this book was so fun, i loved how each chapter opened with one of the maya’s laws. the two mcs were so oddly perfect together. i loved seeing them go through possibly the most unlucky trip ever and stick together through it all… and learn that they really work well together. also you gotta love a one bed trope/faking you’re married to stay in a religious persons home trope. i also loved seeing into the Pakistani culture. this was definitely a super cute read. there were lots of this book that reminded me of ‘leap year’ which i loved

* 𝘪 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really appreciate the growth and character journey that Maya went on in this book. The ability to stand up for herself and fight for what she wanted for the first time in her life was incredible to see and I was proud of her shift in attitude towards life at the end of the book.

I just was not sold on this being a love story. I’m glad Maya and Sarfaraz are getting their chance at happiness but I was not a fan of their relationship development as it felt rushed. I think Sarfaraz was an important catalyst for Maya making necessary changes with her life and attitude towards her life, but I just wish their relationship had been purely friendship until she called off her wedding, especially because the fact that she kissed her fiancé’s brother made me uneasy.

There was some repetition in the writing where certain words or phrases were used so many times it was noticeable to the reader, but overall I think this was a solid debut.

I wanted to be committed in this story but had to finally DNF the book at 70% unfortunately. The main character was just not it for me, she’s childish and overall a personality i just couldn’t comprehend.

The story has a strong potential of being a enemy to lover plot line (unfortunately I will never know) with multiple moments you find yourself laughing or cheering for maya.

Overall not for me but still an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC!

Maya's Laws of Love is about a Pakistani elementary teacher who believes she's "cursed" in luck, and is on her way to her wedding with a perfect-on-paper man (a pediatric surgeon!) when her plane runs into a storm and she's stranded in Switzerland. Luckily, Switzerland has always been a dream trip for her as the setting of k-drama Crash Landing on You -- and, she has her handsome seat partner to keep her company. Unfortunately, said partner made a bad first impression and also, she's on her way to her own wedding!

As an Asian-American with not much exposure to Muslim culture, I can't comment on a lot of the other reviews that were upset about how unrealistic this representation was. I'm not sure what the levels of adherence to cultural beliefs are -- but to me, this read like an Asian-American narrative with the added backdrop of religion. I might not be Muslim, but I can certainly understand conservative rules around dating, meeting men, and have also come to understand a lot more about arranged marriages through literature. So, at least as an Asian-American and reader, I loved this book for bringing a character and a culture's expectations around love and marriage to life! And it feels reasonable to me that while you would never do any PDA in public, you might have snuck a kiss or a hand=hold without family knowing?

I got to say, the level of communication between Maya and her fiancee were...beyond subpar. And because the premise of this novel is in the description, I kept waiting with bated breath for the other shoe to drop; for her to have to break the news to her family and face all of that backlash. I suppose that's how you know that the Asian culture, at least, was represented. I had anxiety just thinking about that. The writing is lively and descriptive while being fast-paced; I personally greatly appreciated our first chapter starting with a therapist and found that to be such a cute and smart way to start off a novel. Maya comes off a little clueless, I'm not going to lie, and is not necessarily the most likable character. She feels almost self-centered in a way that is both intentional and unintentional of our author; she just never seems to have thoughts about what another character's experience of an event might be. And again, this might be my bias as a medical student, but the fact that her fiancee took that much time off to prepare for this wedding, to (theoretically) go on a honeymoon? Unrealistic, impossible, and shocking - and then for Maya to not seem to ever consider her future fiancee's schedule, really goes to emphasize the flatness of their relationship. And he sounds like a great guy!!

But Sarfaraz, our main male interest, really grows on you quite fast. I get that he was a jerk in the beginning; but he clearly falls first and is just a perfect soft grump, all favorite tropes of mine. He's a good counter to Maya who can sometimes be incredibly impulsive (like walking to Karachi when a bus breaks down??? with a suitcase???)

