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3.02 AVERAGE
3.02 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
The story was great, love reading if the progress of Manny coming to her Indian identity, however, I feel the ending was definitely too sped up. Other than that the book was great!
emotional
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A cute romcom book which speaks to those of us who are extremely white-washed and yearn for a stronger connection to our culture. I would love to see this made into a Netflix movie.
I was excited to be granted an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster.
This is a fun rom-com that is a quick read and is a clean romance which is often a rarity these days.
Singh has written a book that I found to be delightful because of the addition of culture. I found this to be very educational as someone who does not live in an area with any significant amounts of Indians. I found myself googling so many different terms, dishes etc. Singh paints a beautiful picture of family, culture and food.
The two things that rubbed me wrong with this story was 1) Manny's business just felt cheap to me. I understand there could be a need for such a thing but to email someone to break off a relationship seemed cheap. 2) Sammy's response at the wedding to Manny's news did not seem inline with his personality. Sammy went off the deep end and his response didn't line up with his apparent indifference to Lisa. Then the book wrapped up so quickly that it left my head spinning. I think more time needed to be spent from the wedding to the resolution.
I will definitely be looking for future releases from Singh.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
This is a fun rom-com that is a quick read and is a clean romance which is often a rarity these days.
Singh has written a book that I found to be delightful because of the addition of culture. I found this to be very educational as someone who does not live in an area with any significant amounts of Indians. I found myself googling so many different terms, dishes etc. Singh paints a beautiful picture of family, culture and food.
The two things that rubbed me wrong with this story was 1) Manny's business just felt cheap to me. I understand there could be a need for such a thing but to email someone to break off a relationship seemed cheap. 2) Sammy's response at the wedding to Manny's news did not seem inline with his personality. Sammy went off the deep end and his response didn't line up with his apparent indifference to Lisa. Then the book wrapped up so quickly that it left my head spinning. I think more time needed to be spent from the wedding to the resolution.
I will definitely be looking for future releases from Singh.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
I thought I was really going to like this book. It was kind of a letdown. I usually enjoy books where the plot includes the character finding their identity and becoming who they are deep down. The romance building wasn’t there. Both of the main characters original relationships were filled with red flags. It all felt like it happened quickly without much character development.
I did not like this. It felt like… okay this is terrible. It felt like it was not written by a person of color, but by someone who used her friend’s life to explain a culture to other white friends. The characters are caricatures—especially the queer characters.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
1.5 ⭐️ Started fine but by the end, I was done
My issues with this story aren't necessarily with the writing/sentence structure, but more with the concept, the characters, and the romance. I was expecting a fun rom-com filled with rich Indian culture but was let down.
First off, the romance between Manny and Sammy was forced. They had absolutely no connection, so when they finally got together it felt random and abrupt. The author literally just announces that they suddenly like, no LOVE, each other without hardly any romantic buildup besides him picking a leaf out of her hair one night.
Second, and most problematic, there was a lot of stereotyping of Indian and LGBT characters/culture. Many characters were portrayed as caricatures and it was honestly uncomfortable and somewhat offensive.
Third, everything surrounding Adam and his relationship with Manny was bizarre. Adam was the most one-dimensional character I think I've ever met. He's a rich, business-driven white guy who doesn't have time for family and 'doesn't see color'. (If anyone has seen The Wedding Singer, he reminds me of an even more boring version of Julia's finance, Glenn Guglia. Like all we really know is that he's a massive jerk lol). And Manny, who is a beautiful, successful CEO is with him because . . . he helped her ignore the pain of her parent's death by encouraging her to work hard on building her company. They don't ever spend time together and when they do, it's all work. For a woman who runs a business that deals with relationships, she's unbelievably shite at them herself.
Fourth, most of the side characters act so immaturely that I couldn't believe they're supposed to be in their 30s.
As I mentioned earlier, the actual writing shows promise, so I don’t want to discourage the author. I genuinely believe she has talent, but the plot and its development needed a lot more work, and I blame the editors and publishers for that.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
My issues with this story aren't necessarily with the writing/sentence structure, but more with the concept, the characters, and the romance. I was expecting a fun rom-com filled with rich Indian culture but was let down.
First off, the romance between Manny and Sammy was forced. They had absolutely no connection, so when they finally got together it felt random and abrupt. The author literally just announces that they suddenly like, no LOVE, each other without hardly any romantic buildup besides him picking a leaf out of her hair one night.
Second, and most problematic, there was a lot of stereotyping of Indian and LGBT characters/culture. Many characters were portrayed as caricatures and it was honestly uncomfortable and somewhat offensive.
Third, everything surrounding Adam and his relationship with Manny was bizarre. Adam was the most one-dimensional character I think I've ever met. He's a rich, business-driven white guy who doesn't have time for family and 'doesn't see color'. (If anyone has seen The Wedding Singer, he reminds me of an even more boring version of Julia's finance, Glenn Guglia. Like all we really know is that he's a massive jerk lol). And Manny, who is a beautiful, successful CEO is with him because . . . he helped her ignore the pain of her parent's death by encouraging her to work hard on building her company. They don't ever spend time together and when they do, it's all work. For a woman who runs a business that deals with relationships, she's unbelievably shite at them herself.
Fourth, most of the side characters act so immaturely that I couldn't believe they're supposed to be in their 30s.
As I mentioned earlier, the actual writing shows promise, so I don’t want to discourage the author. I genuinely believe she has talent, but the plot and its development needed a lot more work, and I blame the editors and publishers for that.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced