I feel like I can’t properly rate this book because I was not able to finish it, due to not understanding the culture and some reviews that said it was not appropriat information and didn’t want to deceive other readers. But thank you NetGalley and Maya for the chance to read this ARC!

A cute one, but not something I see myself thinking about for a while. I ended up enjoying these characters, but parts of this ended up being overly cheesy for me and I didn’t love the narrative device of Maya’s “laws”. Overall a good time though.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

Maya's Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja centers around a 1st grade teacher who believes she is cursed and doomed to have bad luck. She is on her way to getting hitched in Pakistan when the flight stops in Switzerland and the story really starts from there. It's a rom-com type of book so it has the usual equation. If you've read one, you know the drill.

What I enjoyed in the book:
🛫 References to prayer, masjid, and everything else Islam-related. It made me feel like I knew the characters more to an extent because of that shared background.
🛫 The K-dramas mentioned throughout made me smile and feel nostalgic because I did in fact watch both and they are also my top two--though I do rank Goblin higher than Crash Landing on You. I'm a fantasy lover, what can I say?
🛫 The plot twist at the end had me laughing and gasping for air--I just vocalized, "what just happened?!" several times. Then proceeded to continue with the book. 😆

What I found not-so-enjoyable:
🛫There were certain moments--dialogue, inner thoughts, actions--that did not sit well with me. I believe the author did preface the novel saying it won't be a halal love story, or something of that sort. Either way, it's interesting to note that one of the main points of the novel is that culture does not equate to religion and yet that seems to be a point made in certain circumstances and not others.
🛫 The fact that it's a Pakistani Muslim love story doesn't quite hit for me. Because, to be honest, if you remove those qualities from the book, it doesn't feel that different from the other rom coms out there. Aside from the identity crisis part but even that can be found in your average love story. Idk, maybe I'm being too harsh?

Overall, fast read, easy to absorb, not sure that it is really one I can pick out from the rest.

Maya is a bride-to-be convinced that she's cursed in love. Because of her unlucky streak, she decides to head to Pakistan for an arranged marriage. It's a disaster from the beginning, and she ends up stranded with Sarfaraz. This book explores familial expectations and cultural identity in such a way that depth is really added to the story. It's a heartfelt novel with themes of love, fate, and cultural identity.

#MayasLawsofLove #NetGalley

This book was a YES for me, the BANTER, the angst, and just a ride of emotions. This is the first book I have had the chance to read where the characters are of Muslim faith and Pakistani culture, I was so interested. I love how this author explained traditions and culture expectations. I respected how she wanted to make it in a point of view of a modern women., as a women myself who has tried to work on her cultural norms and be a modern woman true to herself, I related to this author in so many ways. The adventures these characters took and wild outcome of the story, won me over and in the end I found myself routing Maya and Sarfaraz love.

TROPES
~Forced Proximity
~Forbidden Romance
~Travel Romance
~Love Triangle
~Arranged Marriage

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for the complimentary ARC of this book. I was not compensated for this review, all opinions are my own.

Maya's Laws of Law is the debut novel from author Alina Khawaja. I really enjoyed this sweet and swoony story.

I really enjoyed the main character, Maya, in this story. She is on a journey for self-discovery as she challenges the pressures that her family and culture put on her to find a balance between what she wants and what her family wants for her. There were a few times I stopped while reading to think about some of the life and love advice Maya; some of it was truly thought-provoking for me. 

I really loved the story and adventures that Maya and Sarfaraz find themselves in. Maya, having some of the worst luck, in both life and love, I have ever seen in a romance novel, made for hilarious and sometimes dangerous twists and turns. Even with everything that seems to go wrong, she always seems to find the silver lining and turn a bad situation into a fun adventure. Maya and Sarafaraz had fun chemistry and banter, with all the angst and pining. 

I really loved all the Pakistani culture, food, and language that is infused into this book. I love learning about different cultures and places around the world which you don't always get when reading romance books. For me, it was really fun to see familiar Urdu words and mentions of food that I have grown to love, that my husband, who is originally from the Middle East, has introduced me to over the years we have been together. 

This book is perfect for readers looking for a sweet, kissing-only romance read full of Pakistani culture, witty banter, and unexpected adventures.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of Maya's Laws of Love. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Maya is unlucky in life and love when she agrees to an arranged marriage to college friend. She meets a snarly and uptight man who just happens to be her seatmate. They have several traveling mishaps together and slowly begin to develop feelings for each other. I admit to skipping parts and while I really wanted to love this title, there was very little character development for the main characters and the story felt forced/a little flat to me. I admit to skimming pages as the heroine continues to complain about everything wrong in her life without acknowledging that she needs to take accountability for her actions. While there are multiple instances where I agree that Maya is stuck, I felt that she whined more times than actually trying to find ways to help herself. This is an author that I would like to read more books by when she gets more experience as a writer and author.

