Ayesha and Khalid meet at a lounge, in which he judges her for. I'm not sure how I feel about them being all addressed in one story as it overwhelmed it at times(forced arranged marriages, alcoholism, abortion, feminism, workplace discrimination, assumed online nudes, colorism, ageism, intense family dynamics, more than I can remember tbh) but I'm sure those are many things that can be present in one person's family let alone a book full of many characters.

There were a bunch of heavy topics in this book. I haven't read PaP, but I love takes on it that feature poc. It is the author's take on Pride and Prejudice. I am not Muslim, but I love reading Muslim couples in romance and seeing how similar and different they get together. But it is a romance, a halal romance in fact. So much, that at times it doesn't feel like a romance. Looking into the rumors, she finds she has to deal with not only what she discovers about Khalid, but also the truth she realizes about herself. When a surprise engagement is announced between Khalid and Hafsa, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and the unsettling new gossip she hears about his family.

She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices, and who dresses like he belongs in the seventh century. Then she meets Khalid, who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental.

Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn't want an arranged marriage. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her 100th marriage proposal. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job, so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. One of Publishers Weekly 's Best Romance Books of 2019!Ī modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice for a new generation of love.Īyesha Shamsi has a lot going on. As seen on the Today Show ! One of the best summer romance picks!

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin