Five Stars
HANA KHAN CARRIES ON by Uzma Jalaluddin is a DELIGHT. That’s it. That’s the review.
Okay, just kidding! I have a lot more to say! I adored Ms. Jalaluddin’s Pride and Prejudice retelling debut last year, AYESHA AT LAST, so I was suitably excited for her sophomore novel. And boy, did it exceed my every expectation!.
A “You’ve Got Mail” reimagining, this book follows our 24-year-old heroine Hana. She is just starting her dream of working in radio as an intern at a popular Toronto radio station while also running an anonymous podcast, and helping out at her family’s halal restaurant.
She has good friends and a wonderful community… until things start to go wrong. Her mom’s restaurant is barely staying afloat, her internship starts to take a left turn, and a hot, but arrogant man shows up as a rival restaurant owner. On top of all that, Hana’s family from India decides to visit and she ends up sleeping on the couch!.
I feel like Hana and I would be friends. I mean, her favorite color is cheetah print! She’s a fabulously loyal friend, sister, and daughter… so loyal it gets in her way sometimes.
My favorite aspect of this book is the way Ms. Jalaluddin invited the reader into Hana’s world. By the end of the book, I felt like I was part of her community. I laughed when Hana’s cousin Rashid was being ridiculous (he’s one of my favorite characters of all time!!), cried when there is a loss, and swooned when Aydin and Hana bantered.
The romance in this book is more of a simmer than a boil, but the romantic moments are all the more poignant for their scarcity.
Overall, I highly recommend this book. It was a rich and emotional read that will leave you smiling.
**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**
Romance Reader 