A review by serendipitysbooks
Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 I went in to Recipe for Persuasion expecting it to be light and fun based on a brief synopsis. Ashna is struggling to keep her late father’s restaurant afloat so agrees to appear on Cooking with the Stars, a reality tv show. Rico, the star she is paired with, just happens to be her former high school boyfriend. However, this one had a lot more depth and complexity than I anticipated. The plot features alcoholism, forced marriage, abusive and controlling behaviour, suicide, rape, family secrets and a complicated mother-daughter relationship. It also offered a good taste of Maharashtrian culture. While this book did deliver the expected light and fluffy elements (second chance romance, reality tv show shenanigans) it also offered a lot more and was therefore a richer reading experience than I was anticipating. 
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