This was very good and also complicated, I liked so much of it but the second chance romance of it all was challenging

I really enjoyed Ayesha at Last, so I knew I wanted to read Much Ado About Nada.

Now, I can’t compare how well it was a classic day telling of Persuasion because I am not a Jane Austin fan; sorry! But it did have the second chance romance themes along with some strong angst and coming of age.

I only wish that we got more of the ‘past’ storyline upfront. I think I would have been more interested in the beginning if I had that twist of a teaser earlier on. Because it didn’t, I felt the first half really lagged. Thankfully once I knew the characters history, I got a lot more into the storyline.

3.5/5

Gorgeous

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

This is a great retelling of #Persuasian. In this modern day version Nada is unhappy with her life. She is almost 30 living at home still with her family, unlucky in love and the app she hoped would breakout was not successful due to a double crossing business associate. She needs a change. When her friend suggests the giant annual Muslim conference she doesn’t except to see Baz where she must confront their history.

Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love love loveeee this author and I love how this connected to the source material of Much Ado About Nothing. It was highly enjoyable and I love how Toronto is showcased!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Copy of Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin!

I hadn’t realized that this was a Muslim riff on Persuasion until I heard an interview with the author on the Books and Boba podcast. Jalalludin does such an excellent job of creating independent, smart female protagonists, which is one aspect that I loved about this book and Ayesha at Last. Some aspects of the narrative were pushing it credibility-wise, but overall this was an excellent novel.

I adore the pining and forced proximity of Persuasion and this did not disappoint. I loved how we started with the aftermath and got their past in clips along with being forced to be together.
I just love a second chance when it wasn't their love but family or friends that breaks them up. Their love never stops and when they finally get back together it's so sweet.
This was in the backdrop of planning a wedding for her friend and attending an educational conference in their community.
Just loved the slow burn and the tension! Baz and Nada forever!

Thank you berkley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Nada is on the cusp of 30 and still single and living at home with her family. Nada dreamed of starting an app, but her idea was stolen from her by her business partner. Nothing in her life has turned out how she planned. Nada’s best friend is determined to get her out there and to meet someone so when the annual Muslim conference comes to town, she signs her up.

What Nada’s friend doesn’t know, is that Nada’s old boyfriend, Baz, is going to be present, and most of their history is secret. As the conference continues, and secrets are revealed, Nada wonders if she can truly say goodbye to the past – or will she find her dream new beginning?

This was such a good story! I really enjoyed the past and present timelines as it really helped fill in Nada’s character and what she’s been through. I love reading books about different cultures and this one delivered. It was great and I really got a solid understanding. This was my first book by this author, but I would totally read more by her. The writing was fantastic and well done. I loved so many things about this book.

This book is out June 13th!

Thank you to the publisher Berkley Publishing, @berkleypub, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A bestie determined to draw her friend out of the rut her life is in unwittingly brings her face to face with a handsome and secret past regret. The vibe is still there even after life took them different directions. Is there a second chance in Nada’s future?

I was knocked over with satisfaction when I read Uzma Jalaluddin’s debut effort and enjoyed the next one, too. I had already reached for her latest release without realizing it is a modern tribute to my favorite Jane Austen novel, Persuasion, with a Muslim twist. I think I went weak at the knees and then got nervous that it wouldn’t live up to my excitement.

I had nothing to worry about. This latest was a solid, thoughtful and heartwarming contemporary romance that settled Jane Austen’s timeless classic into a Toronto neighborhood with characters, family, religion, and culture that captured me from the beginning. Although, I should add that this is no isolated romance. Nada is the focal figure, but her family, who all have struggles get to recognize what they want and see growth in their lives, too. I loved following Nada’s path, but cheered them all on including her father who was as stuck in his ways as she, in hers.

Nada lives at home with her parents and her two adult brothers- one divorced and depressed and the other wanting independence, but his parents using his Ataxia to hold him close. She’s a bright engineer with a solid job and gives her mother fits by remaining unmarried and struggles with her brothers under their father’s issues of needing things to stay the same. There is the push-pull of honoring her parents’ effort to leave their homeland and set up in a new country, but also the need of her generation to set their own path. Beneath all this, she still mourns two lost dreams.

This was the moment when change came with a big surprise for Nada. I loved the low key sizzle of attraction between Nada and Baz that was there even in the early moments and scenes of their startling reunion at the Muslim Conference her best friend enrolls her in and she goes because her bestie is soon to be married.

