Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Good Intentions cover art

Good Intentions

By: Kasim Ali
Narrated by: Nathaniel Curtis
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters cover art
To Be a Mother cover art
The Moment I Found You cover art
Patience Is a Subtle Thief cover art
Watermelon cover art
This Way Out cover art
The Locked-Away Life cover art
The Wedding Guest cover art
Goodnight, Beautiful cover art
The Family Tree cover art
Butter Honey Pig Bread cover art
Single Black Female cover art
Half a World Away cover art
Who's Loving You cover art
My Other Husband cover art
The Three of Us cover art

Summary

An unforgettable debut novel about first love, family obligation and finding your way.

In the wake of first heartbreak, Nur somehow meets his perfect woman. Yasmina is bright, beautiful and, what’s most remarkable, she’s into him too. Before long, they are inseparable.

But no relationship is perfect. For Yasmina, the complexities of family and cultural expectation are something she wants to navigate with Nur by her side. For Nur, the pressures of being the ‘good son’ are suffocating, and soon threaten everything he wants for his future with Yasmina. Can he find a way to offer her everything she deserves?

©2022 Kasim Ali (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"A sensitive, smooth-toned and absorbingly honest novel that makes us question our inner worlds, at a time when this kind of self-examination might be the thing that saves us." (Diana Evans, author of Ordinary People)

"I found Good Intentions moving, modern and utterly engaging. What a talent." (Rhik Samadder, author of I Never Said I Love You)

"Good Intentions is so absorbing, compelling and beautifully written. Its ending brought me close to tears—what an incredibly assured debut. I can't wait to see what Kasim Ali writes next." (Beth O’Leary, author of The Flatshare)

What listeners say about Good Intentions

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Is there something wrong with this audio book?

Enjoying the story so far, but all the chapters are repeated. I think it must be a mistake in the recording but it's quite frustrating to listen to!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A modern day tale of race relations in the U.K.

The good
- A satirical take on how young Brits of colour are still being held back from having multicultural relations by the misgivings of their parents.

The not so good
- The story is somewhat slow and repetitive in parts.

This would be a good book for anyone who enjoys British satire.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting storyline that isn't executed

I haven't managed to finish this, it was a struggle after a few attempts. Though the story is interesting and one that definitely deserves telling, this doesn't do Black and Asian relationships and the complexity that comes with this, any justice at all. It is surface level talk and random at points, the characters aren't interesting and lack depth. The audible skips and repeats whole chapters in a chapter and doesn't flow, it jumps from present to past, it doesn't work.
I haven't had a chance to critique the writing in full but it's very much written for a young person, I'd say 12-15 age. I didn't find the writing stimulating, intriguing, complex or descriptive, however I am comparing to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (who is an absolute legend so perhaps unfair).
I would recommend the book to that age group, if they sort out the audible experience! Narration doesn't suit the 'Sundanese' black girl vibe either, maybe swap her parts, which are some 35-40% of the book, to someone that can bring the character alive.
Overall not a good listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!