worked to be a fantastic father to their daughter.

I liked this a lot. It's light and fun, with gorgeous settings, beautiful people, and some silliness amongst the wedding party. It's also got some great character development as Jana must decide if carrying her anger and hurt forever is really helping her at all emotionally, whether she'll let others' opionions of her determine her life's direction, and whether her daughter deserves to have her two parents interact solely through texts. Jana has to decide to move on, and it's a hard process for her, as expected with five years of unhappiness.

Farah Heron does a fantastic job of carefully tackling Jana's hurt and resentment, and eventual growth past them to choose life and happiness. By the time we get the expected happy ending for Jana and Anil, I felt satisfied and happy, too.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This book was so much fun and the Tanzanian setting really made this book. Estranged co-parents, Jana and Anil, along with their friends, uncles, and aunties are all on a safari to celebrate Kamila and Rohan’s wedding. While on this safari, it becomes increasingly harder to behave around one another. Not to mention Jana’s mom has been telling people that Jana and Anil used to be married but are now great friends. Jana is a brilliant, driven, and complex character. I loved seeing her relationship with her mother, daughter, and the bridal brigade—as well as seeing her relationship with Anil grow and rebuild. While I enjoyed this book quite a bit, I did have one issue and that was the miscommunication with Jana and Anil. This paired with Jana’s constant trust and abandonment issues made me feel that Jana had more to work on with herself than jumping into a relationship with Anil. Overall, this was a really fun and enjoyable book. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a second chance romance with an only one bed scene.

I had pretty high expectations for this one because I've really enjoyed Heron's two other romances. She's become an auto-read author for me over the past few years! I think she's one of the more underrated romance authors out there these days but I am really hoping the gorgeous cover draws some readers in! 

This story centers around Jana (from KAMILA KNOWS BEST) and her journey co-parenting with the man she had a whirlwind two-week relationship with 5 years prior. He lied about his marital status at the time and the two have been distant but successful co-parents since she gave birth to their (unexpected) daughter. Now, they're off on a two-week safari trip for Kamila and Rohan's wedding in Tanzania. 

I really loved the idea of a second chance romance between these two who never really got a fair shake at their first chance at love. Obviously there's a lot more to the story (with his marital status) but Jana has been unable to forgive him or truly move on. She's been distant ever since.

She was a really interesting character to follow because I already had some expectations on how she would be based on Kamila's book. She's portrayed as this perfect girl who everyone else was measured against and often cold (borderline rude). You get a ton of insight into her mindset and personality being in her head - it was hard at times because she was a major overthinker and very stubborn. I could see where she was coming from most of the time but I still wanted to be like GIRL WAKE UPPPP.

The romance was very slow-burn, which was appropriate given their history. I think some parts were a little repetitive but not a huge issue - almost like 20 pages could have been cut out throughout the story? The safari and moving between hotels was the main plot and the bits and pieces of Anil and Jana interacting where tossed in throughout.

All in all, a very cute and charming romance with lovely characters! I would recommend Heron's romances to those who like a little less spice (but still some open door!).

ELEPHANTS!!!
Is the reason I love this book so much because it has elephants? Yes.
But in all honesty, this book was amazing. Jana and Anil were super interesting and everything about them makes you root.
This book honestly, has everything I usually don't like, but the execution was so immaculately done that I loved it. Also the bride brigade is the best thing in the world and I loved the supporting characters so much.
I will be trying the bonus recipes when I get the chance.
And who doesn't love Abba references?

*Thank you netgalley and forever publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jana had a week-long fling with Anil, which resulted in finding out he was still married, getting fired from her job in humanitarian work, moving home, and being unexpectedly pregnant and job hunting. Needless to say, coparenting with Anil has strict rules and the last thing she wanted was to spend her besties’ entire wedding safari trip to Serengeti National Park trying to avoid him.

Anil has always had feelings for Jana and things stay complicated. With her potential boss on the trip, her mom telling everybody they had been married and divorced, and lots of travel through the land of their parents, it only gets more challenging to navigate their relationship.

