kmacgahan's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.0
rachsen's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
marissaisbooked's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this and am mad at myself for letting it sit on my shelf unread for so long. I devoured this in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down.
I found Kareena incredibly relatable in so many ways. She’s the eldest daughter who has in acted as a parental figure for her younger sister in some way, she sacrifices parts of herself to keep her family happy, and she’d rather stay at home with a romance book under a weighted blanket than go out.
The aunties were hilarious and I loved all of the side characters. I can’t wait for Bunty and Bobbi’s story.
I hope I never meet anyone named Charlie because I honestly don’t know if I could address them without laughing.
Highlights:
- Romance: MF
- RomCom
- Fake dating
- “Enemies”-to-lovers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
darkndani's review against another edition
4.0
If you’re a fan of Tessa Bailey you will love this book! And especially if you’re a fan of Tessa level spice
magsnkth's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
sri_savita's review against another edition
5.0
"We all deserve the love we want."
This was an excellent buddy-read with a friend, and on the heels of watching Bridgerton Season 2 with Indian characters and The Taming of the Shrew parallels. I took this quote from the acknowledgments which I think is mandatory reading material. First, I learned that Nisha's younger brother and my younger brother share the same name. Second, I think Nisha is right on with exploring the themes that she does around marriage and family and figuring what ideas are your own, what you have to unlearn, what was put there by your parents, society, and other "authorities." My 30s have been focused on this kind of self-reflection exactly, and being angry when I realize how so much of the shame in how I view myself or why I feel less "safe" to be in the spotlight with another brown person in public is because of the bullshit that was put there by OTHER PEOPLE, even if it is not what I believe, I live in a majority culture that has dictated how I think about myself, which is HEARTBREAKING - so this book was speaking my language.
Speaking of language and such, I enjoyed all of the Indian cultural references too. Prem and Kareena are STRONG characters that sometimes frustrated me with how they acted, but understanding where those strong views come from is part of the learning experience they go through and that was something I appreciated. I loved Deepak and Bunty and am looking forward to their books if that is the direction Nisha is going with the triology!
Another thing I specifically want to mention is that if you were thrown by "Charlie," I can understand, but you MUST watch Nisha's TikTok or read her newsletter where she explains that euphemisms in romance are NOT new, and need to be critically examined. Nisha said the entire "lecture" didn't make it into the book, but I wish it had, I would love to see Nisha's entire passage on this conversation with Prem and his mother that was in the draft! The version of the discussion in the book between Prem and his mother about the lack of verbalizing love in their family and Indian culture was powerful, and I know I was able to visibly mark when there was a shift in my own family to when we started verbalizing love more because of my younger sister setting the precedent as someone in a social generation where that was more common. Just one of the many amazing things she helped our family communicate about before she was gone too soon. Now, we all say what we feel, positive or negative, and we are one of the families that is more communicative and introspective to begin with, so the baseline for other Indian families might be further behind.
The way that educated "desi fuckboys" and educated desi women, everyone really, needs to start learning and advocating for body autonomy if you are a BIPOC is vital. Not being able to discuss your body, even as a doctor with a parent who is a doctor, is speaking to why coded language was used in the first place - to use shame as a vehicle for colonialism, racism, casteism, colorism, and misogyny - much of which has been internalized over generations and thus, still plagues modern society.
Because of this discussion suddenly the things that frustrated me about the prose in Prem's voice and sometimes Kareena's, and their ideas about romance, relationships, and love, made so much more sense and seemed intentional. A lot of it WAS physical and insta-lovey and he would say things that were cringe-y because for him these are the scripts he knows.
One criticism: we have to stop using CLEAN as a way to talk about being STI-free. It keeps propagating damaging ideas about purity and sex and cleanliness. But, if Nisha's idea is to discuss body autonomy and dismantle language around that in sex, then I understand why it was said this way in Kareena's voice. Kareena also talks about how she hasn't before been able to directly ask for what she wants, so that makes sense too.
I also loved the discussion between Kareena and her friends about how you can't interpret someone's else's behavior in a way that fits your lens for communication and love, because too many people do that and end up hurt!
Nisha's books always bring in these larger self-examination themes in a way that is organic to the characters and conversation. It's what I enjoyed so much about the discussion of mental health in Radha & Jai's Recipe for Romance too.
I also was super happy when Prem called out Kareena's whole family because that was much needed.
I also appreciated the callout to the Singh family in this book, and will be reading that series soon!
