This Is How You Fall In Love

Product Information

Have you ever enjoyed something so much that it felt like you were floating the whole time? Well, that’s how I felt throughout this whole book. There is a nice message at the end about the love of friends being the most important kind of love, and I’d definitely recommend this to a teenage or tweenage reader, especially one looking for representation of themselves in books or who could do with some diverse reading. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Having a romance fan (both of books and movies) as a main character really added a little extra something to this story. We definitely see how expectations clash with reality, how everything Zara builds up in her head doesn’t end up happening as planned, because, well, life isn’t a perfect rom-com.Though she’s obsessed with romcom novels and movies, Zara has yet to star in her own love story. In the meantime, her life revolves around her beloved Desi family and her best mates - Sadie, who sets about making a documentary film project about love, and Adnan, her best friend since childhood, who everyone thinks would be her ideal leading man, including their parents. The Nottinghill Carnival takes central stage in this story about families, memories and the power of dance and festivals. Author Yaba Badoe tells... There are lots of groups where authors and readers can connect, right? That's probably what you're thinking. And that's a val Want new readers/books? The course of true love never did run smooth, but Zara's love story is messier than most... A hilarious and heartfelt romcom, told with a light touch, perfect for fans of TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE, EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY and HANI AND ISHU'S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING.

A combination of pop-culture references, classic rom-com elements, and fun banter makes for an engaging read. Hussain perfectly captures the very essence of what makes a good teen rom-com; a healthy dose angst, quirky meet cutes, lashings of humour and a host of well meaning but nosey loved ones (friends and family) who may or may not be a little too invested in the protagonist’s relationship. Best friends, fake dating, friends-to-lovers twists and a whopping web of secrets — Anika Hussain’s This is How You Fall in Love has a wonderful Desi girl at its beating heart and reels with romcom entertainment.He inches closer to me, his forehead pressed against mine, the warmth of his breath beginning to thaw my heart. ‘I need to know, Zara, do you love him?'” – Yahya, This is How You Fall in Love Zara loves all kinds of romance stories in novels and movies, yet she is still longing for her very own. She is surrounded by her Desi family and friends, including her childhood best friend Adnan, but when they move from best friends to fake dating, the pair need to keep up the act even around Adnan's real girlfriend. Jealousy begins to bubble and Zara finds herself in an awkward position. Her true feelings for another are showing, making Zara's love life a very confusing story. Not exactly how Zara had imagined how her dreamy love romance would take place... Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review! The writing was wonderfully compelling and the characters well developed and full of depth. I particularly loved Zara, our adorable, rom-com loving bookworm and protagonist. She’s such a sweet, compassionate and loyal friend whose commitment to helping the people she cares about is beyond words. I mean she literally embodies the mates before dates mantra—even when doing so hinders her own plans or happiness. However, the characters annoyed the HELL out of me. Every single one of them. Especially Adnan and Cami, who, despite asking Zara to do this massive favour for them so they could be together in secret, had the audacity to be mad at her for not doing that quite right. There were parts where I was pretty confused about - like, why couldn't they just hang out without Zara there, especially somewhere not in public? I didn't quite understand all of that. It felt like Cami and Zara were just being pitted against each other for drama's sake and I think it would've been a better message for that not to happen.

most of all, I fell in love with myself. I embraced that I am who I am, no excuses, and I realised that I don’t need to cater to what everyone else wants for me. I can still be loved by those around me while doing what I want’. overall, i feel this book is a really fun contemporary YA novel that has really relatable and enjoyable/ likeable characters. it’s a great story and i would definitely recommend! There’s a lot to like about this book, though written for a much younger reader than me (once again I find 17 year olds more fun to read about than millennials). I like the South Asian representation and the fact that neither set of parents is stereotyped – Zara’s parents are second generation British and had a hard time themselves and are trying not to do that. Yes, there is a South Asian diabetes thread but then that does educate. Terms for clothes and food and other cultural things are used and not explained, which I always like. The friendship group is mixed and multicultural, which is nice, too. Zara loves love in all forms: 90s romcoms and romance novels and grand sweeping gestures. And she's desperate to have her own great love story. Crucially, a realone. So when her best friend Adnan begs her to pretend to date him to cover up his new top-secret relationship, Zara is hesitant. This isn't the kind of thing she had in mind. But there's something in it for Zara too: making her parents, who love Adnan, happy might just stop them arguing for a while. She may not be getting her own love story, but she could save theirs. So Zara agrees and the act begins: after all, how different can pretending to be in a relationship with your best friend be to just hanging around with them like usual? Turns out, a lot. With fake dating comes fake hand-holding and fake kissing and real feelings... and when a new boy turns up in Zara's life, things get more confusing than ever. The course of true love never did run smoothly, but Zara's love story is messier than most...

Age range(s)

Only promote your work in the promotion categories, which will be clearly labeled by genre. Failing to follow this rule won't make you many friends. Sorry. All of which leaves readers expecting that very thing to happen to Zara and Adnan. Cue much confusion and soul-searching realisations on the path to heart-stirring happiness. So Zara agrees and the act begins: after all, how different can pretending to be in a relationship w ith your best friend be to just hanging around with them like usual? Turns out, a lot. With fake dating comes fake hand-holding and fake kissing and real feelings... And when a new boy turns up in Zara's life, things get more confusing than ever. The course of true love never did run smooth, but Zara's love story is messier than most.

One of my favorite things about This is How You Fall in Love was the characters. The main character of this story, Zara, is a Desi teenager, a bookworm, a romantic at heart and a huge fan of rom-coms. I found the way she was depicted realistic as a whole: she makes mistakes, she’s sometimes angry and impulsive, she’s certainly a teenager in all of her glory and, well, that’s a young adult book and I expected it. Most of it all, I loved it. I immediately found myself caring for her and wanting her to have her own happy ending.Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. Zara and Adnan are just friends. Always have been, always will be. Even if they have to pretend to be girlfriend and boyfriend... i thought i would of been able to predict the way the book was going but the plot twist threw me for a loop and i really enjoyed how that made this book differentiate from others. the desi representation was so enlightening and inspiring too. Anika Hussain’s debut follows two British-Bangladeshi teens, who inadvertently test the bonds of their friendship by deciding to fake date in this brilliantly heartfelt and humour-filled YA rom-com that explores their unconventional path to dating, friendship and romance.