Very unique book!
Strong writing at the sentence level, which I always appreciate. Great writing, fast paced storyline, and fantastic character development.I enjoyed it enough to be eager for the next in the series!

If you like fairytale retellings, this book is for you. It reimagines Sleeping Beauty in modern day New York and retains all the familiar tropes of the original tale.

It's a well-written and engaging book.

Sadly I just couldn't ever truly get into this book. I've tried multiple times, and have concluded it just isn't for me. Well written, just not clicking for me.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I am sorry to say that I DNF at 30%. I don't particularly like to do that, especially from Netgalley. But I just couldn't do it anymore

Beauty Sleeping is the first installment to the Make A Wish series by Hasan and is retelling inspired by Sleeping Beauty. I honestly don't exactly know what is even going on in this book. From what I could tell there is a girl in a coma that can float around and see what is going on in other people's lives.

Plot: Like I said, I have no idea what is happening. The story is jumping around from character to character so much that I am confused. The timeline is also confusing as well. One moment we're at work, another we're in therapy, then at home.

Characters: I feel that at 30% I should know a little bit more about our characters. I'm not sure if Hasan intentionally wrote this way to make the book a little mysterious, but I don't know who the actual main character is. I know there's obviously the girl in the coma. there's a girl who is a designer for an ad company, and then some guy who works on Wall Street. That's all I really know. I mean, I am a third of the way through and I don't even care about the characters enough to keep going, not even considering the confusing plot.

Setting: New York. This could have been worked up so much more! The only major point that this gives any credit to is that our male antagonist works on Wall Street. Otherwise..it could be anywhere. The only depth that we get is when he is at his family house and talks about different foods. Thank God the characters are Indian because they gave some depth to the story and what is going on around them (arranged marriages, family obligation)

So, in the end, I only really got to 30% because I am a xenophile and I typically like books that use culture besides Caucasian America. Unfortunately, there was little that I got from the culture besides a few dishes and apparel references. It wasn't enough to get me past the confusing intro and into any real story...if it existed.

This book captivated me by its wonderful flowing writing which ensnared me. I absolutely loved the story and cannot wait to read more of Farha Hasan's books.

Saifa is absorbed in her work at an advertising agency while her sister Laila is in a coma. She meets Aidan several times, and their fates seem to be entwined. He's a Wall Street broker dissatisfied with his busy schedule and empty emotional life, and a friend is getting him involved in a new business venture. Of course, Saifa is involved in advertising for it, giving them opportunities to meet. It's difficult for her to bond with people, especially because of a secret involving her sister and the way she views herself.

The South Asian culture is vividly described in this book, and the lyrical prose style really suits it. The style also helps the magical realism of Laila's traveling to observe strangers and people she knows, especially as she tries to draw a Prince Charming to wake her from her sleep. On the other hand, the point of view switches are even more difficult to tease apart in the beginning because of the lyrical style. Laila isn't a likable character from what we see of her, self-absorbed and prone to stealing boyfriends just because she can. There is the social pressure to marry well and elevate the family's social capital, which is felt by both Saifa and Aidan. The introductions to them, their families, their friends and work worlds is very slow, dragging the first half of the book. Once we see a little less of Laila in the second half, the pace picks up and the plot is more easily understood. This is the first book in a series so it could be that questions raised by the ending will be answered in future novels.

I couldn't get into it. Sorry! I got 27 pages in. That's all. Nothing against the writing. It's just not my kind of book.

Did not finish. Sadly this is one that just has not caught my attention as much as I hoped. In the author's defense, I am not a fantasy/fairy tale lover and I was hoping this one would break that trend.

<b>"I am asleep and yet I am not."</b>

To say that I'm thoroughly speechless and spellbound would be an understatement. This book literally casted its fairy tale-y vines all over me and took me under its spells in no time. The words are failing me when it comes to describe accurately the incredible aura this book has. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of it is "ethereal". From the very first page, I felt like I was up in the air, travelling through the magic world of fairy tales, witches, angels and every other supernatural creature while looking down onto the real world where the materialistic side of the story was developing.

"There is power in my touch and magic in my breath."

Beauty Sleeping is a the first installment of the Make A Wish series. Plus, it's a book that's purely belongs to the magic world. From it's title, to the name of the series, to its very story. In this first "spell", the story is centered around Sleeping Beauty's fairy tale but, trust me, the only thing that keeps from it is the idea of her and kind of the Set. Everything else has very little to do with the fairy tale. The way Hasan does this beyond magnificent and captivating retelling of the known fairy tale is exciting. As for the three main characters - Safia, Aidan and "Sleeping Beauty" -, they form an irresistible and intriguing love triangle that you never know how it will end. The unique romance they bring into the story is something that stayed with me and I cherish it as one of the most unforgettable ones.

"She was the answer to a question he was too scared to ask."

Its Prologue and its Epilogue are the two points where the story has reached the very finest. The Prologue is written in that perfect way which makes you feel instantly the book's ethereal vibe and its Epilogue is where you get happy-dizzy from all the events happening at the same time and, with the last sentence, the true story begins and you are hanging from a silver thread. But besides that, the story has two more major major beautiful points. The first is the freaking twisted character of Sleeping Beauty. You remember what the actual fairy tale's character was like, right? Well, you better forget all about her because this book's Sleeping Beauty couldn't be more further from the original. And the second one is putting a West story into the East world. The way Farha nails to combine the Indian culture and thinking with the idea of a European fairy tale is enough to make one of the greatest authors out there.

To say that I was and AM impressed with Farha Hasan's writing skills would definitely be another understatement that I don't want to do. She delivered one of the beautiful and MUST books of the Contemporary Literature. It's captivating and magnificent how it sews the mutli-culture, the magic world and the real world into an unusual total. And NO, I'm not overdoing it. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK! I definitely consider myself one of the lucky readers who had the chance to experience it.