Huda Fahmy

Chaperones, suitors, and arranged marriages aren't only reserved for the heroines of a Jane Austen novel. They're just another walk in the park for this leading lady, who is on a mission to find her leading lad. From the brilliant comics Yes, I'm Hot in This, Huda Fahmy tells the hilarious story of how she met and married her husband. Navigating mismatched suitors, gossiping aunties, and societal expectations for Muslim women, That Can Be Arranged deftly and hilariously reveals to readers what it can be like to find a husband as an observant Muslim woman in the twenty-first century. So relevant in today's evolving cultural climate, Fahmy's story offers a perceptive and personal glimpse into the sometimes sticky but ultimately rewarding balance of independent choice and tradition.

A Muslim Love Story

That Can Be Arranged

Kritika Narula

I always love a great graphic novel that is solidly woven around a theme. That Can Be Arranged checked all the boxes for me. 
It was biting in the right places, but mostly a story. Often illustrators who pivot/diversify into books take a standalone approach - which is to say, they look at each page as a standalone comic strip. So it is refreshing to see this story-length feature. 
The icing on the cake? It is a story told about a culture in a sensitive manner. It respectfully talks about the idea of love, marriage and other allied themes.

Zahia Saeed 

So hilarious I Laughed through every single page.

Berit Akse

A humouristic and honest look into the life of a visibly Muslim woman in the US. Huda Fahmy (@YesIAmHotInThis) shares her experiences with relationships and (arranged) marriage in an accessible manner. A great a quick read, laughs guaranteed but most importantly; it will give insight in a world which for many of us seems far away. Highly recommended!

Lauren Sullivan

This is a sweet memoir that starts with Huda’s childhood her introduction to Muslim courtship customs and ends with her marriage a few weeks before she turns 26. In between, we learn about her hopes (that she won’t turn into an elderly cat lady) and dreams (how to find the perfect husband??) as well as see some of the, well, not-so-successful suitors.



Huda, an English major who admits she read a very large amount of Jane Austen, compares Muslim courtship to Austen-era courtship, and while it leads to several funny running gags, it’s also a pretty apt comparison. It’s a very different process than typical American dating (chaperones and the amount of parental involvement were the two that really made me raise my eyebrows), but Huda does a good job explaining why it’s important to her. She doesn’t shy away from both the pitfalls of the process (how to even meet guys?) and the strengths (avoiding getting involved in a relationship just for the sake of being in a relationship). So, while it’s very different from my experience in some ways, in others, not so much!



I really liked the advice she got from a sheikh. When she tells him about her checklist of what she wants in a husband, he gently points out that she wouldn’t pass her own checklist (fluent in Arabic, memorized the Quran, etc), and that she should look for someone at the same level who wants to grow together. Good advice for anyone, I think.



The art style is simple but colorful, and the faces are hilariously expressive. My one criticism is that it wasn’t fully “illustrated” – most pages would have a paragraph or two of text at the top of the page followed by a drawing. I wish all of the text could have been incorporated into the images, as the differences in style between the two fonts was pretty jarring.

Overall, I found this a fascinating and sweet glimpse into a different culture’s view of romance. I’ll definitely be looking up her previous book!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Samirah Arif

This book was so cute! MashAllah this book was so sweet and heartwarming!
It's an autobiography (technically) about Huda Fahmy and her love story! She and her husband got married Jane Austen style, and it was so sweet to read about. The art style was very cartoonish but it fits the story perfectly. It was very funny, and it didn't take much time to read

Nia C

This was a delightful read! I enjoyed the love story and the look into how a modern woman who still has a deep faith in religion might view love.

That Can Be Arranged A Muslim Love Story

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