Thank you HTP for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Maya’s Laws of Love was interesting to say the least. As a Muslim woman, I found myself cringing a bit and slightly uncomfortable. The concept was unique and I do believe it was a good book overall. A contemporary romance. Opposites attract. Travel romance.

This was a fun, light-hearted, very predictable romance. It’s just what’s needed when real life is stressful. I enjoyed learning more about Pakistani wedding traditions and the overall “bad luck” theme of the book. Good read!

I was so excited to receive this book! I was especially excited because I love reading books where the characters and the author come from a different cultural background than me.

As I was reading this, I loved that we got to see Maya struggle to gain her independence not only from her family, but her independence from her former ways of thinking. This is something that I think so many women struggle with and Maya said so many things that I myself have felt regarding familial expectations.

While there were a few moments in this book that kind of made me roll my eyes, overall I think Maya’s character as a whole is one that a lot of people can really relate to.

This book was so cute. I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me a e-ARC of this book. Maya is someone that I identify with because if I’m told that I’m cursed then that becomes my entire narrative. This book is one that was a cozy romance that put me in a good mood.

Maya's a dating disaster with a quirky set of "laws" to explain her bad luck. A trip to Pakistan for an arranged marriage takes a detour when she meets the grumpy-yet-dreamy Sarfaraz. Enemies-to-lovers sparks fly as they navigate vibrant culture, family ties, and unexpected connections.
-
This book is pure joy! Think enemies-to-lovers romance with a hilarious twist, set against the backdrop of a vibrant Pakistani adventure.Seriously, Maya's dating mishaps are SO relatable, but her "Laws" to explain them were hilarious!
This book is more than just a rom-com though. It's a beautiful exploration of family, tradition, and finding your own happily ever after (even if it looks a little different than you planned).

Obviously I am white and not a Muslim so take my opinion with a grain of salt. The romance was cute and I liked it but parts of the book felt weird to me. I don't understand why you would talk about the rules of the religion if you were just going to have her break them. I got it at the beginning when they thought they were going to die and when she needed a place to stay. It made sense why they touched then. But I didn't understand why they touched when they were sightseeing. I get it because it's to move the romance along but why say that they are both Muslim if they are just going to break the rules the whole time?

I went back and forth on how to write this review for a long time, mostly because I still am not sure exactly how to give it a numerical rating. As a Muslim who was raised on old Bollywood films in the 90s and 00s, I was thrilled at the idea of the cultural representation this book could provide, in seeing a Pakistani young woman on a whirlwind “accidental” romance on route to her arranged wedding, all while navigating through faith, issues of self-esteem, and learning to trust other people. On paper, the bones of this novel were perfect, and I was so excited to start it.

However, in beginning to read it, I found myself continually putting it off, picking up other books instead of this one. Though it was a decently quick novel in totality, I ended up taking almost a month to finish it, which for me, is a long time! I found the second half to be much stronger than the first, and that helped propel me to the end, as I grew more invested in Maya and Sarfaraz’s story. The problem was that I really struggled with the pacing of the novel’s first half, which I felt kept on drawing out negative aspects of Maya’s inner monologue and life in general, with little energy paid towards her growth. The latter portion of the book certainly turned it around, and watching her character grow, and Sarfaraz’s support of that, was so nice! I just wish more time was dedicated to that part instead of to the repetition that she believed she was cursed and trusted no one, which began to feel slightly redundant.

I did especially want to shout out the references and parallels to both Bollywood and K-dramas, both of which I adore, and I think the book’s epilogue was something extremely special and warm and healing. Overall, I give this a 3.25⭐, rounded to 3 on Goodreads.

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Maya believes marrying her fiancé who she doesn’t have a deep connection with will be as good as gets for her. On the flight to her wedding in Pakistan Maya meets Sarfaraz. He is gruff and doesn’t talk a lot, unlike spirited Maya. When their plane gets delayed in Switzerland Maya and Sarfaraz end up partnering up to make the most of the unexpected detour and slowly learn about each other. Maya can’t deny the connection she has with Sarfaraz, leading her to make the tough decision on whether to follow through with her wedding or follow her heart and disappoint her family.

