My Top-Five-style Review:

5. Maya's belief that she was cursed became frustrating as the story progressed, especially since her behavior lacked common sense. Because of this, the story kept me at arm's length. Maya wasn't cursed as much as annoyingly naive. 

4. The inclusion of infidelity in this story was a significant disappointment for me. Both characters showed a lack of respect for the female main character's engagement, which was frustrating. This element felt entirely out of character, especially for two characters who seemed deeply committed to their religion and beliefs. It felt like a betrayal on multiple levels.

3. This book cleverly employs a few fantastic tropes: fake dating, road trip/travel mishaps, and forced proximity. These elements added a delightful layer of fun and excitement to the story, keeping me thoroughly entertained.

2. This story's setting is truly one-of-a-kind: Switzerland and Pakistan. The vivid descriptions of these places took me on a delightful journey, making me feel like I was right there. It's a testament to the author's skill in painting a vivid picture of these unique locales.

1. I truly savored this book. It's a charming, heartwarming romance that beautifully showcases cultural diversity. The author's skillful storytelling and insightful cultural explanations made it a truly enlightening read. I always find joy in exploring cultures different from my own, and this book was a delightful journey in that regard.

Well written and sweet, I enjoyed the journey of these two characters and their development. I do always like when a book is written in first person POV, as it helps me relate to the story and characters easier than third person POV. It was a good book - just not a "wow" factor, it's easily forgettable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This book frustrated me at times because it took the FMC so long to get it together but she finally did and as it's a romance, there was the requisite HEA. I liked reading about all the travels. It was a debut and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Maya. Girl, I feel you.

Being a reformed people pleaser, I really enjoyed reading about Maya's journey to FINALLY doing something for herself... Even if the big thing did take her the whole dang book, I was straight up yelling at this girl like I was a paid life coach or something.

This book made me feel so many feelings. I love the familial bonds that are shown in the book and all the references to the main characters' culture and religion were easy to understand. (even though I think the MCs may need to take a step back and assess their beliefs after all the religious rule breaks tbh) I don't know very much about Pakistani culture or the Muslim faith, but I didn't spend any of the book confused about what was happening.

To end my review I LOVE LOVE! I'm so glad they finally loved each other, I was about ready to blue skidoo into that book and conk heads!!!

Maya Mirza may think she’s romantically cursed, but honestly, I think she’s just plain cursed. And although it may be for plot purposes, I can’t help but be annoyed by how almost everyone around her gaslights her into thinking she isn’t unlucky when she clearly is. Fortunately, Maya is likable and one of the most relatable characters I’ve encountered, which made this book an easier read. I loved how I could relate to Maya’s lack of close friends and her experiences travelling alone as a woman. However, unlike me, Maya has more inner strength than I do, as I don’t think I could continue to maintain the sunny outlook she has on life if I went through as much bad luck as she does in this book. Maya’s Laws of Love is just as much about Maya learning to re-frame how she views her “bad luck” as it is about her learning to love and put herself first. And while I’m all for books where the female protagonist learns to center themselves and their desires, the way it’s written in this book felt like the reader was being repeatedly hit over the head with this message. Still, Maya’s Laws of Love has its charms. I enjoyed the various travel descriptions and the nods to Korean drama tropes, and while the romance isn’t what Muslim readers would call a “halal” romance, I did appreciate the realistic way it was handled in the end. But what stuck out the most were the unexpected moments where the characters did something that surprised you. Without spoiling too much, my favourite thing about this book was its twist on the runaway bride trope. It was refreshing to see that there was no actual “villain” among the involved parties. Overall, Maya’s Laws of Love was a solid effort for a debut that made for an imperfect but quick read.

I have had almost a month without my Kindle and now I have it back, I have been able to take a break from cleaning my print bookshelf and hoping to read some of the ebooks I had. This had been one I have been meaning to read for a couple of months now and this one I loved more than I thought I would. It was such a fun sweet story of strangers/enemies to lovers. The other thing I enjoyed about this book was the insight into the culture of Pakistani/ Muslims and arranged marriages. Maya has never been lucky in love and believes she is cursed as so many things always go wrong and crazy happens whenever something good is about to happen. Maya is set to be married in an arranged marriage, the thing though is that deep down Maya doesn't love him and believes that the love will grow and she must settle. Her experience on the way to her wedding will open her eyes to realize, that she does deserve to be happy and that out there is someone who will love her for her crazy and all. Love strikes us when we least expect it, which is what happens to Maya when she ends up seated next to Safaraz on the airplane, and then when a storm strikes and the pair are stranded in Switzerland, they end up spending time together and heading on their journey to Pakistan. What happens though when Maya realises that the guy she has fallen for, happens to be her groom's older brother? Will Maya go for her groom and be the good girl they expect and settle or will she take a stab in the dark and a chance for true love and choose her travel buddy?

I really wanted to love this book and support a fellow BIPOC author. However, from the moment it started I didn't connect with the book nor the plot overall. The concept is cute but there are tropes in this that will never work for me, especially if it's the cheating trope. I think from the moment I learned that it was heading in that direction I had to stop and re-evaluate if I actually even wanted to see this book to the end. Overall, I think the author has a bright future and her writing is really strong, but the story and the characters just weren't my cup of tea this time around.

