That Can Be Arranged by Huda Fahmy – ARC Review

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Excuse me while I squeal because I absolutely adored this comic book and I have already read it several times and oh my god I cannot wait for me to get a physical copy so I can appreciate all the art even more! This book has already become one of my favourite reads of the year.

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Chaperones, suitors, and arranged marriages aren’t only reserved for the heroines of a Jane Austen novel. They’re just another walk in the park for this leading lady, who is on a mission to find her leading lad. From the brilliant comics Yes, I’m Hot in This, Huda Fahmy tells the hilarious story of how she met and married her husband. Navigating mismatched suitors, gossiping aunties, and societal expectations for Muslim women, That Can Be Arranged deftly and hilariously reveals to readers what it can be like to find a husband as an observant Muslim woman in the twenty-first century.

So relevant in today’s evolving cultural climate, Fahmy’s story offers a perceptive and personal glimpse into the sometimes sticky but ultimately rewarding balance of independent choice and tradition.

I am going to fangirl several times throughout this review. You have been warned!

I absolutely adore Huda’s comics on Instagram and her first book Yes, I’m Hot in This was so funny and relatable that as soon as she announced this book I pre-ordered so fast! Then I saw it on netgalley and literally squealed with joy! This book is hilarious and adorable and so relatable and I cannot even begin to coherently express how much I loved this book! Also the clarification about her hijab at the beginning had me giggling because wow I have dealt with these questions for so many years.

Huda starts her book with her own twist on the iconic line from Pride and Prejudice and I just about died. Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite books and any reference to it has me squealing! They are even wearing clothes that are reminiscent of the clothes the sisters wear in Pride and Prejudice and I just loved it all so much! I also loved how she doesn’t shy away from saying that actually when she saw her now husband she thought he was cute because we all do even though the Asian aunties would probably have a stroke if they ever found out!

I loved how Huda included all the etiquettes and Islamic rulings on interactions between genders but not in a preachy way, it was light hearted and fun to read and honestly can we all be taught this way instead of the popular fire and brimstone method. Reading about the different suitors was so hilarious and cringe worthy because I also experienced this and the sheer horror of being interrogated by his family and trying to talk to the guy you may end up marrying without 50 people trying to listen into the conversation.

The comparisons between Pride and Prejudice and Islamic courtship was so much fun to read and so true! (Maybe that’s why I love it so much hmm) Jane bint Austen had me cackling and honestly I just loved the Austen inspired clothes throughout the story too.

I loved how she incorporated seeing the red flags and that we deserve better than a man who won’t respect and appreciate us. It’s something that is so important yet rarely discussed in these situations. I loved reading about how she focused on herself and it was so relatable and attending the Islamic studies conferences which is something me and my friends did a lot in our twenties.

When I read bout her wedding and how Huda walked in doing her own zaghrouta I just sat there thinking wow I wish I had, had the guts to have more fun on my wedding! I also need to mention how absolutely adorable I find Huda and Gehad in the comics and they honestly remind me of me and my husband and how we are with each other. It was just so lovely to read.

Also special mention goes to Huda’s mum who I absolutely love in the comics and it totally reminded me of the women in my family who had to constantly tell me to “behave like a bride” on my wedding and I gleefully ignored them.

This whole book is hilarious and yet still filled with important themes which Huda never shy’s away from discussing and she written them in such a way that they balanced so well with the lighter funnier parts. I loved this from the first page to the very end. It was exactly the type of book I had hoped for when I started and honestly this is a book that I will read repeatedly because I jist love it so much.

I have actually already read it twice and I fully intend to read it several more times this year. It’s a book that you can read it again and again never tire of it. Everyone please do yourselves a favour and go and read this book and also go read her first book and check out her comics on her social media. You will not regret it!

Friday Favourites – Classic Books

This is hosted by Something of the Book who created this tag out of a love for lists. There are different topics for us all to be able to take part and you can find the prompts here. There isn’t a specific number of favourites so it’s entirely up to you how many you share. You can share your most or least favourites too!

This week are classics that I read years ago and absolutely loved but haven’t read them since. So these are books that I want to reread this year!

1 Black Beauty – I first read this book when I was 10 years old and fell in love! I reread this book at least 5 more times that year but I haven’t read it in so many years and I really want to read it again

2 The Secret Garden – another book I loved as a kid but haven’t read since and really would love to read it again

3 Little Women – I watched the recent three part tv show and fell in love all over again and now I really want to reread the book

4 The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe – this is my favourite book in the series but I haven’t read it in years

5 Pride and Prejudice – this is the only book I have actually reread a couple years ago but with the retellings being published I really want to read it again

So here are some of my favourite classics I want to reread!
Do you like reading classics? Which are your favourites?

Top 5 Wednesdays – Characters That Embody Your Hogwarts House

Hey booknerds! It’s another Top 5 Wednesday post! This is hosted by Sam over on Thoughts on Tomes where you share you top 5 for the chosen topic for that week. You can check out each weeks topic over on Goodreads.

As I’m a Hufflepuff I’m going to share characters that I think would be in the same house as me.

