"The Other Half of Happiness" by Ayisha Malik is a wonderful novel, examining culture differences, family obligations, making mistakes, forgiveness and love. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher. All opinions are my own.

It was so nice to be back in this world! The sequel was a lot heavier than the previous book; less humour. I didn’t mind this as much, but the ending did really upset me. I totally understand what the author was trying to do, but romcoms tend to come with the expectation of a HEA, and I honestly did not anticipate not getting one. Between the heavier subject matter throughout, and the ending, I felt quite flat after finishing.

I really enjoyed reading The Other Side of Happiness - it is chick lit but with added twists and turns and complicated back stories this is so much more than your average chick lit. It is the follow on to the very popular Sofia Khan is Not Obliged and the author, Ayisha Malik, continues to write with fantastic humour and observations.

The book's main character is a Muslim lady and I really enjoyed reading from their point of view in a western world. There were no arranged marriages etc but real woman in today's modern world. I have a number of Muslim work colleagues and I could relate to the characters well.

This is a really good read and although it is the second in a series it can be read as a stand alone read or alongside the first.

<em>Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged</em> was one of my favorite books so far this year. I adored every bit of it. Sofia's voice charmed and delighted me. Understand that, though <em>The Other Half of Happiness</em> is a well done, complex novel and very well-constructed, it just isn't the sequel that I ever personally would have wanted for Sofia.

The main problem lies with the fact that, for me, <em>Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged</em> was a romance, but for Ayisha Malik, it was a contemporary novel. Obviously, she can write what she wants, and I understand the value of a book like <em>The Other Half of Happiness</em>. It dives into whether the happy ever after is truly happily ever after. Spoiler: it's not going to go well.

Basically, this book is like a hard dose of reality. That's not what I personally like to read, though I acknowledge that it's much more believable than the shiny, fluffy things I like to read (which isn't to say one or the other is better—both serve purposes, and it's about knowing what works for you). I wanted to see Sofia be happy, especially with the misleading title and adorable cover.

While I wouldn't say not to read this book, I will say to go into it with caution. If you were in <em>Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged</em> for the romance, I wouldn't recommend reading this one. However, if you loved Sofia Khan for the complex family and emotional dynamics and aren't tied to the HEA, then proceed.

I read Alisha Malik's first novel, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, on honeymoon almost two years ago, and the protagonist is one that's stuck with me ever since - so I was delighted to find that there was a sequel! Sofia Khan is touted as a Muslim Bridget Jones, letting you in on her diary as she struggles with love, life and finding her purpose - but (spoiler alert) it looked like she had found her happily ever after at the end of the first book. But what happens after? Is it really as easy as sailing off into the sunset with your true love? I think we all know, of course, that it isn't - and it was refreshing not only to revisit this beloved cast of characters but also to get a glimpse at the reality of life after the 'I do's.

Sofia finds herself torn between countries and priorities, as she struggles to balance her life with her new husband, Conall, whose work (and annoyingly attractive colleague) is keeping him up at all hours, with the demands of her family and her own work as a writer and publisher back home. Mourning her father, supporting her friends with their own turbulent love lives, and writing a book on Muslim marriage when she's not sure hers is going to work out, all take their toll as she discovers Conall's darkest secret and has to decide just what to do. It's a book full of strife and struggle, but also of warmth and humour; reading this book was like returning to an old friend and I hope that it's not the last we hear from Sofia Khan.

A brilliant realistic sequel which shows the complications of adult romance, marriage, secrets and family interference. Ayisha's writing is engaging, lively and insightful. A much needed book that was a joy to read, even when it breaks your heart!

I enjoyed this book, parts were very funny yet sad at the same time, took me a few chapters to get into the book.

I hadn't realised there was a first book about Sofia Khan when I read this - I wish I'd known, and I'd have been able to read what brought her to her current situation at the start of the book. I found this a good strong social commentary on many issues of today. The brother's fear that Conall would be radicalised is probably imagined in many parts of today's society. Sofia doesn't really believe this, but there's always a niggling doubt. The book was funny and moving in equal measure. Sofia's mum's story, I imagine, is one common to many women her age of her culture who have had to deny their first love for an arranged marriage.I enjoyed the way the two cultures mixed, with each trying to understand the other. I found this a visual book - I was picturing the characters in the various situations, and there were a good few laugh out loud moments. It was also an education in muslim practices, which I found really interesting. I also loved the use of language. I'm not sure I found the conclusion satisfactory, especially on the Irish family situation, but possibly there's going to be a follow up. Lots of laughs, emotion, mixed culture - overall a very readable account of a chaotic lifestyle.