If you love a second chance slow burn, this is the one for you! It gave me all the happy giggly feelings and also made me keep reading faster and faster to get to the part where they finally FINALLY got together. The moments where they got to connect as parents like while swimming in the pool were just as poignant as the moments where Jana and Anil connected as romantic partners AND just as impactful were the moments when Jana realized how many of the people in her life had her back. The friendships in Farah Heron’s novels are on another level, and Jana Goes Wild does not disappoint!

I really enjoyed Farah Heron's writing in Jana Goes Wild! It's such an interesting take on a second chance romance. It seemed very chaotic at first with the introduction of so many characters at the beginning but I grew to really enjoy the characters & the storyline!

Thank you to Farah Heron, Forever Publishing, and Net Galley for sending me an ARC!

I tried to get into this one, but it took me a little too long. I hope to come back to it with fresh eyes in the future.

I like all these series installments and this one was no exception, the title and blurb was very misleading to be honest, this was a good second chance romance with great friends and family surrounding it that we know and love from previous books in the series.

This book was so good! I felt like I was traveling with Jana and Anil, both throughout the safari and the relationship. I love a wedding-setting story, and this one definitely did not disappoint. It was set up so nicely, flowed really well, and I was invested the entire time. I couldn't put my kindle down! 5 stars, 10/10 reccomend!

I'm not a huge fan of the second-chance romance trope, but I was excited to read a desi version of it by an author whom I've heard lots about!

However, I ended up not liking this book as much as I wanted to. I didn't vibe with the characters and the only character I sort of liked was Jana and despite liking her a bit I couldn't connect. The personality and characteristics of Jana felt forced kinda, and I know there are supposed to be character arcs and development and personal obstacles one goes through but all that felt forced with Jana for the sake of the story.

And I've read about many fictional men but Anil isn't someone I felt like swooning over even though he may have been a great father. I side with Jana about not forgiving him right away and having him prove himself, grovel, and work extra hard to gain her trust after what he did to her.

Also, I don't see how these two act like they've known each other for years when they've only dated for two weeks and co-existed but never talked for the years following that. That's what I mean by lack of connection and chemistry since I felt there was none, which made it challenging for me to get through the book but I pushed through.

Either way, I gave this book a chance but it wasn't for me.

Jana and Anil had a whirlwind weeks-long love affair until she found out he was still married and broke it off. The break up and scandal all happened before Jana realized she was pregnant and they've been coexisting as co-parents ever since. Now they are forced to spend two weeks together while celebrating Kamila & Rohan's (from Kamila Knows Best) destination wedding in Tanzania. We love how Farah Heron connected these books! 

The romance is very hot/cold. We understand Jana's hesitation when it comes to rekindling a romance with Anil (especially now that there's a child involved) but we wish that she wasn't so cold! You can see that Anil has been pining for her and trying to prove himself to Jana but she just can't forgive him for his role in how their breakup affected the rest of her life. Yes, Anil made a huge mistake and didn't communicate properly, we understand where they are both coming from.

A fun aspect to the book was Jana's "letting-loose” list. She's always been so serious and focused on school then work that Jana never had a chance to let loose (except for those weeks with Anil). Her fellow bridesmaids come up with a list of tasks to complete while on vacation. It does involve some tame things but it was perfect for Jana to feel free.

We loved Kamila Knows Best and were so in her corner that even though Kamila and Jana made peace and are friends, we weren’t sure how we would feel reading Jana’s story. We’re glad we did. This book is about Jana getting her happy ending and in order to do that she needed to come to some realizations and letting go for herself.

What we liked:
▪️Second chance romance
▪️The connection with Kamila Knows Best & seeing those characters again
▪️The setting & culture

What we didn’t like:
▪️Jana felt very negative
▪️Jana’s mom - a lot of Jana’s issues are b/c of her

I am impressed yet again! Farah Heron somehow adeptly managed to write what would have been an extremely difficult and almost impossible to work out relationship.

If you've read Kamila Knows Best and know about Jana and Anil's history - you'd say there's no way these two would get an HEA, but well, against all odds, they do. The journey that lead to their happiness was difficult but worth it with some amazing personal growth and self-exploration.

I also loved the vivid safari setting, the colorful side cast and the African cultural references. And of course, it was a joy re-visiting Kamila and Rohan.

Definitely a second chance romance I'll be recommending!