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emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a sweet fade to black rom-com. There was lots of typical lack of communication, I’ll refuse to talk to him and make up all my own assumptions, which isn’t my fave. But they were sweet together and I liked the baking/cooking competition aspect. All the family secrets were over the top, but it was an enjoyable, quick read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
Binge reading this author 😁
Neighbors who love food and find out they're engaged 👀 and compete together in a cooking contest!!
Recipes are also included, which I appreciate
Neighbors who love food and find out they're engaged 👀 and compete together in a cooking contest!!
Recipes are also included, which I appreciate
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was okay. i liked Kamila Knows Best so much better. i enjoyed learning about the East African, Indian, Muslim community and their history and food but other than that i felt that the representation was a bit suspect and lackluster. while i found some parts of Reena's story and character relatable, i still found this story to be quite confusing. there were a lot of secrets and i felt like a lot of plotlines never got resolved and instead were just brushed away by her sudden 'development'. Nadim never felt fleshed out as a character other than that he had a 'strange' past and has a foot fetish. which like okay congrats i guess? but he never feels real. i liked Reena's relationships with Amira and Saira better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder
Minor: Incest, Sexual content
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
The end of the book was so good that I teared up a bit. "You're crying over the foot fetish book?" my wife asked.
Yes, this is a romance novel with recurring references to a foot fetish. Feet are frequently lovingly described, but the related sexual content is alluded to, not described. I don't know if anyone was asking for good representation for foot fetishists, but they sure got it.
This was an absolutely beautiful book. The romantic love story unfolded in a way that I found really sweet and believable. I also really liked that each conflict between different characters was new; so many books rely on the characters having the same fight 4 different times before the happy ending. The main couple, Reena and Nadim, were so well-developed and sympathetic, and it was easy to root for their love story. I also loved the plot device of the cooking competition. Is it realistic? No. But it was a great device for moving the plot forward, and the scenes were so vivid and charming. It added so many interesting scenes, and it gave me something to look forward to other than the love story.
I am also a sucker for romance novels that explore love stories outside of the romantic relationship. I absolutely loved watching two other love stories unfolding: the love story between Reena and her family and the love story between Reena and...herself. Reena spends the book learning to intrinsically value herself instead of seeking external validation through accomplishments and the approval of others.And part of that is learning to physically take care of herself. At the end of the book, she quit drinking because she realized she was using alcohol to stop feeling pain, and she didn't want to use it as a coping mechanism anymore.
Her family is also super dysfunctional, and they are all keeping secrets from each other. Reena feels like none of them know her or value her outside of her accomplishments; she doesn't trust them to love her and truly support her if she doesn't live up to their version of material success. She has a bitter rivalry with her sister and is completely antagonistic towards her parents. Over the course of the book, they build trust with one another and learn to bring out the best in each other. It is truly beautiful to see, and it is just as rewarding as the romantic plot.She and her sister each have food related side hustles. They go from actively opposing one another to partnering with each other to open a restaurant and write a cookbook. It might seem a but unrealistic, but they were rebuilding their relationship for most of the book. It felt like a well-earned payoff to me.
This book is just great. I highly recommend it. I'm giving it a 10 out of 10--one for each toe.
Yes, this is a romance novel with recurring references to a foot fetish. Feet are frequently lovingly described, but the related sexual content is alluded to, not described. I don't know if anyone was asking for good representation for foot fetishists, but they sure got it.
This was an absolutely beautiful book. The romantic love story unfolded in a way that I found really sweet and believable. I also really liked that each conflict between different characters was new; so many books rely on the characters having the same fight 4 different times before the happy ending. The main couple, Reena and Nadim, were so well-developed and sympathetic, and it was easy to root for their love story. I also loved the plot device of the cooking competition. Is it realistic? No. But it was a great device for moving the plot forward, and the scenes were so vivid and charming. It added so many interesting scenes, and it gave me something to look forward to other than the love story.
I am also a sucker for romance novels that explore love stories outside of the romantic relationship. I absolutely loved watching two other love stories unfolding: the love story between Reena and her family and the love story between Reena and...herself. Reena spends the book learning to intrinsically value herself instead of seeking external validation through accomplishments and the approval of others.
Her family is also super dysfunctional, and they are all keeping secrets from each other. Reena feels like none of them know her or value her outside of her accomplishments; she doesn't trust them to love her and truly support her if she doesn't live up to their version of material success. She has a bitter rivalry with her sister and is completely antagonistic towards her parents. Over the course of the book, they build trust with one another and learn to bring out the best in each other. It is truly beautiful to see, and it is just as rewarding as the romantic plot.
This book is just great. I highly recommend it. I'm giving it a 10 out of 10--one for each toe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content
Several references to foot fetish
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
emotional
fast-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:
No
Don't read when you are hunggry but this will make you hungry
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness
Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Incest
lighthearted
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol
Minor: Incest, Infidelity
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn’t really like it, but I also didn’t not like it. It was ... kind of ... there. It took me like a whole week to read because every time I put it down I pretty much just forgot about it. But it had fun moments in it. Also, a lot of moderate sexual content — no graphic sex, but they talked about it quite a bit. So that was too bad. The ending felt a little trite to me, too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual content
Minor: Drug use
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was very sweet! It definitely followed the typical rom-com structure, but that never bothers me when it’s populated with unique characters. The characters in this book were really well crafted. The story was heartwarming and made me laugh a few times. I appreciated that it wasn’t too sexually graphic (all scenes were closed door). Overall I really enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content