Funny all the way!!!

I felt sofe was flakey , I understand she was confused with life and what to do next. But you come back to London and leave the husband that you wanted all your life , to see your friends and write a book ( which u can do in Pakistan ).
But I loved her family, they were funny and lovely to read. I started to understand her , the more I read . She is the edgier /london girl living the life to the full , don't know how to keep her marriage ( which is hard for everyone).

I loved the writer book with( Nadiya Hussain), I hope she write more women fiction not chick lit
more mature character of Muslim couples. That just my dream book. :)

Netgalley giveaway

Ok read. Good view on marriages when between two cultures. The book for me was kind of sad. Sofia dealt with a lot and did her best to make things right. I felt her husband left a bit to be desired, but you get better insight to him as the book goes on. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Sometimes I think the biggest problem with falling in love with the first book in a series is that the second can never live up to the first. Sadly, that was the case for Sofia Khan. While the first book had the honor of introducing us to several wonderful characters that the reader would like to call "friend," the second book had to continue their story lines after the first blush had worn off. Sofia spent much of the second book wallowing and the book itself felt stalled and not sure where it wanted to go. Unfortunately, once the story line began to move, I was not happy with where it went. Ms. Malik has stated why it needed to end that way. And I, of the not so perfect endings, should really love this ending where things are not tied up in pretty little boxes. But once an author has created characters that you love, it is hard to see them go through difficult situations, regardless of how you feel about more realistic endings. Ms. Malik states she doesn't currently have plans to write a third book. Despite my rating on this book, I will hold out hope that we get a third look into the life of Sofia Khan because I really want to read it!

Hilarious and heartwarming.....or maybe heartbreaking? The ending left me conflicted about whether to be sad or hopeful for Sofia.....hoping that means we get another Sofia book soon! I loved the diary-style writing and the richly development characters and relationships in this book ~ those two things don't often go together but Malik managed it! My only regret is that I didn't read the first book in the series before this one, although this stood alone just fine. I just would have been able to enjoy more of Sofia's story if I read them in order! I look forward to seeing future books from the author.

I honestly don’t know where to start with this. To impress upon you just how much I enjoyed reading this book, I managed to finish it in five days, a record as of late. I was hooked from the very beginning, something I rarely find in books these days. I was actually constantly going on about it to my friends, another rare thing I get from books these days.

Let’s start with the negatives: the book could have done with more editing, Sofia often contradicted herself in places, but this is only a minor detail I picked up on. I also picked up on some typoes but this could be exclusive to the ARC copy.

Everything else: now I really don’t know where to start. Sofia’s perspective was a wonder; she notices everything and points it out in a way you might not have thought of before. She’s by far the funniest protagonist I’ve read of so far, so if you’re looking for a laugh, please pick up this book right away! Sofia and her friends’ endless tales of mischief are hilarious, and her problems as a thirty-something-year-old struggling to make it in a hectic world are still as relatable as the problems of your average protagonist.

Another good reason to pick up the book? Connall O’Flynn. Aside from being Irish (which has its own attractiveness by itself), he’s the strangest, most enigmatic character I’ve come across recently, and this has little to do with the fact that he’s struggling to navigate his way through life as a Muslim convert.

On a slightly more serious note, this novel also touches on issues of perceptions of Islam, without being preach-y. If you’re curious about the end product of the mixing of two completely different cultures, I would certainly recommend this novel. It’s different, funny, insightful, and it will answer all of your basic questions about the religion that we see so much of in the news (for all the wrong reasons).

This novel is categorised as “Women’s Fiction”, but really, it can be enjoyed by anyone: woman, man, non-binary, Asian, white, Muslim, non-Muslim, etc. This is the first book I’ve ever read with a non-white protagonist and I’ve discovered a whole realm of underrated fiction.

