Plot: Quinn and Tarek have been kind of friends for years. Their families have businesses that mean the two spend most weekend summers together (hers – wedding planning, his – catering). They have both also had kind of crushes on each other. The problem is that they are wildly incompatible. Quinn has grown beyond jaded after a lifetime watching weddings be planned and relationships unravel. Meanwhile, Tarek’s parents had a love story right out of a 90’s rom com, and he’s obsessed with having that kind of Big Love, full of grand gestures and perfect instagram pictures. So when Quinn confesses her feelings over email and Tarek disappears for his first year of undergrad, that crush she’s been nursing very quickly turns into white hot hate. And then he’s back, and their families still work together, and the awkwardness could power cities. Shenanigans ensue.
So the problem is that I can’t be objective about books written by Jews about Jewish characters, I’ve realized. It’s so damn rare to see characters that feel familiar to me that I instantly love a story that achieves this. Quinn’s family is Jewish and about a thousand times more observant than mine is (which is saying something, since they are not), but how Quinn relates to the world rings true in a way that most characters don’t. The title of this review is a quote of hers about her parents teaching her sex ed and listen, it is the same talk I got. Only my dad also told me to touch the condom so I’d know what it’s supposed to feel like when it’s “still good” and won’t break, which quite frankly is infinitely more useful than any sex talk I’ve heard my WASP friends get. Why does it excite me to see this incredibly random experience represented by someone else? I have no answers for you. So yes, I’m probably biased and have huge blind spots.
The things I did notice though – this book is so unbelievably loving to its characters. Every character is suffering in silence in one way or another, fearing rejection and stigma. Seeing them slowly take down their walls and talk honestly about severe struggles with self doubt, mental health, chronic illness, and the pressure family can sometimes place on you without even realizing is all so affirming. There are no bad guys in this book, only demons that need to be vanquished. And if there’s a lesson to be had from this book is that demons are much more easily defeated by teams. I mean, how often do you find a romance novel that features a Hero that has a skin condition that isn’t Cured By Love? He just gets to be worthy of love with eczema! Mental health issues? Shockingly, also not cured by love! Just a bunch of accepting people as who they are up in this bitch.
This also applies at a cultural level. While Quinn is Jewish and Tarek is Muslim, the families are nothing but warm towards one another and there is never a question of whether the families would accept them together. Especially when you have characters with heritages that involve conflict, it’s not only easy but also expected, I think, to turn it into a Special Episode About Acceptance. Which is fine. But here, it was just a story of two people who happened to be from different religions and cultures but that got virtually no play time (except when they’re respecting the hell out of each other) because love is love baby and man did I mention how much I enjoyed this?