If you are a(n):
-author
-blogger
-booktoker
-bookstagrammer
-booktuber
-bookseller
-professional reviewer (magazine, trade, newspaper, etc)
-librarian
-educator
-or some other sort of book influencer
who is interested in receiving an advance readers copy of THE LOVE MATCH (YA romantic comedy with a dash of drama, out January 3rd, 2023 in the U.S. and a few months later in the U.K.) to read and provide an honest review for, please fill out the form below! Please keep in mind that physical copies are limited and might be particularly challenging to get to readers outside the U.S. Furthermore, I’ll be turning this list over to my publicist, who will ultimately decide who gets an ARC. However, priority will ideally be given to own voices and other marginalized reviewers.
Summary of the book:
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets Pride and Prejudice in this delightful and heartfelt rom-com about a Bangladeshi American teen whose meddling mother arranges a match to secure their family’s financial security—just as she’s falling in love with someone else.
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.
Comps: To All the Boys I've Loved Before, When Dimple Met Rishi, modern Pride and Prejudice vibes (NOT a retelling), A Pho Love Story, Never Have I Ever, Ms. Marvel but make it a tea shop AU
Themes/Tropes/Hooks:
-coming of age
-Asian rep (specifically Bangladeshi MCs, Pakistani side characters), Muslim rep (more of a focus on culture than faith), queer side characters, Haitian-Dominican side character, other minor characters of various backgrounds
-poor brown girls are worthy of epic romances
-fake dating
-love triangles
-matchmaking
-coworkers to lovers???
-boy next door
-sunshine/grump
-meant to feel like a Bangla natok (Bengali version of Bollywood) set in America
-class discussions through a South Asian diaspora lens
-feminism through a South Asian diaspora lens
-intersectional side character rep (qpoc)
-coming of age
-accepting change
-grief
-mother/daughter bonds
-fighting for your dreams
-college accessibility
-diaspora
-platonic relationships are also important (family, friends)
Some CWs (with the stipulation that this is a relatively lighthearted book so the majority is off-page/not deeply explored): grief from losing a parent two years prior, mentions of the Bangladeshi Liberation War, discussions of class/status through a Bangladeshi and diaspora lens, discussions of colorism and sexism in South Asian communities, mentions of homophobia (off page) and one instance of fat phobia, brief off page mentions of past bullying/racism. I think that’s it! I don’t believe anything is graphically present, because I set out to write an ultimately joyful book, but please read/request with care.
You can also request an ARC on
Edelweiss+ and NetGalley (not yet available but I’ll post on socials the moment it is) and follow me
@bhootbabe on most social media platforms or
join my mailing list to stay up to date about giveaways and other news!
If you end up receiving an ARC, sharing pictures/videos and posting your honest review wherever you can (Goodreads, Amazon, your book accounts) would be deeply appreciated so that this book by a marginalized author about marginalized characters gets more exposure. You can use #TheLoveMatch hashtag as well as tag myself and @simonteen on twitter, instagram, or tiktok whenever appropriate if you'd like. Thank you in advance for your interest! <3
