The Love Match

By: Priyanka Taslim

Narrated by: Reena Dutt

“Jane Austen meets Bengali cinema” (Publishers Weekly) 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.

Critic reviews

"The author’s note about setting her story in the Bengali community of Paterson, New Jersey, invites listeners into this story. Reena Dutt further extends that welcome with a narration that beautifully differentiates its two generations of characters. In an American accent, Dutt briskly portrays practical 18-year-old Zahara Khan, particularly the sense of family responsibility that has sent her to work instead of pursuing her dream to study creative writing. In contrast, Dutt delivers Zahara's mother’s traditional views in Bengali-accented speech as she asserts her old-school values, for example, by arranging a marriage between her daughter and the son of a wealthy family. Dutt fluidly switches from one generation to the other while illuminating Zaharah’s inner conflicts as she seeks her own path."

Cute and Fun

The Love Match is a super cute and fun YA story. I loved the characters and the plot. It had some emotional and tense moments as well as some hilarious and fun ones. I enjoyed getting to know more about Zara, her family, and their culture. I also really enjoyed the focus on family, relationships, and expectations. This was a fantastic book.

Best Love Triangle, Believable Characters and Brilliant Narrator.

I love how this doesn’t fall into the trap of ‘insta love.’ I won’t go into spoilers so I’ll just say I found the main character to be fun to follow and I didn’t have to cringe like I usually do while reading meet cutes and love triangles. I have the physical copy but I bought the audio because this was the best novel I’ve read in a couple of years. Fortunately, the narrator did not disappoint. She’s perfect.