This was a really sweet and enjoyable read. I had a lot of fun with it and loved the premise. Would highly recommend.

On the whole, this book had a solid plot, loveable characters and lots of character development with an interesting backdrop and Desi-culture references.
I enjoyed how the book touches on intergenerational problems, the power of dance and the never-ending question of finding love and purpose in life.

I don’t feel comfortable commenting on the actual Muslim representation in this book though. I know that for some Muslim readers, it sometimes sometimes could have felt as if religion was being villainised by the author, reinforcing stereotypes of Islam (even though these problems do exist in modern society!). perhaps a more detailed explanation on certain views in Muslim would have been helpful.

It’s the time for south asian representation and romances finally, and this is a really fun one. I love the way family relationships, especially complicated ones are treated in this book. The protagonist, Arslan has layers to him and does not sound one toned at all, even Beenish has a life of her own outside her interactions with him and I always appreciate it when romance novels show characters with full lives and not just love lives.
It is a giggle worthy plot where our hero takes the services of a matchmaker to find a life partner, though his need for the same is much more sombre, but the set up is lighthearted enough.
Beenish would be the girl after many-a desi wpmen’s heart, rebel with a good cause of self expression, and her collaboration with Arslan really put a smile on my face in most scenes. The development of the love story along the grumpy guy and sunshine girl lines could have been slightly smoother but it was enjoyable nonethtless.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC and the chance to read this lovely book!

This was heartwarming and sweet but something about it just didn’t make me fall completely in love with it. I couldn’t really feel that strong a connection to the characters as it felt a bit rushed in places for me but I think if your looking for a light, sweet story I would still recommend you have a look at this and see what you think!

I believe this was a great romance comedy book especially this time of the year I’ve not read from this author before so I thought it was really good and I’ll definitely look into more of her work I enjoyed the cultural references and trying to understand a different culture while also enjoying it in a very lighthearted romance comedy version which I think is really good especially when you’re trying to teach people about other communities without being very harsh about it. The characters were likeable and the pacing was great

Sway With Me is a coming of age story about Arsalan and Beenish aka Beans. Since the death of his mother Arsalan has been living with his 100-year old Nana who has taught him everything he knows. Afraid of being all alone when Nana dies Arsalan seeks out Beans, who's stepmother is a matchmaker, to find him a partner for life. Beans one request in return is that Arsalan becomes her dance partner for a dance she wants to perform at her sisters wedding. Arsalan enters Beans chaotic life and learns more about friends, family and himself.

Sway With Me is an entertaining, funny and heartwarming read. Arsalan is an old man in a young boys body and Beans is forward and feisty. Their banter and growing friendship is what makes this book so entertaining. Arsalan's inner dialogue is so well written. Nana is also one of the funnier characters in this story. Even though I've enjoyed reading this there were also some parts that felt a bit flat to me and dragged the story. I did found the ending to be very satisfying. Sway With Me has both laugh out loud moments and moments where your heart is being squeezed.

Arsalan lives with his almost 100 years old great grandfather and knows that he will be alone soon. He wants an arranged marriage and approaches Beenish to get him in touch with her matchmaker stepmother. She will help him meet someone herself and in return, she wants him to help her with a dance to ruin her older sister's wedding. But as little as he knows about girls, he knows even less about dance. And with the hilarity and heart-squeezing that ensues, he will gain more than he bargained for.

The premise is incredible, the desi aspect of it adding even more to how interesting and charming it is. Don't you just love it when opposites clash then maybe attract?

Beginning with a failed attempt at getting what he wants, which has you grinning ear to ear, Arsalan sneaks into your heart, right from the start. The 1st person POV presents us with someone who seems wise beyond his years in some things and like a wide-eyed child in others. The narrative is highly quotable, with a philosophical temperament, chuck full of fun facts (Arsalan is a bookish know-it-all) and life lessons. The beautiful writing is like sinking with a blanket into your favorite armchair, comfortable, relatable but also personal and honest.

Love the antithesis between the protagonists. He is quiet, shy, old fashioned to the point of being considered weird and inherently kind. She is intense, opinionated, a big personality and seems mad at the world. The sort of smart-aleck you can't help but like. I adored Nana. He's like a judgy eccentric walking old encyclopedia, obsessed with manners and full of wisdom nuggets. And Diamond? "Diamond is a one of a kind" as he would say.

This story is undoubtedly funny, the warm-hearted kind, and at points hilarious, but also endearing and touching, and yes I teared up in places.

Dealing not only with human nature but also human connection, it shows us what religion, tradition and culture can mean or not mean in your life. It emphasizes family, the family you choose. That the beauty in life is being with the ones you love.

I love how rom-coms have evolved and this one is a great big slice of life, with all the toppings. Far from predictable, with such depth you discover that it is a diamond of a story. I absolutely adored it.

Overall, I would say this is a pleasant ya romance book that has fairly well developed characters and a decent plot. I can't say I was ever in love with Arsalan as a character and I wish we got to see more of Bean's POV as I did really like her. I would also die for nana, and the ending of the book did make me feel many things.

Unfortunately, getting to that point was slow and it felt like there was so much build up only for the ending to go by extremely quickly. Essentially, I wanted to see more retribution and, actually, more dancing. I guess it's hard to incorporate a lot of dance into a book but considering the plot, it didn't feel like there was a ton.

