Review: Jana Goes Wild

Farah Heron has become an auto-read author for me. Her adult rom coms are so freaking wonderful (I have yet to read her YA books!) so I was so very excited to read Jana Goes Wild. It was fun and real and I enjoyed reading it but it won’t crack the favourites list.

Here’s the book’s description:

Jana Suleiman has never really fit in—everyone always sees her as too aloof, too cool, too perfect. The one time she stepped out of her comfort zone she ended up with a broken heart and a baby on the way. Aaaand lesson learned . Now she’s a bridesmaid for a destination wedding in Serengeti National Park, and almost everyone she knows will be there. Her five-year-old daughter. Her mom. Her friends. Even her potential new boss. And of course (because who doesn’t love surprises!) her gorgeous-but-not-to-be-trusted ex.
Fortunately, Anil Malek is a great dad, even if Jana hasn’t quite forgiven him for lying to her all those years ago. Determined to show he has no effect on her whatsoever, she and the bridesmaids concoct a go-wild list to get Jana through the week. Sing karaoke? Sure. Perform their high school dance routine in front of strangers? Okay. But the more she lets down her guard, the less protection she has against her attraction to Anil. And Jana soon realizes it’s one thing to walk on the wild side . . . and quite another to fall for her ex all over again.

Because I love Heron’s books so much, I didn’t even read the description before requesting the egalley. I also didn’t read it before starting it. The latter was a bit of a mistake. I hadn’t realized this was going to be a romance featuring parents and that’s a storyline that just does not work for me. It’s totally and completely a personal thing so if I do end up reading a book by an author I love, I try to prepare myself before diving in. And because I didn’t, I think it was even harder to get into the story. That said, I recognize how fantastic it is to get rom coms that feature parents. They deserve love too. I just don’t want to be a parent and my bias gets in the way sometimes.

I also don’t know if it was my silly brain or the fact that I wasn’t able to really tuck into the book for long chunks of time but it took me awhile to get into this one. I found it pretty long and even though I remembered Jana from Kamila Knows Best, I wasn’t really getting the Main Character Energy from her. I cared about her, don’t get me wrong, and I was totally rooting for a Happily Ever After for her and Anil. But it was a struggle to get really invested. Her issues seemed to be so very much in her head. They weren’t totally unwarranted, of course. Anil hurt her immensely and those around her were total assholes when she was pregnant with their daughter. I also think she had some anxiety that wasn’t ever addressed in the story - it was just sort of dealt with by saying she was an introvert and couldn’t “people” too much. I think it was more than just simply being an introvert. She refused to let go of the (again, justified) hurt even though Anil had gone above and beyond to prove that he regretted his mistake. I also think she thought people talked about her far more than they actually did. It seemed like she was self-centred but it was her past trauma and her anxiety that was making her come across that way. It all just didn’t really work (for me) for the tension and the issues that needed to be created for a rom com.

Getting to “travel” to Tanzania was super cool. I don’t think I’ll ever do a safari so I appreciated getting to experience it through reading this book. I also appreciated that Jana and Anil both worked in development and cared about making a difference and were conscious of their (and the wedding party’s) tourism and both the positive and negative impacts of it. That all said…holy man, the escapades in Tanzania really seemed to drag. I lost track of time and it felt like they were there for a month or more.

The best parts of the story were when the whole “hashtag Bridal Brigade” were together. I felt a bit bad because I am also an introvert and preferring some of the more vivacious characters to Jana felt incredibly disloyal (but omg when she was talking to someone and said, quite derisively, “you people” meaning extroverts, let me tell you, I cackled!). Heron writes relationships - both romantic and friendship - so extremely well and it was the friendship relationships in this one that shone. (Again, as much as I wanted an HEA for Jana and Anil.)

I know it likely seems like I really, really didn’t like this book. But honestly, I didn’t dislike it. I did have fun reading Jana Goes Wild but I think my expectations for Farah Heron are so high that I just expected more from it. I’ll absolutely keep reading Heron’s books and am already looking forward to what she writes next.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: Kamila Knows Best

I only finally read my first Farah Heron book in 2021, even though I'd had a copy of The Chai Factor on my shelf since it had been published in 2019. Kamila Knows Best is Heron’s latest novel and the rom com based on Jane Austen’s Emma was such a delight to read.

Here’s the book’s description:

Kamila Hussain’s life might not be perfect, but, whew, it’s close. She lives a life of comfort, filled with her elaborate Bollywood movie parties, a dog with more Instagram followers than most reality stars, a job she loves, and an endless array of friends who clearly need her help finding love. In fact, Kamila is so busy with her friends’ love lives, she’s hardly given any thought to her own . . .
Fortunately, Kamila has Rohan Nasser. A longtime friend of the family, he’s hugely successful, with the deliciously lean, firm body of a rock climber. Only lately, Kamila’s “harmless flirting” with Rohan is making her insides do a little bhangra dance.
But between planning the local shelter’s puppy prom, throwing a huge work event, and proving to everyone that she’s got it all figured out, Kamila isn’t letting herself get distracted—until her secret nemesis returns to town with an eye for Rohan. Suddenly, it seems like the more Kamila tries to plan, the more things are starting to unravel—and her perfectly ordered life is about to be turned upside down.

