Even though I won all of Farah Heron’s books, this is the first I’ve read. And now I’m confident in my other choices. Kamila Knows Best took me by surprise. As I was reading, I was like, “wait, this reminds me a lot of Emma” and while I had no idea beforehand, it’s true! So if you like Emma, this has to be on your TBR! Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Kamila Hussain’s life might not be perfect, but, whew, it’s close. She lives a life of comfort, filled with her elaborate Bollywood movie parties, a dog with more Instagram followers than most reality stars, a job she loves, and an endless array of friends who clearly need her help finding love. In fact, Kamila is so busy with her friends’ love lives, she’s hardly given any thought to her own . . .
Fortunately, Kamila has Rohan Nasser. A longtime friend of the family, he’s hugely successful, with the deliciously lean, firm body of a rock climber. Only lately, Kamila’s “harmless flirting” with Rohan is making her insides do a little bhangra dance.
But between planning the local shelter’s puppy prom, throwing a huge work event, and proving to everyone that she’s got it all figured out, Kamila isn’t letting herself get distracted—until her secret nemesis returns to town with an eye for Rohan. Suddenly, it seems like the more Kamila tries to plan, the more things are starting to unravel—and her perfectly ordered life is about to be turned upside down.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Once I figured out this was an Emma retelling, so many more things made sense. Until then I had just been occupied with thoughts like, “am I imagining things?” Kamila Knows Best follows the story of Kamila, who, like the title, thinks she knows best about those in her life. The love lives of her friends, the preconceptions she has about her family, and more. If you’re a big Emma fan, then you aren’t surprised. But whereas I’m not a huge Emma fan, I ended up falling for Kamila.
While she’s preoccupied with what she thinks is happening – aren’t we all?? – Kamila has her heart in the right place. She deeply loves her father and this father/daughter relationship was one of my favorite elements! Some of their interactions were so tender than my eyes turned into little hearts. Another of my favorite elements was the relationship between Kamila and Rohan. Friends to lovers is a big favorite trope of mine and add in the fact that they’ve known each other FOREVER. I loved watching both of them struggle with their conceptions of each other versus their new feelings.
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In every Emma retelling, that’s certainly been my favorite element. And Heron has such a way with characters. Because while my feelings for Kamila oscillated quite a lot, I ended up finding a sweet spot for her. How she’s genuinely trying, deeply cares about her family and the causes close to her, and her just doing her best. If you’ve a fan of Emma this is a must read. At the same time, if you love characters who sometimes get so preoccupied with ourselves and our preconceptions, check this out. Find Kamila Knows Best on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.