The one thing I’m sad about is that the author is unlikely to write further books about Sofia Khan’s adventures, in favour of writing for a different sort of genre. Which is fair, but this book doesn’t feel like closure for Sofia’s fictional life; rather, the beginning of some new adventures!

I’m not even sure where to start with this book because I just feel so disappointed in it and I’m still working through my feelings and trying to accept how flat and downright depressed I was after finishing this book.

The Other Half of Happiness is the second book in the Sofia Khan series and starts off with Sofia in Karachi, Pakistan, and dealing with a whole load of new changes in her life.

This book started to feel off to me from the very start when we find out that Sofia is staying around a dingy apartment all day while Conall is off doing humanitarian work. At the end of the first book, Sofia left to get involved in this and I couldn’t figure out why she no longer helped out, or had she ever helped out with this or when she reconnected with Conall, all those plans fell to the wayside.

Then immediately, things start becoming really tense and frustrating. I was frustrated with multiple characters in this book for about 98% of it, mostly Sofia for just NOT USING HER WORDS. She lets people make decisions for her all the time, and then she will let others let her make the wrong decisions for herself and dictate her life at times and I hate it. She was guilty of this in the first book but I felt by the end she had grown but she went five steps backwards in this book.

The tension between Conall and Sofia from the start was just forced and annoying. There seemed to be a lot of problems for them made up in thin air. Conall not taking time off to attend his own damn wedding was just insane, and I couldn’t figure out his logical reasons for being so obstinate and infuriating. I also hated the Hamida thing thrown in, and there was obvious tension between her and Conall and then of course she ends up being gay?! But she still follows him around, butts into his business with his wife and acts like she’s in love with him and wants Sofia out of the picture. AND then she has the tenacity to blackmail Sofia into divorcing Conall? This is not a nice person people.

In book one, there was a few mentions of Muslim radicals and ‘fundos’ but they were often brought up in a humorous way and in a way that made it clear that this is something an average, normal Muslim family worry about and discuss. I liked the honesty about this but i liked that Ayisha Malik was also able to include it in a comedic way. However, in this book there was so much emphasis on the possibility of Conall becoming a “fundo”and while part of this was used to show how people can misunderstand what it is to be openly religious and talk about your faith and still be a normal person, I just felt like it was brought up way too much and it just became irritating. As was the times Sofia was told that Conall only converted for her - because she never asked him to do that, and she shouldn’t have to deal with guilt of ‘changing’ someone when all he did was find a faith he could connect with and something that could help heal him.

Conall’s character was just completely off for me. He was not the Conall I fell in love with in the first book. Nothing in the first book about him made the fact he had a secret family make sense. And come on, the kid having cancer? Total overload.

When Sakib entered the story in literally the first chapter, I knew what was coming down the road. It was so predictable and annoying. While he wasn’t necessarily a bad character and perhaps in the long run he would be good for Sofia, he’s not Conall. And he’s so serious too. I also didn’t like the way he was so quick to tell Sofia she had to give up the business if she was thinking of finding Conall.

The few things I did like in this book: Her mom’s storyline was great and I loved how she shrugged off people’s opinions and finally focused on her own happiness. Sofia’s interactions with Conall’s dad, particularly when he walked in on her ablutions and was very concerned that she dry her feet properly. I also like that Sofia helped create a publishing company that was focused on publishing Muslim authors.

Side note: Would have liked to have had some kind of detail about how Sofia’s first book did in sales? It was published and then we literally heard nothing about it.

The end of this book just felt like a bit of a kick in the teeth to be honest.

A really enjoyable read, if a little different in tone compared to the first book. It includes a big twist and darker aspects which you don't usually see in books, which I appreciated.

Some big belly laughs and well worth another sequel! I've really enjoyed reading Ayisha Malik's debut series! And can't wait to read her next novel!

'The Other Half of Happiness' by Ayisha Malik is set for release on 6th April 2017. This book is a sequel to ‘Sofia Khan is Not Obliged’ and Malik doesn’t disappoint.

I found myself rooting for the protagonist Sofia all along and the author's characteristic writing style filled with with humour and insight made for light yet thought provoking reading!

