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allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
In this grounded romance, we follow the brave and warm-hearted Kiran as she weighs her heart against familial expectations. Haunted by her sister's disownment over twenty years ago for an unapproved romantic choice, Kiran feels she owes her parents a dutiful match for all their love and support over the years. Unfortunately, her heart cannot be reasoned with as she starts to fall for her new neighbor, Nash, a white American who definitely doesn't meet her family's requirements.
There was a lot to love about this story. The romance follows a reasonable timeline, from strangers to comfortable friendship to flirty yearning. They go on cute dates around New York, crossing items off their bucket lists. Kiran's torn thoughts and looming high-stakes decisions give meaningful tension as the relationship progresses. Nash, to me, was less remarkable. He struggles with the void left by a father who abandoned him as a child and a mother who died from an overdose. He certainly brings his own baggage, and I think sometimes he weighed Kiran down with his lack of understanding for her position. The author took on a big challenge bringing a fraught cross-cultural relationship to the page and examining the ugly parts of that with the beautiful ones. I think that's especially true when a white person is included since we're generally clueless and self-involved. I recommend looking up some ownvoices reviews to get a stronger perspective on this part of the story, as well.
As an additional trigger warning to the content mentioned in my review, know that there are several Harry Potter references.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Xenophobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual content
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