But if you expect to read one of these books where a woman is married to a stranger, constantly abused by her husband and then forced to flee across several countries to get away from an ill-tempered bastard – well, this is not that book. The mistreatments are harsh but are mostly inflicted by her own extended family (further, the graphics in this book are very subtle, since this is a YA book, after all). Nalia’s family tells her a trip to Pakistan to spend time with all their extended family is just want they all need. Their stay should be only a few weeks. What happens when weeks become months and then a marriage is arranged? This obsession with marriage might seem weird to a person who hasn’t grown up in this culture, but in desi communities or Islamic ones (and the crisscross between these two is too tangled up to properly make clear, even to our own communities) marriage is seen as a representation of community, of good will. A marriage doesn’t only bring the bride and groom together but also their families. Joint living systems encourage more than two people to have stakes in the marriage, with elders considering it their responsibility to solve disputes, and daughters seen as representations of the family honour. In such settings, it is the right of the elders to choose who will marry whom amongst the young, since the young are considered too naïve and inexperienced to make such a decision on their own. Questioning this system isn’t encouraged.

Elle was so cute and chaotic, with her heart on her sleeve, and Darcy was just a loveable mush ball surrounded by spiky thorns for her own protection! I loved Elle's vulnerability, but equally understood where Darcy was coming from. Elle and Darcy have little in common beyond pushy family trying to create a romance. Sure, they have sparks but that’s not enough to build a relationship on, is it? For Naila’s parents, the idea that Naila could conceivably have a boyfriend is beyond the realms of possibility. This particular aspect of the story felt very true to life, because most Pakistani parents are like this. I say most, because there is great variation amongst the types, of course. Some might not care at all, or might actually encourage their children to find their potential partners, while others are ready to kill their own children who dare to fall in love without parental permission. Our protagonist in this story is Naila, a Pakistani American teenager in her last year of high school – good lord she is so YOUNG – who is part of a very conventionally desi household. She has to attend lunches her brother gets to skip, she might be two years older but her 15-year-old brother gets the driving lessons, and so on. But these are injustices most desi girls learn to swallow because that’s just the way things are. Soon Naila will be going away to college, something she looks forwards to because she will finally be able to spend time properly with her boyfriend Saif.As you can see in the synopsis there are some astrology elements incorporated in the story (Elle is very into it). I thought it was incorporated in a great way. I am not super intro astrology (though I do love my Birthdate candles) but I still enjoyed it and some parts were funny. I chose this particular quote, because it embodies what Written in the Stars entails. It's a story of a teenage girl who had her voice, life, and freedom taken away from her.

As a Pakistani American I was hoping to being able to relate to this book, but I obviously didn't because the people and relatives I know about that live in Pakistan don't live a horrible life like the people in this book did. I also didn't relate to this book bc of the whole forced marriage issue. I know for a fact my parents won't force me to marry a guy without my consent. I know how I feel and I'm five hundred percent certain that on a scale of one to ten, I want to be with you, exactly as you are, infinity.”

You can of course guess what happens next! Why Love of course! It is after all, “Written in the Stars.” A clever, cute, sweet, and somewhat steamy read that was a perfect way to end 2020. Although I had to skim through all the steamy parts, this was a quite delightful rom-com that I highly recommend for those looking for an adorable, light, laugh out loud novel that hits all the right notes. Fun fact — the moon doesn't actually produce any light of its own. It reflects light from the sun, making it appear bright at night. So, if I look like the moon, I guess that means I'm reflecting the light thats around me.” ELLE: hetero + contextualize = heterotextualize DARCY: Huh. New word. Thanks for broadening my horizons. Secondly, I did not like the chemistry brewing between Naila and Saif. Little more work on their relationship would have been splendid. Rather I liked the slow understanding creeping between Amin and Naila.

The only true part I actively disliked though was Darcy’s brother. His involvement and meddling is supposedly affecting Darcy’s and Elle’s relationship positively; it’s him, after all, who sets them up and his meddling “helps” them along the way. But I absolutely hated him and his blatant disregard of boundaries that was downplayed at every turn. Every scene with him in it was a struggle to get through for me because he irritated me so much. Overall I did enjoy Darcy’s and Elle’s relationship and how it progressed throughout the book. After their initial terrible first date they do stay open minded about each other and their interests and build a good understanding of each other throughout. A huge thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books, and Alexandria Bellefleur for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. when i started the book, i would’ve given it a 5/5, but the ending is what made me take off a star. nevertheless, this was a great book that i recommend if you like romcoms with fake dating. When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship.This book isn't saying arranged marriages are bad, but arranging a marriage for someone, against their will and forcing them to marry is wrong. It's totally fine for parents to choose their childs partner in life as long as their daughter/son is willing to and saying it is okay. I hated Naila's parents. They didn't listen to her, they didn't let her explain herself and did this to her. Worst of all, they thought it was for her own good. I'm so glad my parents aren't like this and are more open minded. Excuse me, I'm gonna go hug my mom. I was so enthused when I started this book because these characters’ first meeting was a wild ride but so very perfect to set the tone, I just wished the rest had kept up. Speaking of, fandoms and fandom spaces were brought up a few times throughout this book but it never felt very organic and always a little contrived and off. Yesterday I shared a list of my favorite romances. Today I have another romance recommendation, here is my review of Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur. Synopsis