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noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings: Gun violence, public shooting, blood/injury, racism, sexism, toxic masculinity, ableism, PTSD, and queerphobia.
Mention of: being drugged and raped, injury due to getting hit by a car, depression, mention of losing a loved one/partner, and anxiety.
Having been emotionally devastated and restored by the first two books in this series…I took my time getting around to book three. This was a book I’m pretty sure I pre-ordered and then left sitting on my shelf because I wasn’t prepared to deal with the emotions Sonali made me feel in the first two books.
I wouldn’t classify this book as a romance so much as adult fiction as the element of romance was so small in comparison to everything else the book dealt with.
The book starts with an attempt on Yash’s life when he’s set to speak at a political rally. His friend and bodyguard is critically injured when he tries to jump in the way of a bullet meant for Yash. Having his friend in the ICU with no idea if he’ll ever wake up, let alone recover, Yash is in shock. Yash has always been great in front of a crowd but after the shooting anytime he attempts to speak at a public gathering he’s overwhelmed with panic and anxiety.
Yash is close to 40 and has years of unresolved trauma that had deeply affected his life and the way he handles things. I really wish the book would have shown Yash getting professional help to process his trauma rather than just talking with India and mentioning that he’s set up an appointment. Trauma is such an important thing that needs to be addressed and I understand it taking years for him to come to terms with needing help…I just wish we were able to see him getting more help than just India.
We spend so much of the book seeing Yash acknowledge how much trauma has shaped and dictated his life and I just needed more of the after, if that makes sense. Maybe I’m just not in the right mood to be reading this book but I felt like there was so much sadness and although he does find love and he’s finally opening up to his family…I just felt like the negativity and sadness outweighed the happiness. I just needed to feel more of a win than what I felt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Racism
Moderate: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Death
bellesunbridled's review
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, and Ableism
No explicit sex scenes: All fade to black or summarized description.now_booking's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It is hard to capture my adoration of this book in words except to say that it is currently my favourite book of any genre I’ve read this year out of the 113 I’ve read so far. It is not exactly shocking that I loved this book. I’m a huge fan of this authors The Rajes series- the first book in this series of standalones, “Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavours,” was my number 1 favourite read of 2019, and Book 2, “Recipe for Persuasion,” was a top 10 read of 2020 for me. This author for me, really knows how to tell a compelling, angsty absolutely gorgeous story that breaks your heart to pieces but puts you back together and delivers the most amazing characters.
In this 3rd book in the series, we get to know perfect older brother and politician side character from previous books, Yash Raje, better. Yash, is the perfect politician- suave, passionate about the issues, responsible and caring but also honest maybe to a fault, and his perfectly curated world is about to be shaken when after a tragic incident he needs the help of the only woman who has ever been able to destabilize him, yoga instructor and stress coach, India Dashwood. India has already been let down by Yash in the past but can’t help caring about what happens to the aspiring California governor.
I’ve explained the book really drily. Take my word for it that from chapter 1 you will be sucked into a well of angst and emotion and you will fall in love with these characters. Thematically, this is a political love story about an Indian-American man seeking to be the first POC governor of California- it’s about running for office for the right reasons and the real meanings of public service. This novel explains lies and truth within the context of politics and public life in a way that really calls to mind narratives around truth and service that came into acceptance leading up to the 2020 US elections. But inasmuch as this is a political book since the themes of truth and selflessness can’t help but bring to mind what truth because in US politics between 2016 and 2020 when the concept of truth and “alternate truth” entered public discourse, this is not a political book in the sense of being partisan. It is not a book about any particular candidate or any particular party. It is also a story about family and friendship and resilience- a beautiful beautiful love story about understanding and a responsible sort of love that serves others more than self.
Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” has never been my favourite of her books- I have too little patience with the characters. But after reading this book, after recognizing the Marianne and Elinor characters, I have infinitely more understanding and compassion for these sisters. Even the Willoughby character is less irredeemable villain and more “it be like dat sometimes” f-boy (or f-girl in this case). If you’re familiar with the original story, you will recognize the major players and think of them differently as long as you remember this is an adaptation not a retelling. If you’ve never read Austen and have no intention of doing so, it won’t signify because this book is MORE THAN ENOUGH on its own.
