That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story

As-Salaamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? To be honest, I’ve been in a reading/writing slump as of late, which sucks because those are some of the things that keep me happy. Haven’t written nearly as much in the past year as I thought I would have. Sigh.

In any case, this isn’t a post about my own works. This here is a review for an upcoming Muslim-authored book that I know plenty of people are excited for. Now, while I normally prefer to stick with Muslim-fiction and Islamic-fiction (there’s a difference) here, I was willing to make an exception this time.

Today’s book is called “That Can Be Arranged,” and it was written by Huda Fahmy, aka the author of those “Yes, I’m Hot In This” web-comics you’ve probably seen on Twitter or Instagram. If you haven’t heard of her or seen any of her works, fix that.

Many thanks to Netgalley, for allowing me to read this book long before its debut in exchange for a fair and honest review here on my blog. “That Can Be Arranged” is the hilarious, relatable, and real story of Huda’s own path to marriage, told in her usual comical style. Now, while it is the author’s own experience and not meant to outline the exact journey every Muslim has to getting married, the book does explain in simple, easy to comprehend ways some of the basics around how marriage works in Islam.

There are brief sentences covering the things that happened in her own life, along with humorous illustrations of said events, and I must say the writing is fantastic. The book, while 194 pages, is actually pretty short and yet by the end of it you feel like you’ve witnessed a big part of someone’s life all the same. From kiddo Huda to young adult Huda to Huda who local aunties assume will never get married, to IN-YOUR-FACE getting married Huda.

There was a glossary of terms in the back to make sure everyone can read through smoothly with an understanding of what’s going on. If you’ve read my book, you know I’m a big fan of that. And like I said, the writing itself was funny, entertaining, and informative. Now, what was that motto I had for Muslim and Islamic fiction? Educate, Entertain, and Inspire.

This book, in my opinion, can be said to reach all of those. It will educate some people on some of the rules and traditions that Muslims worldwide believe in (even for those who don’t always follow them), and it does this in a simple, brief, and non-preachy way, so don’t worry about being bored with a lecture. It’s certainly entertaining, the artist’s style lends itself to humorous storytelling in such a natural way it’s like it all comes to life on every page.

And as far as inspiring, on my first read over, I actually wasn’t looking to see any aspect of that. But, in truth, by the end of it, it’s pretty clear who this book was written for. This wasn’t just for laughs or to talk about herself. In my opinion, I see the author reaching out to her past self to offer up a bit of encouragement and hope, and to all the other presently unmarried Hudas (or Huds too lol) who may be struggling to get married and feeling society’s judgmental gaze hanging over them telling them they’ve missed their chances or they will never get married for xyz absurd reasons. At the end of the day, it’s all in Allah’s Hands; what He wills for you will come to be and only at the time He decreed.

For the beneficial reminder and enjoyable tale, I give “That Can Be Arranged” a rating of ★★★★☆ and it goes to my recommended reading list. Definitely read it when it comes out and help support another Muslim author, In Shaa Allah!

“That Can Be Arranged” debuts March 2020, but you can pre-order a copy for yourself or a loved one now on amazon. Follow Huda Fahmy on Twitter and Instagram!