Scan barcode
anni_banani's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Overall I love the Rajes series more than the original Austen books personally. The retelling work so so well and Dev pulls them off amazingly. I love listening to her discuss how she came to this series in interviews
What I love in this book
- Intergenerational story rotating POV btw mother daughter and daughter’s love interest
- I related too much to Ashna wow. As much as I was frustrated with her sometimes, i completely understand where she was coming from
- I’m attracted to both love interests!
- Rico was a great man MC
- Ashnas character development, wow
- Women in pro sports
- Calling out martial assault and Islamophobia
- Chai mmmmm
- Women in solidarity
This is maybe my fave in the Rajes Series. Dev gives you so much more than you bargained for, a really true and deep character overhaul. Wow the healing in this book outbounds me and that’s why I’ve re read it. I’m a sucker for inter generational storytelling and this book does it so well. I loved Shoban !!
I was so satisfied by the end and will always cry when re reading
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Islamophobia
instalovewithbooks's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I really loved learning more about Shobi, Ashna's and Rico's backgrounds, I think the only thing I would recommend for Dev to change is putting names on the chapters & it being "before" or "now" kind of thing cause sometimes it was a bit of whiplash.
I knew in book 1 Bram was an awful person, but book 2 solidified it.
I can't wait to see what book 3 brings me!
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Minor: Rape, Sexism, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
thaliareads's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I loved the idea of the celebrity and pro cooking contest and I enjoyed seeing Ashna work through the trauma she's grown into with the death of her father and the absence of her mother.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
This book does have a very high amount of content warnings. Ashna's mother has had a very hard life dealing with bigotry, classism, and sexism from her father first and then the man she was forced to marry. He was emotionally abusive as well as physically abusive leading to domestic abuse and even marital rape. Ashna's father struggled with alcoholism his entire life and eventually that compounded and led to his eventual suicide leaving Ashna feeling the grief of the loss as well as the blame for not being able to prevent it, leading to the panic attacks she sometimes suffers when trying to cook. There are some mentions and discussions of how Rico lost his parents in a car accident when he was young.katemch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
shaipanda's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Literally read it in just over 24 hours lol so so so good but definitely be aware of content warnings because this book may be a romance but it’s really dark and has a lot of heavy topics
Edit: switched it from 5 to 4.75 though bc I just remember like nothing about it lol and I can’t keep something rated 5 stars if i don’t remember anything about it
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Islamophobia and Classism
Minor: Abortion
angelfireeast24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Rape, and Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Classism
ticktock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
accidentalspaceexplorer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
For another, I've read Persuasion, and while you can see the bare bones of that here, it's dual POV, which makes it way more obvious how both sides feel about each other. However, I really enjoyed Rico's POV, as I thought that his slow grappling with his very complex feelings was interesting.
The key word there is slow, and I thought the book did a really good job of illustrating them slowly changing their minds and re-thinking the assumptions they'd made. However, in the ending, most of that was lost in a mad rush to the end, both in the heroine-mom relationship and in the hero-heroine relationship. I found that really rushed and kind of unrealistic, that they would suddenly decide to go all in.
Overall, though, I had an enjoyable time reading this, and I'd recommend it! You don't even have to have read Persuasion.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicide
Moderate: Rape and Sexism
alisanti's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault