There are a lot of reasons for you to pick up More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Massood. I would like to introduce you to the most important one, which above all else will make you fall head over heels in love with this book: Danyal Jilani.
Our main character, Danyal, is everything we love. He is a confident, handsome 19-year-old high school student who works part time as a chef in a French restaurant. His Muslim parents try to set him up with various marriage prospects, but Danyal only has one girl on his mind: the beautiful Kaval.
When his parents introduce him to the superhero-shirt wearing book-nerd Bisma, who has a secret of her own, he befriends her and even asks her for advice regarding Kaval. He accidentally gets nominated for the Renaissance Man, a competition in his high school, which usually only features the best and brightest. Danyal knows that he is neither, at least not in the GPA, grades, and books kind of way. He is supposed to write and present a historical topic about Winston Churchill and is torn between what his teacher, his father and Kaval expect of him; which is praising the man, and, telling the truth about some of his actions while colonialising India. He asks Bisma for help and somewhere in between trips to restaurants, library meetings and early morning runs, Danyal realises that maybe Kaval isn’t the only beautiful girl in his life.
First of all, the representation! I was so happy to read a novel in which I could dive into a culture, beliefs, and a point of view, which I had not previously been exposed to (and I am asking myself: Why not?). I think this is an important story, especially in our current day and age. While we get a swoon-worthy, self-confident desi chef (who secretly isn’t as confident as he makes himself out to be) and who makes fantastic croissants, we also get to see the world of a Pakistani-American teenager, trying to navigate his life between ‘the American dream’ and religion. The novel explores a young man trying to understand the world as it is, while still believing in humanity, even though he discovers historic events contrary to that belief and realises that racism is devastatingly still a thing. Danyal also tries to please his parents and make himself happy and, above all, we see Danyal trying to choose between right and wrong and questioning, who even decides what is acceptable and what isn’t?
Besides the themes that will undoubtedly make you think about the world we live in and our own parts in it, this is a story about love, first love, and true love. It is a story about friendship, about fighting for one another, about family, and about being unapologetically yourself.
If you, like me, love a story with relatable characters, a fierce main character who indeed is more than just a pretty face, and a romance to absolutely die for, this is the book for you. Furthermore, if you enjoy good character development and superb pacing, I will promise you, that you will adore this novel.
In short: I laughed, I cried, and from now on, I consider “you have a beautiful face pond” to be the compliments of all compliments. It is my absolute pleasure to give More Than Just A Pretty Face a score from 10/10, accompanied by an invisible 100 emoji.
More Than Just A Pretty Face is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of August 4th 2020.
Will you be picking up More Than Just A Pretty Face? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
For fans of Becky Albertalli and Jenny Han, a sweetly funny YA rom-com debut about falling in love, familial expectations, and being a Renaissance Man.
Danyal Jilani doesn’t lack confidence. He may not be the smartest guy in the room, but he’s funny, gorgeous, and going to make a great chef one day. His father doesn’t approve of his career choice, but that hardly matters. What does matter is the opinion of Danyal’s longtime crush, the perfect-in-all-ways Kaval, and her family, who consider him a less than ideal arranged marriage prospect.
When Danyal gets selected for Renaissance Man–a school-wide academic championship–it’s the perfect opportunity to show everyone he’s smarter than they think. He recruits the brilliant, totally-uninterested-in-him Bisma to help with the competition, but the more time Danyal spends with her…the more he learns from her…the more he cooks for her…the more he realizes that happiness may be staring him right in his pretty face.
