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Reviewed by: Kathy Jaccarino, High School Librarian Title: The Love Match
Author: Priyanka Taslim
Publisher: Salaam Reads
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 8-12 Genre/Type of Book: Rom-Com
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: No
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I had it on display for AANHPI Month and the cover always captivated me. And, I love a good rom-com.
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
Love is complicated in any culture!
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Review:
I loved learning about the Bengali culture in this novel., The Love Match. For example, a natok is a drama, play or theater, and has come to be more popularly considered any drama on Bangladeshi TV. I also learned that the “auntie network” is something universal! We had one in our neighborhood as well. It was wonderful to read about the close family/friend network that is alive and well in New Jersey. The Bangladeshi Muslim diaspora community in Paterson, New Jersey is so vividly portrayed it made me want to visit there, to partake in the festivals and go to the restaurants, and to have tea at the shop Zahra works. Zahra Khan is a smart, recently graduated high school senior who is struggling with loss of her father. This loss is not only heart wrenching, it also requires her to put her dreams on hold in order to work to help support her mother and siblings. She had been accepted at Columbia, her dream school, and wants desperately to become a writer. She struggles to find her place as her best friends are preparing to go off to college, while she is left behind. As all of this wasn’t bad enough, her mother now feels it is time for her to be matched, and who better than, Harun Emon, the son of wealthy restaurant owners. This would definitely ease their family’s financial burden and make life easier for Zahra’s younger siblings. Zahra finds herself in a real-life natok when two handsome boys enter her life- Harun, who she realizes is not as bad as she originally thought, and Nayim, the poor, orphaned musician who is hired to work in the café with her. Of course, like any good rom-com, complications ensue! I won’t say much more, no spoiler alerts here! But, as Zahra struggles to come to terms with her future, her culture, and her commitment to her family, she learns how to balance being a “good Bengali kid” and being true to herself.
I think this novel could easily find itself in the ELA curriculum as a book from a diverse author, with diverse characters, perhaps as part of a literature circle where the theme is diverse literature. I would pair this with other rom-coms from other cultures- hopefully student would come away with the message that although our cultures vary, at the core we share similar traits.
Number of party hats:
For more information about this book, see the publisher's website
Find other resources for this book at teachingbooks.net