"Brilliant idea! Excellent! Muslim dating? Well, I had no idea you
were allowed to date.' Then he leaned towards me and looked at me
sympathetically. 'Are your parents quite disappointed?'
Unlucky in love once again after her possible-marriage-partner-to-be
proves a little too close to his parents, Sofia Khan is ready to renounce men
for good. Or at least she was, until her boss persuades her to write a tell-all
expose about the Muslim dating scene.
As her woes become her work, Sofia must lean on the support of her
brilliant friends, baffled colleagues and baffling parents as she goes in
search of stories for her book. In amongst the marriage-crazy relatives, racist
tube passengers and decidedly odd online daters, could there be a a lingering
possibility that she might just be falling in love...?
Today I
have a review of quite an exciting, just published, new novel to share with all
of you! The e-book version of Ayisha Malik's 'Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged' was
released on the 3rd of September (the paperback version will follow in January)
and I was lucky enough to be contacted about reviewing the book for my blog.
The novel is released by Twenty7, a new digital-first fiction imprint of Bonnier
Publishing. The new imprint will focus on debut authors and international writers new to the UK markets,
covering all commercial fiction genres but especially crime
and women's fiction. 'Sofia
Khan Is Not Obliged' is the very first title by Twenty7 and I'm happy to be a
part of this exciting first publication!
Sofia
Khan is thirty years old and newly single after her fiancee turned out to be a
bit closer to his parents than she initially thought. After the whole debacle,
she is quite ready to give up on men for good. But then her boss at the
publisher where she works offers her a job: writing a tell-all novel about the
Muslim dating scene. Sofia knows she can't refuse the chance of writing her
very own book and all of a sudden she finds herself back in the dating game
while also searching for stories to use from her beloved group of friends and
sometimes slightly crazy family. However, between the craziness, she also meets
some interesting characters, and completely against her expectations, Sofia
might be falling in love after all...
One of
the first descriptions of this book I read was that it can be seen as the
'Muslim Bridget Jones' Diary' and I can definitely see the similarities. Ayisha
Malik has written her novel completely in the form of diary entries, e-mails
and text messages, resulting in us as readers being able to follow all of main
protagonist Sofia's thoughts and experiences. I have to admit this is probably
one of the first books I've read from the point of view of a Muslim heroine and
it was not just an enjoyable and fun read, but also one that taught me a bit
more about the Muslim culture and traditions. While the novel included some
unfamiliar language in places, this didn't influence the reading experience and
I loved taking a look at the lives of Sofia and her family and friends.
Sofia is quite an outspoken and unique character and
it definitely took me a bit of time to get used to her. However, some of the
things she says, does and thinks just made me laugh out loud and this definitely
helped me warm to her. While Sofia seems strong-willed and determined, she
doesn't exactly know what she wants from life and it was great to see her
change throughout the novel and see how certain experiences influenced her. I
really loved the writing style of the book, the relatively short chapters, and
the great cast of secondary characters (Sofia's parents are both wonderful and
funny, just like her friends). Overall, 'Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged' is a
contemporary, witty and refreshing women's fiction novel which I thoroughly
enjoyed!
Rating:
8,5/10
8,5/10
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
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