fairytales 's review for:

Flirting With Disaster by Naina Kumar

3.75

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-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: Yes

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I really appreciate the Indian representation Naina Kumar shares in her books. She is a strong writer, which I appreciate, but I do think the plot and resolution could have been fleshed out more or had better reasons. I liked the hurricane premise. I also enjoyed the focus on politics and Meena’s genuine interest in running for office, improving her state, and helping marginalized people.

I really liked the main characters but the miscommunication was pretty rampant and got a little frustrating in how much they each constructed their own narratives about each other without listening to each other or asking if their partner actually felt that way. It was repeated miscommunications to the point that it got annoying. I did think the idea of failure around a job can cause a lot of tension in relationships and I liked how that was explored, as was the idea of high achievement in Indian culture and not feeling good enough.

I think therapy or marriage counseling could have been useful. I also felt we did not get to see enough about Nikhil’s family and why he wasn’t closer to them. They were mentioned but I felt like his issues with them needed more exploration. 

I really liked the canoeing part of this book and the ending.