The writing was wonderfully compelling and the characters well developed and full of depth. I particularly loved Zara, our adorable, rom-com loving bookworm and protagonist. She’s such a sweet, compassionate and loyal friend whose commitment to helping the people she cares about is beyond words. I mean she literally embodies the mates before dates mantra—even when doing so hinders her own plans or happiness. I also really enjoyed exploring Zara’s family relationships, and loved that unlike most YA novels, her parents were just present enough in the narrative to know they existed (and there to support her if necessary) without being too involved to make their inclusion seem unrealistic. I also really liked their positive and rather candid approach to sex (and the ‘sex talk’).

most of all, I fell in love with myself. I embraced that I am who I am, no excuses, and I realised that I don’t need to cater to what everyone else wants for me. I can still be loved by those around me while doing what I want’. But then... I met him. Yahya. You might not know who I'm talking about so here's the lowdown: there was a guy I liked. A guy whose lips felt like clouds and who smelled like coffee infused with the tiniest hint of tobacco and chai with lemons. A guy who made me feel like myself at a time when I had to lie to just about everyone I knew. A guy who surprised me every day. I didn't anticipate falling for him, but I did. 'And then my world blew up…’” – Zara, This is How You Fall in Love So much of the drama here could have been avoided if people talked. I’m not convinced anyone in real life makes things that complicated. However, the story wouldn’t have been as entertaining! Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review! There are lots of groups where authors and readers can connect, right? That's probably what you're thinking. And that's a valid argument. But I want this group to be different in a few ways:

LoveReading4Kids Says

While both Zara and Adnan insist that will never happen — they’re close friends, that’s it — the tide turns when Adnan needs to cover-up his real girlfriend and begs Zara to pretend they’re an item. How hard can it be? Very, as things turn out. First up, there’s a whole lot of practical issues around how they behave towards each other, and around Adnan’s actual girlfriend. Then there’s jealousy, and the problem of Zara falling for someone for real. With a fun meta-fiction vibe (a romcom about romcom with entertaining romcom twists), the besties-to-couple trope is thrust to the fore from the off: “that’s literally how every YA romcom starts. Boy and girl are besties, they get involved in a fake dating scheme and then BAM they get together for real.” I really appreciated how Zara’s parents were included in the story. They’re the whole reason Zara agrees to this fake-dating scheme in the first place, they’re present and I just really loved some scenes between Zara and her mother, as well. I found the detailed Pokemon Go thread, which formed a lot of one part of the plot, a bit much, kind of old-fashioned where the rest of the book didn’t seem to be trying to be, and it was annoying that Zara didn’t have enough oomph to stand up for herself a bit more. Adnan’s girlfriend Cami’s arc was a bit melodramatic in the end, and it was a shame that girls ended up pitted against each other. Zara loves love in all forms: 90s romcoms and romance novels and grand sw eeping gestures. And she's desperate to have her own great love story. Crucially, a real one. Hussain perfectly captures the very essence of what makes a good teen rom-com; a healthy dose angst, quirky meet cutes, lashings of humour and a host of well meaning but nosey loved ones (friends and family) who may or may not be a little too invested in the protagonist’s relationship.

Only promote your work in the promotion categories, which will be clearly labeled by genre. Failing to follow this rule won't make you many friends. Sorry.I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. There are lots of groups where authors and readers can connect, right? That's probably what you're thinking. And that's a val Want new readers/books? Adnan was also a sweetie who had so much love and care for all the people in his life as-well. he had a great sense of humour and he was the perfect friend that Zara needed in her life. i loved the dynamic between the two and how they could always count on each-other to be there when they needed them. However, the characters annoyed the HELL out of me. Every single one of them. Especially Adnan and Cami, who, despite asking Zara to do this massive favour for them so they could be together in secret, had the audacity to be mad at her for not doing that quite right. There were parts where I was pretty confused about - like, why couldn't they just hang out without Zara there, especially somewhere not in public? I didn't quite understand all of that. It felt like Cami and Zara were just being pitted against each other for drama's sake and I think it would've been a better message for that not to happen. Please tell me what you think, how I can improve this group, and what you'd like to see added. This isn't my group. It's ours.