Sunday 25 June 2017

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Review: The Other Half of Happiness by Ayisha Malik

The Other Half of Happiness by Ayisha MalikThe Other Half of Happiness by Ayisha Malik (Bought) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Sofia Khan is just married. But no-one told her life was going to be this way . . .

Her living situation is in dire straits, her husband Conall is distant, and his annoyingly attractive colleague is ringing all sorts of alarm bells.

When her mother forces them into a belated wedding ceremony (elopement: you can run, but you can't hide), Sofia wonders if it might be a chance to bring them together. But when it forces Conall to confess his darkest secret, it might just tear them apart.
From Goodreads.

I absolutely adored Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik - so much so that I bought the sequel, The Other Half of Happiness before I was even half way through the first. I opened the second book looking forward to visiting these incredible characters again, and the humour that is a huge part of Sofia's personality. And although there is some humour, The Other Half of Happiness is a very different book. Where the first was a romcom, The Other Half is more of a drama. And it was absolutely incredible.

Where Sofia Khan is Not Obliged was lighthearted and humorous for the most part, The Other Half is a lot more emotional. I think it would be unfair to say, "Don't pick up this book expecting the first," because the characters are still the same people - there's Sofia's mum making hilarious but inappropriate comments, there are Sofia's friends being absolutely incredible, wonderful women, and there's Sofia being Sofia, who who I just love and so wish I could be friends with - but Sofia soon finds herself in completely different circumstances, and levity is hard to find.

I spent most of the book with a heavy heart. Not only is she finding it difficult to deal with the revelation of Conall's secret, but she's still grieving her father's death, plus feeling upset and kind of betrayed that her mother has decided to marry her childhood sweetheart, when her dad hasn't been dead a year yet. I got to a point where I was thinking, "What?!", gobsmacked and angry and upset on Sofia's behalf, wondering how Sofia was meant to get past this roadblock, but as the story continues, things just spirals more and more out of control. I was reading with a feeling of desperation, so emotionally involved in the story, and hoping so much that things would go a certain way, but then the story takes a turn that filled me with a differnt kind of desperation, one of fear and uncertainty.

The Other Half of Happiness had a surprising ending, and yet maybe it shouldn't have been surprising, because it was realistic. I have thoughts, but they will be spoil the story, so don't click the button if you have yet to read the novel and don't want it spoilt for you.



The Other Half of Happiness isn't the book I was expecting. It was hugely emotional and heart-wrenching, but all the better for it. I may have adored Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, but I love The Other Half of Happiness more. It's real, it's raw, and it's beautiful. And I will absolutely read everything Malik writes in the future. I cannot recommend these two books enough.

The Ramadan Readathon

The Other Half of Happiness by Ayisha Malik has been reviewed as part of the Ramadan Readathon.

Add to Goodreads



Published: 6th April 2017
Publisher: Twenty7
Ayisha Malik on Twitter

My other reviews from the series:
Sofia Khan is Not Obliged (Sofia Khan Book 1)

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1 comment:

  1. Another one to add to my list! Thanks for linking this up to the British Books Challenge x

    ReplyDelete