Title: Ayesha at Last

Author: Uzma Jalaluddin

Publisher: Berkley 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 366

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR Pick

Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn't want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid, who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices and who dresses like he belongs in the seventh century.

When a surprise engagement is announced between Khalid and Hafsa, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and the unsettling new gossip she hears about his family. Looking into the rumors, she finds she has to deal with not only what she discovers about Khalid, but also the truth she realizes about herself.

Another pick off of Anne Bogel’s Summer Reading List. I quite enjoyed this modern romance set in Toronto. It was lovely to get a diverse couple to play off of. I most liked the sections of the book that really dove into the various beliefs and lifestyles of the characters. Ayesha was a great voice to follow along. I loved following her story and watching her grow more comfortable in her identify throughout the book. I can see the similarities to Pride and Prejudice, but find it to be a completely different story for me.

Next up on the TBR pile: