Jananee (headinherbooks)'s Reviews > Written in the Stars

Rating: 4.5/5

This review is probably going to be a jumble of thoughts because this book hit me really hard (much harder than I was expecting) and I'm still reeling from it.

Although I'm not Pakistani like the characters of Written in the Stars, coming from a South Asian background means that I have been exposed to arranged marriages all my life. For the most part, like Aisha Saeed mentions in her Author's Note, they are positive and consensual and growing up in Australia, these are the sort of arranged marriages I have mainly been exposed to. I think I was quite sheltered from the awful reality it can be for some and so this book was such a powerful read for me.

We follow our protagonist Naila as she forced to go on a holiday to Pakistan to reconnect with her roots, after her incredibly strict parents find out that she has a secret boyfriend. Little does she know, this trip isn't merely a holiday and her life is about to change completely. From there develops a, quite frankly, terrifying tale about the reality for some women living in South Asian countries and the culture pressures and norms around marriage.

Whilst this book was a really fast read with quite simple and unembellished writing, it was so emotionally heavy at the same time and I connected and empathised with Naila constantly throughout the book - I honestly felt my heart physically hurt for her at times.

This is such an important book that I think you should all read. Keep in mind that this is but one story about arranged marriage and a lot of them are no where near this traumatic. However, it is a reality and I applaud Aisha Saeed for bringing some light upon it.