I have to flag content warnings of rape (male victim) and trauma related to that, anxiety, gun violence, familial pressure and loneliness. Perhaps a bit more time could have been spent dealing with theses traumas but for me, I loved how vulnerable this author allowed Yash to be and how much in sync he and India were. The secondary characters were absolutely delightful- most of them we already knew from previous books in the series. Tara Dashwood, India’s mother and her gory stories, was a particular treat in this book providing some needed comic relief with her predictably gross yet compellingly delightful stories. If I have one minor niggle, it would be that perhaps India is perhaps too nice, but so was Elinor… perhaps she didn’t have as much growth as Yash or change as him… but even then, I didn’t feel like this book did her a disservice. She too had to also had to find herself and find how to live with her responsibilities in this book. And I adored her as much as I did Yash. Perhaps, I also craved more of a resolution for Yash and Naina, but then what more resolution could there have been? When all seemed lost like there was no solution, this author managed to create the most gorgeous conclusion to this amazingly beautiful, angsty book.
I am soooo blown away by this book. I could speak or write about it forever. I can absolutely not recommend this enough. It stands alone really well but there’s a reward of feeling like part of the Raje family if you read the other books in order first. This author has done it again in this series!
I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow Books.
In this 3rd book in the series, we get to know perfect older brother and politician side character from previous books, Yash Raje, better. Yash, is the perfect politician- suave, passionate about the issues, responsible and caring but also honest maybe to a fault, and his perfectly curated world is about to be shaken when after a tragic incident he needs the help of the only woman who has ever been able to destabilize him, yoga instructor and stress coach, India Dashwood. India has already been let down by Yash in the past but can’t help caring about what happens to the aspiring California governor.
I’ve explained the book really drily. Take my word for it that from chapter 1 you will be sucked into a well of angst and emotion and you will fall in love with these characters. Thematically, this is a political love story about an Indian-American man seeking to be the first POC governor of California- it’s about running for office for the right reasons and the real meanings of public service. This novel explains lies and truth within the context of politics and public life in a way that really calls to mind narratives around truth and service that came into acceptance leading up to the 2020 US elections. But inasmuch as this is a political book since the themes of truth and selflessness can’t help but bring to mind what truth because in US politics between 2016 and 2020 when the concept of truth and “alternate truth” entered public discourse, this is not a political book in the sense of being partisan. It is not a book about any particular candidate or any particular party. It is also a story about family and friendship and resilience- a beautiful beautiful love story about understanding and a responsible sort of love that serves others more than self.
Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” has never been my favourite of her books- I have too little patience with the characters. But after reading this book, after recognizing the Marianne and Elinor characters, I have infinitely more understanding and compassion for these sisters. Even the Willoughby character is less irredeemable villain and more “it be like dat sometimes” f-boy (or f-girl in this case). If you’re familiar with the original story, you will recognize the major players and think of them differently as long as you remember this is an adaptation not a retelling. If you’ve never read Austen and have no intention of doing so, it won’t signify because this book is MORE THAN ENOUGH on its own.
I have to flag content warnings of rape (male victim) and trauma related to that, anxiety, gun violence, familial pressure and loneliness. Perhaps a bit more time could have been spent dealing with theses traumas but for me, I loved how vulnerable this author allowed Yash to be and how much in sync he and India were. The secondary characters were absolutely delightful- most of them we already knew from previous books in the series. Tara Dashwood, India’s mother and her gory stories, was a particular treat in this book providing some needed comic relief with her predictably gross yet compellingly delightful stories. If I have one minor niggle, it would be that perhaps India is perhaps too nice, but so was Elinor… perhaps she didn’t have as much growth as Yash or change as him… but even then, I didn’t feel like this book did her a disservice. She too had to also had to find herself and find how to live with her responsibilities in this book. And I adored her as much as I did Yash. Perhaps, I also craved more of a resolution for Yash and Naina, but then what more resolution could there have been? When all seemed lost like there was no solution, this author managed to create the most gorgeous conclusion to this amazingly beautiful, angsty book.
I am soooo blown away by this book. I could speak or write about it forever. I can absolutely not recommend this enough. It stands alone really well but there’s a reward of feeling like part of the Raje family if you read the other books in order first. This author has done it again in this series!
I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow Books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, and Racism
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