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A review by maddiebees
Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma
emotional
funny
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
First, let me say: I WAS SCREAMING THE WHOLE TIME!!!
In my effort to assign a Taylor Swift song to each book that I read this year (and in honor of the Taylor Swift references within the book that I LOVED), I have to say: this reminds me so much of Long Story Short. There's no more keeping score for Bunty and Bobbi--they just know there's more.
After reading and loving Dating Dr. Dil, I knew I’d love Nisha Sharma’s second book but I didn’t know just how obsessed I’d be. Shakespeare adaptations are always hit or miss for me but this was a bullseye. You could definitely see the nods to the source material if you were looking for them but they were subtle enough that they didn’t punch you in the face and the mystery in the story kept me guessing at every turn.
I’m not of South Asian descent but Nisha Sharma’s writing is so amazingly vivid, you can’t help but see just how beautiful the culture is. I was unfamiliar with certain clothing, traditions, and food items but I found myself googling and falling into internet rabbit holes as I learned. (And now I’m so excited to try some new recipes thanks to Chef Padda’s descriptions!) In addition to the beauty, she doesn’t shy away from addressing the internal prejudice within the culture and I deeply appreciate that look into an unfamiliar world.
Seeing a fat heroine who is unapologetic and doesn’t have to go on a journey of discovering self-love in the book was so refreshing; Bobbi loves herself and knows her worth and to me, that makes all the difference. I love how multi-faceted Nisha’s characters are because even if you can’t identify entirely with a character, it’s easy to see yourself within someone (shoutout to Bobbi’s gorgeous size, penchant for organization, and making everyone’s life easier except her own) in her world and I love how connected that makes me feel to the story.
Benjamin as a hero was everything! I love seeing a man so obsessed with a woman who doesn’t want to give him the time of day (even if it’s just because he put his foot in his mouth the first time things got a little heated). His journey of standing on his own outside of his family and the life they’d built was so well done. I don’t want to spoil anything but the resolution to his and Bobbi’s relationship conflict made my heart sing.
All in all, I loved this book and I am so excited for other readers to get to experience it firsthand.
Finally, thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
In my effort to assign a Taylor Swift song to each book that I read this year (and in honor of the Taylor Swift references within the book that I LOVED), I have to say: this reminds me so much of Long Story Short. There's no more keeping score for Bunty and Bobbi--they just know there's more.
After reading and loving Dating Dr. Dil, I knew I’d love Nisha Sharma’s second book but I didn’t know just how obsessed I’d be. Shakespeare adaptations are always hit or miss for me but this was a bullseye. You could definitely see the nods to the source material if you were looking for them but they were subtle enough that they didn’t punch you in the face and the mystery in the story kept me guessing at every turn.
I’m not of South Asian descent but Nisha Sharma’s writing is so amazingly vivid, you can’t help but see just how beautiful the culture is. I was unfamiliar with certain clothing, traditions, and food items but I found myself googling and falling into internet rabbit holes as I learned. (And now I’m so excited to try some new recipes thanks to Chef Padda’s descriptions!) In addition to the beauty, she doesn’t shy away from addressing the internal prejudice within the culture and I deeply appreciate that look into an unfamiliar world.
Seeing a fat heroine who is unapologetic and doesn’t have to go on a journey of discovering self-love in the book was so refreshing; Bobbi loves herself and knows her worth and to me, that makes all the difference. I love how multi-faceted Nisha’s characters are because even if you can’t identify entirely with a character, it’s easy to see yourself within someone (shoutout to Bobbi’s gorgeous size, penchant for organization, and making everyone’s life easier except her own) in her world and I love how connected that makes me feel to the story.
Benjamin as a hero was everything! I love seeing a man so obsessed with a woman who doesn’t want to give him the time of day (even if it’s just because he put his foot in his mouth the first time things got a little heated). His journey of standing on his own outside of his family and the life they’d built was so well done. I don’t want to spoil anything but the resolution to his and Bobbi’s relationship conflict made my heart sing.
All in all, I loved this book and I am so excited for other readers to get to experience it firsthand.
Finally, thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
Minor: Death of parent