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starlitpage's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I picked up this book because I thought it would be fun to read about Indian weddings, and my expectations on that were met. The culture shone off the page! The character arcs were neat and well-foreshadowed. The plot, however, was not only contrived but poorly paced. Realizations were come to suddenly, out of the blue, and too neatly verbalized. And for a main character who values open communication, the quick forgiveness and moving on at the end was not only unbelievable but left a bad taste in my mouth. It's not bad for a light romance, and the Indian flavor adds a lot, but imo the plot arc isn't it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, Grief, Body shaming, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Car accident
kshertz's review
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
3.5
Super cute light and fluffy romance book. I love that she gets in touch with who she is and that prompts her to start over. I do wish the trip to the Indian wedding started a little earlier in the book as that’s where it really gets going. But it’s perfect as a light, quick read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Racism, Infidelity, and Gaslighting
vaniavela's review against another edition
funny
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
3.0
This was interesting.
First of all, the characters literally only knew each other for a week. Also, they didn't really get along. The fact that in this book, after living together for a week, they said "I love you" to each other and committed to a serious relationship seems not believable to me. You have to consider that hours before, days before, they were in relationships. Our protagonist was even getting married, all the details were already in place and the wedding was being planned. It seems so crazy to me to see that overnight they decided to say goodbye to all this, say I love you to someone you just met and start something formal.
Now, having a company that sends emails to end relationships sounds like pure capitalism. Breaking up by email is not a great idea, it's not respectful (unless it's necessary for safety and self-protection) but it's really funny to think that there are people who would pay for someone to end their relationship for them.
The representation is not that good. There is a fat character and they don't use a good approach, on the contrary, he is described in an ungraceful way. There are also two gay characters, but they are so stereotyped. Really, a lot of stereotypes, especially of Indian and South Asian culture.
In my opinion, the book should have been a bit longer, maybe it would have been better that way. I don't blame the author, maybe the editors who didn't see these flaws and improved them.
Overall, despite them, I enjoyed this novel and look forward to seeing what else the author publishes in the future.
trigger warnings: homophobia, alcohol, bigotry, racist microaggressions, colorism
First of all, the characters literally only knew each other for a week. Also, they didn't really get along. The fact that in this book, after living together for a week, they said "I love you" to each other and committed to a serious relationship seems not believable to me. You have to consider that hours before, days before, they were in relationships. Our protagonist was even getting married, all the details were already in place and the wedding was being planned. It seems so crazy to me to see that overnight they decided to say goodbye to all this, say I love you to someone you just met and start something formal.
Now, having a company that sends emails to end relationships sounds like pure capitalism. Breaking up by email is not a great idea, it's not respectful (unless it's necessary for safety and self-protection) but it's really funny to think that there are people who would pay for someone to end their relationship for them.
The representation is not that good. There is a fat character and they don't use a good approach, on the contrary, he is described in an ungraceful way. There are also two gay characters, but they are so stereotyped. Really, a lot of stereotypes, especially of Indian and South Asian culture.
In my opinion, the book should have been a bit longer, maybe it would have been better that way. I don't blame the author, maybe the editors who didn't see these flaws and improved them.
Overall, despite them, I enjoyed this novel and look forward to seeing what else the author publishes in the future.
trigger warnings: homophobia, alcohol, bigotry, racist microaggressions, colorism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
whitedaylilies's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Homophobia
jadatrack's review
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, and Infidelity
argylelove's review
hopeful
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Racism
daniellekat's review
Ugh the writing was so repetitive and I just can’t stand the main character. She’s too perfect.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Racism
mackinseyjoy's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I found Manny's struggles as a South Asian woman in a very white male dominated industry to be extremely grounded and interesting. Her family struggles with race and identity were also relatable to many people of color. While I enjoyed the gradual exploration of her culture and community, I did find Singh's decision to make some aspects of Indian culture the butt of the joke to be disappointing. It's a quick, lighthearted read that does a decent job with South Asian representation. I'd love to read more about the peripheral characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Racism
Minor: Infidelity
lklitup's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
2.0
I’m not sorry— I did not like this book.
Sari, Not Sari has a hilarious and lovable rom com premise: Manny Dogra is the Indian-American CEO of Breakup, a breakup-for-hire company on a continuing journey of self exploration. She is engaged to Adam Jaimeson, a globe-trotting architect, and seemingly content with their team of two. But Manny is faced with family, career, and love dilemmas when her white-washed magazine cover is revealed and Sammy Patel hires her services, all within 24 hours.
