The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem

The Marriage Clock

by Zara Raheem

Named one of Pop Sugar's Best Books to Put in your Beachbag this summer and one of the best books of July.

A Booktrib "Romance to get you in the swing for Wedding Season" of 2019

A Book Riot "Five New Diverse Romantic Comedies"

Bustle's "21 new summer novels to spice up your summer reading"

To Leila Abid's traditional Indian parents, finding a husband is as easy as match, meet, marry. Yes, she wants to marry, but after 26 years of singledom, even Leila is starting to get nervous. And to make matters worse, her parents are panicking, the neighbors are talking, and she's wondering, are her expectations just too high?

But for Leila, a marriage of arrangement clashes with her lifelong dreams of a Bollywood romance, where real love happens before marriage, not the other way around. So she decides it's time to stop dreaming and start dating.

It's an impossible mission of satisfying her parents' expectations, while also fulfilling her own western ideals of love. But after a series of speed dates, blind dates, online dates and even ambush dates, the sparks just don't fly! Now, with the marriage clock ticking, and her 3-month deadline looming in the horizon, Leila must face the consequences of what might happen if she doesn't find "the one..."

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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Born and bred in America, Leila wanted the freedom to find her own husband. She was determined to find "the one", who satisfied all 47 requirements and would give her the Bollywood love story she dreamed about. In a bid to keep her parents out of the process, she agreed to let them find her match should she still be unattached in three months time. But would Leila find her soulmate before the marriage clock ran out?

I went into this expecting a romance, and though the story has romantic parts, I would personally classify this as women's fiction. It was really about Leila and her struggle as a single woman trying to find love in this day and age. Her search was quite humorous, and wow! She really tried it all. There were apps, dating sites, speed dating, and even a matchmaker. All of these encounters elicited a great deal of laughter from me, but I also found myself very sympathetic to Leila's situation.

I had a really fun time accompanying Leila to her dates as well as to her girls' nights. However, the best part of the story, for me, was her trip to India. Raheem beautifully painted the landscape for me, including all the sights and sounds and smells and flavors of the region. We ate a lot, went dress shopping, and got to spend three days at a wedding. But, as much as I enjoyed the trip to India, it was even more important for Leila, and she came to a big realization following this trip.

From beginning to end, this story was quite an emotional journey for Leila. She learned so much about herself, her family, and what she really valued in a partner. I found myself extremely invested in her match, probably too invested, and was rooting for her the entire time.

Overall: A fun, charming, and touching story of one women's search for love and self fulfillment.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 17 July, 2019: Finished reading
  • 17 July, 2019: Reviewed