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chloewakham's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
I didn't think it was possible, but I actually enjoyed Recipes for Persuasion more than the first book in the series!
After meeting Ashna in Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, I was so excited to read her story. Her responsibility for her Father's restaurant, her relationship with her mother, and the rekindling of her love for Rico made for a compelling story. What I love about this series is that Sonali Dev doesn't try to match the Austen novels beat for beat, but rather patterns the characters hurts and motivations after the classic stories.
After meeting Ashna in Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, I was so excited to read her story. Her responsibility for her Father's restaurant, her relationship with her mother, and the rekindling of her love for Rico made for a compelling story. What I love about this series is that Sonali Dev doesn't try to match the Austen novels beat for beat, but rather patterns the characters hurts and motivations after the classic stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Classism and Rape
Minor: Pregnancy
milesandmiles's review
Do not judge this book by its cover or synopsis. It's not a cute romance.
A good chunk of the book is written from the MC's mother's POV. There's a tremendous amount of toxic family dynamics that are a huge part of the book but are not mentioned in the summary. From the ~1/3 I read, the emotional neglect and at times abuse within the MC's family is handled poorly.
This book couldn't decide if it wanted to be a romance or a family saga about intergenerational trauma and I quit when I got tried of yelling at the book to get the MC a therapist.
A good chunk of the book is written from the MC's mother's POV. There's a tremendous amount of toxic family dynamics that are a huge part of the book but are not mentioned in the summary. From the ~1/3 I read, the emotional neglect and at times abuse within the MC's family is handled poorly.
This book couldn't decide if it wanted to be a romance or a family saga about intergenerational trauma and I quit when I got tried of yelling at the book to get the MC a therapist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, Misogyny, Bullying, Abandonment, and Alcoholism
rdubs15's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I wanted to love this book. I wanted to love it so hard. If it was the book that was described in the summary on the back of the book, I think I would have loved it.
But this book is not that book. It is not a “fresh, fun, and enchanting romantic comedy” as described. It is full of dark, triggering content. The real focus of the story (Shobi, her choices, how they impacted Ashna, and their mother-daughter relationship) isn’t mentioned at all in the summary. This book was the worst kind of bait and switch. I wouldn’t have picked it up if the summary was reliable because I was looking for a light hearted romance, not a heavy book with personally triggering content.
Even more upsetting is that I think both stories this book tries to tell had a real chance to be great.
Ashna’s exes to lovers story with Rico had the chance to be really sweet. The framework is there and the times that the book focuses on them is actually really fun - they have a cute dynamic! But their story, allegedly the focus of the novel, is pushed to the background and never given the room it needs to grow well. It is overshadowed by Shobi’s plot and, as a result, is under developed, suffers from really funky timing, and has an ending that doesn’t feel deserved.
Shobi’s forced marriage story has the potential to be a nuanced, heartbreaking, and fascinating story, but it has no business being in this novel. She is set up to be such an unsympathetic character at the beginning that the bulk of the novel is spent justifying her choices and attempting to redeem her, to the detriment of both her story and the alleged a-plot. And because we have to go back to the alleged a-plot romance, Shobi’s story suffers from horrible tone shifts (discussing the horrors of her marriage and then switching to Ashna and Rico having a conversation is whip lash inducing and negatively impacts both stories) and has to rely on stereotype to fast track story telling. Her story should have been its own book, then it could’ve been given the care and space it needed to be a fully developed story told the way it should be told. As it is, the plot has all the subtlety of a baseball bat and feels uncomfortable and out of place in what is billed as a fun and lighthearted rom com.
Separating out the two stories would result in a fun, sweet romance and a thoughtful, devastating look at the some of horrors that women face. Putting them in the same novel cheapens both stories, resulting in a muddled narrative that suffers from focus and pacing issues. The ending in particular is rushed and feels unearned, with more importance given to a happily ever after and tying everything up in a bow than actually addressing the consequences of the narrative.
I haven’t read Persuasion, so I can’t speak to how much inspiration it actually pulls from the book, but I spent a lot of the book going “this can’t be what Persuasion is about.”
The only reasons this book didn’t get zero stars from me is the strength of the writing - Sonali Dev writes beautifully - and the strength of the narration. Soneela Nankani did a fantastic job narrating this book. Her pacing was great, character voices easy to follow, and interpretation of the text engaging. I will definitely be looking for more books narrated by her.
Final thoughts: With an honest summary, this book would be much better. As it is, this book presents a deep tragedy and an exploration of generational trauma and violence towards women instead of the funky, fun, lighthearted romance that is promised but never delivered.
But this book is not that book. It is not a “fresh, fun, and enchanting romantic comedy” as described. It is full of dark, triggering content. The real focus of the story (Shobi, her choices, how they impacted Ashna, and their mother-daughter relationship) isn’t mentioned at all in the summary. This book was the worst kind of bait and switch. I wouldn’t have picked it up if the summary was reliable because I was looking for a light hearted romance, not a heavy book with personally triggering content.
Even more upsetting is that I think both stories this book tries to tell had a real chance to be great.
