Author of The Thirty Before Thirty List, Finding Mr Perfectly Fine & Desperate in Dubai.
Author and Podcaster
Tasneem Abdur-Rashid
Hello, and thank you for stopping by!
My name is Tasneem Abdur-Rashid and I’m a British Bengali writer born and raised in north London. I’m also a mum and I spend my days juggling my day job, raising my children and writing stories about underrepresented communities.
Before I started writing books, I worked in media, PR and communications for over 15 years, in the UK and in the Middle East. I have a BA and MA in Creative Writing, and my debut rom-com, Finding Mr Perfectly Fine, was published by Bonnier/Zaffre in July 2022 as part of a two-book publishing deal.
My Books
Finding Mr Perfectly Fine
‘I loved it. Utterly charming’ Jenny Colgan
Desperate in Dubai
The UAE’s Answer to Desperate Housewives – Timeout Dubai
The Thirty Before Thirty List
‘Totally charming’ EVA VERDE
Reviews
After years of growing up without much representation in books we have something we can call our own. Witty, full of humour and a tad emotional.
– Bengali Halal Foodie
– Cakeface Makeup
I was so invested in the storyline. It’s not just about romance, but ambition, drive and making something of yourself. Tasneem did it again!
– Nargis, Amazon
– Amazon Customer
NEWS AND EVENTS
The Thirty Before Thirty List Longlisted for the Jhalak Prize!
I am so excited to share that The Thirty Before Thirty List has been longlisted for the prestigious Jhalak Prize! First awarded in March 2017, the Jhalak Prize awards seek to celebrate books by writers of colour in the UK and Ireland. The awards are...
FAVERSHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL
Date: Saturday 22 February 2025 Time: 12:30PM After a little hiatus I’m finally back and attending my first festival this year courtesy of Faversham Literature Festival!! And the best part? I’ll be talking to my dear friend and mentor @maggie__brookes ....
THE CANDID BOOK CLUB
Date: Monday 24 February 2025 Time: 7:00PM Get ready for the most candid book convo of your life! It’s time to spill the tea on everything! Writing, inspiration, the industry, life, everything basically!!! Links to the tickets are...
Blog
Follow Along
ODD GIRL OUT REVIEW BY NICOLA GARRARD
Nicola Garrard has taught English in secondary schools for over twenty years, including fifteen at an inner-city London comprehensive. She now works at a referral school in Islington with excluded students. Here she reviews Tasneem Abdur-Rashid's debut novel, Odd Girl...
On Being a Writer Unable to Write
I’m supposedly a writer but right now, I can’t write. I’m sitting here with my laptop literally on my lap but I can’t bring myself to open it and type out words that may or may not end up in a book somewhere, some day, one day. Instead, I doom scroll. I weep. I...
Leeds Lit Club – August 2024
It was an absolute honour and privilege to attend Leeds Lit Club in person for the very first time to talk about The Thirty Before Thirty List! I first met Dr Sofia Rehman when the club read my debut, Finding Mr Perfectly Fine, two years ago. Since then I've run into...