Manny meets Sammy when she is in the midst of realizing her identity crisis. Is she Indian even if her parents Americanized her upbringing? Is she Indian if her parents did not pass along any traditions or customs prior to their untimely passing? Is she Indian if the magazine white-washes her cover photo? And if she is, how can she show and celebrate that part of herself? Especially if, apparently, Adam “doesn’t see color”?
My concerns about Sari, Not Sari include:
-The seeming over-generalization of Indian culture. Manny joins Sammy for a whirlwind week of Patel family wedding celebrations. She hopes this time will help her learn how to embrace (become part of?) her Indian heritage. But can anyone consider themselves knowledgeable or immersed in a culture after any amount of time or any number of celebrations? Is that even fair to ask especially considering the different cultures and subcultures of a country with 1.3 billion people?!
-The cheating. I guess the whirlwind romance trope has its place in rom coms. (More on that below) But both Sammy and Manny were willing to cheat on their partners, each of 2+ years, without nary a pang of guilt or consideration of consequences. I understand this lack of concern may underscore how wrong their respective relationships were at the foundation, but such behavior is profoundly immature, especially considering how successful and revered both Sammy and Manny are in other aspects of their lives.
-The pacing. I’m all for a suspension of disbelief, especially in a rom com, but this book— and all its events— took place only over a week? That’s a bit much even for a whirlwind romance. The last third of this book was especially rushed and whiplash-worthy.
-The lack of character development. I was hoping to read this book and end with admiration for Manny. A self-sufficient, ambitious young woman? I’m on board. But I wish I had seen more of Manny’s development into her business minded self. It seemed like most of Manny’s business acumen should have been attributed to Anjali instead. And I gotta be honest, I didn’t see the spark between Manny and Sammy either.
I won’t be recommending this book. Credit given for the funny parts. Thank you to #NetGalley and #SimonAndSchuster for this gifted copy of #SariNotSari
Sari, Not Sari has a hilarious and lovable rom com premise: Manny Dogra is the Indian-American CEO of Breakup, a breakup-for-hire company on a continuing journey of self exploration. She is engaged to Adam Jaimeson, a globe-trotting architect, and seemingly content with their team of two. But Manny is faced with family, career, and love dilemmas when her white-washed magazine cover is revealed and Sammy Patel hires her services, all within 24 hours.
Manny meets Sammy when she is in the midst of realizing her identity crisis. Is she Indian even if her parents Americanized her upbringing? Is she Indian if her parents did not pass along any traditions or customs prior to their untimely passing? Is she Indian if the magazine white-washes her cover photo? And if she is, how can she show and celebrate that part of herself? Especially if, apparently, Adam “doesn’t see color”?
My concerns about Sari, Not Sari include:
-The seeming over-generalization of Indian culture. Manny joins Sammy for a whirlwind week of Patel family wedding celebrations. She hopes this time will help her learn how to embrace (become part of?) her Indian heritage. But can anyone consider themselves knowledgeable or immersed in a culture after any amount of time or any number of celebrations? Is that even fair to ask especially considering the different cultures and subcultures of a country with 1.3 billion people?!
-The pacing. I’m all for a suspension of disbelief, especially in a rom com, but this book— and all its events— took place only over a week? That’s a bit much even for a whirlwind romance. The last third of this book was especially rushed and whiplash-worthy.
-The lack of character development. I was hoping to read this book and end with admiration for Manny. A self-sufficient, ambitious young woman? I’m on board. But I wish I had seen more of Manny’s development into her business minded self. It seemed like most of Manny’s business acumen should have been attributed to Anjali instead. And I gotta be honest, I didn’t see the spark between Manny and Sammy either.
I won’t be recommending this book. Credit given for the funny parts. Thank you to #NetGalley and #SimonAndSchuster for this gifted copy of #SariNotSari
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
decklededgess's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
trigger warnings: homophobia, alcohol, bigotry, racist microaggressions, colorism
This book was a huge disappointment as an Indian American who was excited to read about another Indian American.
To start, both characters are filthy rich capitalists which already makes them unrelatable. Fortunately it's accurate to the way a lot of upper class South Asian families exist in the states so that tracks.
To put it plainly, this book is written by a South Asian for white people who want to read about the Indian American experience. The way the main character is introduced to Indian culture is the exact superficial way I'd introduce a white person to my culture. I know they won't grasp the nuance so I'm not wasting my time.
