Being 100% honest, it took me a while to get this book read, the start is slow, but once I got behind the 20% read, I was hooked, the story has a slow start bc sets the tone and story but once is done is good and you cannot put it down

The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed is a sweet debut romance. It is rich with Pakistani and Muslim culture. Family is at the center of this story, including a tense family dynamic because Sana is in her 30s and still single, and Zia is more concerned about her autistic brother Zia. I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

: What are some of the cultural traditions that you have that are often subjects of controversy or debate?

I am not usually lover of the romance genre until and unless the novels are based in familiar settings that I can relate to. South Asian author Noreen Mughees gives her readers an insight into the lives of South Asian women who face the prospect of arranged marriages. Moreover, Sana also practices wearing the hijab. By doing so, Mughees calls attention to the ways in which certain cultural practices and customs are seen as archaic and even considered “oppressive” for some. However, through her novel, we see that Sana is feisty, independent, assertive, and not afraid to speak her mind. In fact, I would argue that such novels give us a way to rethink of what we see as “agency” within feminism, and what counts as being empowered versus what does not.

For instance, my mom completed her PhD in chemistry (her ambition was to become a medical doctor), and then met my dad through the arranged marriage process, and then chose to become a stay-at-home mom/wife rather than pursue a career as her own mom had been a college professor and used to work to maintain a family of six.

Mughees’s debut novel also explores salient issues surrounding the SA communities including hare crimes and xenophobia, as well as, the way in which the pressure women face to become wives and mothers. This is a timely novel, and am so happy that more SA authors are pursuing topics that need to be talked about but are often considered uncomfortable. The novel released on October 10th, and is a solid 5✨ for me!

Thank you @alcovepress and @noureen_lehkak for the gifted copy!

#NoureenMoughees #TheMisArrangementofSanaSaeed
#BIPOCauthor #BIPOC #AlcovePress #Debut #SouthAsian #Muslim #shnidhi

Sana and David are childhood crushes turned star crossed lovers in a wonderful story of family, loss, love, and finding your way back to what you feel is right. It was a wonderful read.

The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed could be called a second chance romance, and that wouldn’t be a lie. Sana and Daniel grew up together until they were torn apart by a feud between their families. They haven’t seen each other in 18 years until he comes back to New York. But it’s also so much more than that. It’s a love letter to both the importance of family, even when it’s complicated, and the necessity of following your own heart to chart your own path.

As a white, western woman, there’s so much I can’t relate to in this story, but I think those are some of the best books for people to read. It’s on me to learn, to put in the work, and as a lover of romance novels, I love reading own voices stories that introduce me to things I haven’t yet encountered otherwise. I had no clue about the intricacies of arranged marriages, the many complex steps taken in making a match. Even though it’s obvious from the jump that this arrangement is not going to work out for Sana, the narrative doesn’t talk down about or write off the process. It’s a huge part of the culture and works for many people, but we need a little conflict in our story, so of course it doesn’t work for our heroine.

Following Sana as she tries to juggle her family’s expectations with her lifelong feelings for Daniel as they work together kept me intrigued to the end of the book. The pacing was a little slow at the start, and so I think the second half of the book was much stronger. I loved Sana’s relationship with her brother Zia, who is autistic, and I did expect him to be a bigger part of the story. Their scenes together were very sweet and authentic and lovely. And honestly, the environmental issue Sana and Daniel were investigating at work could have been its own interesting novel in. There’s a lot happening here, and the payoff is satisfying, but it does meander a bit to get there.

Thank you to the author, Alcove Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This debut is a Muslim hijabi take on Jane Austen, but with many more complications thrown in. I say "many more" and I think overall I would judge this as trying too hard to be too much. Family dynamics (some more toxic than others), cultural clash, immigration, socio-economic struggles, autism, workplace harassment, arranged marriage - all this and more made the narrative lose the light and fun tone that I was hoping for. Don't get me wrong, a bit of depth in a romcom is wonderful, and I loved the representation of people on the spectrum (the protagonist's younger brother), as well as the desi culture (although I did find it a bit too top-heavy on Urdu without explanation). Neither of the love interests seemed to mesh for me - and I did feel that Adam (the arranged marriage aspect) was hard done by, although I kept expecting some nasty reveal from his past to pop up (and no. it did not). Overall, a respectable debut, and I hope the author will persist in her endeavors.

An incredibly moving and heartfelt debut about a 33 year old hijabi Sana who is torn between being a good Desi daughter and trying to find that elusive ishq (true love).

