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A review by plumpaperbacks
The Marriage Game by Sara Desai
lighthearted
medium-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
The two worst things about this book were the overwhelming number of sexual jokes in the first half and the love interest Sam. The former is simply not something I enjoy, and the latter was unexpectedly obnoxious and equally off-putting. I didn’t think it was possible for a man to be so arrogant or obtuse.
My favorite characters were Layla, Daisy, Nisha, and Max. John also ended up being a good guy. My least favorite characters were Sam and Royce. I won’t even get into how much of an awful person Royce was, or Sam’s tendency to threaten Layla’s other potential suitors. More on that in a minute.
I feel like Layla and Sam had no chemistry. They thought the other person was hot, and that’s about it. I kept reading in hopes that I’d end up invested in their relationship, but that unfortunately didn’t happen. I wasn’t really invested in any part of this book; I just kept reading because I was curious and didn’t have anything better to do.
Honestly, I think that some of the guys Layla went on blind dates with would’ve been better for her than Sam. Sunny seemed decent, as did one or two others whose names I can’t remember. Only a couple of them were actually bad. All the others, in my opinion, had one trait or hobby that was overly exaggerated, likely to try and make sure you know that Layla is *only* compatible with Sam. Can’t have anyone outshining the love interest. Gotta make them weirdos to make sure that doesn’t happen, because it would be too easy otherwise.
I thought about giving this two stars, but decided on two and a half because of the few characters I did like. I liked the scenes in the Patel family restaurant, and when Layla and Nisha went clothes shopping. Oh, and the adorable little doggo, Max. What a good boy.
The Marriage Game definitely wasn’t my cup of tea, but I didn’t hate it and I do think some people might enjoy it. I eventually plan to read another book from Desai, which will hopefully be more enjoyable and less frustrating than this one.
Representation
My favorite characters were Layla, Daisy, Nisha, and Max. John also ended up being a good guy. My least favorite characters were Sam and Royce. I won’t even get into how much of an awful person Royce was, or Sam’s tendency to threaten Layla’s other potential suitors. More on that in a minute.
I feel like Layla and Sam had no chemistry. They thought the other person was hot, and that’s about it. I kept reading in hopes that I’d end up invested in their relationship, but that unfortunately didn’t happen. I wasn’t really invested in any part of this book; I just kept reading because I was curious and didn’t have anything better to do.
Honestly, I think that some of the guys Layla went on blind dates with would’ve been better for her than Sam. Sunny seemed decent, as did one or two others whose names I can’t remember. Only a couple of them were actually bad. All the others, in my opinion, had one trait or hobby that was overly exaggerated, likely to try and make sure you know that Layla is *only* compatible with Sam. Can’t have anyone outshining the love interest. Gotta make them weirdos to make sure that doesn’t happen, because it would be too easy otherwise.
I thought about giving this two stars, but decided on two and a half because of the few characters I did like. I liked the scenes in the Patel family restaurant, and when Layla and Nisha went clothes shopping. Oh, and the adorable little doggo, Max. What a good boy.
The Marriage Game definitely wasn’t my cup of tea, but I didn’t hate it and I do think some people might enjoy it. I eventually plan to read another book from Desai, which will hopefully be more enjoyable and less frustrating than this one.
Representation
- Indian protagonist, love interest, and side characters
- Indian side character in a wheelchair
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Grief
Minor: Death, Car accident, Violence, and Body shaming
The abuse, alcoholism, toxic relationship, violence, and death are referring to incidents that occurred prior to the story and are mentioned on-page.