Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Marriage Game by Sara Desai

6 reviews

angelfireeast24's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful 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

4.0


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starklinqs's review

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

1.0

I just know Sam listens to Andrew Tate. 

I really wanted to like this. I love reading books from other desi authors and I LOVE cheesy romcom books. But there was way too much I thought was…super gross while reading this: 

  • My biggest issue: Sam is just super misogynistic and kind of creepy the entire book. If this was something he actually grew from, that would be great! But while Layla rightfully calls him out at the climax of the book, he doesn’t actually change his behavior. He’s “overprotective” of Layla to the point that he’s causing fights, or almost getting into fights, with every possible suitor he meets (and he barely knows Layla at this point!). He says misogynistic shit like “the man should drive” (????) and at the end still holds onto this stuff and says the man should propose. He has HORRIBLE friends except for John (who tbh, I started shipping with Layla more lmao. Sam’s ass deserved to get dumped) but despite all his friends being terrible people they continue to be in his life. Not to mention the climax of the book gets brushed over remarkably fast -  Layla’s parents weren’t too keen on Sam BEFORE that climax, and I don’t know how what happened after didn’t completely sever any form of reconciliation. 
  • Sam’s protectiveness is just dressed up possessiveness, this dude is just covered in red flags but I guess I’m supposed to root for him because he’s hot and has a tragic backstory (which isn’t even his, it’s his sister’s, and even after being called out about trying to get Justice without seeing what she wants he….still does that). It’s just really weird to me, that in a book that specifically calls out the sexism of the suitors and the abuse of another character, that the love interest is then consistently misogynistic and displays weird, creepy behavior throughout the book. 
  • The objectification. I love seeing characters attracted to each other but this was so much and so often. I don’t need to read Layla’s “breasts bounced gently under her filmy blouse”. There were so many lines that drew me out of the book that I looked back at the author because it felt so much like it was written from a man who sees women as sex objects (I guess kudos to Desai on that since it’s from Sam’s POV). Sam himself is borderline sexually harassed by a character in the book and it’s treated as a quirky funny thing, because he’s sooo hot that these things just happen. 
  • So. Much. Miscommunication. About the viral video. About the dating. About the design papers. About the dating again. Characters don’t have to be completely mature all the time but Jesus Christ. 

There were also little things that bothered me - her dad apparently knows her the best out of everyone but then sets her up with objectively horrendous men (like an ex gang member slash current criminal? Seriously? That made it into his list of yes-es?), the need to explain just about everything (like not just Indian things, at some point the book explained who Gordon Ramsey was), the weird entitled behavior Daisy and Layla had when they first used the office - even if I hate Sam, that whole thing was super weird on their part. 

This book ultimately reads about a woman who’s had horrible relationship after horrible relationship and then ends up with a walking red flag.

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sohma4uesugi's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.75


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blackveilbeccy's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.25

This started off slow but by the end I waa really invested. There was a great, diverse ensemble cast and I found the characters super loveable. Can’t wait to read the next one!

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readwithde's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

There are honestly very few positive things I have to say about The Marriage Game: it shown a spotlight on how death, tragedy, and abuse affect people, including years of bad decisions, failure to move forward, and crippling emotional ruin. It also had a clear through-line of relying on family/friends/a support system to get through tough times versus toughing it out alone. 

These few positives count for next to nothing against the wave of messed up relationship drama that is supposed to showcase a real love and bond, strong enough to build a marriage and family. The majority of the book focuses on Sam and Layla's personal goals: Sam, to avenge his sister's injury and abuse by publicly outing her abuser, while Layla wants stability, through running her own business with the option to find a husband via arranged marriage (since she only chooses losers, a point repeated in the book).

They meet, they fight, they come up with a wager over the office they both have claim to: if Sam can help get Layla a husband, he can keep the office; if not, he leaves.
At this point, there was so much potential for a solidly built romance, but the two continue to fight and bicker, judge each other, assume the worst repeatedly, and (in Sam's case) act possessively and violently towards every suitor; he literally gets into a massive bar fight with one of his friends over her, for no good reason. The couple jumps in and out of bed, based on the random fight of the day (or lack thereof) before Sam finally goes out on a limb and states he wants to be with Layla. This means they should start growing up, right?


With 30% of the book left, Sam instead torpedos his growth
and chance to be with Layla so he can try to fire and out his sister's abuser (through a DIY strip club, complete with drugs, alcohol, and trashing their joint office). When Layla finds him there, he's alone in a room with a handsy stripper and fully disheveled, but two chapters later were supposed to believe he only wants to be with Layla? He never explains, never even pushes the woman off of him, but instead expects Layla to understand this is a necessary part of his job so he can enact his revenge. But two days later, he never wants any woman except Layla?


In under a week, we're lead to believe he's a different man with different priorities, that he's changed and will be a good man and husband, and somehow (off page) got the approval of her entire family? That all his years of trauma and vengeance can be healed and dismissed within a week
because he lost her and missed her?

It takes until the end of the book for Layla to develop any backbone and personal growth, but NOW everyone trusts that she can choose a proper man? That she is "saving herself" by marrying Sam? Even when they have separated, she still plays games to make him jealous, and he still reacts with anger.


It's an emotional train wreck, their personalities flip and change on a whim, even the side characters change their minds based on whatever emotions fit that day.
(Royce is a sociopathic jerk, until he randomly cares? Daisy hates Sam until he spends 2 days trying to undo the mess he made?) There is nothing real or meaningful, despite the characters repeating it.
IMO, it's not worth the read.

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gm_vak's review

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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


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