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instalovewithbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
4.75
Dev is an amazing author. I wasn't sure if I was going to love this one as much as I loved book 1 - but my god, this book was so good.
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Minor: Rape, Sexism, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
rdubs15's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
1.75
I wanted to love this book. I wanted to love it so hard. If it was the book that was described in the summary on the back of the book, I think I would have loved it.
But this book is not that book. It is not a “fresh, fun, and enchanting romantic comedy” as described. It is full of dark, triggering content. The real focus of the story (Shobi, her choices, how they impacted Ashna, and their mother-daughter relationship) isn’t mentioned at all in the summary. This book was the worst kind of bait and switch. I wouldn’t have picked it up if the summary was reliable because I was looking for a light hearted romance, not a heavy book with personally triggering content.
Even more upsetting is that I think both stories this book tries to tell had a real chance to be great.
Ashna’s exes to lovers story with Rico had the chance to be really sweet. The framework is there and the times that the book focuses on them is actually really fun - they have a cute dynamic! But their story, allegedly the focus of the novel, is pushed to the background and never given the room it needs to grow well. It is overshadowed by Shobi’s plot and, as a result, is under developed, suffers from really funky timing, and has an ending that doesn’t feel deserved.
Shobi’s forced marriage story has the potential to be a nuanced, heartbreaking, and fascinating story, but it has no business being in this novel. She is set up to be such an unsympathetic character at the beginning that the bulk of the novel is spent justifying her choices and attempting to redeem her, to the detriment of both her story and the alleged a-plot. And because we have to go back to the alleged a-plot romance, Shobi’s story suffers from horrible tone shifts (discussing the horrors of her marriage and then switching to Ashna and Rico having a conversation is whip lash inducing and negatively impacts both stories) and has to rely on stereotype to fast track story telling. Her story should have been its own book, then it could’ve been given the care and space it needed to be a fully developed story told the way it should be told. As it is, the plot has all the subtlety of a baseball bat and feels uncomfortable and out of place in what is billed as a fun and lighthearted rom com.
Separating out the two stories would result in a fun, sweet romance and a thoughtful, devastating look at the some of horrors that women face. Putting them in the same novel cheapens both stories, resulting in a muddled narrative that suffers from focus and pacing issues. The ending in particular is rushed and feels unearned, with more importance given to a happily ever after and tying everything up in a bow than actually addressing the consequences of the narrative.
I haven’t read Persuasion, so I can’t speak to how much inspiration it actually pulls from the book, but I spent a lot of the book going “this can’t be what Persuasion is about.”
The only reasons this book didn’t get zero stars from me is the strength of the writing - Sonali Dev writes beautifully - and the strength of the narration. Soneela Nankani did a fantastic job narrating this book. Her pacing was great, character voices easy to follow, and interpretation of the text engaging. I will definitely be looking for more books narrated by her.
Final thoughts: With an honest summary, this book would be much better. As it is, this book presents a deep tragedy and an exploration of generational trauma and violence towards women instead of the funky, fun, lighthearted romance that is promised but never delivered.
But this book is not that book. It is not a “fresh, fun, and enchanting romantic comedy” as described. It is full of dark, triggering content. The real focus of the story (Shobi, her choices, how they impacted Ashna, and their mother-daughter relationship) isn’t mentioned at all in the summary. This book was the worst kind of bait and switch. I wouldn’t have picked it up if the summary was reliable because I was looking for a light hearted romance, not a heavy book with personally triggering content.
Even more upsetting is that I think both stories this book tries to tell had a real chance to be great.
Ashna’s exes to lovers story with Rico had the chance to be really sweet. The framework is there and the times that the book focuses on them is actually really fun - they have a cute dynamic! But their story, allegedly the focus of the novel, is pushed to the background and never given the room it needs to grow well. It is overshadowed by Shobi’s plot and, as a result, is under developed, suffers from really funky timing, and has an ending that doesn’t feel deserved.
Shobi’s forced marriage story has the potential to be a nuanced, heartbreaking, and fascinating story, but it has no business being in this novel. She is set up to be such an unsympathetic character at the beginning that the bulk of the novel is spent justifying her choices and attempting to redeem her, to the detriment of both her story and the alleged a-plot. And because we have to go back to the alleged a-plot romance, Shobi’s story suffers from horrible tone shifts (discussing the horrors of her marriage and then switching to Ashna and Rico having a conversation is whip lash inducing and negatively impacts both stories) and has to rely on stereotype to fast track story telling. Her story should have been its own book, then it could’ve been given the care and space it needed to be a fully developed story told the way it should be told. As it is, the plot has all the subtlety of a baseball bat and feels uncomfortable and out of place in what is billed as a fun and lighthearted rom com.
Separating out the two stories would result in a fun, sweet romance and a thoughtful, devastating look at the some of horrors that women face. Putting them in the same novel cheapens both stories, resulting in a muddled narrative that suffers from focus and pacing issues. The ending in particular is rushed and feels unearned, with more importance given to a happily ever after and tying everything up in a bow than actually addressing the consequences of the narrative.
I haven’t read Persuasion, so I can’t speak to how much inspiration it actually pulls from the book, but I spent a lot of the book going “this can’t be what Persuasion is about.”
The only reasons this book didn’t get zero stars from me is the strength of the writing - Sonali Dev writes beautifully - and the strength of the narration. Soneela Nankani did a fantastic job narrating this book. Her pacing was great, character voices easy to follow, and interpretation of the text engaging. I will definitely be looking for more books narrated by her.
Final thoughts: With an honest summary, this book would be much better. As it is, this book presents a deep tragedy and an exploration of generational trauma and violence towards women instead of the funky, fun, lighthearted romance that is promised but never delivered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Misogyny
Minor: Abortion
seaschells's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, and Abandonment
kaleys23's review against another edition
emotional
tense
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, and Death of parent
mizz_destiny's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Abortion
trippalli's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? It's complicated
4.5
What starts as a usual love story becomes intervention with the parents romances and marriages, some arranged, and the history of women disimpowerment, emotional abuse, arranged marriages
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Injury/Injury detail
hannahleewhite's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism and Rape
arcookson's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Rape
thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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
5.0
Sonali Dev has done it again, turning a Jane Austen classic into an entirely unique modern retelling. While it is apparent that the plot is mimicking Persuasion, it doesn't feel verbatim or as simple as a retelling, it feels like something new.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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.harperhoney's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse