Book Review: “It All Comes Back to You” by Farah Naz Rishi

“It All Comes Back to You” by Farah Naz Rishi (2021)

Genre: YA, Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Page Length: 432 pages (paperback review edition)

Synopsis:

After Kiran Noorani’s mom died, Kiran vowed to keep her dad and sister, Amira, close. Then out of the blue, Amira announces that she’s dating someone and might move cross-country with him. Kiran is thrown.

Deen Malik is thrilled that his older brother, Faisal, has found a great girlfriend, even if it’s getting serious quickly. Maybe now their parents’ focus will shift off Deen, who feels intense pressure to be the perfect son.

When Deen and Kiran come fact to face, they silently agree to keep their past a secret. Four years ago–before Amira and Faisal met–Kiran and Deen dated. But Deen ghosted Kiran with no explanation. Kiran will stop at nothing to find out what happened, and Deen will do anything, even if it means sabotaging his brother’s relationship, to keep her from reaching the truth. Though the chemistry between Kiran and Deen is undeniable, can either of them take down their walls? (description from Goodreads)

Review:

It All Comes Back to You is one of my top anticipated reads of the year and I’m happy to say that it really delivered on all fronts. The story follows Kiran and Deen, former exes, who become reconnected when their siblings have fallen in love and plan on getting married. Kiran holds a grudge against Deen for ghosting her completely and Deen struggles to hold the family together after an incident with Faisal. Can they agree to hold a truce or has the bridge been burned forever?

I’ve read this in other reviews of this book and can agree that Kiran and Deen can be such frustrating characters at times but that’s what makes them feel very real. They’ve held on to feelings of guilt, anger, and resentment for so long that they’ve been changed completely. There are plenty of times I wanted to just make them sit down and really talk to each other about what happened. But the fact that they bicker and have all these misunderstandings play out reminds the reader that love and life can be unpredictable.

I liked the character development and growth over the course of the story. Both Kiran and Deen have to face harsh truths but also need to let go so they can move forward. Kiran struggles with the absence of her mother and pursues medicine when her true passion is actually for dance. Deen tries to take the brunt of pressure from his overbearing parents but also helps out Faisal with his issues all while neglecting himself. Both of them internalize pain in such a deep way that it leads to petty arguments, and them trying to take shots at each other.

But in spite of the bitterness, I also found this novel to be very heartwarming at times and comedic. I loved how the author incorporates chats from the Cambria game into the narrative and how it gave backstory to Kiran and Deen’s backstories (and relationship). It’s an emotional book reader can connect to and it’s a real story about healing and family. Most of all I loved how rich in culture the novel was and that it was left open-ended in certain aspects.

An all-around solid contemporary romance that I recommend!

TW: Mental Illness, Death, Drugs

Final Verdict: