You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.46 AVERAGE
1.46 AVERAGE
Bindi is about to fulfill her dream of being a successful music career, first, though, she lets her mother talk her into visiting relatives in India. She is jarred by her return to her homeland when she finds that a favorite cousin, Dhona, is a drunk and a womanizer and his wife, Rimli, knows all about it. Bindi immediately feels sorry for Rimli but knows that’s as far as it should go with her cousin-in-law. While Bindi knows she’s a lesbian, she’s not yet acted on it, and certainly hasn’t told anyone in her family. Bindi returns to England to prepare for her tour, Rimli follows to study in England for two years. There are still many obstacles in the way of the two women.
Chowdhury has written a lesbian romance like none other seen in the genre. She’s provided her readers a look into every-day life in India and the pressures to conform to the misogynistic culture. The book is told in the first person POV so readers get to know the main character fairly well, but the other characters remain amorphous.
While this book has its ups and downs, readers will undoubtedly finish the book looking forward to Chowdhury’s next books.
My thanks to Bold Strokes books for an eARC.
Chowdhury has written a lesbian romance like none other seen in the genre. She’s provided her readers a look into every-day life in India and the pressures to conform to the misogynistic culture. The book is told in the first person POV so readers get to know the main character fairly well, but the other characters remain amorphous.
While this book has its ups and downs, readers will undoubtedly finish the book looking forward to Chowdhury’s next books.
My thanks to Bold Strokes books for an eARC.
This story had a good skeleton of an outline, but there was a lack of depth in characters which may be partially due to the plot seeming to be accelerated/rushed.
I had several issues with this book, I wasn't really vibing with the authors writing. The main character of this novel had a very narrow idea about what India should look like and sounded quite pretentious about describing her surroundings. Also, the way that some things are described in this book did not sit right with me.
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Net Galley and Bold Strokes Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Before reading this book, I thought it would be a good, enjoyable read, but unfortunately it wasn’t. The characters were very 2-dimensional and had no depth or complexities to them. Not only that, the characters didn’t feel that realistic and they weren’t that lovable either. The writing at times felt forced, and there was too much milking of how much Bindi disliked India and it just didn’t seem believable. There is a shortage of queer POC and I was hoping this would be an inspiration to others and I really wanted to like it. I hate writing negative reviews because writers, editors and publishers put in so much time, love and effort, but this novel was just not it. Sometimes it felt unedited and others I was just so bored. In no way is this book a reflection of the author (I just want to remind everyone).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Xenophobia
Moderate: Lesbophobia
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thanks to Bold Stroke Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book.
Bindi travels to India to visit her family, including her cousin, Dhona, and his wife, Rimli. Bindi soon learns that Dhona is a womaniser who constantly cheats on Rimli; when his behaviour gets too much, Rimli seeks comfort in Bindi's arms.
I didn't like how Bindi didn't have one single positive thing to say about India, her family's country. I understand her critiquing aspects of it such as the huge inequality, but this felt really over done.
None of the characters felt like real people, as there's no real characterisation, we never get to actually know any of these people. Therefore the whole romance fell flat, can't root for a romance if you don't get to know the people.
This reads like a rough draft of a book that could have been something with more time, padding and editing.
Bindi travels to India to visit her family, including her cousin, Dhona, and his wife, Rimli. Bindi soon learns that Dhona is a womaniser who constantly cheats on Rimli; when his behaviour gets too much, Rimli seeks comfort in Bindi's arms.
I didn't like how Bindi didn't have one single positive thing to say about India, her family's country. I understand her critiquing aspects of it such as the huge inequality, but this felt really over done.
None of the characters felt like real people, as there's no real characterisation, we never get to actually know any of these people. Therefore the whole romance fell flat, can't root for a romance if you don't get to know the people.
This reads like a rough draft of a book that could have been something with more time, padding and editing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia