Finding Mr Perfectly Fine: 'I loved it. Utterly charming' Jenny Colgan, the freshest and funniest romcom of 2022

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Finding the right romantic partner is never easy, but in this funny and fascinating novel Zara is coming under a lot of pressure. She is twenty nine, and her mother is threatening to send her from London to Bengal to find a husband if she is not married by her thirtieth birthday. Family and cultural expectations clash with Zara’s mainly happy life in this brilliantly written novel which is narrated in her honest, bewildered voice as she struggles to decide what is sufficient for a happy married life. Taylor Swift". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020 . Retrieved April 14, 2021.

It's the same for all of us. Throughout the novel there are so many moments, scenes and chapters where exactly that happens. Sometimes I had to laugh because one of Zara’s dates turned so awkward (we have all been there), other times I desperately wanted to know how it continues because it felt so exciting (we have all been there too) and sometimes I almost cried because some dates, some break ups were so sad or humiliating ( we have all been there too unfortunately). Asker, Jim (April 21, 2021). "With 'Fearless (Taylor's Version),' Taylor Swift Scores First Top Country Albums No. 1 Since 'Red' ". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021 . Retrieved April 21, 2021. Zara is the 29yo daughter of a Bangladeshi British family (North London, not Tower Hamlets: this is a book extremely grounded in its place). She's a moderately observant Muslim, and takes her religion and culture seriously, while also holding modern British attitudes about eg feminism that make for uneasy bedfellows. There's a lot here about the difficulty of reconciling cultures and fitting different expectations together, and a lot of people with wildly divergent views on how to live and indeed how other people should. Very like reality in fact, and I hugely liked that almost nobody is an outright villain and absolutely nobody is entirely in the right. With every decision, every choice we make, no matter who you are, we make mistakes, fall, stand up, grow and thrive. Zara is making a lot of decisions and a lot of mistakes but grows from them and finds herself. The complex, multi-layered main character Tasneem has created here, gives the reader an unforgettable reading experience, one to learn from, one to feel compassion, but above all, one to escape the real and crazy world, to dive into the also crazy but wonderful world of Zara, her dating life and be able to laugh and relate with her experiences. As Zara’s parents compile the equivalent of a dating CV to be distributed within the community and ramp up the suitor search efforts she starts to feel disillusioned and exhausted by it all.

IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 202121 into search. Retrieved May 31, 2021.

I was really looking forward to reading a book with muslim rep all about my own desi culture. But this book...... Mr Perfectly Fine is the first and only romcom I’ve read by a Bangladeshi author, and I loved it. I felt a personal relatability to the book – sometimes, I felt like I was literally in the book, especially in the scenes with the aunties! The second point that was absolutely amazing and beautiful to experience about Zara is her journey towards a new self-discovery after everything that has happened in her life, the good, the bad and the very dark (no spoilers, you’ll have to read it).

Zara is a bit Bridget Jones without the booze: chaotic life, series of terrible decisions. She does a lot of romcom heroine things (including bumping into people and spilling things, my kingdom for one single romcom heroine with basic spatial awareness) and, more to the point, pursuing her goal of getting married before she's 30 with more enthusiasm than sense. The online dating is wonderfully done and the traditional matchmaking equally painful, and the sense of a desperate hope and willingness to ignore red flags is very well done and relatable. Last week I turned 29. Along with the usual homemade Victoria sponge, helium balloon and Selfridges gift vouchers, my Mum's birthday present to me was the threat that if I'm not engaged by my 30 th birthday, she's sending me off to the Motherland to find a fresh-from-the-Desh husband Crone, Madeline (April 7, 2021). "Taylor Swift Pulls Number Two 'From the Vault', "Mr.Perfectly Fine" ". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021 . Retrieved May 22, 2021. I found this book worked for me on several levels including the story of Zara as a young woman engaged in her job, family and friends who has to negotiate another hurdle, and the internal debate about what is truly necessary for the happily ever after which her mother and other relatives want for her. It overturns expectations in many ways and challenges things like the culture of social drinking, while being solidly down to earth in the perils of late nights, the question of what to wear and the distractions of social media. This book’s greatest strength lies in its cast of characters, ranging from the determined mother to the work colleagues who have so much influence on Zara’s thoughts. There is the quiet Nani who quietly takes Zara’s side, as well as a whole group of female relatives who alternatively support Zara and make her life more complicated. Zara describes her mother “I’m lumbered with a mum that is the worst of both my worlds; tech savvy and cynical like a Western mum, but still clinging on to old traditions like the village mum she claims she isn’t.” Needless to say Zara and her mother clash, most significantly over the hunt for a husband that her mother claims is all she needs for happiness, while Zara has reservations. Zara’s quest of finding a perfect match, whilst also dealing with her meddling family and trying to decide what’s more important in a relationship: comfort or chemistry, was really interesting and also low-key relatable.

As Zara juggles messaging men, going on dates with Hamza who seems a nice guy and shared her values but she sadly doesn’t fancy and then she starts feeling sparks with Adam the graphics designer at work suddenly the waters are very muddy! Zara’s story, getting to know her and her culture, was captivating and I felt like the author portrayed her emotions beautifully; but damn, some of the scenes in later chapters were brutally painful to read. Still, even though it was painful, I am glad about what happened in chapter 30, and think it was for the best. The ending (epilogue) was too abrupt for me though. I am generally not a fan of open endings, so the last scene was just not enough closure for me, but that’s only my opinion. At least the ending leaves us hopeful that there might be a happy ending in the near future for her and her Mr Perfectly Fine.Zara finally comes to terms with the trauma of her failed engagement to Tariq (he is bad news) and stands her ground with her family which is no mean feat I am sure. I am still mad at the ending of this book and was on the verge of giving the book 2 stars just for that ending.