Really though, my biggest concern with the book was with the title and chapter titles; it seems like this book wants to revolve around this cutesy setup about her personal laws of love, but none of these laws made any sort of sense, had any sort of organization that made them feel like a cohesive list, or told us much about her, really. They also just didn't feel like laws about love! I hope the author can take a moment and really sit down with the book and brainstorm chapter titles that flow and add to the book; whether it be through humor, foreshadowing, or telling us more about Maya and her outlook on life (besides being jaded/prepared for any bad luck that comes her way.) It just feels disjointed as it is now, neither related to chapter or overall theme, and ultimately, makes the ending emotional lines so much less impactful.

Overall, I'd give this book a 4-4.25/5 for great writing, the way Maya felt so much like a real person, and for the detailed representation of diversity! It was a bit slower-paced at first, which is partially to do with my own anxiety. But Alina does a great job of pushing me towards the twist ending, which I'm embarrassed to say I didn't quite see coming, and then I'm holding my breath to see how this goes. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking to broaden their perspective on romance books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for giving me an ARC of Maya’s Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja. This was a sweet travel romance. Maya and Sarfraz meet on a flight from Canada to Pakistan. She is going to her wedding (it’s an arranged marriage, but she believes she will fall in love with her fiancé) Except there is an emergency landing in Switzerland. And then Sarfraz helps Maya when she is sick. So they start to travel together. There are pitfalls galore. And I won’t spoil the twists (though you kinda see them coming). Maya has always thought she was cursed but maybe she just needs to change her perspective. Overall the book is just lovely. Maya is relatable as a woman trying to protect her loved ones from embarrassment, even if she pays the price. And Sarfraz is grouchy cinnamon roll and they are perfect for each other. These two deserve there HEA. I also appreciated there was no villain in the story. All the characters are complex and supportive of each. It is a book filled with love (familial and romantic)

This was a cute romance!

I enjoyed Maya's growth and liked Sarfaraz (even if he did make some questionable decisions). And I did appreciate the development of Maya and Sarfaraz's relationship. While it did take me a bit to get with the writing and I did think the story was a bit underdeveloped, by the end of the book I was giggling. Also, it was so fun reading the kdrama references - especially when Maya was talking about one of my favourites, "Crash Landing on You."

However, the main reason I requested this romance was because of the Pakistani and Muslim representation. And while I enjoyed the representation within the book, I felt like it could have been stronger. For example, I know that Muslims have times during the day when they need to pray so I found it odd that the only time that it mentioned Maya praying was when she missed her prayers and was making up for it.

Overall, this was fun, quick romance that I enjoyed.

this was not it for me, first i want to say a big thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the earc but there is many reasons why i just didnt really enjoy this story. if you are looking for a halal romance this is not it, even tho its a muslim romance and marketed as one. to be honest it felt very lack luster and just not something i would pick up again or recommend.

I had high hopes for this book because the premise sounded really interesting. I would say this was okay for me.
I loved the exploration of arranged marriages. Sort of reminded me a bit of the Lily James movie, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”. I think it’s informative without feeling like I’m reading seminar notes.
I think the love triangle was done well too. This is a clean romance so it’s fun to see how the author builds tension between everyone. There was definitely a lot of angst! I also loved the meet cute! It was so adorable.
My negative was that the writing could be choppy at times. I also think the beginning made it harder for me to get into the story at first.

This book was really cute! (3.75 stars rounded up)

I loved the humor and the writing style of this book. It was a fast and easy read that just put a smile on my face.

Maya has been unlucky in love and has created these rules to love. She is Pakistani and was raised somewhat traditionally. Because of this she has never had a serious relationship with a man. She decided to have her parents arrange a marriage for her and it feels like it’s meant to be when the man her parents just happens to be one of her friends from college. They get along great, but Maya doesn’t think it’s love as they have always had a very platonic relationship. She is still excited for her marriage thinking that the love and romantic feelings will develop over time.

