#BlogTour ‘Finding Mr Perfectly Fine’ by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid

About the book…
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 30th birthday, she’s sending me off to the Motherland to find a fresh-from-the-Desh husband

When Zara’s Mum puts together the most archaic of arranged marriage resources (not exactly the romcom-worthy love story she had envisioned for herself), she is soon exhausted by her family’s failed attempts to set her up with every vaguely suitable Abdul, Ahmed and Farook that they can find. Zara decides to take matters into her own hands. How hard can it be to find a husband at twenty-nine?

With just a year to go, time is of the essence, so Zara joins a dating app and signs up for speed dating.
She meets Hamza, a kind British Egyptian who shares her values and would make a good husband. Zara knows that not all marriages are based on love (or lust) at first sight but struggles with the lack of spark. Particularly when she can’t stop thinking of someone else . . .
As her next birthday looms, and family pressure intensifies, Zara knows she must make a decision, but will she make the right one?

My thanks to Tracy at Compulsive Reads and publishers Zaffre for the tour invite and gifted review copy of ‘Finding Mr Perfectly Fine’ by Tasneem Abdur-Rasheed

I’m not going to rely on my mum and her limited network of aunties and uncles from a certain part of Sylhet to find me a husband. I’m twenty-nine,not sixty-nine. I have an entire year to fund someone and if I put enough energy into finding a husband as I did into finding the latest celebrity lipstick ,I’m sure I can be engaged in six months and married in twelve.’

So, does she?

Well it would spoilers to let you know if Zara manages to wriggle through this mammoth task of finding the right for now husband, and arranging a marriage in less than a year.

I would rather you got a copy for yourself and tucked into this joyous exploration of what it means to balance your family’s expectations, societal expectations and your own expectations for a coupled life.

It is so difficult to meet people after a certain age,no matter what culture you are from,without certain questions coming to the fore, especially for women.

Tasneen neatly encapsulates the generation gap with Zara’s younger sister setting her up on a Muslim dating app whilst her mother has her writing something called a ‘biodata’, a sales pitch for the person who gains her hand in marriage.

In all honesty, neither seems like a great way to set yourself up with a life long partner and as Zara finds herself getting increasingly confused and frazzled as to what she is actually looking for, she stops and re-assesse her goals and what she really wants.

Is looking for something so hard that you could possibly miss what is under your nose?

Absolutely!

And is it possible that the phrase ‘we only do it because we care’ is damaging in the context of matchmaking?

Again, very much so!

It is so lovely to read about this empowered and headstrong woman who is battling with her sense of pride I finding herself a husband before her family do it for her.

I fell deep into this story and whilst at first Zara is quite prickly and determined almost to the point of stubbornness,she really grew on me a s a person as you journey with her to find her very own, Mr Perfectly Fine.

Is a year enough time to convince yourself you have found love?

Read this engaging and page turning debut novel to find out for yourself!

About the author….

Tasneem Abdur-Rashid is a British Bengali writer born and raised in London. A mother of two, Tasneem has worked across media, PR and communications both in the UK and in the UAE. Today, Tasneem spends her days writing novels and her nights co-hosting the award-winning podcast Not Another Mum Pod – and in between, she’s busy trying (and often failing) to be super mum, super wife and super chef. Having recently completed a Master’s in Creative Writing with distinction, Tasneem’s debut rom-com Finding Mr Perfectly Fine was be published by Zaffre/Bonnier in summer 2022.

Twitter @TasneemARashid @ZaffreBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n