1 Cath from Fangirl – she is obviously a Hufflepuff!

2 Jane from Pride and Prejudice –I think she’s the poster girl for Hufflepuffs

3 Wylan Van Eck from Six of Crows – he may make explosives but he’s a cinnamon roll and is most definitely a Hufflepuff

4 August from This Savage Song – yes I know, he’s technically a “monster” but he has a better sense of justice and doing what’s right than some of the humans in the story.

5 Alizayd from The City of Brass – okay so he may also be a Gryffindor because he’s so reckless but hear me out, he’s loyal and always fights for justice and that makes him a Hufflepuff!

So these are some of the characters that I think are Hufflepuffs.

So what house are you in? what characters do you think would be in your house?

February Monthly Wrap Up

I’ve had a pretty good reading month and read some great books and some that didn’t live up to expectations.

I also went to the King and Queen tour where I got to meet Holly Black and Cassandra Clare! It was a really fun event and even though I waited in the queue for almost 3 hours, it was so worth it! I loved that they didn’t rush us and let us chat to them both and I got to tell Holly about how much I hate Locke and Cassandra about my love for Will and Jem!

I also watched one of my most anticipated releases for this year, How To Train Your Dragon 3! I am completely obsessed with this trilogy and this film was everything I wanted and more! Toothless was amazing and I loved him even more in this film. I am so sad that this is the final film so I will just have to re-watch all the films and the Netflix show.

Anyways back to the books I read this month:

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo – one of my most anticipated reads for this year! And to be honest, I still haven’t made up my mind about how I feel. In some ways I absolutely loved it, and in other ways, I was a little disappointed. However I am still majorly excited to read the sequel especially after that ending!

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor – I was hesitant to pick this up as I wasn’t a fan of Daughter of Smoke and Bone but I did enjoy this a lot more than I thought I would. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.

Ayesha Dean – Istanbul Intrigue by Melati Lum – I read this book quite a while ago so when I was lucky enough to be gifted an arc of book two I knew I had to reread! I really enjoyed the book with all the mystery and great Muslim rep. You can read my full review here

The Disasters by M.K. England – well this book was so good! The story was really fun and action packed and I loved the characters and the diversity in the book! You can read my full review here

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – another reread in preparation for meeting Holly Black and finally being able to pick up my copy of The Wicked King! I actually enjoyed this a lot more in my reread and I loved the audiobook!

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer – this book was a disappointing read for me. I just felt it dragged for quite a while and I wasn’t invested in the characters. Though I am still a little curious about that ending and what it means for the characters in the next book.

Oh My Gods by Alexandra Sheppard – this was a cute, fun book which I enjoyed but didn’t love unfortunately. I liked seeing the Greek Gods in a contemporary setting but I thought the ending was a little rushed.

Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan – I adored this book! It deals with intersectional feminism and so much more. I tend to have a love hate relationship with feminism books but I really loved this one. You can read my full review here

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – another reread for a book club hosted on bookstagram. I adore this book so much and Mr. Darcy is my absolute favourite, socially awkward guy ever!

So aside from these books that I read in February, I also posted some reviews of books I had already read. You can find them all here:

The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty – I am completely obsessed and ready to fangirl with all of you!

This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada – I loved this book so much! really excited to continue this series

Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen McManus – it was so good! So many plot twists and that ending…oh my god!

So that’s everything for this month! Let me know what books you loved or if you read any of the books I read.

Top 10 Tuesday – Favourite Couples in Books

Hey booknerds! I’m taking part in another week of Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. You can find more information here

This weeks post is about my favourite couples in books.

I have so many ships. Characters that I have been rooting for since I first met them so it was pretty hard to narrow it down to 10 but here are some of my favourite ships!

1 Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter – I will go down with this ship! Although I ship book Romione than the film version. They were one of my first ships and I still love them!

2 Samirah and Amir from Magnus Chase – They are my OTP! I have never seen a cuter couple. I love how much they support each other and Amir is just adorable! I want a book based on them please!

3 Elizabeth and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice – gahhh I love these two so much! my favourite classic and one had me screaming for them to admit their feelings

4 Percy and Annabeth from Percy Jackson – They are my favourite friendship to lovers. Their relationship develops over so many years and I love it so much!

5 Cress and Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles – They seem like opposites, but I loved how they made each other better.

6 Will and Tessa from TID – This is the one time I was rooting for both Will and Jem but I feel like Will and Tessa were better as a couple. Both are bookworms and they are so great together!

7 Ayesha and Khalid from Ayesha at Last – So much second hand embarrassment in this book that by the end I was dying in anticipation for them to admit their feelings for each other.

8 Shahrzad and Khalid from The Wrath and the Dawn – Gahh I loved them so much! Khalid is so romantic and there was so many swoon worthy moments!

9 Kaz and Inej from Six of Crows – The most sow burn romance ever and I loved it! I loved how their relationship developed but still held true to who they were.

10 Amani and Jin from Rebel of the Sands – I loved how their relationship developed and how much they had to sacrifice throughout the story. For each other and for the sake of the rebellion.

So here are some of my favourite ships! Tell me your favourite couples and come fangirl with me!