While traveling to her wedding celebration in Pakistan she finds herself in a very Planes, Trains, and Automobiles type story with the handsome Sarfaraz who happens to be sitting next to her on the plane. Maya is on the way to her wedding, so why is she finally feeling that romantic spark with Sarfaraz.

I had such a wonderful time with this story and I only had a few issues with it. My first issue was the very first chapter. It felt very out of place an info dumpy. Chapter one is basically just our main character Maya giving a summary of her life and childhood and where she is at now with her arranged marriage to her therapist. It didn’t feel like an organic conversation and everything she was saying felt like things the therapist should already know. This chapter was for the readers benefit and I personally prefer a story that delivers the information in a more natural and organic way throughout the book rather than chapter 1 just being an info dump. I was able to get past it and get into this story, but I do feel like this book suffered a bit from pacing issues. There were parts where I was feeling a bit bored and parts where things felt a bit rushed.

Overall I really enjoyed this and I am excited to read the next thing this author writes.

This is a closed door romance featuring a woman who is traveling to her wedding to a man who is not the love interest.

This was a quick read. A fast paced rom com that gave me a look into different cultures. The female main character was funny and at times very relate able. Her love laws were so chaotic and I was cheering for her to find happiness until the very end of the book!

This book has everything! Grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, fake dating/marriage, only one bed, slow burn, and more but I don’t want to spoil anything.

I loved the Pakastani representation and how the author didn’t overly explain cultural terms or words. I was interested enough to look up the terms and words myself to learn more about the traditions and ceremonies happening in the book.

I was really surprised how much I loved this book, I ended up starting and finishing it in the same day! The banter between characters was so funny, I laughed out loud. And I loved the vivid descriptions of the scenes.

This was what i needed right now.

I breezed through this.

A lot of times I struggle to understand why the couple got together, but I didn’t have a doubt in this book. The way he grumpy but caring. 🥹
And he showed that he cared through his actions. 👏👏👏

It was also good seeing Pakistani and Muslim representation.

I read the blurb of this book and got excited to read a romance book from two cultural back grounds. I honestly was a bit lost at the beginning. Well. It seemed to begin very slowly and I wanted to read more about the leading female Muslim life. Also, would she really get in bed with someone 5 days before her wedding? Anyways, thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this.

"No one is incapable of love, but we all have the ability to sabotage our own happiness, even if we don't realize it."

“Right when you think you've got it figured out, the world will humble you.”

"Allah created us in pairs, after all. But I don't think everyone marries their soul-mate." My thoughts drift to my own parents' broken marriage.
"But I think the people who do are the luckiest people in the world, though, and it'd be nice if I did, too."

"You don't need someone to find you, Maya.
Yu i end our le ay ake, youile and in that he ay;
The ghost of a pained smile touches his face. "And that's when you'll truly be okay."

Such a sweet, goofy, funny, insightful and cultural driven romance story!! I loved it!!! When I started it, I don’t really know what I was expecting. I only know what I was not expecting to get out of this story with a better understanding of the desi and Pakistani culture and traditions … and with a massive crush on the strangers to lovers trope!!! This book had the ability be a slow burn almost as much as it was a struck by lightning kinda romance. Maya, our FMC, is about to get married but for all the wrong reasons!! Starting from the fact that she thinks she is cursed - especially when it comes to her love life - and she is following an arranged marriage to someone she cares about but whom she has nothing in common with. Only, when she is about to leave Canada for Pakistan, her flight gets turbulence so she has to delay her arrival. On the plane though, she meets an unexpected grumpy partner who will give her perspective about life. How can you connect more with one stranger in a day than you can with a person you care about in a life is still beyond me. But sometimes it does happen and I love how it was portrayed in this book!!! I’m so so glad I got a chance to read it and I can’t wait for it to be out !!!

"You can't promise what's going to happen in the future, but you can promise you'll be there for each other in the moment."

