ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Tropes:

road trip, only one bed, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine

Steam level: none 

I kind of wish I had read the author's note (posted as a review here on Goodreads) before requesting this ARC, or at least so I could adjust my expectations. Because both characters are Muslim, I was expecting a halal romance, but that's not what this is. It doesn't go beyond kissing, but I wasn't expecting it to go even there, so I found myself getting somewhat annoyed by what I saw as a bit of bamboozling. Not the author's fault; I should've done more research.

I really appreciated her note at the beginning of the book, about how things that are actually part of a culture are often attributed to the religion of Islam, and how everyone's experience as a Muslim is different. I'm not desi, so I can't speak to that part of the representation, but I do understand some of Maya's frustrations when it comes to being held back because she is a woman. That is, unfortunately, part of my culture, too. The author's love for Pakistan shines through here. I enjoyed how much she leaned into the cultural aspects and how she managed to still explain them for an audience not familiar with desi culture, without it feeling like it was written for non-desi people.

I do want to comment on the Muslim representation, though. In her Goodreads note, the author says: "but just because there is physical touch in this book does not negate the Muslim-ness of the characters, because being halal isn't all that it takes to be Muslim. it is the love of and devotion to Allah (SWT) that makes you Muslim, and then the decision of if you're good/bad is only up to God."

I don't want to comment on that sentiment, but I do want to say that, unfortunately, I didn't feel any of that coming from Maya or Sarfaraz. It's not that the name of Allah is never mentioned, it's just that it all feels very casual. There are a couple of references to Maya making up prayers because she missed them, but she never prays on time. It doesn't seem to be a priority. One reason why I'm always excited to read books with Muslim characters, is because I like reading about them practicing their faith, in both casual and not casual ways, and that part was missing for me.

Despite my dissatisfaction with that part, I did enjoy the story itself. I'm not usually a fan of road trip-like plots, but this one worked well for me for some reason. The dynamic between Maya and Sarfaraz was pretty fun. I do wish Sarfaraz hasn't been

Imtiaz's brother, because I'm really not a fan of someone knowingly kissing his brother's fiancé. That's really shitty behavior in my book, and was waved away way too easily

. But this had its cute and funny moments, and was an enjoyable read overall.