Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
4 stars! First of all, I loved the author’s debut novel, The Windfall, and I was excited for this one to come out. This book is definitely one that I was pretty much guaranteed to like- wedding, beautiful setting (India), some romance, rich people glitz and glamour, family drama, etc. I really enjoyed the ensemble cast of characters who all had their own sub plots. This book also explored some more serious issues of identity, family, and class which I appreciated. My only criticism of the book was that I thought it was a bit slow in the middle, but I think that’s part of the ensemble feel- not just one plot line. Highly recommend! Also read The Windfall!
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
This was a book you had to read without reading other books at the same time. I found I was only really interested in the characters when I was consistently reading this book. It's a sweet sort of finding yourself novel, with each of the main cast of characters coming into their own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia
I really assumed this would be a five star read for me but I couldn’t get into this book. I felt like I was thrown in immediately but with no context and so much dialogue at the beginning that I felt overwhelmed with characters that I knew little to nothing about.
I didn't like this book, really at all. I was annoyed by all the characters, and overall I was hoping for Tina's story to be more about finding her own identity and a place where she belonged, but most of the book was her ping ponging between Rocco and Sid rather than trying to find a spot in the world that was for her. I was completely dissatisfied with her journey, and I didnt feel like the ending was well developed at all. I had rathered that she didn't end up with anyone, but was her own woman.
I also did not like Marianne. Marianne changes herself in order to make herself more appeasing to the man that she is chasing. I am all for women getting what they want, but not in the way that she goes about it. When she meets this guy at the wedding, she literally thinks about her life events and how she can spin them to make herself look more like a woman that he would want to be with. Not to mention the fact that she is now going after a guy while she is CURRENTLY IN A RELATIONSHIP. I am not here for infidelity, but that is another topic for another paragraph. I get that the point her of story is going to be that she doesn't have to change herself for anyone and that she can be herself with the man that she is currently with, but ugh. She just comes off as spineless, self-absorbed, and not a good person. And she still doesn't really come into her own. Marianne the chameleon is a very fitting name for her, as Tina says, or Marianne the mirror. She just reflects what other people want to see. And her and Tom? I don't see how they were meant to be at all. We barely learn anything about him throughout the whole book, besides the fact that Marianne doesn't think that he's going to ask her to marry him and that he falls asleep with the light on when Marianne isn't there to turn it off. I'm annoyed that Marianna cheats on him (just a kiss, but you know if Karan kissed her back she would have slept with him) and then when he shows up (through Tina's bidding, not any decision of his own making) to propose, she says yes and then just forgets about Karan, or the fact that she would have left Tom for him in a heartbeart if Karan had asked her.
Also another thing that was really offputting for me was the dialogue. Sometimes the characters would just switch topics without any lead up or prompting, ignoring what another character had said. That was just annoying to me, but that's just the author's writing style. Not their fault, it just didn't vibe with me.
I am here for LGTBQ+ representation, but the way they are included in this story is backhanded. For context: Mrs. Sethi's daughter is apparently gay, and another character is pan (I believe). They are two characters who are background characters, and are not exactly important to the main plot. They are mentioned, and then shuffled off. It was like they were being mentioned for the sake of adding a more socially diverse cast. Having queer characters is fantastic, but I don't see why the LGTBQ+ characters had to be in the background, and why they couldn't have been at least one of the main characters.
Also the whole camera thing at Nono's? That was weird, did not care for that at all either. Especially since Mrs. Sethi didn't know that that was going on.
However, still a better love story than Twilight
I also did not like Marianne. Marianne changes herself in order to make herself more appeasing to the man that she is chasing. I am all for women getting what they want, but not in the way that she goes about it. When she meets this guy at the wedding, she literally thinks about her life events and how she can spin them to make herself look more like a woman that he would want to be with. Not to mention the fact that she is now going after a guy while she is CURRENTLY IN A RELATIONSHIP. I am not here for infidelity, but that is another topic for another paragraph. I get that the point her of story is going to be that she doesn't have to change herself for anyone and that she can be herself with the man that she is currently with, but ugh. She just comes off as spineless, self-absorbed, and not a good person. And she still doesn't really come into her own. Marianne the chameleon is a very fitting name for her, as Tina says, or Marianne the mirror. She just reflects what other people want to see. And her and Tom? I don't see how they were meant to be at all. We barely learn anything about him throughout the whole book, besides the fact that Marianne doesn't think that he's going to ask her to marry him and that he falls asleep with the light on when Marianne isn't there to turn it off. I'm annoyed that Marianna cheats on him (just a kiss, but you know if Karan kissed her back she would have slept with him) and then when he shows up (through Tina's bidding, not any decision of his own making) to propose, she says yes and then just forgets about Karan, or the fact that she would have left Tom for him in a heartbeart if Karan had asked her.
