Reviews

Then, Now, Always by Mona Shroff

readerlatte's review against another edition

5.0

I don't read many adult titles but when I saw this one I fell in love with the cover and just had to read it. Once I started the story I was drawn in and became addicted to the story and fell in love with the characters. This one is told in alternating time lines as well as a dual POV and it worked wonderfully!! I don't think this story could have been told any other way. It was one of those stories that is a slow burn and so worth the ride. You find out tidbits about what in the world happened tear this family apart as they found each other again. I will seriously be adding this to this years awards because it was just that good. The author has so much culture in this story that I would love to know more about it. She added two of the recipes in the back of the book that I can not wait to try out. And an epilogue that made me cry happy tears as I was finishing up the story that has touched my heart so much!

Don't miss this debut!!


Go Into This One Knowing: Dual POV, Dual Time Lines, Indian Culture, Blended Culture

whatshawnareads's review against another edition

3.0

Then, Now, Always is a solid debut from Mona Shroff. It’s an emotional second chance romance between Maya, the Indian daughter of a single mother from Queens, and Sam, the half-Indian son of a doctor and a lawyer. They had a summer fling 16 years ago in Maryland before Maya broke it off and returned home. Now her daughter is in trouble and the only person she can turn to for help is Sam, who she hasn’t seen since that summer.⁣
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The story alternates between the summer that Maya and Sam met and fell in love and their lives 16 years later, with Maya as a single mother running a bakery in Queens and Sam a corporate lawyer looking to make the leap into politics. I’d recommend this one to someone looking for a closed door romance with more external conflict than internal. There’s a lot going on and the hero and heroine are mainly kept apart by their families rather than any reservations they have about the other.

Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

Narration: There’s a single narrator for both POVs, but I enjoyed her accent for Maya.

notinjersey's review against another edition

4.0

This second chance romance is an Own Voices book, written by an author who is Indian about a couple who are Indian. I really enjoyed the bits of Indian culture included in this book! Sam and Maya were together when they were younger. Sam is now engaged to another woman, but reuniting with Maya brings back all the memories of their romance. One of their major obstacles in the past was their cultures and families, and now Samantha brings an added dimension to their reconnection. This book was sweet and worthwhile if you like romantic books.

spuriousdiphthongs's review against another edition

2.0

Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

I really wanted to love this book, as I was excited for the plot but I ended up skimming most of it. None of the characters really stood out to me, the plot felt really clunky at times and wasn't satisfied with the handling of Sam and Paige's relationship as well as the ending. There was a solid cast of characters though.

kamariasbooknook's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

thewordyhabitat's review against another edition

4.0

LOVED. THIS.

Why did I read it only today? How have I never come across this book before recently? A huge disservice to myself, honestly. 

I loved reading a secret baby romance with desi characters. I loved seeing a chai and chutney recipe at the end. I loved seeing families and parents play a huge role because that's how they are in reality. And I especially loved the chemistry between the main characters and how they just seemed to fit.

upturnedroots's review against another edition

4.0

I definitely don't think I could have been as forgiving of Sam's family as Maya was, but I did like the way Shroff detailed the complexities of how these two reconnected of parallel timelines and joined their families and those dynamics made the last third rewarding to read. I think we could have used more focus on Sam and Maya's romance but nonetheless it was an enjoyable read.

nunib28's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars. It was such a cute and light read.

eshamod's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

rooseokwan's review against another edition

1.0

it was just nah for me. the plot didnt do it at all and i was skipping a lot so im not gonna put this in my 2022 read because i read like half of it