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fleetwoodmac's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lackema's review
3.0
I feel like I wanted a more concrete ending but it was interesting for sure and even funny at times
lfinkenkeller's review
emotional
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
4.0
I enjoyed this story about an Indian American family who is trying to start anew and find happiness. Suresh and Lata are in an unhappy arranged marriage. After 36 years, Lata and Suresh get a divorce. The story is about how this couple and their children, Priya and Nikesh, learn how to move ahead after the divorce.
Lata works at finding the courage to start a new life, and Suresh works at finding the courage to date online. Meanwhile, Priya finds her father's attempts at online dating embarrassing, but she is secretly dating a married man. Nikesh is hiding the fact that he and his girlfriend have a son and are not married.
What I liked about his book was getting to know each of the characters intimately. I was rooting for all of them to find happiness in their attempts to start over, to figure out what was important in their lives, to stop being so secretive, and to trust each other.
Lata works at finding the courage to start a new life, and Suresh works at finding the courage to date online. Meanwhile, Priya finds her father's attempts at online dating embarrassing, but she is secretly dating a married man. Nikesh is hiding the fact that he and his girlfriend have a son and are not married.
What I liked about his book was getting to know each of the characters intimately. I was rooting for all of them to find happiness in their attempts to start over, to figure out what was important in their lives, to stop being so secretive, and to trust each other.
aravind12's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
alllisonb's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
jolou's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kendranicole28's review
3.5
After thirty-six years of an unhappy arranged marriage, Lata Raman decided it was time for a fresh start and is now enjoying her new life of independence, working at a music library and attracting the attentions of a sexagenarian professor. Though still reeling from the divorce, her ex-husband Suresh has decided he’s ready for a second chance at love but is having little luck in the foreign territory of online dating. . . until his most attractive (much younger) online pursuit shows up on his doorstep with a big surprise.
Meanwhile, the Ramans’ adult children are in the center of disastrous love lives of their own. Thirty-five-year-old Priya has a successful career as a professor, but longs for marriage; unfortunately, the man she’s involved with refuses to leave his wife. And thirty-year-old Nikesh appears to be a happily married father of a one-year-old son; what his parents don’t know is that he and the child’s much-older mother (who happens to be his boss) have yet to tie the knot, and their relationship is anything but happy.
Over the course of a few summer weeks, these family secrets begin to emerge, leading to one disastrous weekend of confrontation and colliding egos. This fractured family must navigate their new assortment of conflicting relational dynamics if there is any hope for new beginnings and second chances.
At its surface there is much to commend in this book. The premise is interesting, the prose is strong, and it’s an engaging read with plenty of interesting storylines and perfect pacing. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives that give up-front views into the lives of all four protagonists, and I appreciated the window into Indian-American culture as well as the Austin, Texas, setting. (I was confused, though by the decision to set this in 2009 and wish the time period had been made more explicit at the beginning, as it led to some initial confusion in my reading).
Unfortunately, there was quite a bit to dislike in this novel as well. I found all of our protagonists (perhaps with the exception of the son, Nikesh) to be selfish and extremely unlikeable, making it hard for me to root for happy endings in the wake of their poor decisions. I struggled with the emphasis of happiness over commitment, and the willingness to set aside values for the sake of appearances and comfort. Unnecessary divorce and infidelity are at the center of every primary storyline, and these are mostly presented as justifiable and even beneficial. I was disturbed that this story whitewashed the fallout that inevitably results from relationships built on selfishness and deception.
If you are a fan of complicated family stories, you may enjoy this, but enter in knowing that there are no tidy conclusions and zero moral values presented here.
My Rating: 3.5 Stars (Rounded to 3 Stars on Goodreads) // Book Format: Kindle
Meanwhile, the Ramans’ adult children are in the center of disastrous love lives of their own. Thirty-five-year-old Priya has a successful career as a professor, but longs for marriage; unfortunately, the man she’s involved with refuses to leave his wife. And thirty-year-old Nikesh appears to be a happily married father of a one-year-old son; what his parents don’t know is that he and the child’s much-older mother (who happens to be his boss) have yet to tie the knot, and their relationship is anything but happy.
Over the course of a few summer weeks, these family secrets begin to emerge, leading to one disastrous weekend of confrontation and colliding egos. This fractured family must navigate their new assortment of conflicting relational dynamics if there is any hope for new beginnings and second chances.
At its surface there is much to commend in this book. The premise is interesting, the prose is strong, and it’s an engaging read with plenty of interesting storylines and perfect pacing. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives that give up-front views into the lives of all four protagonists, and I appreciated the window into Indian-American culture as well as the Austin, Texas, setting. (I was confused, though by the decision to set this in 2009 and wish the time period had been made more explicit at the beginning, as it led to some initial confusion in my reading).
Unfortunately, there was quite a bit to dislike in this novel as well. I found all of our protagonists (perhaps with the exception of the son, Nikesh) to be selfish and extremely unlikeable, making it hard for me to root for happy endings in the wake of their poor decisions. I struggled with the emphasis of happiness over commitment, and the willingness to set aside values for the sake of appearances and comfort. Unnecessary divorce and infidelity are at the center of every primary storyline, and these are mostly presented as justifiable and even beneficial. I was disturbed that this story whitewashed the fallout that inevitably results from relationships built on selfishness and deception.
If you are a fan of complicated family stories, you may enjoy this, but enter in knowing that there are no tidy conclusions and zero moral values presented here.
My Rating: 3.5 Stars (Rounded to 3 Stars on Goodreads) // Book Format: Kindle
katieurban's review
4.0
Such an enjoyable read, outside of what I might normally gravitate towards when I'm picking books. A wonderfully written debut novel about divorce, relationships and all the dysfunction that comes with family. This was charming, heart-warming and quite funny. I laughed out loud quite a few times reading this. Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy!
malavisrin's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
mamanaja's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0