Till the Wishes Bloom by Montaha Nasr

In this homage to Arabic web novels, a dying wish results in an arranged marriage between a pharmacist and a man with whom she shares a complicated past. Eight years. That was how long Jihan Khalili spent under the umbrella of Al-Saif family, a product of her mother's marriage to the family's second-born heir. It was within those eight years, within that household, that Jihan experienced fleeting daydreams and inevitable heartbreak. Those days are long behind her, memories to collect dust. Now a pharmacist, Jihan spends her time navigating around curious neighbors, dismissing pointless proposals, and mulling over her workplace's status of paranormal activity. But then arrives Nadir, Al-Saif family's youngest heir, obliging her mother's dying wish by asking for Jihan's hand in marriage. He is insistent despite her warnings, and far too accommodating to her requests and terms. Is it all out of sense of duty, or is there another motive behind his pursuit? Perhaps this is the chance to mend an old heartbreak, to turn a daydream into a reality.

Adult • Contemporary Fiction • Women's Fiction • Romance

Content Warning: Miscarriage and its complications (side character) Discussion of health conditions Parental loss