This was an excellent buddy-read with a friend, and on the heels of watching Bridgerton Season 2 with Indian characters and The Taming of the Shrew parallels. I took this quote from the acknowledgments which I think is mandatory reading material. First, I learned that Nisha's younger brother and my younger brother share the same name. Second, I think Nisha is right on with exploring the themes that she does around marriage and family and figuring what ideas are your own, what you have to unlearn, what was put there by your parents, society, and other "authorities." My 30s have been focused on this kind of self-reflection exactly, and being angry when I realize how so much of the shame in how I view myself or why I feel less "safe" to be in the spotlight with another brown person in public is because of the bullshit that was put there by OTHER PEOPLE, even if it is not what I believe, I live in a majority culture that has dictated how I think about myself, which is HEARTBREAKING - so this book was speaking my language.
Speaking of language and such, I enjoyed all of the Indian cultural references too. Prem and Kareena are STRONG characters that sometimes frustrated me with how they acted, but understanding where those strong views come from is part of the learning experience they go through and that was something I appreciated. I loved Deepak and Bunty and am looking forward to their books if that is the direction Nisha is going with the triology!
Another thing I specifically want to mention is that if you were thrown by "Charlie," I can understand, but you MUST watch Nisha's TikTok or read her newsletter where she explains that euphemisms in romance are NOT new, and need to be critically examined. Nisha said the entire "lecture" didn't make it into the book, but I wish it had, I would love to see Nisha's entire passage on this conversation with Prem and his mother that was in the draft! The version of the discussion in the book between Prem and his mother about the lack of verbalizing love in their family and Indian culture was powerful, and I know I was able to visibly mark when there was a shift in my own family to when we started verbalizing love more because of my younger sister setting the precedent as someone in a social generation where that was more common. Just one of the many amazing things she helped our family communicate about before she was gone too soon. Now, we all say what we feel, positive or negative, and we are one of the families that is more communicative and introspective to begin with, so the baseline for other Indian families might be further behind.
The way that educated "desi fuckboys" and educated desi women, everyone really, needs to start learning and advocating for body autonomy if you are a BIPOC is vital. Not being able to discuss your body, even as a doctor with a parent who is a doctor, is speaking to why coded language was used in the first place - to use shame as a vehicle for colonialism, racism, casteism, colorism, and misogyny - much of which has been internalized over generations and thus, still plagues modern society.
Because of this discussion suddenly the things that frustrated me about the prose in Prem's voice and sometimes Kareena's, and their ideas about romance, relationships, and love, made so much more sense and seemed intentional. A lot of it WAS physical and insta-lovey and he would say things that were cringe-y because for him these are the scripts he knows.
One criticism: we have to stop using CLEAN as a way to talk about being STI-free. It keeps propagating damaging ideas about purity and sex and cleanliness. But, if Nisha's idea is to discuss body autonomy and dismantle language around that in sex, then I understand why it was said this way in Kareena's voice. Kareena also talks about how she hasn't before been able to directly ask for what she wants, so that makes sense too.
I also loved the discussion between Kareena and her friends about how you can't interpret someone's else's behavior in a way that fits your lens for communication and love, because too many people do that and end up hurt!
Nisha's books always bring in these larger self-examination themes in a way that is organic to the characters and conversation. It's what I enjoyed so much about the discussion of mental health in Radha & Jai's Recipe for Romance too.
I also was super happy when Prem called out Kareena's whole family because that was much needed.
I also appreciated the callout to the Singh family in this book, and will be reading that series soon!
victoria523's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
loushouseofthoughts's review against another edition
2.0
I tried putting two and half stars but I can't so we're stuck at this rating. Although, I'm not a member of the South Asian community, it was such a delight for me seeing my South Asian friends relating to and just loving the cultural instances presented in the book- that's the representation we demand and expect to see always! However, the plot line doesn't hold up for the long run, and makes it forgettable in the long run of naming and retelling classic books.
This is the first book I've read by Nisha Sharma, and I think I should try another one. Maybe I could be biased in the fact that romance isn't exactly my first preference and man is it strongly suggested in this book. So I don't know, the problem is with me?
This is the first book I've read by Nisha Sharma, and I think I should try another one. Maybe I could be biased in the fact that romance isn't exactly my first preference and man is it strongly suggested in this book. So I don't know, the problem is with me?
ybug09's review against another edition
4.0
This was cute! Felt like I was watching a Bollywood movie :D
neehawh's review against another edition
the writing was so cringy and i couldn't root for Prem. He was so cringy and everything i don't like in a protagonist.