The Love Match
Written by Priyanka Taslim
Published by Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Zahra Khan is basically Bangladeshi royalty, but being a princess doesn’t pay the bills in Paterson, New Jersey. While Zahra’s plans for financial security this summer involve working long hours at Chai Ho and saving up for college writing courses, Amma is convinced that all Zahra needs is a “good match,” Jane Austen style.
Enter Harun Emon, who’s wealthy, devastatingly handsome, and…aloof. As soon as Zahra meets him, she knows it’s a bad match. It’s nothing like the connection she has with Nayim Aktar, the new dishwasher at the tea shop, who just gets Zahra in a way no one has before. So, when Zahra finds out that Harun is just as uninterested in this match as she is, they decide to slowly sabotage their parents’ plans. And for once in Zahra’s life, she can have her rossomalai and eat it too: “dating” Harun and keeping Amma happy while catching real feelings for Nayim.
But life–and boys–can be more complicated than Zahra realizes. With her feelings all mixed up, Zahra discovers that sometimes being a good Bengali kid can be a royal pain.
Primary ISBN: 9781665901109
Publication Date: January 2023
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult , Age 12 or older
Community Represented: Bangladeshi/Bangladeshi American, Muslim/Muslim American
Themes: Community Action, Family Relationship: Parents, Generation: 1st, Genre: Romance, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Religious Background: Muslim, The Arts
Setting: United States (Paterson, NJ)
Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: 2nd Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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