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bookwormbullet's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
5.0
This book may have restored my cold dead heart. I absolutely loved following Yash and India’s story in Incense and Sensibility. It felt so nice to return to the world of The Rajes after loving Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors and Recipe for Persuasion (which still remains my number one adult contemporary of all time). And I’m officially declaring now that Sonali Dev is literally the BEST at writing second chance romances. I don’t even know if Incense and Sensibility counts as a second chance romance considering Yash and India only shared a kiss and nothing more--there was no official relationship between them--but the amount of tension Sonali Dev can create between the two after TEN years and only one kiss was incredible. Every single lingering look and touch between the two made my heart feel like it was going to burst.
This also has the “seeing each other’s scars” trope, which is such an underrated trope, and oh my god it was so good. Seeing Yash grow from being super closed off and trying to seem put together all the time to growing comfortable with being vulnerable was really heartwarming as well. I feel like this book was so refreshing when considering how young Indian-American boys are raised--to always be stoic and strong all the time. Seeing Yash admit that he’s not comfortable being intimate, and seeing him learning how to live with his anxiety and PTSD when mental health is barely discussed in the South Asian community was so great.
I also really just love the Rajes siblings so much. As much as each of them have their own faults, they are so united against any obstacle that comes in any of their ways and they have such adoring love and support for one another no matter the circumstance, and it’s just really beautiful to see. It was one of the reasons I loved jumping back into the world of The Rajes--seeing all the cameos from the different siblings and how their dynamics have developed and how their relationships have grown since Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors was so sweet. As a sibling myself, I have so much respect for them for standing up for one another, especially when they stand united against HRH. It’s reflective of how many young Indian-Americans promise to make positive change regarding some of the toxic issues within the older generations of the South Asian community.
Lastly, I have to talk about all the plot twists in this book. Incense and Sensibility starts and ends with a huge bang (and I kinda mean that literally) and I totally was not expecting the plot twists that popped up in this book. You can always count on Sonali to drop a bombshell of a plot twist in this series and it definitely did not disappoint here.
I easily gave this 5 stars and I will ALWAYS recommend this series. If you are an Austen fan, a South Asian-American reader, or anyone looking for a beautiful romance balanced with contemporary issues, I highly recommend The Rajes!
This also has the “seeing each other’s scars” trope, which is such an underrated trope, and oh my god it was so good. Seeing Yash grow from being super closed off and trying to seem put together all the time to growing comfortable with being vulnerable was really heartwarming as well. I feel like this book was so refreshing when considering how young Indian-American boys are raised--to always be stoic and strong all the time. Seeing Yash admit that he’s not comfortable being intimate, and seeing him learning how to live with his anxiety and PTSD when mental health is barely discussed in the South Asian community was so great.
I also really just love the Rajes siblings so much. As much as each of them have their own faults, they are so united against any obstacle that comes in any of their ways and they have such adoring love and support for one another no matter the circumstance, and it’s just really beautiful to see. It was one of the reasons I loved jumping back into the world of The Rajes--seeing all the cameos from the different siblings and how their dynamics have developed and how their relationships have grown since Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors was so sweet. As a sibling myself, I have so much respect for them for standing up for one another, especially when they stand united against HRH. It’s reflective of how many young Indian-Americans promise to make positive change regarding some of the toxic issues within the older generations of the South Asian community.
Lastly, I have to talk about all the plot twists in this book. Incense and Sensibility starts and ends with a huge bang (and I kinda mean that literally) and I totally was not expecting the plot twists that popped up in this book. You can always count on Sonali to drop a bombshell of a plot twist in this series and it definitely did not disappoint here.
I easily gave this 5 stars and I will ALWAYS recommend this series. If you are an Austen fan, a South Asian-American reader, or anyone looking for a beautiful romance balanced with contemporary issues, I highly recommend The Rajes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, and Racism
Minor: Cultural appropriation
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