This one left me grinning. The Love Match is a fun, fast-paced romp through a coming of age tale with a compelling love triangle and a lot of solid material to be had.

Zahra Khan is a princess without a crown. Stuck in Patterson, New Jersey with the rest of her family, she’s hoping to become a writer and attend college, and is working at a summer job to prepare for this. Her mother, however, has never forgotten than she’s descended from royal stock, and plans to match Zahra up with a wealthy boy from Bangladesh.

Unfortunately, two guys immediately set their caps for Zahra. There’s Nayim Aktar, who washes dishes at Chai Ho, the tea shop where Zahra’s working to snag some cash for college courses. Then there’s Harun Emon, her mother’s match – rich, handsome and clearly the guy of her dreams, right? Only Harun and Zhara have no romantic chemistry, while Nayim is warm, giving, and understanding. Zhara and Harun decide to pretend to date to satisfy their omnipresent families, while Zhara sees Nayim secretly behind their backs. Love is not as easy as anticipated, however, and the threesome soon find that they have a lot of things to consider.

Priyanka Taslim’s strong portrayal of Bangladeshi culture really makes The Love Match stand out, along with her memorable heroine. Zahra is terrific, smart and independent, making her easy to love.

The people around her are just as great, including her family and beloved amma. She’s part of a close circle of friends, she has a loving family, and as the oldest, must shoulder a lot of responsibility as well. Dani, Dali and Mena all have well-rounded, well-written personalities, I liked Nayim and Haru for different reasons, together with the very credible love triangle that forms around them. The book is romantic without being soppy, and it’s definitely about Zahra taking her first step into the grown-up world.

The whole book provides a perfectly enjoyable package, and is one teens won’t be able to resist. The Love Match is a lot of fun on every possible level.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible or your local bookshop

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