"Being in love is...like walking through a field of sun-flowers," I begin, gesturing toward the door and the fields be-yond. The lines in Aqsa's forehead deepen with understanding.
"It's full of bright colors and beautiful scenery, and the stalks are so tall it feels like things will go on forever." I scrunch my nose.
"But sometimes you forget the stalks are clustered together, and you can scratch yourself, and you can trip over roots that burst from the ground. Sometimes it feels like you're stumbling through the field, unaware of which direction you're going in, and you get so scared and frustrated all you want to do is fall to the ground and weep." My chest swells. "But then you remember you have someone holding your hand. Someone who also sees the bright colors and the tall stalks, and who also scratches themselves and trips. And suddenly you're not alone anymore."

A rom com set in Switzerland and Pakistan, Maya is flying to Pakistan for her arranged marriage when she's stranded in Switzerland with Sarfaraz. They find themselves sharing a hotel room and then feelings they did not expect. Maya is said to be observant and yet she does not behave that way, And to be best, Sarfaraz does not respect that either. How you feel about this novel might depend on how you feel about the inconsistencies. I read it as a clean romance meant to diversify the characters in the genre. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Well this was absolutely darling.

It had the movie Leap Year vibes but was cuter, Desi and has a curse!

Maya is cursed when it comes to love- anytime she wants to start a relationship something goes terribly awry. To get her mother’s permission to leave the house and teach in South Korea she must be engaged so she has an arrangement with someone she kind of knew briefly in school. She is headed to Pakistan for her wedding and 🤞 everything will work out great and she can thwart her curse.

This was funny, sweet and had such endearing characters. I always love the big family dynamics in Desi romances with nosy aunties and overbearing siblings.
Definitely a fan of Alina Khawaja and wanna read more from them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harelquin for an eARC.

Maya believes wholeheartedly that she is cursed. She has come up with a set of laws to explain life ever since her dad passed away. On her way to Pakistan for her arranged marriage, she meets an unexpected stranger that makes her question her life choices. As she travels with this new stranger, she is challenged in ways she never expected. Next she has to figure out if expectations are more important than being true to herself. This was a cute story with twists and turns that really kept me engaged. A fun rom com with some depth. Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Maya believes she is cursed, and bases her laws of love off of Murphys Law (anything bad that can happen will happen) On her flight to her wedding in Pakitan, the plane makes an emergency landing and Switzerland under a storm passes. She ends up spending most of her time and Switzerland and the journey to Pakitan with her seat mate (Sarfaraz) who she thought was a jerk from the first time they met.

Any thing that could go wrong during her trip went wrong to the point as it either predictable to somewhat unbelievable. Also making the book/story a lot longer than it needed to me.

While I like Maya and Sarfaraz invidually and they had so much potential, I really hated that a) there was cheating involved and b) he was her soon to be husband's (never mention/forgotten brother. I would loved to see a romance between but however in a different plot line.

3 stars

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher a copy of this ebook. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I enjoyed the heck out of this book! It was so sweet and adorable it had my heart melting. I can’t believe this is a debut novel!

Maya is convinced she’s cursed. Especially when it comes to love. She’s headed to Pakistan for her arranged marriage to a handsome doctor. While traveling, everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Starting with the rude but handsome stranger she gets stuck sitting by on the plane.

This book had me laughing and swooning the whole time. The romance was super sweet and I enjoyed seeing how their relationship grew throughout the story. The representation in the book was incredibly done as well. I highly recommend checking this one out!

Thank you so much to Mira and NetGalley for the e-arc! This beauty releases on March 26th and you don’t wanna miss it!

This story was very sweet and lovely. I think it might end up falling in an odd middle ground between the Muslim girlies who want a more halal story and the regular romance girls who want a spicier story. For me I enjoyed it for what it was, I liked the two main characters (although surprised by some of their actions), I really appreciated the approach of tackling the difference between culture and religion, believe the parts that were a little less entertaining could have use more tension or a little spice but this wasn’t the story for that.
Overall enjoying for a clean contemporary cultural romance.