by Syed M. Masood
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2021
336 pages
Genre: Romance
Publication Information
She's All That goes desi in this hilarious, affecting, and sweetly romantic comedy by the author of More Than Just a Pretty Face.
Arsalan has learned everything he knows from Nana, his 100-year-old great-grandfather. This includes the fact that when Nana dies, Arsalan will be completely alone in the world, except for his estranged and abusive father. So he turns to Beenish, the step-daughter of a prominent matchmaker, to find him a future life partner. Beenish's request in return? That Arsalan help her ruin her older sister's wedding with a spectacular dance she's been forbidden to perform.
Despite knowing as little about dancing as he does about girls, Arsalan wades into Beenish's chaotic world to discover friends and family he never expected. And though Arsalan's old-school manners and Beenish's take-no-prisoners attitude clash every minute, they find themselves getting closer and closer—literally. All that's left to realize is that the thing they both really want is each other, if only they can get in step.
At turns laugh-out-loud funny, poignant, and sincerely heartfelt, Sway With Me is a coming-of-age story for anyone trying to find their place in the world.
"[A] strong sense of humor pervades Masood's sophomore YA novel...while Arsalan's past serves as just the right amount of darkness to balance the light that Beenish brings into his life." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Masood has crafted each of his characters with care, using them to explore topics such as grief, domestic violence, divorce, addiction, and religious differences. Despite the seriousness of these subjects, Arsalan's hapless, earnest, and socially naïve narration adds humor and lightness to this story of finding your place in the world despite feeling like a misfit. An evocative, charming tale of two types of families, the one you are born into and the one you choose. " - Kirkus Reviews
"The family and friendship issues discussed in this book are deep and layered, which makes for a very well-developed story. A great purchase for libraries, especially those serving Desi communities and collections where there are gaps in representation." - School Library Journal
"Syed Masood is my favorite YA author, and this story and these characters are exactly why. Rich with culture, touched with hilarity, immersed in heart, Sway with Me made me laugh one moment and wipe tears from my cheeks in the very next. Masood is an auto-buy for me." - Erin Hahn, author of More Than Maybe and Never Saw You Coming
"Earnest, heartfelt, and laugh-out-loud charming, Sway with Me is a book that will warm your heart in all the best places. A must-read for anyone who loves found families and finding love in unexpectedly perfect places." - Emma Lord, author of Tweet Cute
"Sway with Me is as big-hearted and hilarious as it is masterfully affecting. Arsalan is a loyal old soul who will steal your heart from page one as his lonely world becomes filled with found family, first love, and dance. Nothing short of magnificent." - Nina Moreno, author of Don't Date Rosa Santos and Our Way Back to Always
This information about Sway with Me was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Syed M. Masood is the author of More Than Just a Pretty Face, The Bad Muslim Discount, and Sway With Me. He grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, and now lives with his wife and children in Sacramento, California, where he is a practicing attorney.
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