Reader, she married him. After eloping in Pakistan, Sofia is worried her mother will never forgive her. It's not that Conall's white, it's the fact they denied her a wedding. Wedded life isn't bliss either. Stuck in a poky flat in Karachi, with her husband out all hours making his documentary, Sofia starts to miss home. What the hell has she done?

I loved Conall's character in the first book so I was a little disappointed in the direction the sequel took. However, married life is never going to be perfect and the reality of marrying someone she barely knows hits Sofia not long after the deed is done. This must be a real problem for those who don't do long term relationships before marriage, whatever culture you're from. Doubled with the fact that divorce is so frowned upon.

Following her father's death, it's clearer that Sofia's mother didn't have the marriage she wanted. Her husband wasn't her first love and in the main, their marriage was hard work. She thinks her daughters should work at it rather than face the disgrace of divorce. Though I did like the simplicity of the Muslim divorce (just say it three times with an Imam present and you're done).

More is revealed about Conall's family and his past, including something everyone is shocked to hear. His family is Catholic and his brother suspects Conall has been radicalised, or as Sofia's mum would say, become a fundo. Not by Sofia, of course, but that stresses have left him vulnerable and he's run off to do harm. Despite everything, Sofia still has faith in him.

Anyway, it's not quite as fun a book as the first, but it maintains the tone of narration if not of subject matter. I guess the first book is about dating and the second is about marriage, and the baggage it comes with. Plus Sofia gets some purpose beyond finding, and keeping, a husband.

I'm not really sure quite how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I found it to be completely engrossing to the extent that I read the whole book in one sitting. On the other hand, I thought there were a few things about the novel that were problematic and I really disliked one of the main character which somewhat spoiled the reading experience for me. The reason I say that is because I don't feel like I was as invested in the story as I could have been if i'd genuinely been rooting for all the characters. That being said, I love the main character and I think she's really relatable and funny.

More like a 4.5. I loved book 1 and Malik is an insanely talented writer but there was something about her relationship with her man just didn't appeal to me. I wish she would have went with a fellow muslim. Either way I enjoyed this so much!

This is my first Ayisha Malik book, therefore also my first Sofia Khan book! I did not realize this was a sequel when I requested it, I asked to read it solely based on the description of the story. Newly married Sofia is temporarily living in Karachi Pakistan while her husband Conall is working. This is not the life she imagined for herself. She is holed up all day inside the home they are sharing with his co-workers while they are filming and photographing Pakistan. When Sofia is asked to return home to London to work on a book she decides to take the offer, which puts her marriage in jeopardy.

Conall stays in Karachi with his too close for comfort coworker Hamida. Sofia can feel them growing distant with each other. When Sofia's mother decides to throw a wedding ceremony (they eloped), Conall is forced to share a secret with Sofia and she isn't sure they can overcome it. Making matters worse is Sofia's family. They've never fully approved of Sofia marrying the Irish Conall, even though he converted for her. Sofia is pulled in all different directions as far as her family, marriage, and career. Which direction will she choose to focus on? Where will her life lead her?

I enjoyed this book. I think I may have enjoyed it a little better if I had read the first book. I'm not 100% sure what I missed but I think some of the back story with Sofia and Conall would have been helpful. This book felt slightly disjointed in the beginning and once I found out it was a sequel that made more sense to me. I could have done without the times of day next to each paragraph throughout the story. That sometime feels to me like a way for the author to let you know time has elapsed without a smooth transition in the story. I found myself not even looking at the times about half way through the story. I don't know much about the Muslim lifestyle and would have loved for more of that to be talked about in depth. Especially given our current times I think it's a great opportunity for people to become aware of more than just stereotypes. I was also unfamiliar with some of the terminology. I found myself googling some of the words that were mentioned frequently. I knew biryani was food, but what exactly was it? I wasn't successful in what "hain" means, even after googling. Beta, acha, Tahajjud, Taraweeh, all words I looked up since I was unfamiliar with them. I would love to learn more about the language and meaning behind the words. Maybe this book isn't the place for that, but it certainly peaked my interest!

I can't say that I loved the ending. While I was reading the book I didn't know who I wanted Sofia to end up with. When I got to the ending I wanted her and Conall to work it out. I don't see why they couldn't have and it made me a little sad.

I'm interested to read the first book Sofia Khan is Not Obliged and I am thankful for the opportunity to review this book.