From the Bookshelf of Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge…

Ayesha at Last

Uzma Jalaluddin

Start date: May 1, 2021

Finish date: May 31, 2021

Discussion: 2021 Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: May 2021 monthly group read for "a book by a Muslim-American author" (or Muslim-Canadian, in this case - …more
[close] May 2021 monthly group read for "a book by a Muslim-American author" (or Muslim-Canadian, in this case - Canada is part of America!)

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2021 Monthly Group Reads

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* 2021 Monthly Group Reads - the Final List of Categories and Books
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What Members Thought

Jul 08, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: canada, fiction, romance-contemporary, retellings

Jalaluddin has written a delightfully fresh and updated Pride and Prejudice retelling (with a sprinkling of Shakespeare) set in a tight-knit Muslim community in Toronto. The Austen structure is there, but it never felt forced in part because of the strength of the main characters. Ayesha is the modern woman, dreaming of writing poetry while working as a teacher at the local high school. She is a good support to her flighty cousin, which is how she ends up volunteering for an event at the local m ...more

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Aug 05, 2019 Eva rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Ayesha is a young Muslim woman who enjoys writing poetry and takes on a job as a substitute teacher. She lives with her mother, brother and grandparents in a small townhome in the Scarborough area of Toronto. Ayesha is close with her cousin Hafsa who seeks to challenge the boundaries of her religion by being flashy and seeing boys. Ayesha attracts the attention of a devout Muslim man while impersonating her cousin so that Hafsa’s parents don’t discover what she is really doing. This is the begin ...more

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May 30, 2019 Piepie | The Napping Bibliophile rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-inspired, ebooks, read-in-2019

Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc. I read this book in two days - it was a fairly quick read. I'm sure I would have appreciated this book more if I was more of the target audience. But overall, it was pretty good. It had clever and strong Pride & Prejudice references. Ayesha was great, and I loved her shy, introverted "Darcy." I think this is a book to look into if you liked Pride, Prejudice, & Other Flavors or Crazy Rich Asians. ...more

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Sep 11, 2020 Heather rated it really liked it

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Feb 16, 2021 Laurii rated it liked it

Shelves: 2021-popsugar

I loved the romance between the main characters and the grandparents were great. There's a lot going on though- it got unwieldy at times and the end felt kind of rushed. Also, I had some issues with how the workplace storyline was resolved. Overall though, it was pretty enjoyable! ...more

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Jul 30, 2022 Julie rated it really liked it

A unique retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I loved the setting, a Muslim community in Canada, and the family complexities that moved the story forward. This is the second Jaluddin novel I’ve read and O really like her writing.

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