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mari1532's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
#23For23 (hosted by @bookwormbullet on The Story Graph; learn more at: https://www.23for23.net/)
I checked this audiobook out of my library.
Brief Summary: A modern retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, this book follows Bobbi Kaur an excellent wedding planner who is determined to put all of her skills on display for her best friend's wedding. There are just two problems with her plan. The first is that she has to work with the best man, Bunty Padda who after an awkward and insulting encounter with Bobbi months ago she cannot stand to be around. The second and much bigger problem is that someone is out to sabotage her best friend's wedding.
As Bobbi tries to keep her cool and give her friend the wedding of her dreams, she must also navigate her family drama and the feelings she is developing for Bunty. However, Bobbi might be her own worst enemy.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this book so much. Bobbi is such a lovable and relatable character. Her type A personality that is driven to success and has issues asking for help made me feel so seen. I also loved how Sharma was able to make her both driven and confident and have insecurities too. It made Bobbi feel well-rounded and like a friend, I would love to have.
I also really enjoyed Bunty as a character. He was dynamic and the way that he was self-reflective enough to realize where and when he makes mistakes was incredibly hot. I also really loved how he developed his relationship with Bobbi throughout the book. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic led to some steamy scenes!
I also really loved the friendship dynamics of both Bobbi and Bunty within their friend groups. I also really enjoyed that Bobbi mentioned that Kareena's (Dating Dr. Dill; best friend who is having the wedding) sister is awful in this book. One of my biggest complaints in the first book was how terrible Kareena's sister was to her and I appreciated that Sharma looped back to that storyline to acknowledge that someone in Kareena's life felt the same way I did as a reader.
The mystery aspect of this book was also really entertaining. I spent so much of the book trying to guess who the culprit was and the climax of that plot line was awesome and so well written.
I would highly recommend this book for any lover of romance!
I checked this audiobook out of my library.
Brief Summary: A modern retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, this book follows Bobbi Kaur an excellent wedding planner who is determined to put all of her skills on display for her best friend's wedding. There are just two problems with her plan. The first is that she has to work with the best man, Bunty Padda who after an awkward and insulting encounter with Bobbi months ago she cannot stand to be around. The second and much bigger problem is that someone is out to sabotage her best friend's wedding.
As Bobbi tries to keep her cool and give her friend the wedding of her dreams, she must also navigate her family drama and the feelings she is developing for Bunty. However, Bobbi might be her own worst enemy.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this book so much. Bobbi is such a lovable and relatable character. Her type A personality that is driven to success and has issues asking for help made me feel so seen. I also loved how Sharma was able to make her both driven and confident and have insecurities too. It made Bobbi feel well-rounded and like a friend, I would love to have.
I also really enjoyed Bunty as a character. He was dynamic and the way that he was self-reflective enough to realize where and when he makes mistakes was incredibly hot. I also really loved how he developed his relationship with Bobbi throughout the book. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic led to some steamy scenes!
I also really loved the friendship dynamics of both Bobbi and Bunty within their friend groups. I also really enjoyed that Bobbi mentioned that Kareena's (Dating Dr. Dill; best friend who is having the wedding) sister is awful in this book. One of my biggest complaints in the first book was how terrible Kareena's sister was to her and I appreciated that Sharma looped back to that storyline to acknowledge that someone in Kareena's life felt the same way I did as a reader.
The mystery aspect of this book was also really entertaining. I spent so much of the book trying to guess who the culprit was and the climax of that plot line was awesome and so well written.
I would highly recommend this book for any lover of romance!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Abandonment, Racism, Bullying, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
annahamburger's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, Sexual content, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Minor: Grief, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Classism, Gaslighting, Racism, and Car accident
kaydeedickins's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
mynameisprerna's review against another edition
5.0
Well if I liked Dating Dr. Dil, I LOVED Tastes Like Shakkar!
I think of all the contemporary South Asian American romance novels, Nisha Sharma’s are my favorite. She does such a beautiful job of creating a vibrant plot mixed in with real issues from our community without glossing over them or being too overbearing, which is a hard balance to strike. Likewise, I think she has just the right blend of sometimes explaining Indian and Punjabi terms and sometimes leaving it to the reader to use context clues or look it up. It makes her books feel accessible to Desis and everyone else.
We love a man who knows how to prioritize taking care of a woman who is busy taking care of everyone and everything else. I liked the use of rope to show exactly how Bunty wanted/forced Bobbi to let go and be taken care of.
I can’t wait for book 3!
I think of all the contemporary South Asian American romance novels, Nisha Sharma’s are my favorite. She does such a beautiful job of creating a vibrant plot mixed in with real issues from our community without glossing over them or being too overbearing, which is a hard balance to strike. Likewise, I think she has just the right blend of sometimes explaining Indian and Punjabi terms and sometimes leaving it to the reader to use context clues or look it up. It makes her books feel accessible to Desis and everyone else.
I can’t wait for book 3!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Racism, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager, as well as NetGalley, for the ARC!
Bobbi Kaur, wedding planner extraordinaire, is excited to finally get to plan the wedding for her best friend Kareena. However, she’s not excited that it means working with the groom’s best friend Benjamin, whom she has a rocky past with. Benjamin will do anything he can to change Bobbi’s opinion of him after he royally messed up. Fate intervenes in the form of a saboteur attempting to put a stop to their friends’ upcoming nuptials and forcing Bobbi and Benjamin to put their past aside and call a truce. Will they be able to figure out who is to blame? Will the close proximity break down the walls they’ve put up?
This was such a fun take on “Much Ado About Nothing”. It primarily likens the story of Bobbi and Benjamin to Beatrice and Benedick, however, it merges with parts of Hero and Claudio’s stories to provide a more original narrative. I actually enjoyed this much more than I did “Dating Dr.Dil”, which is saying a lot because I love “Taming of the Shrew”. This is just a joyous romp filled with mystery and drama that manages to maintain a sense of humor despite tense situations. I also really appreciated that despite being a retelling of a classic work, the relationship progression feels realistic to a modern environment. Additionally, I think the supporting subplots relating to meeting and addressing parental expectations, be they reasonable or unreasonable, is really important for a lot of people to read so that they can feel seen and maybe gain the confidence to address their own familial relationships. Finally, I love the meddling aunties and was so excited to see them back from the first book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Body shaming
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Car accident
Sexual content is very detailed and appears in multiple instances throughout the book. While the main character is comfortable with her body, she does bring up the fact that it's not common for desi women to be accepted if they have a body type that is not deemed "traditional". I felt it was handled very well. Death and the death of parents and the car accident happen prior to the events of this book, but to play a role in why the main characters are the way they are. The wedding venue (intentional to the writing) comes off as minorly racist and bigoted against anything other than a "traditional" wedding ceremony. Benjamin's relationship with his father at the time of the book could be seen as toxic emotionally.
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