Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron

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Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall--with hopes that Reena will marry him.

But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.

As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.

Source: Netgalley; ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

This is a story about falling in love during a period of your life when it seems that the pressure of the world is closing in on you. Reena tries to compartmentalize her life to maintain her sanity. Her parents are always trying to match her up with someone, and when they're not doing that, they're pressuring her to climb the corporate ladder in a career she cares little for. It seems like the universe is smiling down on her when she meets her new neighbor, Nadim who lives across the way. It's a pretty awesome meet-cute. Then the universe laughs at her because it turns out that Nadim's her father's newest employee AND he's supposedly her prospective husband. Can a girl catch a break?

When Reena learns of this she's determined to draw strict boundary lines. She has no interest in obliging her parents or any of their machinations. She and Nadim will simply be acquaintances and neighbors. Obviously none of it goes to plan. One thing leads to another and suddenly they're pretending to be a couple on a reality cooking show so that Reena can win the big prize of going to culinary school. This is her ultimate dream and signals the kind of career freedom she desires. The unexpected revelation is that she and Nadim have this off the charts chemistry on screen that cannot be ignored. 

There were several things I enjoyed about Accidentally Engaged. I liked how Reena and Nadim first met because that automatically made things interesting. And then finding out that he’s in the country to work for her dad and also possibly to marry her? Awkward! And also a buzzkill when the guy is a dreamboat with a British accent and you're determined to do the exact opposite of what your parents expect. Reena’s joy of baking and cooking is contagious. She hates her career but baking on her own time centers her and brings her peace. Saira, her younger sister is a hoot! At first you’re not sure what to think of her because through Reena’s perspective she comes off as manipulative and inconsiderate. But Saira grows on you and the strange, unexpected and roundabout way she and Reena repair their relationship is one of my favorite things in this story. Saira is kind of the diamond in the rough here. She comes up with all these wild things and she brings some comic relief when needed. Honestly, she’s my favorite person in this book. The cooking show contest is fun and with a broader, more inclusive concept, it allows for lots of creativity from its contestants. Meaning there were lots of delicious meals happening. 

Heron showcases so well how children of immigrants adapt and assimilate. Reena embraces all her cultural heritages - her South Asian/East African and her Canadian side. It echoed my own upbringing of melding cultures. There's a different worldview that comes with it and like Reena, I found a balance that worked for me, that is me. 

At the other end there are several simultaneous subplots which made it feel as if the walls were closing in around Reena, and by extension, me. There's arranged marriage, meddlesome parents, several family secrets, competitive siblings, job layoffs, job hunting, mental health concerns, scandals, gossip, business deal disasters, a reality show competition, fetishes... it was overwhelming. My preference would've been to pare down the number of subplots. 

I did enjoy Accidentally Engaged quite a bit. I think Reena's relationship with her parents is probably the hardest part of the story because they're so disconnected from each other. Reena wanting to live her own life versus her parents constantly measuring her success and insistence on what's best for her -- it's a tangible struggle in many South Asian families. But Reena and her parents come to an understanding eventually. On a personal note - I do love that Reena has natural curly hair and that it's such a highlighted feature of hers. I didn’t learn to appreciate my own curly hair until I was much older so I like reading characters who have that feature and are so proud if it. I also liked the recipes included at the end because how fun is that to try some of the mouthwatering dishes mentioned in the story?

Accidentally Engaged is a great read if you're looking for a story that takes a different path to romance, or you're wanting a bit of cultural immersion. 

~ Bel