The fact that Manny the mc is running a company that sends out BREAK UP EMAILS??? And that's just like...normal. Like sending an email isn't the most cold hearted and cowardly way of breaking up with someone (with exceptions especially ones that pertain to safety). And it's not even addressed, it's the quirky premise of the book. wtf
Sammy, the romantic lead is dating a white girl and doesn't want to bring her to the wedding so he goes with Manny. It's funny that they end up together though because the way he talks about the brown girls his family sets him up with gives me Shake from Love is Blind and The Big Sick vibes. Both incredible sources of internalised racism and indications that said brown man is a walking red flag who looks down upon women from his own culture. Disgusting. Just based on that he's a terrible romantic lead.
The author does a fantastic job of demonstrating that she only has 2% understanding of brown culture or that she didn't care to put in any nuance into the book. This shit is the dramatic, glitzy bullshit of Bollywood movies, not an actual representation of what being Indian is supposed to be. There's no nuance, there's only the superficial capitalist/commercial, entertainment driven caricature of culture. Fucking disgusting to read.
The fat character in the book is described as a bumbling loud mouth fool who takes up too much space. Nearly identical to how Bollywood movies represent fat characters with not a single sight of a critique of that harmful trope. There are also two gay characters, which would have been wonderful if they weren't relegated to one dimensional gay best friend characters. Both of them are hyper sexualised, effeminate caricatures of queerness. As a queer South Asian this pissed me off because AGAIN Bollywood cinema has maybe five total movies with respectful queer rep? The rest are the same caricatures mentioned above.
The language and accent is also mocked a whole lot. All the brown elders have heavy accents for no goddamn reason. It would have been accurate but with the rest of the missteps it was more insulting than on brand. Additionally the Hinglish was also piss poor. Gave me the same vibes as the American Dirt author who just randomly threw in words to give it a cultural vibe. No understanding of code switching and how Hinglish operates as a mixed language on its own.
This book was a real fucking disappointment and a goddamn insult.
The only positive is that this book does a good job of mentioning that there is no proper way of being Indian. If you were born to Indian parents that is what you are. Diaspora kids need to hear that and I appreciated it. Nothing else though.
This book was a huge disappointment as an Indian American who was excited to read about another Indian American.
To start, both characters are filthy rich capitalists which already makes them unrelatable. Fortunately it's accurate to the way a lot of upper class South Asian families exist in the states so that tracks.
To put it plainly, this book is written by a South Asian for white people who want to read about the Indian American experience. The way the main character is introduced to Indian culture is the exact superficial way I'd introduce a white person to my culture. I know they won't grasp the nuance so I'm not wasting my time.
The fact that Manny the mc is running a company that sends out BREAK UP EMAILS??? And that's just like...normal. Like sending an email isn't the most cold hearted and cowardly way of breaking up with someone (with exceptions especially ones that pertain to safety). And it's not even addressed, it's the quirky premise of the book. wtf
Sammy, the romantic lead is dating a white girl and doesn't want to bring her to the wedding so he goes with Manny. It's funny that they end up together though because the way he talks about the brown girls his family sets him up with gives me Shake from Love is Blind and The Big Sick vibes. Both incredible sources of internalised racism and indications that said brown man is a walking red flag who looks down upon women from his own culture. Disgusting. Just based on that he's a terrible romantic lead.
The author does a fantastic job of demonstrating that she only has 2% understanding of brown culture or that she didn't care to put in any nuance into the book. This shit is the dramatic, glitzy bullshit of Bollywood movies, not an actual representation of what being Indian is supposed to be. There's no nuance, there's only the superficial capitalist/commercial, entertainment driven caricature of culture. Fucking disgusting to read.
The fat character in the book is described as a bumbling loud mouth fool who takes up too much space. Nearly identical to how Bollywood movies represent fat characters with not a single sight of a critique of that harmful trope. There are also two gay characters, which would have been wonderful if they weren't relegated to one dimensional gay best friend characters. Both of them are hyper sexualised, effeminate caricatures of queerness. As a queer South Asian this pissed me off because AGAIN Bollywood cinema has maybe five total movies with respectful queer rep? The rest are the same caricatures mentioned above.
The language and accent is also mocked a whole lot. All the brown elders have heavy accents for no goddamn reason. It would have been accurate but with the rest of the missteps it was more insulting than on brand. Additionally the Hinglish was also piss poor. Gave me the same vibes as the American Dirt author who just randomly threw in words to give it a cultural vibe. No understanding of code switching and how Hinglish operates as a mixed language on its own.
This book was a real fucking disappointment and a goddamn insult.
The only positive is that this book does a good job of mentioning that there is no proper way of being Indian. If you were born to Indian parents that is what you are. Diaspora kids need to hear that and I appreciated it. Nothing else though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Alcohol, and Homophobia
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