Finding Mr Perfectly Fine: 'I loved it. Utterly charming' Jenny Colgan, the freshest and funniest romcom of 2022

Product Information

If Adam was a spice, he would be paprika. A little smoky, a little spicy, the perfect spice to give a curry a depth of colour. Hamza, on the other hand, is more like turmeric. Plain but dependable. You need it in every curry, but you don’t really know why.’

So I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, some parts I actually laughed out loud. I liked that religion and culture was woven in. As a 31 years old, single Bangladeshi, Muslim woman, I could relate to Zara in certain areas like people making you feel old and mum asking you to agree to get married (although my mum really does this on occasion). Fearless (Taylor's Version): The From The Vault Chapter - EP". Apple Music. May 26, 2021. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021 . Retrieved May 31, 2021.As Zara juggles messaging men, going on dates with Hamza who seems a nice guy and shared her values but she sadly doesn’t fancy and then she starts feeling sparks with Adam the graphics designer at work suddenly the waters are very muddy! It will definitely give prospective marriage candidates food for thought, thinking about their own personal boundaries and how one can reconcile matters of the heart alongside the practicalities of life. For me, it brought up questions about whether finding a spouse is really the be-all and end-all? Why can’t society and culture allow you to be simply as you are?

I really enjoyed all the different cultural aspects described, discussed and included in this book. I learnt things about Islam that I hadn’t previously known as well as about Bengali, Egyptian and Turkish culture which was something I enjoyed reading about. This book did also focus a lot on self-love and discovery which was really nice and Zara did noticeable change throughout the narrative to reflect this.a b "Credits / Mr. Perfectly Fine / Taylor Swift". Tidal. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021 . Retrieved April 7, 2021. As Tasneem, a British Bengali writer, born and raised in London, says in the afterword, Zara’s journey towards love and self-discovery is one that transcends cultures. I think this statement works on two levels and really shows how brilliant her novel is. I mean her sister put on a hijab as a disguise which was meant to make her look ugly? and she was immediately uncomfortable after putting it on? and their first thought was about getting hate crimed? like what???

Zara knows she can’t just meet any man without her mother’s approval. But she meets Hamza a British Egyptian with a lovely Arabic accent at a chocolate making event. He is nothing more than real proper gentleman who really likes Zara. But I must say it’s a shame she doesn’t fancy him. Last week I turned 29. Along with the usual homemade Victoria sponge, helium balloon and Selfridges gift vouchers, my Mum's birthday present to me was the threat that if I'm not engaged by my 30th birthday, she's sending me off to the Motherland to find a fresh-from-the-Desh husband As Zara’s parents compile the equivalent of a dating CV to be distributed within the community and ramp up the suitor search efforts she starts to feel disillusioned and exhausted by it all. With her big birthday looming, and family pressure intensifying Zara knows she must make a decision, but will she make the right one? This book was my companion whilst I was in hospital with a serious virus that infected my knee. As I went through a roller-coaster of emotions, Tasneem asked me, ‘What can I do? How can I help you?’ The hours dragged on in the hospital and I wished out loud, if only her book was published. She then generously sent me a digital copy of her book with her final edit notes on it, weeks before release! Boy, was I excited! What a privilege!Well it would spoilers to let you know if Zara manages to wriggle through this mammoth task of finding the right for now husband, and arranging a marriage in less than a year. The first one is all about dating life. The reader follows Zara, how she puts herself out there, wants to date, find love with all the excitement that goes with it. At the same time, she is vulnerable for showing the world who she is and what she wants. No matter who you are, straight, queer, male, female, non-binary, etc. putting yourself out there, into the dating world, always comes with risks of being hurt, heartbroken and rejected as Zara and other characters in the novel experience. Mr Perfectly Fine reminded me a lot of Bridget Jones, minus the partying and booze. Zara Chowdhury a British-Bangladeshi 29-year-old from North London. Like most South-Asian parents, Zara’s parents are concerned that she’s almost 30 and unmarried. With her homemade Victoria Sponge cake, Zara’s mum gives her a threat: if she’s not engaged by her 30th birthday, she will be sent to Bangladesh to find a ‘fresh-from-the-desh’ husband. Exhausted by her mum’s archaic marriage resources, Zara takes matters into her own hands. She joins a dating app and signs up for speed dating. Zara meets Hamza - a kind British Egyptian who shares her values, but the spark isn’t there, especially when she cannot stop thinking about a certain Turkish man who works with her.

It's the same for all of us. Throughout the novel there are so many moments, scenes and chapters where exactly that happens. Sometimes I had to laugh because one of Zara’s dates turned so awkward (we have all been there), other times I desperately wanted to know how it continues because it felt so exciting (we have all been there too) and sometimes I almost cried because some dates, some break ups were so sad or humiliating ( we have all been there too unfortunately). Use italics (lyric) and bold (lyric) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song partI believe Tasneem did an excellent job explaining the differences between cultural norms within Sylheti Bangladeshi communities and Islam; this was consistent throughout the book. At one point, the hijab was depicted as subduing one of the character’s beauty, this being very common in our culture where hijab is associated with being unattractive, unappealing or something that old people wear. I have witnessed this attitude first-hand unfortunately, and true of cultural attitudes in both Bangladesh and the UK. As a Muslim hijab-wearer, I can understand how this may be misconstrued, that it feeds into the mainstream narrative that the hijab is ‘ugly’. However, you have to read this in context as it is reflective of non-mainstream Bengali attitudes too, not to mention that in Islam, hijab is meant to ‘hide’ your beauty, not display it. Taylor Swift Shares A New 'From The Vault' Song, 'Mr. Perfectly Fine' ". Uproxx. April 7, 2021. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021 . Retrieved April 7, 2021. Now, with no advance warning... However I absolutely hated it, this book is a literal abomination. The author constantly put younger’s in a bad light by talking about how all they want is “boyfriends” and “hookups” when that’s not that case and a lot of the youth do want a pure respectful courtship and marriage. Zara dives head first into online dating and soon has two suitors on the go. A third suitor from an unexpected place also joins the line up, all Zara needs to do is not mess up... The second point that was absolutely amazing and beautiful to experience about Zara is her journey towards a new self-discovery after everything that has happened in her life, the good, the bad and the very dark (no spoilers, you’ll have to read it).