THE WEDDING WEEK

4.5 stars out of 5

I’ve been a reasonably prolific reviewer of pre-release books (ARCs) through NetGalley for some time now, and it’s always a thrill to have one of my requests approved by publishers. Even more thrilling is getting an email from a publishing house agent offering me a book without my having to ask for it. With one caveat: most of the time, those are written by authors I’ve never heard of. Sometimes, the description is enough for me to decline the offer; other times – as was the case with this one – the book sounds intriguing, but my concern that it might be a big waste of my time lingers.

Well, I’m delighted to report that it turned out to be a winner in my book, despite not being too sure when I started to read. Admittedly, I’m not at all familiar with much of anything related to South Asian or Middle Eastern culture except maybe some of the food (and even that when it’s been “Americanized”), so I sort of felt out of my element from the beginning. Names? Wrote ‘em down so I’d remember who’s who just because most of my friends have names like Jim or Mary, not Hena or Reza or Nasir. But curiosity I have plenty of; I love learning about other cultures and customs. It just takes a little longer to adjust to the unfamiliar. A for-instance? This story focuses on a “desi” wedding. Say what? As confirmed on more than one online source, a desi wedding is a traditional South Asian wedding (including Pakistani, as are the families here). Such events are elaborate, with dancing, singing, choreographed performances, henna paintings, cultural clothing and yes, vows, taking place over multiple days.

This story begins as Hena Mirza, who’s in California, gets a call from her younger sister Lulu, who’s 21 and getting married. The event will be held at Lulu’s luxurious resort in the Everglades – a place Hena left in a rush a few years back in the midst of a similar wedding of her own that went sideways before any vows were spoken. Her intended, Nasir, suddenly disappeared – never to be seen since. Worse, Hena became a suspect in that disappearance, with some relatives (especially on his side) believing she somehow did him in. And since Lulu is marrying Khaled, who is close friends with Nasir’s parents, who are among those believers  – and Nasir’s sister Irum is Lulu’s maid of honor - they’re all expected to be at the wedding as well.

It’s all sounds like a recipe for another disaster at best, so Hena isn’t expecting ooey-gooey wedding cake and roses and hesitates to go. But it’s her sister, after all, and their mother, Ammi, has Stage 4 lung cancer, so it may be the last time they will see her alive. Reluctantly, Hena agrees to give it a go.

Sure enough, she gets the expected responses from relatives on both sides, but for the most part she’s able to handle them. And when on the first day she meets handsome hunk and groomsman Reza, she begins to think she’ll make it through all eight days of elaborate, themed and highly choreographed celebrations.

Well, think again. At almost every turn, she encounters something unexpected – some that actually are life-threatening. As the story moves along, chapters flash to years-earlier experiences of various characters, all building up to the realization of what really happened to Hena’s fiancé and prompted her to flee the Sunshine State. Needless to say, I can’t relate any of that without spoiling things for other readers, but suffice it to say it’s an interesting journey with a few surprises at the end. All told, it’s an enjoyable adventure that’s a bit off the beaten path, and I’m appreciative of the offer of a pre-release copy to read and review (by way of NetGalley). Well done, definitely recommended.

The Wedding Week by Aishia Saeed (Bantam, July 2026); 352 pp.