Sway with Me
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5.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Living in Sacramento, Calif., with his nearly 100-year-old great-grandfather, kind, dutiful Arsalan Nizami, 17, is eager to find a fiancée. Since he doesn't believe that the most eminent matchmaker in Northern California would take him on as a client, he approaches her stepdaughter Beenish "Beans" Siraj, who is Muslim and Pakistani American like him, instead. While Beans initially turns down Arsalan, she agrees to help him find a girlfriend—in exchange for Arsalan serving as her dance partner. While Beenish considers formerly homeschooled Arsalan to be a "Nerd Scout" and Arsalan thinks of Beenish as a "Newtonian force," they find common ground in dancing and witty banter. Typical romantic misunderstandings move the rom-com plot along, but a strong sense of humor pervades Masood's (More Than Just a Pretty Face) sophomore YA novel. References to Measure for Measure and The Epic of Gilgamesh abound, and a self-referential call-out—as the Desi uncle who wrote a novel called "something something Pretty Face"—adds a comedic meta layer, while Arsalan's past serves as just the right amount of darkness to balance the light that Beenish brings into his life. Ages 14–up.
Customer Reviews
Lovely
Happy and emotional. Filled with true remorse and redemption.