Sep 15, 20213 min read

It All Comes Back To You-Blog Tour

Synopsis:

After Kiran Noorani’s mom died, Kiran vowed to keep her dad and sister, Amira, close. Then out of the blue, Amira announces that she’s dating someone and might move cross-country with him. Kiran is thrown.

Deen Malik is thrilled that his older brother, Faisal, has found a great girlfriend, even if it’s getting serious quickly. Maybe now their parents’ focus will shift off Deen, who feels intense pressure to be the perfect son.

When Deen and Kiran come fact to face, they silently agree to keep their past a secret. Four years ago–before Amira and Faisal met–Kiran and Deen dated. But Deen ghosted Kiran with no explanation. Kiran will stop at nothing to find out what happened, and Deen will do anything, even if it means sabotaging his brother’s relationship, to keep her from reaching the truth. Though the chemistry between Kiran and Deen is undeniable, can either of them take down their walls?

Review

Wow this was such a fun contemporary read! It's cute, entertaining, inspiring, and even suspenseful at some points!

Characters:

Kiran: Kiran is a character I have mixed feelings about. I felt bad for Faizal and I didn’t really like how Kiran was trying to deliberately ruin the wedding. I get that she wants to protect her sister, but it still felt wrong. That was the main thing that bothered me but then again it’s a huge part of the plot and the character development so I wouldn’t necessarily change it.

Though I didn’t always like Kiran’s characters when she’s talking about dance, there’s this whole other side of her, which I liked.

Deen: I actually really liked Deen's characters and his character growth. He kind of puts on this confident and maybe a bit jerky(is that word??) mask, but once you really get to know who he is, you realize that he's thoughtful and charming and funny. He's went through a lot in terms of his brother and with guilt and his parent's expectations, but he ended up growing and changing through that.

Plot

At some points, I felt like I liked Kiran and Deen’s conversations in Cambria more than their real-life conversations since their enemies, but there was also some good banter. I remember one scene in particular when Kiran was staring at Deen and she was like “Oh I’m only looking at you cause that ugly vein isn’t sticking out.” and he was like "Excuse me, my veins are beautiful”. Anyways their real-life moments were nice too, especially the dance scenes.

Themes and Writing

The writing was pretty light, just like contemporaries usually are, but it also talked about some difficult things the characters were going through. Kiran’s grief after her mother’s death was especially well shown, and though it wasn’t the main focus, it was realistic.

The descriptions were good, but what really stood out to me writing-wise, were the descriptions of the dance scenes and the conversations-both online and in real life.

The descriptions of the desi wedding were well done and the aunty characters were relatable. I just love this representation and cover soooo much, not just as someone who can relate, but as a reader who wants more diversity in books!!

Overall, this was a really fun and great contemporary read that I'd definitely reccomend!

Favorite Quotes

"The mistakes I've made only become regrets if I don't use them as fuel to make me stronger."

"Dance is a person's soul reaching out to talk through the body. That's the difference between just, a physical gesture and dance. You're talking in dance. You're baring your soul."

"Where you live, where you love, where you breathe-that's where you home will be."

Mood Board

About the Author:

Farah Naz Rishi is a Pakistani-American Muslim writer and voice actor, but in another life, she’s worked stints as a lawyer, a video game journalist, and an editorial assistant. She received her B.A. in English from Bryn Mawr College, her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, and her love of weaving stories from the Odyssey Writing Workshop. When she’s not writing, she’s probably hanging out with video game characters. You can find her at home in Philadelphia, or on Twitter at @farahnazrishi.

Author Links:

Website: https://farahnazrishi.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/far_ah_way

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farahnazrishi/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18515448.Farah_Naz_Rishi