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briandagutierrez's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-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
2.75
I don’t Trope unless the person being cheated on is a giant, abusive POS so this was a tough read for me. The main saving grace for this, and the thing I kept reading was somewhere in the past few years when I originally got my hands on this it has been highly recommended. This wasn’t bad I just found it really hard to get beyond the cheating aspect of this book. that and Ved constantly lied to Carlos and others about himself and what was going on. And while that is to be expected in a story about a closeted man it was frustrating to read almost 300 pages of it when he had so many chances to come clean.
I think this could be a really good read for a lot of people just be aware that there is cheating in this and depending on how you feel about that you’ll probably enjoy this story.
I think this could be a really good read for a lot of people just be aware that there is cheating in this and depending on how you feel about that you’ll probably enjoy this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Outing
Minor: Homophobia
erinhawley's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
3.0
kittyofdarkness's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.0
jackiehorne's review against another edition
2.0
I was not engaged at all by the narrative style of this India pre-2018 (when bans on homosexuality were overturned) m/m romance/finally-coming-of-age story; it's entirely tell, with almost no show, info-dumps abounding. Even worse, the narrative voice is bland and flat, in large part because the story's 3rd person narrator, 38-year-old tech guy Ved, has very little personality beyond being painfully avoidant, not just about revealing his sexuality, but about practically everything else in his life. In his fear of disappointing his (divorced) parents with the truth about his sexuality and his lack of true interest in his work (despite drowning his sorrows over a past love who broke things off with him to marry a woman by becoming a workaholic), Ved continually allows them to make decisions for him, especially his mom. Dolly assumed that Ved will be happier once finds a wife, and continually tries to arrange a marriage for him (you'd think she might get a clue, since Ved is 38!). For once, though, Ved actually likes the woman his mother has arranged for him to date, and he and Disha become friends. But because Ved never tells her about his sexuality, she, his mother, and her parents all assume they are on the course toward marriage. And then suddenly they are engaged, even though Ved cannot ever imaging having sex with Disha or any other woman. But he lets the assumptions build and build, somehow always telling himself that tomorrow he'll break things off.
And then Ved meets a fun American on Grindr, and ends up sleeping with the guy (cheating on his fiancée, and cheating on the guy by not telling him he's engaged to someone else). Of course, the truth finally comes out, and everyone is upset. But not for long; after just a conversation, Ved's parents are A-OK with everything, as is his now ex-fiancée. His love interest takes a little longer to come round, but does without any real effort or change on Ved's part.
Such a fairy-tale ending, with no actual pain or consequences resulting from Ved's self-absorbed behavior, fell really flat for me, in large part because it seems to make a mockery of Ved's (surely historically-warranted) anxieties about his sexual preferences.
And then Ved meets a fun American on Grindr, and ends up sleeping with the guy (cheating on his fiancée, and cheating on the guy by not telling him he's engaged to someone else). Of course, the truth finally comes out, and everyone is upset. But not for long; after just a conversation, Ved's parents are A-OK with everything, as is his now ex-fiancée. His love interest takes a little longer to come round, but does without any real effort or change on Ved's part.
Such a fairy-tale ending, with no actual pain or consequences resulting from Ved's self-absorbed behavior, fell really flat for me, in large part because it seems to make a mockery of Ved's (surely historically-warranted) anxieties about his sexual preferences.
caroliiineb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Outing
Minor: Eating disorder
ceceee863's review against another edition
I can’t relate to the characters at all and it’s just very boring. It’s unfortunate because it’s an interesting concept that I should find relatable as a queer person, but the writing is repetitive and the pacing is weird and the dialogue is extremely surface level. It’s just not for me.
freya_amber's review
It was an interesting read, set in India when homosexuality was still illegal, with a gay main character in his late 30s.
I just got fed up with the lying. He realisticly kept digging himself in deeper. It wasn't the right book for my current mood.
I just got fed up with the lying. He realisticly kept digging himself in deeper. It wasn't the right book for my current mood.
heartglooms's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
motmoove's review against another edition
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
2.5