Published: 2023
Author: Priyanka Taslim
Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Young Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fake Dating, Realistic Fiction
Audience (Grade Levels): High School; Grades 9-12
Number of Stars: 5-Stars
Goodreads Link: The Love Match
Triggers: Death of a parent, financial hardship
Review By: Nicole Nicosia
Publisher’s Summary:
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets Pride and Prejudice in this delightful and heartfelt rom-com about a Bangladeshi American teen whose meddling mother arranges a match to secure their family’s financial security—just as she’s falling in love with someone else.
Zahra Khan is basically Bangladeshi royalty but being a princess doesn’t pay the bills in Paterson, New Jersey. While Zahra’s plans for financial security this summer involve working long hours at Chai Ho and saving up for college writing courses, Amma is convinced that all Zahra needs is a “good match,” Jane Austen style.
Enter Harun Emon, who’s wealthy, devastatingly handsome, and…aloof. As soon as Zahra meets him, she knows it’s a bad match. It’s nothing like the connection she has with Nayim Aktar, the new dishwasher at the tea shop, who just gets Zahra in a way no one has before. So, when Zahra finds out that Harun is just as uninterested in this match as she is, they decide to slowly sabotage their parents’ plans. And for once in Zahra’s life, she can have her rossomalai and eat it too: “dating” Harun and keeping Amma happy while catching real feelings for Nayim.
But life—and boys—can be more complicated than Zahra realizes. With her feelings all mixed up, Zahra discovers that sometimes being a good Bengali kid can be a royal pain.
Review:
This realistic YA romance has shades of Pride and Prejudice will appeal to teens and adults. This novel was refreshing because it accurately depicted the life of a single parent and her children struggling with the death of their spouse and father while also continuing to live and celebrate each other’s accomplishments. Zahra is one of the best young adult protagonists I have met in a while – I enjoyed her resilience and humor as she navigates tough times, and love. I also learned about the Bengali/ Bangladeshi culture and community. Zahra Khan must cope with the pressure of family and the old ways of her culture in order to follow her dreams. Zahra must contend with family pressure to be the proper Bengali kid while also longing to follow her heart and her dreams. Just like a good Jane Austen novel, appearances can be deceiving, and Zahra will learn that you cannot always judge someone based on first impressions. I loved this story because it was heartbreakingly accurate when dealing with first love, surviving financial hardship as well as the complication of staying true to oneself. I also thought this story was a learning experience for me – I do not know much about Bengali culture and feel that I learned more by reading this book. I recommend this coming-of-age story to all teens – I especially enjoyed how the characters worked hard to make their dreams come true and supported one another as friends.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- English Language Arts (Jane Austen Tropes & Modern Adaptation): This young adult contemporary novel borrows elements from Pride and Prejudice, making it an exceptional tool for comparative literature units. High school teachers can introduce this text to show how class anxieties, first impressions, maternal pressures, and societal expectations translate from 19th-century England to modern-day Paterson, New Jersey.
- Social Studies / Cultural Anthropology (The Bangladeshi Diaspora): Centering on a tight-knit Bengali-American community, this novel provides insight into the cultural expectations placed on immigrant youth. Educators can leverage the story to discuss multi-generational dynamics, traditional matchmaking customs, and the delicate balancing act children of immigrants face when honoring their heritage while executing independent goals.
- Social-Emotional Learning (Grief Recovery & Resilient Economics): The book handles heavy themes like the loss of a father and persistent financial hardship. It serves as an excellent SEL anchor for small group counseling or health modules to discuss coping mechanisms for grief, working through economic insecurity as a student, and building mutual support networks among peers.
- “First Impressions” Jigsaw Discussion: Inspired by the reviewer’s observation that first impressions can be deceiving in both Austen novels and The Love Match, execute a character tracking workshop. Have students map their initial perceptions of Harun and Nayim in a comparative graphic organizer, identifying the exact textual moments where their assumptions shifted.
- “Culture & Cuisine” Media Integration Project: Drawing on the reviewer’s personal growth in learning about Bengali culture, use the library’s media center to investigate regional identity. Have students explore the culinary and community significance of items like “rossomalai” and the “Chai Ho” tea culture referenced in the text, creating interactive cultural recipes or media boards.
Diversity & Representation:
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The Love Match beautifully models diversity, equity, and inclusion by placing a Bangladeshi-American teen at the absolute helm of a commercial genre where South Asian Muslim voices are historically underrepresented. By illustrating the specific realities of low-income immigrant families, Muslim traditions, and cultural joys simultaneously, it ensures that students from marginalized backgrounds find a brilliant, non-trauma-centered mirror of their lives.
Readalikes:
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
- Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
- When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
