Finding Mr Perfectly Fine: 'I loved it. Utterly charming' Jenny Colgan, the freshest and funniest romcom of 2022

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Last week I turned 29. Along with the usual homemade Victoria sponge, helium balloon and Selfridges gift vouchers, my Mum's birthday present to me was the threat that if I'm not engaged by my 30th birthday, she's sending me off to the Motherland to find a fresh-from-the-Desh husband Dragged on a bit hence 4 stars overall. The ending was a let down to be honest. Felt it was geared towards a being acceptable for a white audience. The dating/courtship scenes was more white than muslim asian courting. The muslim representation had a lot of white liberal feminist undertones which I don't personally agree with.

The first one is all about dating life. The reader follows Zara, how she puts herself out there, wants to date, find love with all the excitement that goes with it. At the same time, she is vulnerable for showing the world who she is and what she wants. No matter who you are, straight, queer, male, female, non-binary, etc. putting yourself out there, into the dating world, always comes with risks of being hurt, heartbroken and rejected as Zara and other characters in the novel experience. It's the same for all of us. Throughout the novel there are so many moments, scenes and chapters where exactly that happens. Sometimes I had to laugh because one of Zara’s dates turned so awkward (we have all been there), other times I desperately wanted to know how it continues because it felt so exciting (we have all been there too) and sometimes I almost cried because some dates, some break ups were so sad or humiliating ( we have all been there too unfortunately). Empire, Kitty (April 10, 2021). "Taylor Swift: Fearless (Taylor's Version) review – a labour of revenge, but also of love". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021 . Retrieved May 22, 2021.Zara’s quest of finding a perfect match, whilst also dealing with her meddling family and trying to decide what’s more important in a relationship: comfort or chemistry, was really interesting and also low-key relatable. I know it takes a lot to write a book and how hard it is to satisfy everyone’s version of Muslim representation in women of their culture so I have to applaud the author for rooting this novel in a sense of place and with a character which has her feet planted in both her British and Bengali culture. I thought it could've been way shorter, the inner monologue was repetitive and kind of boring at times. Then you get the plot itself and I loved it. Its relevant, it's a plot that we don't get a lot in this community (just carefree, fun!) and I am here for it!!! I was Hooked. I didnt want it to end. Olivier, Bobby (April 9, 2021). "Taylor Swift's Fearless Re-Recording Is A Thrilling Timewarp". Spin. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021 . Retrieved June 22, 2022.

I believe Tasneem did an excellent job explaining the differences between cultural norms within Sylheti Bangladeshi communities and Islam; this was consistent throughout the book. At one point, the hijab was depicted as subduing one of the character’s beauty, this being very common in our culture where hijab is associated with being unattractive, unappealing or something that old people wear. I have witnessed this attitude first-hand unfortunately, and true of cultural attitudes in both Bangladesh and the UK. As a Muslim hijab-wearer, I can understand how this may be misconstrued, that it feeds into the mainstream narrative that the hijab is ‘ugly’. However, you have to read this in context as it is reflective of non-mainstream Bengali attitudes too, not to mention that in Islam, hijab is meant to ‘hide’ your beauty, not display it. Rolling Stone Aims a Cannon at One of Its Biggest Rivals". Vanity Fair. May 7, 2019. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020 . Retrieved July 11, 2021. However, what I found disappointing was that Zara doesn't do a whole lot. She just sits there flitting between the idea of potential love interests.I really appreciated that the book was authentic to our culture and did not try to portray Muslims as being ‘perfect’ in our practice but at the same time did not try to whitewash our religion to suit the non-Muslim narratives. It is so lovely to read about this empowered and headstrong woman who is battling with her sense of pride I finding herself a husband before her family do it for her.

Tasneen neatly encapsulates the generation gap with Zara's younger sister setting her up on a Muslim dating app whilst her mother has her writing something called a 'biodata', a sales pitch for the person who gains her hand in marriage. It isn’t long before Zara starts to get the men that’s is interested in her, all mixed up, causing some disastrously events. What I think it did was give a good glimpse into this family’s life, some relationships and the weird combination of love and pressure that you can feel from your family. The knowing in your bones that they love you and what’s best for you but the way they are showing it doesn’t chime. I think this book could have included the word colourism, and could have included Zara going to therapy. With Zara, I don’t really have the ability to build the complexities of her inner life to know that I’ve left her in a good place. I don’t think she asked herself the hard questions about people’s actions and motives and I’m unsure if she ever will. Which is okay if it’s purposeful, but it didn’t feel like that either. Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Chart - April 17, 2021". Billboard. April 17, 2021 . Retrieved July 11, 2021.a b c d Shaffer, Claire (April 7, 2021). "Taylor Swift Releases New 'Fearless' Vault Song 'Mr. Perfectly Fine' ". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021 . Retrieved April 7, 2021. Crone, Madeline (April 7, 2021). "Taylor Swift Pulls Number Two 'From the Vault', "Mr.Perfectly Fine" ". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021 . Retrieved May 22, 2021. Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Chart - April 24, 2021". Billboard. April 24, 2021 . Retrieved July 11, 2021. Garvey, Marianne (April 7, 2021). "Taylor Swift surprise releases second 'From the Vault' song, 'Mr. Perfectly Fine' ". CNN. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021 . Retrieved April 7, 2021.

Country Digital Song Sales Chart". Billboard. April 17, 2021. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021 . Retrieved April 14, 2021. Until. Until she didn't talk to him and just assumed things. Until he didn't talk to her and just assumed things. Until she wasn't up-front with Hamza, lying to him over and over. Until breaking Hamza's heart. I was quite surprised to learn that this was the author’s debut novel but I can honestly say she’s done a fantastic job. I think that people from the South Asian community can relate to Zara as a person but can also relate to what she is going through. As for the ending of this book I need to read book two urgently because I already know that Zara’s story is far from over. And is it possible that the phrase 'we only do it because we care' is damaging in the context of matchmaking?Zara was she was on the ball when it came to her career, family relations etc but in her personal life why was Zara so dumb and oblivious to the most obvious incompatibility with Adam? This was, for the most part a fun read, while still dealing with more serious topics like the family pressure to marry and expectations of Asian women, as well as the double standards in how the community treats young women and men. The plot of the book was quite good and relatable. As a south Asian woman coming up to my 30s I understand the pressure of society to get married so I was actually interested in Zara's story of choosing Mr. perfectly fine or someone who she might love. This is why I was torn over my annoyance for Zara leading the men on in the book but also I understood why she did it. Ultimately as south Asian's we want to choose the person our parents would approve of and I felt like that is what Zara ultimately was trying to find rather than her own happiness. It did confuse me though how Zara's Mr. perfectly fine (Hamza) was everything she wanted yet she felt no attractiveness to him. Just personally, if someone matches all my criteria then I would for sure feel somewhat attracted to them but maybe it isn't for everyone. In addition, Hamza had his faults but it was like Zara didn't realise the flaws and if his flaws had been used to justify her unattractiveness I would have been on her side but she never comments on his controllingness, how he put her in awkward situations without her consent or knowledge and how he basically ghosted her for ages. If the author has made Zara not like him for that I could understand but she didn't and that was a let down. I enjoyed Adam in the book and found his relationship with Zara to be cute but it felt more like crush/lust rather than I want to be and marry this man. So personally I couldn't root for any of the two men.