de Amal Awad
Set in Sydney, Australia, Courting Samira is a charming, big-hearted rom-com about a twenty-seven-year-old Palestinian woman who finds herself in an unexpected love triangle—a sparkling ode to meddling best friends, traditional courtship, The Princess Bride, and, of course, the possibility of love.
"Come for the drool-worthy mentions of kanafeh and baklava; stay for the wit and relatable family politics. A must-read for anyone looking for a romantic comedy that's heavy on the comedy, with a heavy sprinkling of sweet, clean romance." —Sara Sharaf Beg, author of Salaam, With Love
"A wry, endearing Bridget Jones set in Sydney's Muslim community." —BookPage
Coming from a moderately traditional Muslim family, twenty-seven-year-old Samira Abdel-Aziz has endured her fair share of arranged matches—first dates she calls "doorknock appeals," where she and her possible suitors eat snacks in her living room in the company of both sets of parents. Her general rule: no shoes with tassels, no cheesy leather jackets, no mustaches. A girl has to have some standards, right? The truth is, Samira is already experiencing enough wedding drama as an assistant at Bridal Bazaar magazine and as a gofer for her soon-to-be-married cousin and nemesis Zahra. She's not sure she needs to add any of her own.
When she meets the charismatic Menem at a work retreat, Samira finds herself intrigued. But her best friend Lara insists Menem isn't right for her, and now her childhood friend Hakeem has begun behaving oddly. Adding to the confusion, Samira is seeking a promotion at work, yet isn't sure it's the job of her dreams. Suddenly, her life is full of drama and complications, and she realizes that part of growing up is making difficult choices about what—and whom—she really wants.
Set in Sydney, Australia, Courting Samira is a charming, big-hearted rom-com about a twenty-seven-year-old Palestinian woman who finds herself in an unexpected love triangle—a sparkling ode to meddling best friends, traditional courtship, The Princess Bride, and, of course, the possibility of love.
"Come for the drool-worthy mentions of kanafeh and baklava; stay for the wit and relatable family politics. A must-read for anyone looking for a romantic comedy that's heavy on the comedy, with a heavy sprinkling of sweet, clean romance." —Sara Sharaf Beg, author of Salaam, With Love
"A wry, endearing Bridget Jones set in Sydney's Muslim community." —BookPage
Coming from a moderately traditional Muslim family, twenty-seven-year-old Samira Abdel-Aziz has endured her fair share of arranged matches—first dates she calls "doorknock appeals," where she and her possible suitors eat snacks in her living room in the company of both sets of parents. Her general rule: no shoes with tassels, no cheesy leather jackets, no mustaches. A girl has to have some standards, right? The truth is, Samira is already experiencing enough wedding drama as an assistant at Bridal Bazaar magazine and as a gofer for her soon-to-be-married cousin and nemesis Zahra. She's not sure she needs to add any of her own.
When she meets the charismatic Menem at a work retreat, Samira finds herself intrigued. But her best friend Lara insists Menem isn't right for her, and now her childhood friend Hakeem has begun behaving oddly. Adding to the confusion, Samira is seeking a promotion at work, yet isn't sure it's the job of her dreams. Suddenly, her life is full of drama and complications, and she realizes that part of growing up is making difficult choices about what—and whom—she really wants.
Critiques-
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September 11, 2023
With this sweet contemporary, Awad (Bitter and Sweet) introduces 27-year-old magazine editor Samira Abdel-Aziz, a Palestinian Muslim living with her parents in Sydney, Australia. For Samira, dating is a family endeavor, requiring the approval of her parents and her suitor’s parents, as well as back-and-forth negotiations between the families with the understanding that marriage is the goal. After a string of lackluster arranged matches, she meets handsome, charming Menem by chance at a team-building retreat with her office. They run into each other again when it turns out that Menem’s brother is marrying Samira’s bridezilla cousin, and she learns that he is Lebanese, Muslim, single, and interested in her. They decide to keep the fact that they’ve already met each other quiet and clandestinely work to get their parents to set them up. All is going well, until another suitor, her childhood friend Hakeem, makes a play for Samira’s heart and she reluctantly finds herself at the center of a love triangle. Awad brings a great deal of nuance, specificity, and heart to her depiction of Muslim culture, especially the differences between Samira’s Palestinian and Menem’s Lebanese backgrounds. Readers will have no trouble rooting for Samira to find true love. Agent: Katy McEwen, Pantera Press. -
September 15, 2023
Twenty-seven-year-old Samira Abdel-Aziz works at a bridal magazine in Sydney and, in her free time, receives "door knockers," young men and their families who visit with her family to see if she is potential wife material. She's open to the possibility of meeting her husband in such a traditional way, but so far all of the men looked like manga characters or wore tassled shoes or were otherwise unsuitable. On a work trip, she meets Menem, handsome and Muslim, who seems interested in her. When her archrival and cousin Zahra gets engaged, Samira is called upon for bridesmaid duty, only to find that Menem is the future groom's brother. Despite this connection, none of her friends seem enthusiastic about the potential match, least of all her "fundy" childhood friend, Hakeem. Awad's charming, funny novel, originally self-published in Australia, is rich with details of Muslim culture (religious practices as well as familial "Arab guilt") and references to Jane Austen and The Princess Bride. Readers will root for Samira as she tackles workplace drama, friendship issues, and romantic angstCOPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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October 1, 2023
A young Muslim woman looks for love the traditional way in her hometown of Sydney. Twenty-seven-year-old Samira Abdel-Aziz is tired of "door-knock appeals"--the Muslim courtship ritual in which she and her family entertain a suitor and his family to see if there's a connection. So far, for Samira, there hasn't been. She's also unhappy at her job as an editorial assistant at Bridal Bazaar magazine. On an outdoor team-building excursion, she meets Menem, a handsome blond man who happens to be Muslim as well. The two hit it off and are soon texting and "accidentally" running into each other at the coffee shop near their respective workplaces--this being a loophole to the classic rules of courtship. Her childhood friend Hakeem tells her she's too trusting. Her cousin Lara insists that Hakeem is in love with Samira himself, though he hasn't bothered with his own door-knock. On top of this, Samira is expected to help with her loathed cousin Zahra's wedding preparations. Samira is witty and funny, sensitive and sweet, a lover of movies and books. Her chatty narration makes her pleasant to spend time with, and she's refreshingly secure in her relationship to her family and culture. But there are some missed opportunities to deepen the story. Oblique references to "The Boy" imply that Samira has had her heart broken before, but the backstory is never given. The name "Menem" is remarked upon as unusual more than once, but readers never get to hear the reason behind it, which might have given the character more specificity. As Zahra's wedding preparations ramp up, Samira's feelings for Menem deepen and she gets more and more (often condescending) noise from those around her. How will she follow her heart? A tad slow to develop but with a winning heroine.COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
