Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron (Accidentally Engaged) is set in Toronto, the hometown of 30-something Kamila Hussain, an accountant with a flamboyant streak and a huge heart. She lives with her father and her adorable Instagram-famous dog, Darcy. The novel sings to the enchanting tune of Jane Austen's Emma: Kamila is a modern matchmaker, blind when it comes to her own heart, especially concerning her friend Rohan.
Kamila's world is exactly as she likes it: she has a wide social network, a job at her father's accounting firm and a volunteer position at the local animal shelter. Though she is a fashionista with a head for numbers, her true passions include puppies and hosting parties. But Kamila's life wasn't always so easy; a difficult relationship with her late mother cast a long shadow over her childhood, leading to a lifetime of self-doubt she works hard to overcome.
Kamila's story is suffused with the multicultural underpinnings of her Indian Muslim family, complete with the auntie network that is the heart of most South Asian communities. Leading readers through a series of entertaining twists and turns, Heron's heroine labors mightily to match two seemingly suited friends, all the while trying to keep her childhood nemesis Jana away from Rohan.
Kamila Knows Best, a treat for fans of Soniah Kamal's Unmarriageable, is a welcome addition to the delightful genre of Bollywood-flavored romantic comedies, complete with recipes for the fragrant rice dish and star anise mocktails Kamila loves to serve her friends. --Shahina Piyarali, reviewer