The story is told in split timelines that gave context to what was going on in the past with Nada and Baz and then start to create a new chance as the more mature and experienced version of themselves could make different decisions than before. My heart ached for both of them as they worked through the past pain and the author didn’t make it simple or easy with that past and all that is going on around them.

The Persuasion theme of second chance romance and family struggles was strong and written well. I loved this story better than the earlier ones and was deeply satisfied when the hard path to the end paid off emotionally and triumphantly. You don’t need to have read or like the classic, but simply be a fan of well-developed, heartwarming contemporary romance to appreciate this second-chancer.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

this one is based on jane austen's persuasion (a book i read last year and gave four stars to!) -- it's deeply rooted in muslim culture which i LOVED, and still felt really fresh and fun. it was longer than i expected (or maybe that was just reading it on my kindle?) and was a bit of a slow burn (then again, so is austen) but i enjoyed it and kept finding myself surprised at how the central love story unfolded! i love when i can't totally predict how a book will go, and this was definitely one that had me rethinking things constantly as more details were revealed. i really liked it!

I have to start out this review by saying that Uzma Jalaluddin is one of my favorite authors, and her past two books have been nothing short of perfection. That being said, the bar for this book was set very, very high. Think higher than the sun and the moon and the stars high.

This book fell short of my expectations. It was just not living up to my expectations of a romance novel by the Uzma Jalaluddin. The book itself was an interesting take on Much Ado About Nothing, but it was just not drawing me in as a reader. The pacing of the story was incredibly slow, only picking up pace around 75 to 80% in. There was a huge secret, which I won't spoil, and the secret was revealed and then immediately resolved in the last 10-15% of the book. I just felt as if the first half of the book was confusing and unnecessary, and the second half was rushed and awkward.

Maybe I am just a lover of some retellings over others, or perhaps this book just missed the mark for me.

I have been a fan of Uzma Jalaluddin since her first book Ayesha. I am always excited to read her new books and Much Ado About Nada is her best one yet! I am so glad I picked this book up without reading a synopsis. I assumed from the title that Jalaluddin was giving the readers a Much Ado About Nothing retelling, but no, readers, it's a PERSUSASION retelling!!! Forget the Netflix remake (seriously forget you ever watched it) and read Much Ado About Nada. You'll be in half agony, half hope as you read about Nada and Baz's relationship, past and present, cheering for them to have the second chance they both deserve.

I’m not always super fond of Jane Austen retellings – they are usually a bit hit or miss for me – but I think I may be predisposed to loving Persuasion retellings since second-chance romance is one of my favorite tropes.

Much Ado About Nada tells the story of Nada and Baz, who have a very storied past. The book is mostly set in the present day but does occasionally take a detour to the past to give us a full account of Nada and Baz and their first meeting to the eventual start of their relationship and how it all fell apart.

The two meet when they’re just 11, during Sunday school at their local Mosque. Nada, who is constantly bullied at school and finds zero support from her parents, decides to turn her wrath on Baz, the unsuspecting new kid in her Sunday school class. What’s that saying, about hurt people who hurt people? This is exactly what happens with Nada and Baz. Nada, unable to find retribution against her own bullies at school, decides to vent her anger and frustration on Baz.

Several years pass before they see each other again, this time at a week-long sleep away camp for Muslim kids when they’re 14. This time, it’s Nada who is publicly humiliated (though not by Baz) and before they part, it’s Baz who comes to her aid and comfort.

Their next meeting takes place when they’re 18 and at university, he is studying English and Sociology, and she is a reluctant student of engineering. Before their newly formed friendship has time to take root, Nada does something exceedingly stupid, a violation of Baz’s privacy, which causes him to disappear until a couple of years later, when they meet again, as Nada is about to finish her studies. It’s at that time that their relationship progresses significantly before falling completely apart before they meet in present times, some seven years later at an annual Muslim conference taking place in Toronto.

One of the reasons I loved this book is the way that culture and religion are woven into the narrative. Some of it feels very familiar from a South Asian perspective, and some of it new and unfamiliar as I’m not a Muslim. Nada, working as a junior engineer, is reeling from a business failure, and living at home, has all but hidden herself away. When her best friend, the newly engaged Haleema, orders her to attend the Muslim conference being held nearby, she has no choice but to go, especially since this is also an opportunity for Haleema to introduce Nada to her fiancé, Zayn. Unfortunately, Zayn also happens to be Baz’s older brother which means a reunion between these former lovers is imminent.

