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Sofia Khan is Not Obliged
Sofia Khan is Not Obliged: A heartwarming romantic comedy | Ayisha Malik
THE TOP 25 EBOOK BESTSELLER'Fun, fresh and funny' Mhairi McFarlane, author of You Had Me At Hello'Snort-diet-Coke-out-of-your-nostrils funny . . . will resonate with any woman who's looking for love' Sarra Manning, author of It Felt Like a Kiss'Brilliant idea! Excellent! Muslim dating? Well, I had no idea you were allowed to date.' Then he leaned towards me and looked at me sympathetically. 'Are your parents quite disappointed?'Unlucky in love once again after her sort-of-boyfriend/possible-marriage-partner-to-be proves a little too close to his parents, Sofia Khan is ready to renounce men for good. Or at least she was, until her boss persuades her to write a tell-all expose about the Muslim dating scene.As her woes become her work, Sofia must lean on the support of her brilliant friends, baffled colleagues and baffling parents as she seeks stories for her book. But in amongst the marriage-crazy relatives, racist tube passengers and polygamy-inclined friends, could there be a lingering possibility that she might just be falling in love . . . ?Sofia Khan is Not Obliged is the hilarious and fresh debut novel by Ayisha Malik. "Thoroughly engaging and laugh-out-loud funny from the off, this witty, unapologetic, honest, fun and feisty tale fully deserves the buzz it's getting" Heat "Fans of Bridget Jones certainly won't be disappointed, since Malik achieves the perfect balance of romantic and humour" Independent"Bridget Jones-esque" Stylist"In creating a host of characters that are normal in their abnormality, relatable yet individual, Malik has undoubtedly succeeded" New Statesman"A contemporary love story you won't want to miss" Candis"This book is actually HILARIOUS" Crooked Bookshelves
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zohasad12
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Pickpick

PLS. I don't know where to begin, but this book was so fucking good.

Quick, witty, funny and an apt representation of desi Muslims.
The way the family & friends are integrated and how all their personalities are loud and have a space of their own.
Soffe is obviously my favorite. She has a spark about her and she loves to take space for herself and her thoughts. Thoughts that are vivid and clear, but also blurred at times. This is a must read!

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Sharanya
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Mehso-so

This was fine. The narrator was cute, & I loved the friendships — really dynamic & realistic. The love interest had a predictable set up, but the overall romance was enjoyable. But if you‘re going to make your romcom be over 400 pages, then I expect every page to count. This book could easily have shed, like, 200 pages. There was just SO much inner monologue-ing, & the narrator, while fun, wasn‘t nearly as funny as she thought herself to be. ★★★☆☆

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CarolynM
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Mehso-so

Chicklit featuring a hijab wearing Muslim girl in London. It had its moments and it touched on some interesting cultural issues, but I'm afraid I found Sofia too annoying to ever get fully invested in the story.

mabell I picked this up and read a few pages - I didn‘t think it would be my thing. Interesting premise, though! 4y
CarolynM @mabell Yes, it is. I wish she'd written a more serious novel because I think she has some interesting perspectives but this was all very shallow. 4y
60 likes2 comments
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Aimeesue
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Not my usual thing, but I was in the mood for something light and funny (and modern-ish, no offense, PG Wodehouse) and this is doing the job nicely. Plus, the fact that it's a take on a take of Austen just amuses the heck out of me. 😁

26 likes1 stack add
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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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Pickpick

Very funny, fantastic dialogue, cute romance, and endearing characters! I really loved Sofia and her family, friends, and suitors. Malik totally had me fooled early on which guy was good and which was bad (it's a loose Pride and Prejudice retelling). It tackled a lot of 'issues' (racism, Islamophobia, shadism, anti-black racism in the brown community) in a very true to life way. Wanted more from the ending though & could do without the fatphobia.

Nafiza There is a sequel! 6y
Beachesnbooks Is this YA or adult? It sounds good! 6y
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian @Nafiza There was a short excerpt in the back of my copy from the sequel! I am definitely going to read it. 😄 6y
35 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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Omg Sofia when are you going to realize you're in love with Conall, your sweet yet taciturn tattooed Irish neighbour?? #Romantsy #MuslimReads

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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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Okay, two things are bugging me about this book:
1. The copy-editor totally dropped the ball with the American character's dialogue. Americans do NOT say "I reckon" and "Bugger off."
2. This guy and Sofia are new friends. And he occasionally makes these sexual innuendos that, in the context, feel kinda creepy. Like, they would be funny if you were already in a trusting sexual relationship with that person but they're decidedly not. Hmm.

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian Just thought of this: perhaps I am SUPPOSED to not like this guy, and he is like the Wickham in this loose Pride and Prejudice retelling? But then who is Darcy?? 6y
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian Update: omg is the tattooed taciturn Irish neighbour Darcy?? 6y
37 likes2 comments
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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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" 'You should never change' is the culmination of all your flaws made necessary: the imperfect sum of an imperfect past, which turned out to be a good thing for someone."

32 likes1 stack add
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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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Oops I checked out TWO books on my evening shift at the library tonight. I've actually really wanted to read both of these for a long time so I feel good about my decision! #YA #QueerBooks #MuslimReads

HOTPock3tt I checked out six of crows from the library but haven‘t read it yet 😅 curious to hear what you think of it... 6y
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian @HOTPock3tt I hope it doesn't let me down! I've heard so many great things about it I have high expectations! 6y
40 likes2 comments
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Naz786
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Pickpick

A funny light read. Hilarious!

