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A review by amym84
Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat by Sonya Lalli
4.0
Jasmine Randhawa has just gotten out of a long-term relationship with her boyfriend which tarnishes the façade of perfection that she likes to present to everyone around her. Truth is, things are far from perfect for Jasmine. Besides the break-up, Jasmine's financial situation is not good. Also, her sister's upcoming engagement party has only highlighted the tense relationship she has with her parents. So when Jasmine's parents reluctantly invite her on an all-inclusive cruise, Jasmine believes it'll be a chance to escape for a little while. But when she arrives, Jasmine discovers she's not only on a senior's cruise, she'll be travelling with all of her aunties and uncles having to endure their constant scrutiny, and the only other person close to her age is her childhood acquaintance Jake Dhillon.
Jasmine and Jake clash immediately. Jasmine always pushed back against the way Indian women are expected to behave, and her reputation has taken a hit for it. Being a son, Jake does not fully understand the pressures that have been put upon Jasmine and the ways in which he had been praised for the very same things for which Jasmine has been derided.
Regardless, being the youngest passengers on board they still end up, more often than not, spending time together. Jasmine begins to see that, like herself, there is more to Jake than surface level. A trip that started out as a mistake, might actually be exactly what Jasmine needs.
I've read and enjoyed Sonya Lalli's books before so there was no doubt that I would pick this book up too. In fact, it's one that kept me up reading late into the night until I was finished.
I liked the layers that Sonya Lalli incorporates into her characters. It's interesting because we start out thinking that Jasmine's going on this trip to get away, she's just gone through a breakup, etc. It turns into so much more, by each turn of the page another layer to Jasmine's character is added. We see the cracks in her relationship with her parents. We see her wanting desperately to repair them. We learn that Jasmine views herself in a completely different way than she is viewed by other people. Those insecurities and vulnerabilities slowly give rise and we, as readers, begin to see past the initial confident woman. I liked the progression of Jasmine's character as it opened up a lot more nuance. Yes, she has a great amount of pressure put on her by her family, but she's not completely innocent either and I think that the way Sonya Lalli writes the distinction between the two sides to the story is very spot on.
Jake's own story is a mirror in a lot of ways to Jasmine and it's interesting to see Jasmine realize that her perceptions are called into question as she gets to know him.
I loved the idea of these two people who are seemingly opposites finding that they have more in common than previously thought. Not only do they have things in common, but they have this amazing chemistry.
Really, I appreciated that even though this story certainly has strong romantic elements, the focus is still on Jasmine.
Sonya Lalli has proven to be an author that I can count on to give me a story with heart.
Jasmine and Jake clash immediately. Jasmine always pushed back against the way Indian women are expected to behave, and her reputation has taken a hit for it. Being a son, Jake does not fully understand the pressures that have been put upon Jasmine and the ways in which he had been praised for the very same things for which Jasmine has been derided.
Regardless, being the youngest passengers on board they still end up, more often than not, spending time together. Jasmine begins to see that, like herself, there is more to Jake than surface level. A trip that started out as a mistake, might actually be exactly what Jasmine needs.
I've read and enjoyed Sonya Lalli's books before so there was no doubt that I would pick this book up too. In fact, it's one that kept me up reading late into the night until I was finished.
I liked the layers that Sonya Lalli incorporates into her characters. It's interesting because we start out thinking that Jasmine's going on this trip to get away, she's just gone through a breakup, etc. It turns into so much more, by each turn of the page another layer to Jasmine's character is added. We see the cracks in her relationship with her parents. We see her wanting desperately to repair them. We learn that Jasmine views herself in a completely different way than she is viewed by other people. Those insecurities and vulnerabilities slowly give rise and we, as readers, begin to see past the initial confident woman. I liked the progression of Jasmine's character as it opened up a lot more nuance. Yes, she has a great amount of pressure put on her by her family, but she's not completely innocent either and I think that the way Sonya Lalli writes the distinction between the two sides to the story is very spot on.
Jake's own story is a mirror in a lot of ways to Jasmine and it's interesting to see Jasmine realize that her perceptions are called into question as she gets to know him.
I loved the idea of these two people who are seemingly opposites finding that they have more in common than previously thought. Not only do they have things in common, but they have this amazing chemistry.
Really, I appreciated that even though this story certainly has strong romantic elements, the focus is still on Jasmine.
Sonya Lalli has proven to be an author that I can count on to give me a story with heart.