Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Sofia Khan meets Little Women, the perfect tale of sisterly love, Muslim lives and contemporary Britain. LOVED IT.

I am not going to be reviewing this book, but thank you for the approval.

I thought that this was a pretty good debut novel. There is some room for improvement but I think that with more writing Nadiya's writing will improve.

This story follows four sisters who come from a Bangladeshi family but are living in the UK. I really liked that Nadiya incorporated some of her own background into this story. The characters felt very realistic, they all had flaws which helped to make them more relatable. At times it was a little confusing as to which sister we were following.

In terms of the plot, it was quite slow moving, to begin with and it took awhile for the main plot to be outlined. The plot felt quite basic and there weren't any shocking moments or any major plot twists. This is a fun read and I would recommend it for younger readers. I am interested to see whether Nadiya will write anything else and I would be interested if she did write another novel.

The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters

I had no idea that the Great British Bakeoff winner Nadiya was now turning her hand to writing. When I saw her book was available, I jumped at the chance to read it as I was curious to see how it'd pan out!

The book follows the lives of four sisters of Bengali origins, living in a small village in England. Each chapter follows a different sister as they face their own trials and tribulations.

I did enjoy this book but feel it lacked a little something...not sure what though! I enjoyed the cultural aspect and how it explores the culture clashes.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book, with thanks to Netgalley and the publisher. 3.5*

The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters centres around 4 sisters, the only Muslim family in a small English village. Each one is different and have their own struggles. Fatima is the oldest, almost 30 and still living at home. Working as a hand model, when's she's not trying for the umpteenth time to pass her driving test, she spends her time locked in her room, eating squeezy tube cheese and trying to figure out who she really is. Farah is happily married but desperately wants to be a mother. She barely talks to her twin sister Bubblee, who's living in London determined to make it as an artist. Mae is 16 and the youngest feels like her family don't listen to her. Which is fine, because she has thousands of followers on YouTube and social media who are happy to listen to her. They're all overshadowed by their only brother Jay, who is useless but their parents put him on a pedestal being the only son. When a tragedy strikes the family, we see all the secrets tumble out and everyone's relationships are tested. Will the family fall apart or will the sisters be able to pull together and put their differences aside?

I enjoyed reading this book, coming from a big family myself I like family sagas and seeing all the different dynamics between characters. I felt like it was a bit slow in the beginning but sometimes I don't mind this when it's a family saga as it gives you a chance to find out more about the characters. I do think it was a bit cliched at times but there are plenty of other books and genres I read and enjoy that rely on cliches and tropes. It didn't make me enjoy the book any less. What I particularly liked about the book is that it's giving you an insight to a family structure and culture that don't only get a big spotlight in popular fiction. I was drawn to this book as I read Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik, about a young Muslim woman living in London, and I was interested in reading more books that feature Muslim characters (sidenote: I was happy to see Ayisha's name crop up at the beginning of this book as it states Nadiya wrote this book with the help of Ayisha). A light and easy read

Having watched Nadiya win The Great British Bake Off I eagerly requested this book. It follows four sisters with differing personalities with a Bangladeshi background. Nadiya said she was keen to write the type of book she would have been keen to read growing up and that she wanted to write about what she knows.
Apparently she has been writing since she was a young girl and has said that there are plenty of stories that could see the light of day!
The characters were fairly well drawn- you got to know them well. They each have their own struggles and worries. I did love the cultural detail throughout the book- as I always love a book that educates you in some way and this was a fascinating aspect to the book. The storyline was fairly slowpaced but it was an enjoyable read and I would try her next book.

I approached this story with trepidation: Nadiya Hussain is an engaging, charming and likeable person on TV, but that does not mean she can tell a story and not all celebrities can write. I was relieved to find myself quickly immersed and engrossed in the secret lives of the Amir sisters (from the only brown/British Asian family in the small community of Wyvernage). The book explores themes of identity, family, love, culture and expectations. A major crisis has repercussions for each of the sisters as secrets are revealed which shake the whole family to the core, and all of them must change. The sisters are all interesting and likeable, the story is fascinating and very well crafted, and there is plenty to think about. It is a very good read.

In the acknowledgements at the end, Nadiya gives thanks to her writer. It is an excellent collaboration.

As I came to the this book with lots of excitement, not only because I really liked Nadia in British bake off, but because she is new voice in ethnic minority writing scene , And it is hard to find any voices out there. Most of books from them is historic fiction, no contemporary books of now as we know it ,not our past.

I loved these sisters, reminded me of mine( first time in long time I can relate to the characters,It is very hard to find contemporary book that have ethnic minorities as there main characters.)
Mae stood out the most , I loved her and all of her thoughts.

The story reminds me of (My Crazy Greek Wedding) , because of the family love and how gently it was dealing with issues . It was about four sisters in small English town and something happens that make them come together,understand each one and help each other deal with issues .