Ashna’s exes to lovers story with Rico had the chance to be really sweet. The framework is there and the times that the book focuses on them is actually really fun - they have a cute dynamic! But their story, allegedly the focus of the novel, is pushed to the background and never given the room it needs to grow well. It is overshadowed by Shobi’s plot and, as a result, is under developed, suffers from really funky timing, and has an ending that doesn’t feel deserved.
Shobi’s forced marriage story has the potential to be a nuanced, heartbreaking, and fascinating story, but it has no business being in this novel. She is set up to be such an unsympathetic character at the beginning that the bulk of the novel is spent justifying her choices and attempting to redeem her, to the detriment of both her story and the alleged a-plot. And because we have to go back to the alleged a-plot romance, Shobi’s story suffers from horrible tone shifts (discussing the horrors of her marriage and then switching to Ashna and Rico having a conversation is whip lash inducing and negatively impacts both stories) and has to rely on stereotype to fast track story telling. Her story should have been its own book, then it could’ve been given the care and space it needed to be a fully developed story told the way it should be told. As it is, the plot has all the subtlety of a baseball bat and feels uncomfortable and out of place in what is billed as a fun and lighthearted rom com.
Separating out the two stories would result in a fun, sweet romance and a thoughtful, devastating look at the some of horrors that women face. Putting them in the same novel cheapens both stories, resulting in a muddled narrative that suffers from focus and pacing issues. The ending in particular is rushed and feels unearned, with more importance given to a happily ever after and tying everything up in a bow than actually addressing the consequences of the narrative.
I haven’t read Persuasion, so I can’t speak to how much inspiration it actually pulls from the book, but I spent a lot of the book going “this can’t be what Persuasion is about.”
The only reasons this book didn’t get zero stars from me is the strength of the writing - Sonali Dev writes beautifully - and the strength of the narration. Soneela Nankani did a fantastic job narrating this book. Her pacing was great, character voices easy to follow, and interpretation of the text engaging. I will definitely be looking for more books narrated by her.
Final thoughts: With an honest summary, this book would be much better. As it is, this book presents a deep tragedy and an exploration of generational trauma and violence towards women instead of the funky, fun, lighthearted romance that is promised but never delivered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Rape, and Suicide
Moderate: Misogyny and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abortion
kaleys23's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Blood, Physical abuse, Rape, and Emotional abuse
gillenwaaah's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a very different book to the first Raje series. It felt like the emotional weight of all the characters was much much heavier? I think because it was tracing the line of 2 relationships, one seemingly healthy and positive and the other deeply deeply toxic and harmful. I'm glad Ashna and Shobi reached a point where they could be their truest selves to each other and learn to forgive each other, I'm glad Rico pushed Ashna to keep pushing herself and the tiny little moments proving how well they knew each other helped me believe in their love more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Rape
frantically's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
2.5
If this had been marketed as a literary piece about mothers and daughters and loss and reconciliation, I would've liked it a lot more. But it wasn't. And it didn't even start like that.
We start with the typical rom-com elements, second-chance romance, meet-cutes, all the good stuff. When we get introduced to Shobi, I immediately think "Damn, I wish this book was about her." I spoke too early because in some way it did — and thus the rom-com was over.
This is such a heavy (and such a slowww) book. The different plots (Ashna & Rico and Ashna & Shobi and Shobi's past) didn't feel like they fit into the same book, which made the whole thing feel all over the place.
Espically Ashna and Rico's story just didn't make me feel anything (which is bad in a supposed romance book). Most of the time I even thought there was a better love interest for Rico. We didn't have nearly enough development for their relationship.
I loved the first book in the series but after this one, I don't think I'll be continuing — too many surprises for me. I'll leave this at 2.5⭐
We start with the typical rom-com elements, second-chance romance, meet-cutes, all the good stuff. When we get introduced to Shobi, I immediately think "Damn, I wish this book was about her." I spoke too early because in some way it did — and thus the rom-com was over.
This is such a heavy (and such a slowww) book. The different plots (Ashna & Rico and Ashna & Shobi and Shobi's past) didn't feel like they fit into the same book, which made the whole thing feel all over the place.
Espically Ashna and Rico's story just didn't make me feel anything (which is bad in a supposed romance book). Most of the time I even thought there was a better love interest for Rico. We didn't have nearly enough development for their relationship.
I loved the first book in the series but after this one, I don't think I'll be continuing — too many surprises for me. I'll leave this at 2.5⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion
katemch's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Rape, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Death
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
elizam78's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Rape
ajahde's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book was branded as a romantic comedy, but it really is not because it deals with a lot of dark and difficult topics. I was hoping for a much more lighthearted read, which is why I think I didn’t enjoy this very much. I also really wanted more scenes set on the cooking show because I thought that sounded like a fun setting, but it was not featured that often.
I also just could not get into the romance between Ashna and Rico. For most of the book, it felt like they were unnecessarily rude to each other and only started being nice at the very end. I wish there was more development to their relationship because it was kinda hard to see why they even liked each other.
I also just could not get into the romance between Ashna and Rico. For most of the book, it felt like they were unnecessarily rude to each other and only started being nice at the very end. I wish there was more development to their relationship because it was kinda hard to see why they even liked each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, Rape, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
ellenr272's review
emotional
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
5.0
A little slow in the beginning, but once it picked up it was so good
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Rape, Suicide, and Toxic relationship