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jsreadingjournal 's review for:
Luv
by N.M. Patel
* Thank you to @swipethebook.pr and @nmpatelauthor for sending me this ARC. *
This is a story that follows Kriti Pandya and Aakar Mishra through the pressures of finding love by a certain age. I’ve never read a book about arranged marriage so this was a first to me, and I was shocked to see how much I loved it. It showed the realities of being pressured to find a partner in desi families and the realities of the adjustment period needed after marriage, especially for Kriti as she had to move into a house with Aakar’s extended family. I absolutely loved seeing the communication between both protagonists, and how both of them didn’t reduce their expectations of what they wanted in a marriage. This book had everything from instant connection, to slow burn, to groveling, to drama.
I instantly adored Kriti’s character – seeing her advocate for her female students was so incredibly powerful, and seeing her stand up for herself and refusing to settle was refreshing. Aakar’s character also won me over quickly. I mean, the man remembered her love for beaches and took her there for their first date – how could a girl not love a man that remembers brief remarks. On top of that, he actually listens to his wife’s problems and puts in the effort to make changes to make her life easier…yes please!
Along with that, Aakar’s family was such a godsend – they’re like the ideal in-laws any girl can hope for. Seeing Abhi and Kriti’s relationship was so heartwarming. The way they look out for one another, support each other, and the way they have the other’s back made my heart very happy. And the way, the whole family was on her side when Aakar fucked up had me screaming – I loved seeing that!! Now, I won’t lie, I’m not sure how I felt about the big conflict revolving around Abhi and Aakar – I found his reaction so out-of-character and it took a while for me to come around and see things through Aakar’s POV, but I’m really hoping he’ll make up for this in a future book.
Random other thoughts I had:
- I like how the author gave brief explanations of Gujarati terms she used. I found that incredibly considerate for non-ethnic readers who will no longer have to pull up Google Translate every so often. I also liked how she described the different wedding ceremonies – their purpose and importance.
-As a recent education grad, I also really appreciated how the realities of being a teacher were shown. How it can be difficult to get students engaged in lessons and make them want to actually learn. And I loved seeing that Kriti had such an amazing support system to help her out.
This is a story that follows Kriti Pandya and Aakar Mishra through the pressures of finding love by a certain age. I’ve never read a book about arranged marriage so this was a first to me, and I was shocked to see how much I loved it. It showed the realities of being pressured to find a partner in desi families and the realities of the adjustment period needed after marriage, especially for Kriti as she had to move into a house with Aakar’s extended family. I absolutely loved seeing the communication between both protagonists, and how both of them didn’t reduce their expectations of what they wanted in a marriage. This book had everything from instant connection, to slow burn, to groveling, to drama.
I instantly adored Kriti’s character – seeing her advocate for her female students was so incredibly powerful, and seeing her stand up for herself and refusing to settle was refreshing. Aakar’s character also won me over quickly. I mean, the man remembered her love for beaches and took her there for their first date – how could a girl not love a man that remembers brief remarks. On top of that, he actually listens to his wife’s problems and puts in the effort to make changes to make her life easier…yes please!
Along with that, Aakar’s family was such a godsend – they’re like the ideal in-laws any girl can hope for. Seeing Abhi and Kriti’s relationship was so heartwarming. The way they look out for one another, support each other, and the way they have the other’s back made my heart very happy. And the way, the whole family was on her side when Aakar fucked up had me screaming – I loved seeing that!! Now, I won’t lie, I’m not sure how I felt about the big conflict revolving around Abhi and Aakar – I found his reaction so out-of-character and it took a while for me to come around and see things through Aakar’s POV, but I’m really hoping he’ll make up for this in a future book.
Random other thoughts I had:
- I like how the author gave brief explanations of Gujarati terms she used. I found that incredibly considerate for non-ethnic readers who will no longer have to pull up Google Translate every so often. I also liked how she described the different wedding ceremonies – their purpose and importance.
-As a recent education grad, I also really appreciated how the realities of being a teacher were shown. How it can be difficult to get students engaged in lessons and make them want to actually learn. And I loved seeing that Kriti had such an amazing support system to help her out.