The Marriage Clock A Novel

But after a series of speed dates, blind dates, online dates and even ambush dates, the sparks just don’t fly! In Zara Raheem’s fresh, funny, smart debut, a young, Muslim American woman strikes a deal with her parents: she’ll find her future husband in three months, or else they’ll arrange her marriage for her! To Leila Abid’s traditional Indian parents, finding a husband is as easy as match, meet, marry. 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. Yet after twenty-six years of singledom, and still no sign of “Mr. Perfect,” even Leila is starting to get nervous. And to make matters worse, her parents are panicking, the neighbors are talking, and she’s wondering if her expectations are just too high. Tasked with an impossible mission of satisfying her parents, while also fulfilling her own Western ideals of love, Leila decides it’s finally time to stop dreaming and start searching. 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 a three-month deadline looming on the horizon, Leila must face the consequences of what might happen if she doesn’t find “the one” . . . 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…”