Review: Courting Samira

Courting Samira by Amal Awad
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 rounded down.


This is a re-print-this book was originally published in Australia. Be aware that there is a glossary of Arabic words and terms at the end of this book. I read it as an ARC and was not aware of this. Also, if you are an American, be aware that there are a lot of Australian slang terms used that don't show up as definable on the Kindle reader!

That being said, I did see a lot of similarities to Bridget Jone's Diary, but not an exact copy. Close. But not exactly.

I will also say that though this is a religious book, it is not hugely so. I did enjoy learning about the Arabic culture and more about the Muslim faith. I did not like the book for other reasons, and chiefly, it was because of Samira's cousin. What can I say? Sometimes, secondary characters are just as important in how they come off as the main characters are. I also didn't like how Samira treated her workplace; she spent more time on her personal business than actual work.

For people who are supposed to be adults, they spend an awful lot of time acting like teenagers. Perhaps that has to do with the culture.

All in all, this was a fast read, but not one that I enjoyed. I found no humor in it, just a lot of angsting and backstabbing.


*ARC supplied by NetGalley

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Set in Sydney, Australia, Courting Samira is a charming and frothy romantic comedy about a twenty-seven-year-old Muslim woman who finds herself in an unexpected love triangle—a sparkling ode to meddling best friends, traditional courtship, The Princess Bride, and, of course, the possibility of love. Coming from a moderately traditional Muslim family, twenty-seven-year-old Samira Abdel-Aziz has endured her fair share of arranged matches—first dates she calls “doorknock appeals,” where she and her possible suitors eat snacks in her living room in the company of both sets of parents. Her general no shoes with tassels, no cheesy leather jackets, no mustaches. A girl has to have some standards, right? The truth is, Samira is already experiencing enough wedding drama as an assistant at Bridal Bazaar magazine and as a gofer for her soon-to-be-married cousin and nemesis Zahra. She’s not sure she needs to add any of her own. When she meets the charismatic Menem at a work retreat, Samira finds herself intrigued. But her best friend Lara insists Menem isn’t right for her, and now her childhood friend Hakeem has begun behaving oddly. Adding to the confusion, Samira is offered a promotion, yet isn’t sure it’s the job of her dreams. Suddenly, her life is full of drama and complications, and she realizes that part of growing up is making difficult choices about what—and whom—she really wants.