I enjoyed this one. It's not a particularly deep read, but it's fun and offers some interesting insights into a different culture.
Danyal isn't great at school. He's funny, gorgeous and a whizz in the kitchen though and dreams of being a chef. Unfortunately his very traditional family don't see being a chef as a valid career choice and worry that this ambition will make it harder for them to find him a suitable wife.
Danyal knows he's already found the love of his life in his best friend's sister, Kaval. Unfortunately he knows Kaval is way out of his league. But when she suddenly starts taking an interest in him, talking to him and maybe even flirting a little, Danyal thinks he might just have a chance.
When he meets Bisma as part of his parents' ongoing matchmaking efforts, he likes her. She's upfront and honest about why her parents are presenting her to Danyal, someone who is not a great prospect for an arranged marriage - she's been involved in a scandal and is damaged goods. When he gets selected to compete in Renaissance Man, his school's elite academic competition, Danyal enlists Bisma's help. Maybe he can prove to the world he's not as stupid as they think.
The more time Danyal spends with Bisma, the more he realizes he enjoys his company. She accepts him for who he is, unlike Kaval who wants him to change his life plans to make himself a more acceptable suitor. Maybe Kaval isn't the girl of his dreams after all...
This is a light, funny rom-com with some serious undertones. Arranged marriage is still common in many cultures and this book shows the challenges and absurdities of the custom while also underlining why it happens and why it works for so many couples.
Danyal is a great protagonist. He's funny and flawed but everything he says and does comes from the right place - even when it comes out all wrong.
So I'd recommend this one.
But don't just listen to me. Here's the blurb:
For fans of Becky Albertalli and Jenny Han, a sweetly funny YA rom-com debut about falling in love, familial expectations, and being a Renaissance Man.
Danyal Jilani doesn't lack confidence. He may not be the smartest guy in the room, but he's funny, gorgeous, and going to make a great chef one day. His father doesn't approve of his career choice, but that hardly matters. What does matter is the opinion of Danyal's longtime crush, the perfect-in-all-ways Kaval, and her family, who consider him a less than ideal arranged marriage prospect.
When Danyal gets selected for Renaissance Man--a school-wide academic championship--it's the perfect opportunity to show everyone he's smarter than they think. He recruits the brilliant, totally-uninterested-in-him Bisma to help with the competition, but the more time Danyal spends with her...the more he learns from her...the more he cooks for her...the more he realizes that happiness may be staring him right in his pretty face.
Sounds good. I like a story about people who realize they don't have to change the non-bad parts of them.
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