Named one of Pop Sugar’s Best Books to Put in your Beachbag this summer and one of the best books of July. A Booktrib “Romance to get you in the swing for Wedding Season” of 2019A Book Riot “Five New Diverse Romantic Comedies”Bustle’s “21 new summer novels to spice up your summer reading”To Leila Abid’s traditional Indian parents, finding a husband is as easy as match, meet, marry. Yes, she wants … Abid’s traditional Indian parents, finding a husband is as easy as match, meet, marry. Yes, she wants to marry, but after 26 years of singledom, even Leila is starting to get nervous. And to make matters worse, her parents are panicking, the neighbors are talking, and she’s wondering, are her expectations just too high?
But for Leila, a marriage of arrangement clashes with her lifelong dreams of a Bollywood romance, where real love happens before marriage, not the other way around. So she decides it’s time to stop dreaming and start dating.
It’s an impossible mission of satisfying her parents’ expectations, while also fulfilling her own western ideals of love. But after a series of speed dates, blind dates, online dates and even ambush dates, the sparks just don’t fly! Now, with the marriage clock ticking, and her 3-month deadline looming in the horizon, Leila must face the consequences of what might happen if she doesn’t find “the one…”
more
An intimate and entertaining glimpse into the life of a young Muslim American woman whose family wants her married. Now! You’ll want to read this in one sitting.
I chose to read The Marriage Clock because I’m always interested in reading own voices writing about their culture. About this time last year I read a book the premise of which was finding a man through match.com. Though that book was comical, at the end I felt unsatisfied as a reader as the female protagonist didn’t seem to grow emotionally from her experiences. That is not true of The Marriage Clock. I flew through this book in just a few hours. Raheem’s writing style is simple, direct, and easy to read. Her characters, particularly Leila, are fully developed, funny, and all-to-human. She is a first-generation American with Indian parents. Leila is frequently torn between her more liberal American self and her family-loving Muslim self. Often she’s frustrated by her more traditional parents who have decided it is time she fulfill her destiny and marry, thus starting the countdown on The Marriage Clock. Leila is convinced she’ll find a partner equal to the men her favorite Bollywood movies but with more liberal qualities of an American male tossed into the pot.
Raheem’s description of Leila’s trials in finding a husband range from sad to pathetic to hysterical. Her marital rejects are each individualized with traits that range from funny to totally bizarre: the guy who uses the sound “bam” to punctuate every sentence, the one who asks about the past medical history of Leila and her entire family; the one who’s far older than he admits to; the one who’s already engaged, but fails to divulge this to Leila; and finally, the one who “ghosts” her after a seemingly-great date in which she thinks they really connected. I lived extensively in the Muslim world (though I’ve forgotten every word of Urdu I ever knew) and the world Raheem has created is very real.
This was not a typical romantic comedy, though those elements are present. There is depth to the narration, and the characters are all well-developed, especially Leila’s family and friends. In addition, the glimpses into the Muslim Indian community and culture are wonderful. The Marriage Clock is also an amusing look into traditional arranged marriages with “auntie” matchmakers, biodata spreadsheets compiled by Leila’s parents, speed-dating, and dating apps. The joy of this book, as mentioned above, is the personal growth of Leila and her journey to self-acceptance.
2.5 ? its disappointing.
The heroine Leila is an immature selfish, 26 yr old who has all these umpteen requirements in her prospective groom. Each and every one of these are based on Bollywood heroes. She also believes in falling in love Bollywood style with song and dance sequence. Oh! Come on haven’t you figured out the difference between reality and make belief? To top her immaturity up we have all these double standards she adheres to :
1. She wants a perfect packaged guy so that it’s easy to get him approved by her parents .What?? All.l Bollywood inspires us to fight till our last breath for our true love.
2. Shes so against arranged marriage- umpteen movies showcasing love after marriage. Rab Ne Banadi jodi? Hello?
3. She wants someone who doesn’t stick with gender stereotypes…so why does she hate it when Mahmud talks of splitting the tab?
The double standards adopted by her is unacceptable.
I didn’t like Zeeshan dropping Tanvi. Her HEA was imminent and some optimism is needed. Its a romance. Even Leila, why didn’t she reconnect with Zain or Mahmud? Hisham was a great character- disappointed there too. For.all the Bollywood these guys hae devoured, they haven’t emulated any of its maxims.
This book had so much potential but its fallen flat on its face.
Recommended: meh
This is a sweet and honest book about a young woman navigating a culture clash while finding a match. The characters are way more complex than one would expect.
This book was fantastic. It was so witty at times, I laughed-out-loud (the speed-dating scene was hilarious). Yet it was also heartbreaking, frustrating, and enlightening. There were times I wanted to scream at Leila to tell her mom to leave her alone, but I grew to understand the culture in which she was raised. The descriptions of India – the food, the sights, the smells – put me right there. I honestly had no idea what was going to happen and each time I thought I knew, the author tossed out another bump in the road. It was unpredictable in a great way! I sort of hoped for a different ending, but the one the author chose was absolutely perfect for the book.
I look forward to more books from this author. On my to-do list is to watch a Bollywood movie 🙂
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.
I LOVED this book. Like totally loved. Leila is funny and adorable and you only want good things for her (and men who don’t ghost her say “BAM” too much or ask about her genetic history or gives her his honest age…). You really feel how she’s torn between loving her culture and being frustrated by it (and her well-meaning, lovable, but at times frustrating parents). Her struggle for balance is so genuine.
And every single character is so well-drawn, form Leila’s group of friends, to her various dates (and their parents, to her family in India, each is unique and special and you can totally hear everyone’s voice.
And the writing–beautiful. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments as well as poignant ones. Lelia’s story is familiar and unique and where her journey will take her is up in the air through the entire piece, keeping you reading until the very end. I am so happy I got to read this as an ARC. I can’t recommend this book enough!