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lyricallit's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
Cute and trope-y rom-com with both MCs having to confront some past baggage in order to move forward. I did have some laugh-aloud moments.
The last part of the book was a bit clunky, and I was annoyed that the resolutionwas a hacked security camera in the bathroom. ok yes, tie it in with the auntie's class action thing but not in a bathroom. That business wouldn't be allowed to have cameras in restrooms. Use the closet the zombie-bride-coat-check-girl was working đ€Šđ»ââïž How did no one remind the author of this?!
The last part of the book was a bit clunky, and I was annoyed that the resolution
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Cancer
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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: Sexual content
Minor: Car accident
dinipandareads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.5
TL;DR: I ended up loving The Singles Table! From the moment Zara's beautiful vibrant personality is introduced and they get their meet cute (she shoots him in the ass with a paintball gun as he's being an insufferable prick!), I was fully sold on their romance. We get more meddling aunties, badass mums with sweet biker boyfriends, an eccentric artist father who... paints intimate portraits and so much great banter. This is by far my favourite in this series and I would recommend it if you love the grumpy/sunshine trope because Zara and Jay were the perfect pairing.
I went from the first to the third book in this series (only cos I didn't have a copy of the second) and I'm so glad I did. I didn't remember if Zara was mentioned in the first book. Still, it didn't matter because I remembered the aunties very well, especially Taara Auntie who makes the most offensive fusion concoctions that she continues to poison everyone with, lol. I loved all the Indian cultural references in hereâfrom the food, dancing, music and of course, all the wedding festivities. But I also loved the other side characters we're introduced to like Jay's business partner, Zara's very horny bestie Parvati, and her awesome colleagues at the law firm. I mean, I would go with the tiger firm for sure!
From the moment we met Zara and Jay, I knew I would love them both individually and together! Well, I was hoping that Jay wouldn't be a total prick the whole time and I'm glad that he wasn't. Theirs was a hilarious meet-cute as Zara and her wild ways come crashing through the bachelor/bachelorette party and take Jay by surprise by not only shooting him in the ass with a paintball gun but also winning the game for their team. I adored Zara's sunshine attitude and although she is a bit of a hot mess and is always full steam ahead and getting into trouble that's easily avoidable, she had such great energy! Her relationship with her father was sweet and I loved how much she supported himâthat exhibition was hilarious though and her panic had me cackling because same. đ Of the both of them though, I'm surprised by how much I loved Jay! The more we get to know him and see his walls crumble around Zara, we see he's a total sweetheart. I'm a sucker for grumpy MMCs who are scared to be vulnerable and are hurting deep down but have big hearts and would lay down their lives for their loved ones. Jay was all that and more. Holy swoontastic, if you love a man who falls first and falls hard, you'll love Jay. Some of the things that came out of this man's mouth had my legs jelly with the swooning and their sexual chemistry and banter was off the charts! I loved their sexual journey together as much as their emotional oneâit was so playful, fun and very sexy. đ„” There were some OTT moments but it didn't feel cringe or too much and I found myself laughing out loud often!
They both have abandonment issues that they need to work through and as much as the third act kind of irritated me (I mean, when am I not irritated by a third act, lol) I also saw that it was good for them as they worked out their issues. Jay in particular needed that push to get the help he needed and Zara to realise that she was just being a silly goose. đ€
Overall, this was a great pick-me-up laugh-out-loud read and I now need to go and find the second book in this series so I can read it ASAP!
I went from the first to the third book in this series (only cos I didn't have a copy of the second) and I'm so glad I did. I didn't remember if Zara was mentioned in the first book. Still, it didn't matter because I remembered the aunties very well, especially Taara Auntie who makes the most offensive fusion concoctions that she continues to poison everyone with, lol. I loved all the Indian cultural references in hereâfrom the food, dancing, music and of course, all the wedding festivities. But I also loved the other side characters we're introduced to like Jay's business partner, Zara's very horny bestie Parvati, and her awesome colleagues at the law firm. I mean, I would go with the tiger firm for sure!
From the moment we met Zara and Jay, I knew I would love them both individually and together! Well, I was hoping that Jay wouldn't be a total prick the whole time and I'm glad that he wasn't. Theirs was a hilarious meet-cute as Zara and her wild ways come crashing through the bachelor/bachelorette party and take Jay by surprise by not only shooting him in the ass with a paintball gun but also winning the game for their team. I adored Zara's sunshine attitude and although she is a bit of a hot mess and is always full steam ahead and getting into trouble that's easily avoidable, she had such great energy! Her relationship with her father was sweet and I loved how much she supported himâthat exhibition was hilarious though and her panic had me cackling because same. đ Of the both of them though, I'm surprised by how much I loved Jay! The more we get to know him and see his walls crumble around Zara, we see he's a total sweetheart. I'm a sucker for grumpy MMCs who are scared to be vulnerable and are hurting deep down but have big hearts and would lay down their lives for their loved ones. Jay was all that and more. Holy swoontastic, if you love a man who falls first and falls hard, you'll love Jay. Some of the things that came out of this man's mouth had my legs jelly with the swooning and their sexual chemistry and banter was off the charts! I loved their sexual journey together as much as their emotional oneâit was so playful, fun and very sexy. đ„” There were some OTT moments but it didn't feel cringe or too much and I found myself laughing out loud often!
