Farah Heron's newest rom-com JANA GOES WILD begins with Jana meeting her soulmate, Anir, but breaks it off upon learning he lied about being divorced, only to learn she is pregnant. Fast forward five years and Jana is thrown together with Anir to attend an extended destination family wedding in Tanzania. Jana decides to work through the lingering betrayal bought on by Anir, cultural backlash, and repercussions she received at work by completing tasks taking her outside her introverted comfort zone.
JANA GOES WILD involves interesting dynamics between the family and friends attending the wedding, incredible locations in the National Parks, wildlife around Tanzania, and mouth-watering food. As I read the book, the relationship of Jana with her friends on the backdrop of East Africa was the strongest part for me. At times, Jana and her mother both came across as rather irritating to read with their unhealthy focus on what other people think about them and their inability to move on from issues. Overall, I found the descriptive peek into Indian and East African culture and attitudes very engaging and enjoyed spending time there with these characters.
The highly acclaimed author of Accidentally Engaged delivers a delightful rom-com of one woman trying to shed her perfect image at a destination wedding with hilarious—and moving—results, perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez and Jasmine Guillory.
Jana Suleiman has never really fit in—everyone always sees her as too aloof, too cool, too perfect. The one time she stepped out of her comfort zone she ended up with a broken heart and a baby on the way. Aaaand lesson learned. Now she’s a bridesmaid for a destination wedding in Serengeti National Park, and almost everyone she knows will be there. Her five-year-old daughter. Her mom. Her friends. Even her potential new boss. And of course (because who doesn’t love surprises!) her gorgeous-but-not-to-be-trusted ex.
Fortunately, Anil Malek is a great dad, even if Jana hasn’t quite forgiven him for lying to her all those years ago. Determined to show he has no effect on her whatsoever, she and the bridesmaids concoct a go-wild list to get Jana through the week. Sing karaoke? Sure. Perform their high school dance routine in front of strangers? Okay. But the more she lets down her guard, the less protection she has against her attraction to Anil. And Jana soon realizes it’s one thing to walk on the wild side . . . and quite another to fall for her ex all over again.