Great first book from Nadia , I hope we see more from her and from new voices out there

A fantastic read. I loved reading about the different culture.
Some great strong characters.

4.5/5

First off, I love the Bake off, so was clearly intrigued when I found out Nadiya was releasing another book, but not cooking or baking, oh no, it was women’s fiction. So would this book be as good as her cakes look? The answer would be yes.

The writing is sharp and funny and certainly kept me reading as all the characters were relatable in someway. They evoked sympathy, annoyance and a whole range of emotions. We hear from all four sisters at separate times, each is distinct from each other and it was interesting to see the inner workings of a family that were close knit, but equally, secretive at the same time. Each sister having to navigate pleasing their parents with their own struggles.

While we hear from all four sisters, the main focus is on Fatima. She is shy and incredibly self-conscious. I completely warmed to her and connected with how she was feeling, relating to her weight issues and it also saddened me how disconnected she seemed from the family. You could tell she loved her sisters and parents dearly, but always worried they looked down on her, because of how useless she felt. I think her driving instructor, Ash was a great influence on her.

I also really liked Mae, despite doing something incredibly naïve which hurts her family, I think it shows the age difference between the sisters, and I can imagine the fascination i’d have with youtube and twitter etc. if I was that age. She clearly meant no Malice.

I felt sympathy for the secret Farah was keeping, and then to have her world turned upside down with all the uncertainty must be very hard.

The only thing I wish was that there was more conclusion to Bubblee’s story, we didn’t really get to know her as much as the other sister’s I feel, it does lead me to hope there is a sequel about her, and maybe more from Mae. As I said this book mainly focused on Fatima, and actually there was a fair bit on Farah too, so I think another book focusing on Bubblee and Mae would be perfect.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, I could barely put it down. It was funny, completely true to life, you can definitely imagine each of these characters being alive, as if it was an autobiography rather than fiction. More please!

I was really doing all I could to like this book. The first half is painfully slow with the same bland everyday themes repeating themselves over and over. Nothing really was happening? What was the story?

The latter half was somewhat improved but overall this is a very disappointing read. It's being published with high expectations on the author from an adoring public who are fans of her cooking books and Great British Bakeoff success. For those feats I say bravo! This lady can make a cake! Inspirational. That doesn't make you a novelist however.

Sadly the book lacks fizz, especially considering the title and in so many areas of this book were missed opportunities to make a scene really something. Whilst some of the characters were endearing they were also somewhat flat and lifeless. I wanted to be reading a modern day classic! I love women's fiction surrounding family dramas and personal relationships.I found this dull with no shine, the flow stilted. I nearly gave up during the first half.

I didn't enjoy my time with this novel despite wanting to like it. Hoping it would be fab. The author has no doubt put heart and soul into it (it does say it's written with another person at the front of the book?) but in comparison to much other women's fiction read this one didn't delight me one bit. 2 stars for what was a mediocre read. I'm interested to see how the public receive this book as more read it. I'm not the only one to find big parts of it dull so far.

The Amir family is one of the few Bangladeshi families in an English village. A seemingly close knit unit of four sisters and a brother most of who still live with their parents or live very involved with their parents and siblings.

Like all siblings, there are the wacky ones, the black sheeps and the good ones, but they are close. Or so they thought until tragedy strikes.

Each of the four sisters have struggles of their own which come to fore at this time.

It was an interesting read, with lots of cultural references which captivated me. The whole situation of immigrant parents bringing up children in a different culture while hanging on to aspects of their culture was relatable and interesting.

This is the Great British Bake Off Winner Nadiya Hussain's fiction debut. I started off with no real expectations. just curiousity. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the book. I will be looking out for her books for sure.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the review copy of the book.

Growing up in the English village of Wyvernage, the Amir family are used to being the only Asian family around. Each of the sibling has their own issues: Fatima is overweight and cannot seem to pass her driving test even with the help of her long-suffering instructor Ash; Farah is happily married but cannot get pregnant; Bubblee has moved to London and is determined to avoid having a marriage arranged by the family; only son Jahangeer mysteriously will not say what his job is and is in contact rarely; and youngest daughter Mae is obsessed by social media. When Farah's husband is involved in a serious accident the family secrets are revealed and the siblings relationships are tested.

I so wanted to love this book however, for me, this book is cloyingly sweet even when trying to be dramatic and is 'fluffy' in the extreme. Having said that, I am not the target market for a novel such as this. This is pure chick-lit light with a Bangladeshi twist and, if considered in that context, is a great example of the genre. The book trades on Hussain's name but is clearly a collaboration and Hussain's writing partner is acknowledged, which is more than usually happens with celebrity novelists. Hussain knows her public and has given them exactly what they want from a fictional book with her name on it, her brand is strong. I think Nadiya Hussain is a breath of fresh air in media circles so I cannot be too hard on this!