Not only does the story cover religious issues and expectations, but familial relationships as well. Having Maya look deep within herself to find her true happiness her own way is something all of us can connect with and appreciate.

Thank you to Harlequin for sending me an early copy of this book. Here’s my honest review!!

I truly adored this book. It was chaotic, messy, sweet, and lovely all at once. I was truly so into this book from the start to the finish. I wish it was longer so I could spend more time with these characters.

I loved the slow burn?? in this book. It’s felt like a slow burn because it took the whole book for them to get together, but it only spanned about a week and a half give or take a few days. Relatively fast compared to other books, but still managed to feel like a slow burn LOL. IT WAS GREAT!!

Maya is so precious to me. I loved spending time with her and watching her journey and growth throughout this book. It was truly so moving. I just loved her so much.

I loved reading this book mostly because I got to learn about a culture and religion that is different than mine. A part of the joy of reading is learning, and I learned while reading this book.

I would absolutely recommend this book, and will potentially read it again in the future. 🫶🏼

ARC Review

Maya's Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja
Published March 26, 2024

Maya is convinced she's cursed and unlucky in love. She headed to Pakistan for her wedding after agreeing to marry a successful doctor. While her soon to be husband checks all the boxes, Maya is not in love, and she's trying to please her mom.

En route to Pakistan, there are several bumps in the road. She winds up meeting Sarfaraz, who is sort of a cynical lawyer. The pair become travel companions when a storm forces their plane to land in Switzerland. A few entertaining, unexpected situations later and Maya feels like she finally met her right match. The only problem... it's a few days before her wedding.

I thought this was such a cute, fun read! I loved both of the characters and enjoyed reading as their relationship developed. I found the discussion around Pakistani traditions to be fascinating. Specifically, Maya balancing her cultural and familial expectations. While reading, I felt like I was taken on the journey of Maya's self-discovery and it felt sweet and genuine.

One thing to note about this one (and I want to be careful here not to speak for the author so please do not take it as me doing so). This book is not explicitly halal and I do not think the author has marketed this book herself as being "Muslim rep" or "Hala rep" even though it has Muslim Pakistani characters. I've spent some time on her Instagram digesting her comment section on and can appreciate her thoughts/opinions surrounding this and encourage you to do the same. She even rec's books that are Pakistani halal romance if you are looking for them.

Thank you so much @netgalley, @HTPbooks, and Alina Khawaja for a free arc of this book!

#Mayaslawsoflove #netgalley #netgalleyreview #arcreview #Alinakhawaja #HarlequinTradePublishing #HTPbooks #romancebook #multiculturalloveinterest

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maya’s Laws of Love was a throughly enjoyable romance. Maya had always considered herself cursed in life and in love, which led her to an engagement with a match that was arranged so she could gain the freedom to explore the world outside of her mother’s house. After an extended engagement when the time comes to finally travel to Pakistan for her wedding she encounters every possible travel mishap, and ends up traveling side by side with the man who she next to on the plane. Cue the butterflies and sparks that her hopelessly romantic heart believed in, but never thought could be hers.

Maya and Sarfaraz were both stressed coming into their respective trips, and that was before all of the various travel delays. Even with everything going on they were able to be honest and open with each other, thinking that this was a temporary acquaintance they would likely never see again. The plot points and twists aren’t exactly surprising, but it was still an enjoyable journey.

Maya’s Laws of Love is a romance novel with a couple modern twists. Maya is a Muslim woman and is quite conservative, however she goes to a therapist. The therapist seemed extremely credible and loving. Maya is sweet, but in a pickle. She wants a family, the clock is ticking. So she decides to marry a friend. So the story begins.
This book is nicely paced, well written with good character development.
It would have been even better if it was available in an audio book. Reading on an iPhone was quite difficult.

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Grumpy/Sunshine
Forced Proximity

I absolutely loved this story! I feel like this really talks to new adults who are still out there exploring life and unsure about love. Maya tells her life to her therapist in the beginning and I feel like this is a new take on learning how to share your feelings outside of your family and friends. She is about to embark on her last trip on her own; to her fiancé. But when she comes into trouble on her plane ride, she finds an unlikely helper in her grumpy passenger who almost made her miss her plane. When Sarfaraz keeps turning up every time it’s obviously a sign that it was meant to be; except Pakistani Muslims are very serious about their arranged marriages. So when Maya finally arrives to marry her fiancé, he is who she isn’t wanting to walk down the aisle to. The crazy situations in this novel felt needed to really embrace the romcom of finding your happily ever after.