Review: If I Loved You Less

If I Loved You Less by Aamna Qureshi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


4.5 Stars

This book is currently only available (or will be as of June 17, 2024) in Canada. I don't know if/when the publishers will release it in America.

A Pakistani retelling of the classic book Emma by Jane Austen.

After spending a little time with this book, I found myself dying to rewatch Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam! This book was a very close copy of that movie but with Pakistani players and a bit more modern background.

It was a bit difficult for me to actually like Humaira Mirza (Emma), for she was, as she admitted, a spoiled rich girl who had everything she ever needed. But once the story got rolling, Humaira kind of grew on me. However, it's not enough to give this a full 5-star review. Fawad Sheikh as George Knightley (Emma) was perfect in the author's retelling.

This book was amusing, clever, and emotionally satisfying. It was a fast read and would be perfect for your summer vacation.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter, the author, and NetGalley.


View all my reviews

SYNOPSIS: "A joyful romantic comedy retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma!

I know what you’re thinking: poor little rich girl, she has everything, what else could she possibly need? Well, I’m looking for the great love of my life, thank you very much.

For Long Island native Humaira Mirza, it’s always been about love – and she has the matchmaking track record to prove it. Having successfully found ‘the one’ for both her aunt and her sister, the twenty-three-year-old is ready to claim a bit of romance for herself.

The perfect candidate? The gorgeous Rizwan Ali. But as Humaira employs her unique skills to obtain the perfect match with Rizwan, she’s forced to endure the disapproval of family friend Fawad Sheikh who she’s known forever. Fawad and Humaira have long traded barbs but as her romantic meddling leads to unintentional misadventures, she realises something shocking – is she starting to care what Fawad thinks?"