Love a fake engagement love story? Love carbs? Love a fierce protagonist? Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron has all of these elements in her newest book (March 2021) and the cherry on top? Diversity! I love a book that features a different culture, different food, different family dynamics than my own. The whipped cream on top? It’s a Toronto-based story and you know how I feel about novels that are in any other city than New York or London. 🏆🥇 WIN!
Quick and Dirty (Dishes)
Reena is holding her ground. She’s not working in the family real estate biz. She’s not living at home until she’s married. She’s not interested in the Muslim men her parents have been pushing at her since she hit 25. She’s happily working in a not-so-stimulating job. Scratch that. She hates it. But again, it’s her own doing, thankyouverymuch.
What really gets Reena’s stand mixer going? Bread-making. This girl has gone so far as to name her sourdough starter. I’m all about carb-life over here, so this book had my interest right away!
Reena’s parents have a new potential suitor for her (insert sigh). The charade is exhausting for her.
But…Reena’s new neighbor is the epitome of tall, dark and handsome with the bonus material of a lovely English accent and he’s Muslim. Reena likens Nadim to a brown Captain America. Good visual, right?
When Reena’s job shifts considerably she coincidentally finds out about an opportunity to apply to an online couples cooking show. The winner gets a scholarship to a famed culinary institute – the stuff of Reena’s dreams!
Can Reena persuade Nadim to pose as her fake fiancé for this couples cooking show long enough to get a real shot at winning the grand prize? Can she keep her parents off her back so they don’t find out about her job change? And how long can Reena and Nadim fake this engagement before the cooking show spies a lie or before feelings get caught in the crossfire?
Taste Test
This is not just a fake engagement romcom. This has so much more to do with family secrets. Keeping up appearances. Family loyalty. Customs.
And it’s about the self-doubt that slowly trickles in if you’re one of the majority that don’t find love right away, that don’t marry right out of high school or undergrad. Sitcoms and movies make dating look so fun and glamourous. And it can certainly be that. And it can also feel exhausting and soul-crushing and allow you to lose hope in people. Carrie Bradshaw my ass. Dating ‘later in the game’ isn’t easy and this book captures that dance between ‘I’m not settling so this might take a while’ and ‘here we go again.’
“The Reena she let people see enjoyed drinks at the bar, fresh bread at home, and no drama. Who’d want the real Reena – the neurotic mess with maladaptive coping skills? Who couldn’t manage to keep a job she hated? With a family who never, ever let her be free. None of the other twelve guys had been interested in sticking around once her true self began to emerge.”
This fake engagement romcom is fun and makes you think in the best ways. I could put this down and pick it right back up without having to catch up to speed. I’ll absolutely be checking out other books from this author in the future!