Review of Accidentally Engaged

Book:  Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron

Source: I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: March 2nd, 2021

Pages: 357

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Have you ever read a good book during a bad reading slump? That’s what happened to me with this book. I first started reading my NetGalley copy of this book back in February in preparation for its release, but then a slump took hold. I was really enjoying myself, but it was difficult for me to continue as the slump took away all my interest in reading for a long while. However, before the slump hit, I had requested a physical copy of the book as well, and to my great delight, the lovely people at Forever sent one to me. Unfortunately, not even the physical book was holding my interest at the time. BUT THEN! Just a few weeks ago, I picked this book up again. I started from the beginning since it had been about 6 months and I absolutely adored it! I had liked what I had read the first time, but the second time, without a slump to cloud my feelings, I just had the best time reading!

Me during my slump

Now that you have an explanation for why it took me so long to read and review this book, I think it’s about time I tell you what the book is actually about! Accidentally Engaged follows Reena Manji, who’s sick and tired of her parents setting her up with random men. She just wants to be left alone to bake some bread in peace. So when she finds out that Nadim, the hot neighbor she just met, is actually someone that her parents intend for her to marry, she loses all interest in dating him. However, when Reena wants to enter a cooking competition that requires couples, Nadim is the perfect choice. But is all his on camera flirting really fake?

To start with, Reena and Nadim are just so much fun to read about. I love how complicated their relationship was, yet how simple it was for them to be friends and have fun with one another. These two were there for one another when they were down, frequently gave one another gifts, and helped each other out regardless of what needed to be done. Their relationship developed so organically and wonderfully. It was so easy to see what their hesitations were about entering a relationship, but it was also quite easy to see why they would make such a great couple.

But the romantic relationship wasn’t the only one I enjoyed! Reena has some great friends that help her out, and in fact are the ones that introduce her to the cooking competition. She also has a best friend that recently moved away, but despite that distance, the two remain as close as ever. And then of course we have all the familial relationships. I really appreciated the balance between how exasperated Reena was with her family with how much she loved her family. Family interactions can be complex and I loved that we got to see both the good and bad in equal measure. I especially thought that the evolution of Reena’s relationship with her sister was fantastic.

There were also so many little lines, comments, and scenes in this book that I adored but I think it’s best to experience those for yourself. From discussions about culture, to musings on the impact of bread, this book does a fantastic job of taking the little things and giving them time to shine and get their moment in the spotlight. This isn’t a super plot heavy book, but I appreciated how that gave us time to really understand the characters and everything they valued. That’s what made the book so wonderful for me.

Also, I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoilers, but I really enjoyed how Reena and Nadim’s story ended. I found it to be a nice, unexpected twist that worked so well to show how much growth these characters had gone through. I don’t tend to pay much mind to most romance endings, but this one felt super sweet to me in a way I hadn’t experienced in a while.

4.5 STARS

In the end I gave this book 4.5 stars, because of how intricate all of the relationships in this book were. Even Reena’s relationship with baking bread was amazing! This book captured my interest from start to finish, and I’m so glad that I picked it up again when I was ready to enjoy this story to its fullest!

Which book did you have to put down because of a slump but ended up loving? Do you enjoy the fake dating trope? Do you enjoy complicated family relationships?

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