Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

18 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

labtech69's review against another edition

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

rbacon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

This book is an incredible mix of mystery, erotica, and just fun. The Punjabi women sure do have erotic stories and the plot is so cleverly woven to make each decision made so clear and understandable. Definitely reminds you not to underestimate people in all areas of life and fills you with a lot of love for incredible Punjabi women ❤

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, and Lesbophobia

sabs98's review against another edition

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

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

kathrun006's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

The book is not an anthology. It is about women taking a creative writing class. Most of the stories they write in the class are erotic, but the plot of the book is not centered around sex.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Murder, Child death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Xenophobia, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual assault, Cancer, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship

This book deals with the theme of arranged vs. forced marriage so it contains mentions of forced marriage and child marriage. The characters who were married as children are adults and widows when the story takes place, but it is relevant to the story. The only content warnings which are described in a scene are fire and fire injury and interpersonal violence. The violence described is a man attacking a woman. I have included misogyny as an explicit content warning because it is a major theme of the book, but the book is mainly about women supporting eachother and finding their voices in a misogynistic world so do not think that the book itself is misogynistic.

diana_raquel's review

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 against another edition

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

questingnotcoasting's review

emotional reflective sad 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

3.5

I was expecting this to be a light-hearted read and while it was at times, it also deals with some heavy topics. There are themes of grief, misogyny and racism, as well as a mystery subplot I wasn't anticipating. These elements are balanced with funny and heart-warming moments though and I felt very immersed in the setting. I'd have liked to feel a little more connected to the main character because she felt a little surface level but I enjoyed it overall. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Infidelity, Murder, Suicide, and Death

Minor: Rape and Adult/minor relationship

solenekeleroux's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Violence, Xenophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Murder, and Suicide

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Rape