More Than Just a Pretty Face

None of the own voices reviews I've read thought this was an accurate portrayal of Islam so I'm going to give this a miss.

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book! I absolutely loved it! Danyal was such a loveable main character, and I loved his relationship with Bisma, as well as Bisma's relationship with her sister! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, family focused emotional read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review

It took me about 100 pages to get into the story (up until then I found the mc rather unlikeable). There is a lot to unpack here. Some of it I really liked, and some of it rubbed me the wrong way. Things I liked: 1) Danyal's passion for cooking and his dedication to his dreams. 2) Bisma and her intelligence and attitude. Things I wasn't that fond of: 1) Danyal's insistence that he's an idiot, and the fact that everyone (even his friends) constantly remind him of it. Reading some of these passages came across as a smart person trying to imitate what they think someone dumb wouldn't know and it was kind of awkward. 2) His friends. I would have changed schools if I had friends like this. There were some nice moments, but overall I found them unsupportive to the point of cruelty.

I can't speak to the accuracy of the Muslim rep in this book. I think the characters showed a range of attitudes towards their religion that felt authentic to me (in terms of teens relating to any religion they are brought up in). One thing I did appreciate was the way that Danyal used what he knew of his religion to inspire peace and love in those around him. Overall, I think it was worth the read.

I feel more than a little uncomfortable recommending a rom-com in which the entire premise rests on a sexist religious/cultural belief that a woman is ruined if she has sex before marriage. The fact that Bisma is publicly shamed and considered unmarriageable because of one teenage action is despicable. The only saving grace is that Danyal is supposed to stay virginal too, although I'm sure the consequences if he had strayed from the path would have been much less severe.

Having said that, I will admit that this book is delightful - well-written, funny, romantic, and meaningful all at the same time. Danyal is a great hero and I loved his journey from handsome, flirtatious goofball to a young man with more depth than he realizes, the wisdom to understand what is important in a relationship, and the courage to follow his personal and professional dreams. And the truth he discovers about how history tells the story of marginalized groups has a great deal of relevance to America in 2020, even though he is focusing on tragic events that happened a century ago and a continent away from us.

The secondary characters, especially Danyal's two BFFs (who function as the angel/devil on his shoulder) and Bisma's little sister are well-developed and add a lot of richness to the story. I wish Bisma had a bit more of her own arc, and that she didn't need Danyal to rescue her from her status as damaged goods, but you could say that by helping Danyal with his school project she is also saving him by showing him that he can be more than the titular pretty face.

The story is also plotted tightly, with Danyal's growth and change leading up to two spectacular climactic scenes that are practically cinematic (please don't ruin the book by making it into a movie). It's not often that I read a book that makes me laugh, think and swoon but this one did all three. Great job for a debut novel Mr. Masood!

N.B. I see that some Muslim reviewers are not happy with the portrayal of Islam in the book. I can't comment on that, but I will say that as a Jewish person I know there are many different versions of my religion, some of which would have shamed Bisma in the same way for her actions and others that would have shrugged and moved on. So maybe it's possible that there are equally numerous variations on Islam.