The Rules of Arrangement is a book that I was really excited about after reading the description. Zoya Sahni is successful in life. Her top-notch education, combined with her satisfying job, and her (generally) well-meaning family make her feel exceptionally lucky. Unfortunately for Zoya, her physical appearance, attitude, and age create a trifecta of stress for her matchmaking-obsessed family. Zoya takes the world that she lives in, one promoting and highlighting those who are skinny and fair-skinned, and works to shape it to fit her best.

In general, I felt a little let down by this book. I really enjoyed the overall commentary on what it's like to be a freer spirit living in a culture where the rules are everything. However, I think that this discussion could have been pushed just a bit farther. Additionally, there were really intense moments of fatphobia almost constantly as well as scenes featuring colorism. These are pretty much passed over without a second thought and the plot just moves forward. I have to say, I was hoping for a story with the main character as a darker-skinned and plus-sized (and comfortable being so) individual at the center of a story. I wanted this character to end up in love without too many trials or tribulations. I would definitely categorize this book in Domestic Fiction or General Fiction over placing it in the Romance genre. While romance is a factor in the plot, I don't feel like it's the strongest point in the overall story. I think Zoya's day-to-day was the most exciting part to listen to. Her job is one that closely aligns with one of my majors from undergrad, so I was really able to relate to Zoya's process. So, in general, I think this book had a great conception and beginning, but in actual practice, it fell flat, and (in some ways) it felt a bit harmful. I still recommend at least trying this book if you like General Fiction, and prior to reading, I would make sure to do into colorism, fatphobia, and transphobia just to make sure you're aware of any potential occurrences in the book and see the real-life implications of these attitudes.

Overall rating: 3/5

The Rules of Arrangement will be available for purchase on July 22nd. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads shelf and see where it's sold. Also, be sure to check out Anisha Bhatia’s website! As a side note, if you are buying this book outside of the US, the title will appear as What are We Doing about Zoya?.

I was lucky enough to be able to listen to this Advanced Reader's Copy through my partnership with NetGalley. All opinions are my own. ( )

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. The Rules of Arrangement by Anisha Bhatia is a Women’s Fiction novel with romantic elements.
Zoya Sahni wants to be a good daughter, but fulfilling the dreams her parents have for her may mean letting go of her dreams. At age 27, Zoya is close to being on the shelf, and her parents are getting desperate for her to get married. On the marriage mart, Zoya is considered to be too fat, too dark, and too old, but amazingly enough, Lalit Khurana asks her to marry him, and everyone appears to be happy except Zoya because she has dreams of working for a large advertising agency in New York, dreams that are not out of reach because her boss Arnav Bajaj has recommended her for a position and it’s just up to her to ace that interview. I enjoyed reading this book tremendously. It had the perfect balance of humour and angst, a heroine who had you cheering for her and wonderful secondary characters who added much to the story. I highly recommend this book. Steam Level: Kissing Only Publishing Date: July 13, 2021. #TheRulesOfArrangement #AnishaBhatia #NetGalley #AlcovePress #WomensFictionNovel #ContemporaryWomensFiction #bookstagram #bookstagrammer ( )