The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed

Mughees debuts with a witty romance reigniting the old flame between childhood sweethearts against a backdrop of family drama. Hijabi Sana Saeed, 33, wants to find ishq—a transcendent love that intertwines “mind, body, and soul”—but her mother won’t grant her guardianship over her autistic younger brother, Zia, unless she gets married, so Sana agrees to allow her family to arrange a match for her. It’s bad timing for Daniel Malik, Sana’s childhood friend and first crush whom she hasn’t seen since a rift between their two families tore them apart, to reenter her life. He’s her new boss at the Department of Environmental Conservation. Knowing her mother would never approve, Sana tries to fight her lingering attraction to Daniel—a feat that gets even harder when they’re forced to work together on an important case. The result is a refreshing and hilarious rom-com, bolstered by complicated but grounded family dynamics and well-drawn Muslim representation. Though there are some slower moments as Sana wrestles with her decision between pursuing Daniel or sticking with her arrangement, the two characters have great chemistry. Uzma Jalaluddin fans will want to check this out. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Agency. (Oct.)