Also another thing that was really offputting for me was the dialogue. Sometimes the characters would just switch topics without any lead up or prompting, ignoring what another character had said. That was just annoying to me, but that's just the author's writing style. Not their fault, it just didn't vibe with me.
I am here for LGTBQ+ representation, but the way they are included in this story is backhanded. For context: Mrs. Sethi's daughter is apparently gay, and another character is pan (I believe). They are two characters who are background characters, and are not exactly important to the main plot. They are mentioned, and then shuffled off. It was like they were being mentioned for the sake of adding a more socially diverse cast. Having queer characters is fantastic, but I don't see why the LGTBQ+ characters had to be in the background, and why they couldn't have been at least one of the main characters.
Also the whole camera thing at Nono's? That was weird, did not care for that at all either. Especially since Mrs. Sethi didn't know that that was going on.
However, still a better love story than Twilight
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Being a basic white girl who has never left the states, the glimpses of India and Indian culture from Tina, a second generation Indian American, were quite fun to experience and kept me going through this book. I also loved the positive representation of divorce; Tina's parents divorced several years prior and seem to get along beautifully. Seeing divorced couples not only treat each other civilly, but also with care and friendship is really heartwarming.
What I found odd was how little of the actual wedding and wedding activities we saw in a book with "wedding" in the title. Tina seemed to barely attend any of the wedding shenanigans and was always off doing her own thing.
Destination: Avoid the Wedding.
*cue rimshot*
I'm hilarious, I know.
So anyway, like I said, the culture and view of India kept me going through this, because TINA sure as heck did not. Tina confused the hell out of me. For a mid-late thirty-year-old woman, Tina and her best friend came across more like teenagers or early twenties. Neither seemed to have their shit together or a clue what they were doing and neither were particularly likable. I was also confused as hell because Tina, a longtime resident of Brooklyn , seemed to lose every drop of her city skills and street smarts once she was dropped down in India. She couldn't figure out how to cross a road, appeared to have never seen poverty or homeless people and thus had zero clue how to act around them, and got sucked in by some half-baked hustlers.
The most difficult aspect of this book was the POV. With no transition, we get throw into other people's heads. And not just in a cycle of main characters (we regularly get POVs from her Dad, Mom, or friend. We also get thrown into the heads of random people with no rhyme or reason; Tina's taxi driver, the hustler, some rando leaning against a car maybe? It was very, very confusing and took a lot of adjusting to.
This seemed less like a novel with plot and direction and more like a collection of snapshots of perspectives from Tina and the people surrounding her. Which was unique, but kind of strange.
What I found odd was how little of the actual wedding and wedding activities we saw in a book with "wedding" in the title. Tina seemed to barely attend any of the wedding shenanigans and was always off doing her own thing.
Destination: Avoid the Wedding.
*cue rimshot*
I'm hilarious, I know.
So anyway, like I said, the culture and view of India kept me going through this, because TINA sure as heck did not. Tina confused the hell out of me. For a mid-late thirty-year-old woman, Tina and her best friend came across more like teenagers or early twenties. Neither seemed to have their shit together or a clue what they were doing and neither were particularly likable. I was also confused as hell because Tina, a longtime resident of Brooklyn , seemed to lose every drop of her city skills and street smarts once she was dropped down in India. She couldn't figure out how to cross a road, appeared to have never seen poverty or homeless people and thus had zero clue how to act around them, and got sucked in by some half-baked hustlers.
The most difficult aspect of this book was the POV. With no transition, we get throw into other people's heads. And not just in a cycle of main characters (we regularly get POVs from her Dad, Mom, or friend. We also get thrown into the heads of random people with no rhyme or reason; Tina's taxi driver, the hustler, some rando leaning against a car maybe? It was very, very confusing and took a lot of adjusting to.
This seemed less like a novel with plot and direction and more like a collection of snapshots of perspectives from Tina and the people surrounding her. Which was unique, but kind of strange.
3.5 stars. Kind of chaotic at times, and the constantly switching points of view got annoying. It was okay, but not especially gripping.
Sort of like an Indian version of Crazy Rich Asians.
Sort of like an Indian version of Crazy Rich Asians.
Tina Das, Born in America, but family is from India, heads back to India with her best friend, Her divorced mom and Dad, as well as her mom's boyfriend to attend a wedding of one of her cousins back home. While there, her friend tries to find herself ( or that's how it appeared to me) and her dad meets a woman he was set up with from an online dating site. Tina meets Sid, an out of work actor that she met previously and they go on a couple of dates.
My main issue with this story is the multiple plots and points of view. Other than that, it was an interesting read.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
My main issue with this story is the multiple plots and points of view. Other than that, it was an interesting read.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I didn’t love this book but it was definitely interesting and different than anything else I’ve read. I wish there was a little more character development throughout instead of the author just forcing the results.