They both have abandonment issues that they need to work through and as much as the third act kind of irritated me (I mean, when am I not irritated by a third act, lol) I also saw that it was good for them as they worked out their issues. Jay in particular needed that push to get the help he needed and Zara to realise that she was just being a silly goose. đ€
Overall, this was a great pick-me-up laugh-out-loud read and I now need to go and find the second book in this series so I can read it ASAP!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and War
withlivjones'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
2.5
I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I couldnât get into it at all.
In terms of positives: I liked the celebration of South Asian culture, and I actually quite enjoyed Zaraâs larger-than-life character - she was pretty funny with her tendency to overshare but also she really does care about people.
However, Zaraâs personality doesnât quite make up for Jayâs lack thereof. I get that what the author was going for was âbrooding and grumpy ex-soldier with a heart of goldâ but Iâm honestly quite over the trope of characters who think theyâre unlovable because of their trauma. Jay does get a few bonus points for getting therapy in the end, though.
Also, for a book that I initially thought was going to be about weddings, there wasnât enough wedding content for me. The book appeared to turn into a legal drama for a moment towards the end which was entertaining if a little unexpected, and combined with many other moments in the plot that felt far too fantastical and cliche, as well as smut that was incredibly cringey (but thankfully not excessive), there were many times I wanted to put my copy down and go for a walk or something.
This might be your cup of tea if you enjoy very cheesy grumpy x sunshine romances, but it just wasnât for me.
In terms of positives: I liked the celebration of South Asian culture, and I actually quite enjoyed Zaraâs larger-than-life character - she was pretty funny with her tendency to overshare but also she really does care about people.
However, Zaraâs personality doesnât quite make up for Jayâs lack thereof. I get that what the author was going for was âbrooding and grumpy ex-soldier with a heart of goldâ but Iâm honestly quite over the trope of characters who think theyâre unlovable because of their trauma. Jay does get a few bonus points for getting therapy in the end, though.
Also, for a book that I initially thought was going to be about weddings, there wasnât enough wedding content for me. The book appeared to turn into a legal drama for a moment towards the end which was entertaining if a little unexpected, and combined with many other moments in the plot that felt far too fantastical and cliche, as well as smut that was incredibly cringey (but thankfully not excessive), there were many times I wanted to put my copy down and go for a walk or something.
This might be your cup of tea if you enjoy very cheesy grumpy x sunshine romances, but it just wasnât for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Car accident, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Animal death
agiecummings's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.5
This book was so cute. I think I liked it almost as much as book #2 in the series, The Dating Plan, which I absolutely adored. Overall, this love story is so sweet, but the 3rd person POV really threw me off - it was my first one in a while and I forgot how impersonal that can feel when reading.
But letâs get to the actual couple. I really liked Jay and Zara. I liked how complimentary their characteristics were - in an opposites attract type of way. I also loved that he fell in spite of himself in love with her and that was so satisfying. I also loved that she was supposed to find him a match and then they ended up in love. It was like a hint of fake dating, but not quite.
I will say the PTSD for Jay seems like something that either should have been more of a storyline in the ârealâ version (aka not the fictional story version) of their love story. Itâs a serious condition, and we almost went to the point of âbrushing it under the rugâ - not quite, but close. And that felt a bit inauthentic.
Itâs very sweet, but not my #1 in the series. But, if you liked the other two, you wonât be disappointed by this one.
But letâs get to the actual couple. I really liked Jay and Zara. I liked how complimentary their characteristics were - in an opposites attract type of way. I also loved that he fell in spite of himself in love with her and that was so satisfying. I also loved that she was supposed to find him a match and then they ended up in love. It was like a hint of fake dating, but not quite.
Itâs very sweet, but not my #1 in the series. But, if you liked the other two, you wonât be disappointed by this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Car accident
jenn_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Cancer, and Car accident
Minor: Alcohol
Divorce with kidsashbreadin's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer and Car accident
knunderb's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It was a cute read, and overall I enjoyed it. However, the attraction between Jay and Zara was written a little clunkily at times. And, according to the back of the book, Zara's issues were caused by a devastating breakup. It seems though that it was her parents divorce that messed her up. So that was kind of confusing. One thing I did appreciate was how interesting the side characters were. They all felt like real people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, War, and Car accident
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
merlesstorys's review
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Blood, Death, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Car accident, Grief, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Sexual content
kdailyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Medical content
Moderate: Abandonment, Cancer, Bullying, Alcohol, Terminal illness, and Car accident
Minor: Animal death, Pregnancy, Blood, Vomit, and Drug use