The story of Baz and Nada and their romance is poignant and messy, with unsupportive parents, friends who aren’t sure Nada and Baz know what they’re doing, and a couple who, the first go around, just weren’t mature enough to make it work. But seven years later, both Baz and Nada have grown up and learned some hard truths about life and love and what it takes to make a relationship work. Nada, still living at home with her parents, comes to realize that she’s become stuck in her life, constantly playing it safe, and that falling in love and staying in love requires a level of trust and risk-taking on her part.

I really enjoyed the supporting characters in this book as well, especially Nada’s larger than life family. The book contends with a lot of things that are usually looked down upon in the South Asian and Muslim communities such as divorce and explores the generational divide that can cause a cultural shift. Something I really appreciated and related to in this book is the idea of how Nada’s parents behave, partly because they are immigrants who moved to Canada after the birth of their first child. As someone who also immigrated to this country at a young age, the way immigrants parent their young children really resonated with me.

I thought the romance in this book was strong, Baz and Nada clearly have a lot of unresolved issues and feelings and I liked watching them figure out how to overcome their past and find a way forward together. I also enjoyed the progression of Nada as a character, learning how to fight for herself and prioritize her own needs. This was one of my favorite Jane Austen retellings I’ve read in a while and if you’re into Austen retellings, I definitely recommend this one.

Enjoyed this #ownvoices second chance romance set in a Muslim community in Toronto. While Nada was definitely the main character, she was probably my least favorite character. I loved Baz so much and kinda had a protective feel towards him and honestly didn't think Nada was good enough for him! I also loved Haleema and Zayn and if this wasn't an Austen retelling, I'd wanted their relationship as the center of this story. The relationship ups and downs and career ups and downs in this book are so realistic and believable. It's current, topical and relevant. I may have loved Hana Khan Carries On more but I will continue reading Jalaluddin's books in the future! I listened to this one on audio and it was fantastic! Highly recommend on audio.

This is third book I’ve read by Uzma, and I think this one is my favorite (all of her books are amazing)! I absolutely loved this second chance romance. Nada and Baz’s story was full of so many twists and surprises and their chemistry was amazing.

Uzma Jalaluddin does it again! ‘Much Ado About Nada’ is clever and funny and heart wrenchingly romantic. A reimagining of Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion’, this was everything I wanted and more. Nada and Baz are excellent characters on their own but of course together they just sparkle. Our cast of friends, family and general community is excellent and a great support to the main story/couple. We even got a few appearances of characters from previous books.

Uzma Jalaluddin is an auto read and auto favorite for me, I’m always left so pleased!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nada is nearly 30 and being raised by a conservative Muslim family, she is being pressured to get married. While attending an Islamic conventions he runs into Baz. It's obvious Baz and Nada share a secret past, and it wasn't a good one as they are clearly adversaries.

The story is told in two timelines, current day and the time when Baz and Nada first met until now. I absolutely loved how the back story unfolded, it was surprising and emotional.

I also loved the portrayal of people from the Muslim community being dedicated to their faith and culture.

Much Ado About Nada is a clever re-telling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing but set in a world and culture that is very different than the original script. Nada lives in a Muslim community and the cultural differences between her own life and the original characters while living centuries apart actually had some similarities about a woman’s role in a family and their community. I was again fascinated by this peek into a world that is so different than my own middle class caucasian life. There were also a lot of similarities between our heroine, Nada, and the regrets any woman might feel for the choices she made earlier in her life. So, I relished the differences in culture and the vibrant colors and food choices, but also found it easy to identify with Nada and care for the portrayal of this young woman trying to find her place in life.

As with Jane Austen re-telling’s, Shakespeare always seems to have a laundry list of objections, misunderstandings, and miscommunications. Much Ado About Nada held true to that formula, there was drama aplenty! There was also gentle humor, loving familial relationships, and the love of a good man. The last took a little while to get to, our heroine having to find herself and navigate the pitfalls she left in her past but the conclusion was oh so satisfying and left this reader with a good feeling when I reached the end of the story. Much Ado About Nada was wonderfully told and engaged the reader with an ease and experience. You’d never realize this is only this author’s second novel!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest.