Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

25 reviews

sakisreads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-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

4.5

I was so pleasantly surprised that this was by Balli Kaur Jaswal, because I recently read ‘Now You See Us’ and loved it ✨

This story was SUBLIME. Lighthearted moments with touching parts in between, this is definitely worth a read ❤️ 

I’ll discuss some of my favourite parts but there’ll be some spoilers so I’ve put them in my spoiler tags ✨

Spoiler

I was so delighted that Nikki had her happy endings; getting justice for Maya (or starting to), finding love with Jason, making friends with Kulwinder etc. I was so invested in her and her widow friends, I kept rooting for them 🥳

Spoiler

Another one! The murder by Jaggi and the assault by him and Tarampal was very upsetting, but I was so happy when it brought the widows back in again 🥰 Arvinder and Sheena were two particular favourites; badassery and femininity are not mutually exclusive 🤷🏻‍♀️

Spoiler

Asian mums express their love in the same ways and so this excerpt got me 🥹 

‘Grace's gesture stirred something in Nikki. She couldit believe how much she missed Mum all of a sudden - Mum who had pushed money into her hand the same insistent way the first time she returned home for dinner after moving out.’

It’s 4.5 out of 5 stars for me ✨ Big fan! Thank you 😊

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Rape, and Misogyny

kcrockford's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Started off slow but it picked up. Loved the ending!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Violence and Death of parent

Minor: Racism, Death of parent, and Murder

haley49's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book! Was! So! Good! 
I read it in a day. I loved all the sweet ensemble characters, the growth of the leads, the pacing, the themes. There were so many valuable themes throughout the story but none felt rushed or overly forced. They felt like a natural exploration of the Punjabi community’s experience in the UK and beyond. I loved how casually muslim they were and how the different characters were different ranges of religious. It felt so realistic. Everyone’s emotions seemed so realistic and the relationships between the women were gold. Obviously bits and pieces were exaggerated but all the women felt authentic to the spirit of “auntie”  culture. 

I really appreciated the discussion on middle aged and older women and their importance to communities. Their emotions, sexuality, education, desires, and even gossip were all valid parts of them; and thus essential elements of their community. It was a sweet lesson that a person’s value does not decrease with age nor does it depend upon status, money, gender, education, birth place, children, romantic relationships (present or not), etc. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Sexism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Hate crime, Pedophilia, Car accident, Physical abuse, Racism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Addiction, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Alcohol, and Sexual violence

Minor: Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Excrement, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Infertility, and Lesbophobia

labtech69's review

emotional funny inspiring 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? No

5.0

This book was absolutely amazing, and not just for the erotic stories. The plot was engaging and the characters were all likable but complex. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Murder

Minor: Homophobia, Cancer, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Stalking

sabs98's review

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Though this book focuses on the Punjabi community in Southall, England, the themes and traditions discussed are relevant to South Asian communities everywhere. The book is defined by: the heartwarming account of a young, female, second generation Punjabi immigrant finding community in an unexpected way; the empowerment of Punjabi widows, a group typically ostracized from their society, as they unleash their creative voices and acquire a renewed level of respect from others; the desperate and often disturbing lengths people will go to in the name of protecting honor; the way children of immigrants have to deal with the opposing forces of the Western lifestyle they grow up around and conservative or traditional ways enforced by their parents.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Grief, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Rape, and Stalking

lkjones19's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Racism, Stalking, Self harm, Grief, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Violence, Child death, Suicide, Sexual content, and Sexism

Minor: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Cancer, Car accident, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Alcoholism, and Lesbophobia

eemadeeberry's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexism, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Racism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Islamophobia, and Racial slurs

alysereadsbooks's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

3.75

I accidentally downloaded this audiobook and ended up loving it. The voice acting on the audiobook was great, and the novel had a bit of everything, mystery, love, and comedy. Loved the exploration of mother/daughter relationships and redefining sexuality as older women. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Grief

Minor: Racism

diana_raquel's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted 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

“Out of all the opportunities Britain offered us, choice was the most important thing.”

I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I didn't expect it to be one of my favorite books of 2022. I loved it! It's perfect!!! Totally recommend it!!

The plot and characters are well-developed and well-structured, and the plot twists happen at the right time, making the story truly interesting and entertaining. 

I may have been reticent, especially taking into account the hype, but I totally recommend it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Sexual content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Infidelity, Xenophobia, and Hate crime

Minor: Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Toxic relationship

sop345's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, and Infidelity