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ABrakes85
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Not the best travelling on a bus book, laughed out loud through most of it. Loved it 💕

23 likes3 stack adds
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Citymouse
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Pickpick

This was a fun read although it would have been better without the casual fat phobia. If you liked Bridget Jones' Diary, you will probably like this.

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Citymouse
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This has been on at least five different @bookriot lists this year so I finally caved and ordered it.

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Beholderess
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#diversereads

Not my usual genre, but sounds promising and fun

8 likes1 stack add
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LinusTheWonderPup
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Pickpick

Amazing! Can't wait to read the second in the series. Hope Makil is around and writing for a long time!

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WOCreads
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Loving my Kindle library at the moment. Hopefully I'll manage some actual reading once I can stop staring at all the PRETTY!😂😍🙈

#diversebooks

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danistclair
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Pickpick

One of my favourite #diverselovestories from last year. Sofia Khan is Not Obliged tells the hilarious dating mishaps of a British hijabi, who ends up finding love in the most unexpected of places. #romantsy #feistyfeb #diverselovestory

kspenmoll Nice pix! 7y
geodynamical_nonfiction Liking your style! 😎 7y
danistclair @kspenmoll thanks 😊 7y
See All 6 Comments
danistclair @geodynamical thank you! Ironically, I think I only worked out my style because I'm moving overseas in a week, so I'm packing up all my books and possessions 😣 7y
candyflossramparts Just picked this up on sale for Kindle - it looks great! 7y
danistclair @candyflossramparts it is lovely, but it took me a little while to get into. Hope you enjoy! 7y
31 likes4 stack adds6 comments
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DebinHawaii
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Day12 #feistyfeb #diverselovestories One (Aristotle & Dante) diverse love story that I read (OK, listened to) and loved + four more books with diverse love stories (according to Goodreads) that I have downloaded (#blameitonlitsy) and waiting to read in my Kindle #TBR stack. Now, which of the four do I read first??? 🤔 💕❤️💜💛💙💚💕

angrylilasian Ooooo it's $1.09 for the Kindle so I bought it! 😄 7y
Cinfhen You have to read 7y
DebinHawaii @RealLifeReading @angrylilasian I have heard great things about it! 👍📚 @Cinfhen It's been in my TBR for ages! I really do need to get to it. 😬 7y
114 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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yayeahyeah
Pickpick

Oh wow! Such a gorgeously fun read, Sofia is an utterly wonderful MC and her relationship with her family had me in stitches for much of the book (it gets much more emotional late on.) The guys she meets are great characters and I was left desperately hoping I was shipping her with the right person. (I won't say if I was or not!) The most hilarious adult novel I've read for a long time; I'm already incredibly excited for the upcoming sequel.

4 likes1 stack add
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Juwi
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Check out the #MuslimShelfSpace hashtag on twitter for some great #OwnVoices recommendations! I'm really looking forward to the sequel for Sofia Khan is Not Obliged which is out in April! Also looking forward to Randa Abdel-Fattah's new book! #MuslimsInLiterature #diversebooks

WOCreads Ooh didn't know there'll be a sequel! Sofia Khan is on top of my tbr📚 7y
Juwi @WOCreads yeah well when you get to the end you'll defo want the sequel!!! Hope you enjoy the first book! 7y
10 likes2 comments
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LiaMahony
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this, really really enjoyed it.
I have read a couple of Pakistani expat stories this year, this was the funniest.

It read a lot like Bridget Jones, which is not a bad thing. I also read Pride and Prejudice comparisons but I feel this is only through the Bridget Jones style comparisons.
Overall, if you are looking for a fun and easy read for the Summer, this is a good place to start.

DebinHawaii I have this loaded on my Kindle and your review makes me want to move it up my TBR stack. 📚👍 7y
33 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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Bree.Hill
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Getting into this story a little before bed. Goodnight readers.

5 likes1 stack add
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sumaiyya.books
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Pickpick

If you want to read young Muslim fiction or just want to discover diversity in literature then go for this book! I loved that religion or having faith is integral to the protagonist, rather than the background approach most contemporary novels take. Its hilarious and so thought provoking. Must read!

BellaBookNook Thank you for the recommendation. It sounds good. 8y
21 likes17 stack adds1 comment
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Dvmheather
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Pickpick

Great light romance book about an unlucky in love devout Muslim woman in London. Full review at http://www.spiritblog.net/Sofia-khan-is-not-obliged

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pgchuis
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Pickpick

Sofia has broken off her engagement, unwilling to live with her in-laws and a "hole in the wall". Now she is writing a book about Muslim dating and having to do some research. Funny, especially about Pakistani culture, but always respectful of Sofia's faith. The ending is perhaps a bit rushed.

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renko
Mehso-so

Funny and heartwarming, but there's some definite pacing issues here that makes it a little tedious at times. Sofia is certainly more likeable than Bridget Jones, but the book itself isn't as smooth and effortless to read.

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renko

I stared at the ground and looked at my shoes: my lovely, teal, snakeskin peep-toes [...] I was like, hang on - I don't look like a terrorist [...] 'Oi,' I shouted. 'Terrorists don't wear vintage shoes, you ignorant wanker!'

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renko
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Heard this pitched as the Bridget Jones of our generation. Instant download.