Book Review: “The Marvelous Mirza Girls” by Sheba Karim

“The Marvelous Mirza Girls” by Sheba Karim (2021)

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Page Length: 400 pages (electronic review edition)

Synopsis:

To cure her post–senior year slump, made worse by the loss of her aunt Sonia, Noreen is ready to follow her mom on a gap year trip to New Delhi, hoping India can lessen her grief and bring her voice back.

In the world’s most polluted city, Noreen soon meets kind, handsome Kabir, who introduces her to the wonders of this magical, complicated place. With Kabir’s help—plus Bollywood celebrities, fourteenth-century ruins, karaoke parties, and Sufi saints—Noreen begins to rediscover her joyful voice.

But when a family scandal erupts, Noreen and Kabir must face complicated questions in their own relationship: What does it mean to truly stand by someone—and what are the boundaries of love? (description from Goodreads)

Review:

The Marvelous Mirza Girls follows Noreen and her mother Ruby on their trip to India while exploring the sights and sounds of the country. It’s a way of honoring her aunt Sonia Khala who has passed away. Noreen was incredibly close to her aunt and this trip is a way to help her grieving process, discover herself, and find a way to ease the writer’s block that keeps her from expressing herself through screenwriting.

Immediately what struck me about the book is the writing style because of its casual and fun nature, there’s even ease of comfort when it talks about some of the more difficult things too (done tactfully). I also connected to Noreen and Ruby’s narrative because of my own relationship with my mother. They have a tight-knit relationship and I loved their rapport, the way they joke and love each other. It was really endearing.

The book takes readers through New Delhi as Noreen befriends Kabir and he takes her to various sites around the area. I appreciated the heavily descriptive writing at these parts because it paints a vivid portrait of these sites mentioned in the book. It felt like virtually traveling to see the religious prayer monuments, ancient ruins, whizzing by the food stands on a scooter, and admiring all of the intricate architecture while learning about history. It was fascinating and immersive.

Meeting Kabir helps Noreen to make a fast friend and a potential love interest. This trip (gap period) before college helps her to sort out her thoughts, properly mourn her aunt, and learn a lot of life lessons to help her shape the person she wants to be. Though the book follows a theme around self-love, and a coming-of-age story since it helps Noreen to find inspiration to do screenwriting again. The second half of the book is more focused on the romance between Kabir and Noreen that blooms. Even though they hit things off right away I really liked the progression of their relationship. They have a lot of cute moments when they tour the city, and even face some obstacles that put a strain on their relationship. Noreen is scared to fall in love and get too attached since she knows she knows she has to go back to America.

I enjoyed this book a lot and I learned many things about India that I was unfamiliar with. I appreciated that the author doesn’t stray from discussing some serious topics within Indian culture and doesn’t gloss over some of the harsher facts. If you like contemporary stories with travel and romance, I’d recommend this novel.

Final Verdict:

FTC Disclaimer: I recieved this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.