Sure true love isn't in the cards for her, Sana agrees to enter an arranged marriage in order to become guardian of her autistic younger brother only to be reunited with her forbidden childhood sweetheart and new boss.

Part workplace romance, part love triangle, part Erin Brockovitch-esque, environmental mystery/suspense but 100% enjoyable. This was also good on audio and perfect for fans of Jane Austen lovers and anyone who's read and enjoyed books by Uzma Jalaluddin.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! I'm excited to read more by this talented new author!

Best friends, second chance romance, and mutual pining my beloveds 🥺

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the e-arc!!

Content warning: racism, Islamophobia, death of parent(s), past abuse

Sana Saeed is in her 30s and still not married, which is stressing her mother out. In addition, she won’t appoint Sana her autistic brother’s legal guardian unless Sana is married. Sana loves Zia with all her heart and eventually agrees to an arranged marriage to Adam. Just as she does, her childhood friend Daniel enters her life. Sparks fly but their families are feuding and would never approve of the two of them having a relationship. What’s Sana to do – stay with the practical Adam or risk it all to be with Daniel?

This was a cute romance. A tad predictable but I think most romances are, aren’t they?

SPOILER ALERT: I was actually rooting for a different ending. I thought Daniel was a jerk and couldn’t see what Sana saw in him. Adam was so sweet and seemed perfect for her. Even so, I enjoyed this book.

So wanted to like this book! Growing up desi and in a Muslim household, too, no less, I was dying to get into this one and have it weave like a familiar comfort blanket. Except, that's not what I got. I'm desi, I know the language and culture, and still, the writing took me by surprise sometimes by "what does this word mean?" or "what's this referring to?" when some concept or word was used - which threw off my footing, to say the least, and I now imagine someone not at all familiar with the world? I can see how they'd be totally confused.
The plot itself, at some point, started to make no sense. As soon as Daniel came back into the picture, it was complications upon complication upon drama...which got way too much too soon and gave me a headache more than enjoyment, unfortunately. Also couldn't get past the fact Sana was pretty much cheating on Adam by having feelings for Daniel after she'd already agreed to being in a relationship with Adam (if that's not cheating, then I wonder what is - the blurb made it seem she found Daniel and then fully and completely went into the rishta with Adam, except Daniel happened after the deal was almost sealed with Adam)
Overall, it could've been a very entertaining and engaging book, but it tried to be too much, too 'everything', which complicated it all and made it a muddle throughout

No fault of the author I just had a hard time staying focused on this one. And then in between reading I had some life events happen and I wasn't able to finish it.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬-𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐞𝐞𝐝
𝐁𝐲 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐀𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟏𝟎.𝟏𝟎.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒞𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒮𝑜𝑜𝓃!

Sana Saeed is thirty-three years old and works at the Department of Environmental Conservation. But to her Muslim mother’s unhappiness, Sana is not married yet. So, following tradition, Sana agrees to an arranged marriage, especially so that she can secure the guardianship of her beloved brother Zia.

Of course, once Sana agrees to the marriage to a really nice guy, her childhood love, Shahri (now Daniel) waltzes back into her life - actually her office … as her boss!

This is a sweet, and clean (don’t come looking for steam) romance. It offers so much: second chance romance, workplace romance, autism representation, Muslim and Pakistani culture and traditions, fun Bollywood references, and a HEA.

The rich cultural references and food descriptions will immerse you in Sana’s world. I especially enjoyed Sana’s relationship with her autistic brother, Zia. I felt for Sana as she struggled between familial duty and the desire for true love - a delightful read.



Thank you author @noreen_lekhak @alcovepress and @delightfullybooked for a gifted ebook.

Thanks to Tantor Audio for the ALC and netgalley, Alcove Press, and Kristyn Fortner for the eARC and the chance to give my candid review.

Available this coming Tuesday 10/10.

The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed
by Noreen Mughees

Narrated by Shawn K. Jain & Deepa Samuel.

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 3/5
Steam: 0 or 🔥 (0-5) I think there was kissing, but maybe not.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Autism representation and so much sibling love.
🤩 Pakistani and Muslim representation—the traditions, customs, and foods/smells are described well.
🤩 Childhood best friends-to-lovers.
🤩 18 years of pining.
🤩 But, there’s an arranged marriage.
🤩 How Daniel (MMC) comes to Zia’s (Sana’s brother) rescue.
🤩 Workplace romance, including some racism and threats.
🤩 Some shorter chapters mixed in.
🤩 Realistic love triangle. And I do love genuine jealousy in my books.
🤩 Very believable and captivating storyline.
🤩 Daniel (Shahri) takes care of Sana more than one way.
🤩 It was nice to have the physical/ebook copy while getting used the unique and unfamiliar names (even her car has a name).