I finally read this via library book and truly truly enjoyed it. This was a refreshing take on the overused stereotype of the overbearing South Asian parent –– it was a real portrayal rather than a one dimension story that revolves around "I hate my mom." Maya was a really strong and complex character, and even though her thought processes around the "laws of love" frustrated me at times, the author made it abundantly clear that her feelings around love were impacted by her upbringing and childhood trauma. I loved that this book included mentions of Maya's therapy visits, and that even though there were many moments where Maya could feel ashamed, she chose to be brave. I liked how this Desi family wasn't constantly plagued by the "what will people think" mentality, and chose to put their own happiness in front of other's judgements. Maya was an incredible example of putting yourself and your needs before the "community" that is quick to tear you down. I also really enjoyed her sister as a character. She was incredibly supportive of Maya, and I think it was refreshing to read a sibling relationship where they weren't rivals or pitted against each other in any way. In fact, Maya's mom encouraged them both to find themselves and flourish as individuals. This was an incredible book, and I can't recommend it enough!

Maya’s Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja had well-developed characters and a plot that was engaging. This book was a great read. I highly recommend!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-ARC. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.**

I dnf this because the cheating trope was not disclosed. I love learning about new cultures but I can’t read past my own TWs sometimes.

I can't imagine having an arranged marriage set up for me. With dating these days, maybe I should consider it. Either way, these characters were enjoyable and charming. I would recommend this book. It is a great way to learn more about other cultures and what figuring out life on your own can sometimes be exactly what you need.

I enjoyed following Maya as nothing seemed to go her way.

This was so well written that I didn’t see the twist of who Sarfaraz was coming. I love when I don’t see it coming. The chemistry and connection between Maya and Sarfaraz was as well done.

I look forward to reading more from Alina Khawaja.

the best book out there my first book but this author and it was just so amazing and so connected to the characters and to this day still thinking about them

⭐️: 4/5
🌶️: 🚪 Closed Door
Format: 📱

I really enjoyed this!! Full transparency, I read this months ago and am just getting around to writing my review now, but I'm still thinking about this book.

The love story is really cute, not truly enemies to lovers, more antagonists to lovers. But what was really a standout was the setting and culture. Throughout the book, the characters are traveling the vast majority of the time, specifically to Pakistan. We follow their travels and get to see a lot of Pakistan itself, and I found that Khawaja just did a stunning job portraying Pakistani culture and the land. I learned a lot, I loved seeing details of the side characters' lives our MCs meet along the way, and the imagery was wonderful.

I thought the development was well-paced and made sense, and although there is a tiny bit of miscommunication trope, it wasn't too heavy so I was alright with it.

Overall, this was just a great, cute read, would definitely recommend!

ynopsis:

Maya Mirza is so convinced she’s unlucky in love that she’s come up with a list of laws to explain it. Maya’s headed to Pakistan for an arranged marriage but her journey is riddled with disaster and the cynical lawyer seated next to her on the plane isn’t helping. When a storm leaves them stranded in Switzerland, she and Sarfaraz become unlikely travel companions through bus breakdowns and missed connections. Maya’s final misfortune is that she meets the right man days before her marriage to someone else. But maybe, if she’s willing to bend some laws, this detour could take her somewhere totally—and wonderfully—unexpected.

Review:

This is one of the sweetest books I’ve read in recent memory. The slow burn feels so realistic that I had butterflies reading this book. It reminded me of a classic Bollywood movie, set in today’s time. The characters are lovely and I enjoyed reading their character development as the book went on and was rooting for them the whole time. I was able to relate to a lot of the cultural nuances of the relationships in this book, which definitely brought my enjoyment of this book to the next level. Highly recommend!!

I had the pleasure of meeting Alina at an event put on by @theglossbookclub and @htpbooks. She was so humble, sweet and optimistic. She wrote so many books before being published and it was a great reminder to follow your dreams even if the journey isn’t easy.

This was so sweet! I loved the tension between the two MCs. It was so good I went and bought a copy on release day!

This is a cute slow-burn romance featuring Pakistani Muslim main characters. It was nice learning about Desi culture, but the author does note that the book is not Halal. That being said it was a fun travel romance where "everything that can go wrong will go wrong"!

Maya Mirza is on her way to Pakistan to get married, a full three years after agreeing to an arranged marriage. She's not in love with the guy, but he's nice and she's convinced that she's unlucky in love so she might as well take what she can get. Her trip has a rocky start with an annoying stranger and a turbulent flight that gets redirected to Switzerland. It's an unexpected respite before arriving at her family's home for the elaborate wedding celebration and the beginning of her questioning what it is she really wants to do with her life, and maybe even if the annoying stranger could possibly be more.

It's a great romance that shows two people slowly getting to know each other in extreme yet appealing circumstances. Both Maya and Sarfaraz are likable characters that make the trip and everything that happens to them an enjoyable little adventure. The supporting cast feels a bit of an afterthought as they're barely present in the story but important to the plot leading to the inevitable HEA.

I will add that a big part of my enjoyment of it is how well Khawaja included the Desi cultural elements in a way that someone unfamiliar with them can understand how they shape the way the characters act. It makes it relatable even when things are completely foreign to this reader.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for the wonderful read!

This book was really great and funny. I really enjoyed it a lot. I love stories of different ethnicities and traditions and when laws and cultures are challenged within a story line and made more modern. Change and challenge can be a good thing.