Scan barcode
rachelkays's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
NOT A ROMANCE WHERE THE GIRL PROPOSES 😠I was appalled. Other than that, this was a very safe, averagely entertaining romance. I liked the story but at times I felt like the writing jumped around too much. Layla and Sam were very Wattpad in both an enjoyable and cringey way. The spice was there but lacking. One thing I did like was how quickly their miscommunication problems were always solved. This was a very solid, Hallmark channely angst-less romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Car accident, Vomit, Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
monkeymagee's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The author is great, I loved Layla and her family, but hated the male protagonist/ love interest, Sam. Some of the conflict in the book felt too easily resolved- slightly unbelievable?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Ableism
4erepawko's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.75
Pros
+ the book is a true romcom, equal parts rom and com with both aspects done pretty well. It is not something I come across too often in the romance world, so I really appreciated that;
+ I loved the main romantic storyline, especially in the first half, and I thought the main couple had great chemistry;
+ I really enjoyed Sara Desai's writing, especially banter / dialogue;
+ Layla's family kinda stole the show and they were possibly the best part of this story.
Cons
- from about 60% to 90% the book got very plot-heavy with barely any romance which isn't necessarily bad but was pretty hard for me to get through and I kept putting the book down;
- [TW: ableism] unfortunately the book features some questionable disability rep with a side character whose disability functions as a plot device/motivation for one of the main characters, as well as some ableist language ('special needs', 'handicap', etc). It's not the worst I've ever seen but it definitely could've been better.
Overall it was a pretty enjoyable read and I'm excited to see what the other books in the series will be like.
+ the book is a true romcom, equal parts rom and com with both aspects done pretty well. It is not something I come across too often in the romance world, so I really appreciated that;
+ I loved the main romantic storyline, especially in the first half, and I thought the main couple had great chemistry;
+ I really enjoyed Sara Desai's writing, especially banter / dialogue;
+ Layla's family kinda stole the show and they were possibly the best part of this story.
Cons
- from about 60% to 90% the book got very plot-heavy with barely any romance which isn't necessarily bad but was pretty hard for me to get through and I kept putting the book down;
- [TW: ableism] unfortunately the book features some questionable disability rep with a side character whose disability functions as a plot device/motivation for one of the main characters, as well as some ableist language ('special needs', 'handicap', etc). It's not the worst I've ever seen but it definitely could've been better.
Overall it was a pretty enjoyable read and I'm excited to see what the other books in the series will be like.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
kayladaila's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-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
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Car accident, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, Gore, and Gaslighting
gm_vak's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
plumpaperbacks's review
lighthearted
medium-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? Yes
2.5
The two worst things about this book were the overwhelming number of sexual jokes in the first half and the love interest Sam. The former is simply not something I enjoy, and the latter was unexpectedly obnoxious and equally off-putting. I didn’t think it was possible for a man to be so arrogant or obtuse.
My favorite characters were Layla, Daisy, Nisha, and Max. John also ended up being a good guy. My least favorite characters were Sam and Royce. I won’t even get into how much of an awful person Royce was, or Sam’s tendency to threaten Layla’s other potential suitors. More on that in a minute.
I feel like Layla and Sam had no chemistry. They thought the other person was hot, and that’s about it. I kept reading in hopes that I’d end up invested in their relationship, but that unfortunately didn’t happen. I wasn’t really invested in any part of this book; I just kept reading because I was curious and didn’t have anything better to do.
Honestly, I think that some of the guys Layla went on blind dates with would’ve been better for her than Sam. Sunny seemed decent, as did one or two others whose names I can’t remember. Only a couple of them were actually bad. All the others, in my opinion, had one trait or hobby that was overly exaggerated, likely to try and make sure you know that Layla is *only* compatible with Sam. Can’t have anyone outshining the love interest. Gotta make them weirdos to make sure that doesn’t happen, because it would be too easy otherwise.
I thought about giving this two stars, but decided on two and a half because of the few characters I did like. I liked the scenes in the Patel family restaurant, and when Layla and Nisha went clothes shopping. Oh, and the adorable little doggo, Max. What a good boy.
The Marriage Game definitely wasn’t my cup of tea, but I didn’t hate it and I do think some people might enjoy it. I eventually plan to read another book from Desai, which will hopefully be more enjoyable and less frustrating than this one.
Representation
My favorite characters were Layla, Daisy, Nisha, and Max. John also ended up being a good guy. My least favorite characters were Sam and Royce. I won’t even get into how much of an awful person Royce was, or Sam’s tendency to threaten Layla’s other potential suitors. More on that in a minute.
I feel like Layla and Sam had no chemistry. They thought the other person was hot, and that’s about it. I kept reading in hopes that I’d end up invested in their relationship, but that unfortunately didn’t happen. I wasn’t really invested in any part of this book; I just kept reading because I was curious and didn’t have anything better to do.
Honestly, I think that some of the guys Layla went on blind dates with would’ve been better for her than Sam. Sunny seemed decent, as did one or two others whose names I can’t remember. Only a couple of them were actually bad. All the others, in my opinion, had one trait or hobby that was overly exaggerated, likely to try and make sure you know that Layla is *only* compatible with Sam. Can’t have anyone outshining the love interest. Gotta make them weirdos to make sure that doesn’t happen, because it would be too easy otherwise.
I thought about giving this two stars, but decided on two and a half because of the few characters I did like. I liked the scenes in the Patel family restaurant, and when Layla and Nisha went clothes shopping. Oh, and the adorable little doggo, Max. What a good boy.
The Marriage Game definitely wasn’t my cup of tea, but I didn’t hate it and I do think some people might enjoy it. I eventually plan to read another book from Desai, which will hopefully be more enjoyable and less frustrating than this one.
Representation
- Indian protagonist, love interest, and side characters
- Indian side character in a wheelchair
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Grief
Minor: Death, Car accident, Violence, and Body shaming
The abuse, alcoholism, toxic relationship, violence, and death are referring to incidents that occurred prior to the story and are mentioned on-page.madamepincers's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Car accident, and Grief
Minor: Death
Male MC has a tendency towards physical violence and gets in physical altercations multiple times. Side character unable to walk after falling/being pushed down stairs.
More...