You don’t have to have read Emma to enjoy this novel but I think Austen fans will appreciate it that much more. I was having serious Clueless vibes throughout which made sense when I read Heron’s note at the end where she says that’s her favourite adaptation. This is, clearly, not a faithful adaptation (can you imagine Austen watching Bollywood films? How amazing would that be?) but Heron captured the essence of Emma and put her own refreshing twist on the classic novel. I am glad I reread Emma back in 2020 as I enjoyed it a lot more than the last time I read it and, if I hadn’t, I don’t think I could have enjoyed Kamila Knows Best as I did.

I don’t know if it was just my mood but it took me until about halfway through the book before I was really feeling the story. It could have been partially because Kamila, like Emma, is pretty self-centred and it took awhile for me to really see Kamila’s big heart. There’s a scene in Emma where Emma is incredibly rude to one of the spinster women in her social circle and it’s always hard to read because it’s just so mean. Heron reimagines the scene with a different character and, honestly, I felt that Kamila was justified in her response. Jana was just as rude, if not more so, and I couldn’t blame Kamila for lashing out. Was it a bit immature? Maybe. But she was hurt. I always appreciated her self-confidence and realized I was totally Team Kamila as other characters kept constantly slamming her for enjoying fashion and couldn’t understand that she was an incredibly smart and competent woman. I was not having it and I was so proud of Kamila for standing up for herself.   

As always, I loved that Heron set this book in Toronto. Any time I find a romance set in Canada, I’m a happy camper (and I adore Forever for publishing so many of them and understanding that everyone enjoys Canadian set books). I also loved experiencing Kamila’s Indian lifestyle and her weekly Bollywood parties. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a Bollywood movie myself but Heron wrote Kamila’s parties so well that I was experiencing major FOMO while reading the book. And even though I don’t enjoy most Indian spices (I love spicy but not certain spices), I was so hungry as I was reading. 

Kamila Knows Best is another great rom com from Farah Heron. I had a lot of fun reading it and think other rom com lovers – especially Jane Austen fans – will enjoy it too.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Accidentally Engaged

Accidentally Engaged was my first Farah Heron novel. I admit I do own a copy of her debut, The Chai Factor, but, for some strange reason, haven't gotten around to reading it yet. After absolutely devouring her latest though? I'll be moving it up the queue.

Here's the book's description:

Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall--with hopes that Reena will marry him.
But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.
As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciated that Heron set this novel in Toronto. Too often us Canadian readers find that our authors are encouraged to set their stories somewhere in the US because it's more "relatable" or some such nonsense. I know a lot of American readers who don't care one way or the other so I'm hopeful that soon we'll see even more Canadian cities, and small towns, featured in books published in the US. 

Reena was an absolutely delightful character. She was funny and smart and I constantly found myself wishing we could get together for a beer. (Mmm some of the beer she and Nadim had sounded sooo good.) She by no means had her life figured out and I could definitely identify with that. I was rooting for her the entire way through and hoped she'd find her Happily Ever After for herself (but also, of course, with Nadim because they were just too cute). 

The storyline with the cooking show Reena and Nadim enter was too fun. Food was a big part of this story and will leave you craving bread and delicious meals while you're reading. Me included even though sourdough isn't my favourite kind of bread and a lot of the spices Reena used aren't ones I like. But there we have it! Back to the show. I think it was also more enjoyable for me because I love wholesome cooking shows. Great British (or Canadian) Baking Show? (As it's called over here...Great British Bake Off is the title back in England.) I adore them and they've been a balm during the last year. It was really nice to escape into that kind of cooking competition world, at least a little, in Heron's novel.

Even though this is, technically, a rom com, Heron packs a lot into the story that isn't as lighthearted as a romance may suggest. And I am HERE for it. Reena not only has to deal with overbearing parents but she also has job loss and a spotty relationship track record. Plus, she and her sister have a very complicated relationship and both women have mental health issues that are in various stages of being addressed. Heron has her characters being quite open about most things - even for a story that is full of (sometimes ridiculous) secrets - and I appreciated that. I like my rom coms with a heavy dose of real life and am glad to see more of those being written.

Accidentally Engaged was a delight from start to finish and I definitely recommend contemporary readers check this one out. Farah Heron has given us a smart and entertaining novel that will get under everyone's skin, in the best possible way, and also have everyone craving bread!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HBG Canada/Forever, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*