A 3.5 I'm rounding down to 3 because Arsalan did annoy me, especially at the beginning, and the pacing.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

this book was blurbed as a desi she's all that retelling (but in reverse!) and that was enough for me to gain interest in this book, especially after the trainwreck that is the new movie adaptation so honestly, you should read this instead lolll.

plotwise, it was good. the concept was fresh despite it being called a she's all that retelling. but throughout reading this, it didn't evoke a lot of emotions in me and i was left feeling flat through out, which was a shame because i really thought i was going to love this when they introduced the main characters, but a lot of their dialogues became really infuriating to read and i just couldn't care that much about the characters: except for maybe beenish and diamond. i can't speak on how good the rep is because i am not desi, so please refer to other reviewers who have reviewed this!

anyway i still standby with what i said in the beginning and i would still recommend this to people if they're looking for a cute short rom com to read, especially if you like tropes such as grumpy x sunshine!

thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc for this in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly one of the best books I have read this year. Beenish, the main female lead, is such a strong person and is honestly an inspiration despite being hard-headed sometimes. Despite the book having undeniably hilarious parts, I also found myself crying over Arsalans tragic past and the trauma he's experienced in his life. I would definitely recommend.

Sway With Me is a sweet and easy romantic comedy with a brilliant pair of protagonists. I loved how different Arsalan and Beenish were and the journey that they went on together.

Unfortunately, I did find the pacing a bit slow and at times it was difficult to stay engaged with the story. However, others may feel differently!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

I have to say, this book was exactly what I was expecting, and yet it still managed to surprise me.

"Beans" was so lovable! She reminds me of myself, of a me that could have been. A me that once was.

The main character, Arsalan, even if a little dumb at times, was pretty enjoyable as well. Dare I say I found him to be quite relatable, especially with his old-fashioned ways.

I easily got attached to side characters like Nana, Aiza Aunty and Diamond but to me, the best character was, without a single doubt, Beenish. I don't know if I want to be her or to marry her.

The plot was interesting and solid, and I really liked the way their relationship progressed with each page. The bits of humor here and there made it easy to read, meeting my initial expectations of Sway With Me as something light, something to have a good time with.

Overall, a very fun read for a rainy day like this one.

This book wrecked me in the best way possible. The plot was well developed and the characters likeable and more importantly believable. I think I have found my new favourite book of the year. I loved every single second.

Overall a good read! It's always really lovely seeing representation in books!!

At times the pacing of the story really slowed everything down. By It was still a really fun rom com nonetheless, with tons of poc representation!! So yay for that.

I loved how the book balanced really heavy topics with light humor all in the same breath without making light of some of the heavier topics!

DNF'ed as this was really horrible 😞 and disappointing in many ways
The suth Asian rep was , the cover was good , the starting was really good but then the mc makes the most dumbest choices, I am disappointed

I was drawn to this book by the front cover and I was so happy that I read it. It was so funny that I laughed out loud several times and i couldnt put it down, It was an adorable read and i cant wait to read more by Syed Masood.

☆☆/5
I am disappointed, this was one of my anticipated releases and it wasn't at all what I expected, I felt arshalan to be very dumb , I mean i get he was homeschooled but some things he said and did were beyond annoying, the only person who was likable was beenish but she too had her weird moments.
And what disappointed me most was the Muslim rep which was horrible , as the religion was villianized in so many places and through the entire book . I hope valid changes are made in the final copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eArc in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a cute romcom! Not too long, so I managed to read it all at one go. This book put a refreshing take on the grumpy x sunshine trope, and having desi rep is always a win for me!

The two main characters are both teenagers, but wise beyond their years. I was very entertained by Arsalan's thought process, and as an English/History nerd myself, I burst out laughing at a lot of his inner monologues. He is very naïve, obedient, and an absolute gem of a person. Arsalan Nizami is an old soul, who reminds me a lot of a time traveler struggling to fit in. Beenish 'Beans' Siraj is his fiery counterpart, who isn't afraid to speak her mind and be heard. She's somewhat of a rebel, who does things her own way and doesn't look back. Beans exudes humour, and Arsalan often takes humour literally, fighting them with facts. Naturally, the banter between Arsalan and Beans was magic! Also, we have Diamond, who is the neutral party between the two, always there to support them. I think that everybody needs a Diamond in their life.

I really like how this book touched on a lot of serious household issues while still remaining somewhat lighthearted. The harsh realities of being a brown person were brought up - how perception of others is expected to take precedence over our own feelings, being done as your told without being allowed to voice out, "tough" love from parents, submissive wives, gender inequality - and I appreciate the mentions of such issues. I also like the nods to religion and other historical figures, all used to come up with rational thoughts, acting as a guide for when dead ends arise.

I have to admit, there were some parts where the plot plateaued, and I'd forgotten about what the goal of the story was. Based on the title, I'd expected a stronger focus on the dance. There were a lot of other elements that I'd hoped for more exploration, like Arsalan's prior relationship with his mother and Beans' passion for dance.

For me, the true star was Aiza Aunty. An icon through and through, she changed the energy of the story as soon as she appeared. She is dramatic, flamboyant, and says the most amusing things. She is the embodiment of confidence, and I wish I could be her best friend. I'm officially Aiza Aunty's number 1 fan!

Also, I would do anything for Nana. I never had the chance to be close to my grandparents, let alone my great-grandparents, so reading about Nana's relationship with Arsalan and how everyone grew to love Nana was very heartwarming. Nana says the wittiest things in complete seriousness, like the walking library he is. If Nana was hurt, I don't think I would ever be able to recover.

All in all, I did expect more, but I also really enjoyed reading Sway With Me. Looking forward to reading more works from Syed Masood!

3.5 out of 5 stars!