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 When Sana still calls Daniel Shahri after he explains why he doesn’t like it.
💫 The narration is a bit slow and over-enunciated. I would have liked to been able to speed it up a bit.
💫 I like Adam (from the arranged marriage) so much—the love triangle hurt a bit.
💫 It’ s a little too serious and not many laughs—way more domestic drama than romance or romcom.
💫 Even when there’s no steam, I like more attraction and lusty feels in my books.

Here was me, starting to get jaded with romance novels when I spotted this one. The synopsis appealed to me and I decided to give it a go, aware that being European and agnostic I was probably not the target audience. Well, who cares about that?

I actually thought this was one of the most wholesome, sweet, honest romances I have read in a good while. I think for me it actually helped that it was a completely clean romance, that focused on the emotional connection rather than the physical one. I think I have discovered I much prefer that,

I read a review that said that you would probably only enjoy this if you come from a similar background as the characters. I wholeheartedly disagree. I think love and being in love, family duty, regrets and kismet, those are universal themes, and therefore I found it really easy to connect to the characters. The fact that these were characters in their thirties really helped for sure. Plus I really liked how the author kept mentioning scents as well.

There were a few instances where the plot points were a bit iffy. For example, when Sana and Daniel meet again after almost twenty years, the fact that they did not recognise each other did not sit right with me. I found that odd. I think there would at least be something that nags at you. There were a couple more moments that did not quite make sense, but it did not really take that much away from my enjoyment of the story as a whole.

I had such a good time with this story that I would really recommend it, whether you think you are the target audience or not, because this was supersweet.

Second chance romance, family feuds, workplace romance, South Asian life- this has it all. Sana is 33, a hijabi, and she's finally agreed to an arranged marriage because she wants to be part of the guardianship plan for her neurodiverse younger brother. Only problem is that she can't get her childhood love out of her head- a love who left town after his uncle bankrupted her father. And then, then, guess who turns up at her work? Daniel's grown up into an attorney, the attorney assigned to work with her. But she's just met and has agreed to continue to see Adam, whose wealthy family is appealing to her own. What will she do? You know it, don't you? This is terrific for the representation of Muslim life and families. It's a little less so for some details (I was confused about what exactly Sana did for work and there's an offhand comment about her being in law school- on line?). That said, this one made me hungry (there's lot of food) and made me smile. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I have always been fascinated by arranged marriages and enamored with the strong faith and commitment to beliefs that seem to exist within the Muslim community so I was extremely eager to read this book.

Sana comes from a strict Muslim family with a mother who is set to arrange her marriage. This old time custom is at odds with modern Sana; however, she is desperate to find a partner so she can assume guardianship of her 17 year old autistic brother. The only problem is that the age of 33, she still pines for her teen crush.

I enjoyed watching the struggle Sana experienced as she was pulled between familial expectations and her heart. This was a solid debut and I will definitely look for more by this author.

Sana's family is ready to arrange her marriage but Sana's heart belongs to another. This book was sweet with its references to Jane Austen. I appreciated both Sana and Daniel's loyalty to their family but was happy to see love win in the end. This was a feel good romcom with great Autistic and Islamic representation.

Sana Saeed is torn between the traditions of her parents and what she wants from life. What she wants is to be able to take care of her younger brother, Zia, but her mother has put a condition on that guardianship: find and marry a man, and quick. So Sana agrees to consider an arranged marriage, which she hasn't done since her heart was broken years ago. But when David--the man who broke her heart--barges into her work life, confusing feelings ensue.

I can relate to the tension between desperately wanting a romantic spark, but also wanting the safety that a more considered match can bring. Was it just my cultural lens that made me frustrated that her mom was being manipulative by using her love for her brother to get her to marry? I did appreciate the second-chance romance story with Austen feels (think: Persuasion vibes), as well as the flashbacks being integrated into the narrative rather than being set apart by spaces or punctuation. In short, it was super angsty, things left unsaid, misunderstandings, fears, and traumas. Sana and David are emotionally all over the place as they sort through minor and major incidents in their lives, and it keeps the reader glued to the page until the very end.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

For some reasonthe netgalley app wouldnt let me read this book, despite the fact that it was a few hours away from expiring? Because of this I was unable to finish the book unfortunately and will provide an full review once I get the chance to finish it. What I read of it was enjoyable and seemed very promising though.

So well written. I haven’t read many books that include characters of different races. Not by choice, but I just haven’t found one to be very interesting. But this book had me hooked from the start!