gretski's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
mariahhanley's review
1.0
This book is….not my cup of tea. I love romances. I usually love Austen retellings. But god almighty this book is annoying.
I did not like a single character. It suffered mightily from the “Just HAVE A F-ING ADULT CONVERSATION” problem like so many other romance books. The “romance” was manufactured and didn’t feel real at all. It was melodramatic.
Raj is38 years old and can’t tell his family to back off. Or have any real conversation with any of them. At all. And he’s allegedly a skilled politician. Who can’t communicate. At all. Right.
China is in her mid-20s, I assume, and acts like a middle school brat pining after her first crush.
All of Raj’s sisters are overbearing.
India is a self-martyred whiny mess who also can’t communicate what she needs.
China and India’s mother is ridiculous. What’s up with those random stories? Just a distraction.
Naina is manipulative but again, why can’t any of them just have a GD conversation like GD adults and save 300 pages?
And last but not least, the audiobook narrator is terrible.
Hated every moment of this.
I did not like a single character. It suffered mightily from the “Just HAVE A F-ING ADULT CONVERSATION” problem like so many other romance books. The “romance” was manufactured and didn’t feel real at all. It was melodramatic.
Raj is38 years old and can’t tell his family to back off. Or have any real conversation with any of them. At all. And he’s allegedly a skilled politician. Who can’t communicate. At all. Right.
China is in her mid-20s, I assume, and acts like a middle school brat pining after her first crush.
All of Raj’s sisters are overbearing.
India is a self-martyred whiny mess who also can’t communicate what she needs.
China and India’s mother is ridiculous. What’s up with those random stories? Just a distraction.
Naina is manipulative but again, why can’t any of them just have a GD conversation like GD adults and save 300 pages?
And last but not least, the audiobook narrator is terrible.
Hated every moment of this.
jessi1819's review
4.0
This book was fun and beautifully written. My only grievance is that their will they /won’t they work it out was very long and drawn out and then it ended very quickly. I would have liked a little more of the ending.
katiehicks's review against another edition
3.75
I initially had very mixed feelings about Yush being the Edward Ferrars character- mostly because he seemed like the opposite of him in every way. Edward’s defining characteristic is his lack of ambition and desire for social climbing. His simple wish to live in the country and work for the church is what puts him at odds with his horrible family. Yush on the other hand seems to actually want his political career, and over the course of the book really examines the extent to which his family’s expectations factor into his decisions and comes to the conclusion that helping people through political office is genuinely something he wants. Obviously, the shooting and his history with Julia Wickham have severely traumatized him and left him doubting his ability to affect change, but that is different from Edward’s quiet country parish.
I’m not sure how I feel about China. Obviously, the Marianne character is meant to be very naïve and overly dramatic, but she’s also supposed to be 16 and in love for the first time. As an adult with a career that she loves and has worked years to get, China’s willingness to throw it all away for a relationship that is obviously doomed just feels more confusing and pathetic than tragic. On the other hand, making this a queer relationship and Willoughby/ Song’s “wickedness” is a fear of coming out that therefore forces China into a secret relationship is much more interesting and emotionally complex than just “he’s a bad guy who’s careless with people’s feelings” (no offense to Jane Austen).
Naina seems to be a combination of Lucy Steele and Fanny Dashwood and is absolutely the worst. Like… extremely toxic and emotionally manipulative This is especially confusing since it seems like she is a gender-bent Mr. Knightley in the next book? I know Knightly is meant to be a bit condescending towards Emma, but it's usually in an annoying-older-brother way. IDK obviously I haven’t read the Emma adaptation yet but after reading this I’m not sure I want to read a book where she is the main love interest.
One thing I did love- my least favorite part of the book is the ultimate relationship between Marianne and Brandon, which from the way its written feels like Elinor and Edward kind of guilted Marianne into “giving him a chance” and then she couldn’t think of a reason to say no when he asked her to marry him. Film adaptations (especially the BBC version) do well to add more scenes of Marianne and Brandon actually falling in love and make it feel less like she was just his reward for being a nice guy. Here, there are not only early hints at China’s softening to Brandi long before her relationship with Song ends, but the shortening of the age gap also makes Brandi less of a weird simping dude who is almost old enough to be her father, so that’s a plus (I say this because I actually really like Brandon as a character, but his relationship with Marianne doesn’t feel great and I almost wish it was not in the book at all).
I also think it was a good idea to shift the Marianne/ Willoughby/ Brandon love triangle to a B plot and really focus on the India/ Elinor x Yush/ Edward relationship. The love triangle is almost exactly the Lizzie/ Wickham/ Darcy love triangle in P&P but with less nuance and character development. The Elinor/ Edward relationship is the best part of S&S, and the part that sets this story apart anyway (the relationship between the two sisters is also great, but it is also very similar to Jane and Lizzie’s relationship).
I also really liked what she did with the Elinor/ Brandon friendship, which is often left out of S&S retellings and adaptations. Here, not only do India and Brandi bond over a love of China, but since Brandi is also Yush’s bodyguard, they share a protectiveness and concern for his well-being which feels organic.
I did miss the element of the Dashwoods formally being wealthy but then being forced to downsize, but I suppose the laws that wouldn’t let them inherit would be hard to translate to modern California. I suppose the grandmother being distant from her wealthy but racist family is meant to be a stand-in for that, but neither India nor China really experienced that so it was less of a sudden and dramatic change. I only mention it because social commentary is such a staple of Jane Austen’s work and the Dashwood women having their lives upended just because they are women and can’t inherit is central to the story for that reason. BUT there is obviously still a ton of commentary in the form of the queer storyline and Yush’s experiences as a politician who is brown and the child of immigrants.
gillenwaaah's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.5
I found this one heavier than the other ones because the struggles of Yash and India were heavier. Also because there’s no sex, which makes sense for the characters and their lives! But means you have to have all emotional intimacy and that’s just heavier.
bak8382's review
4.0
The 3rd book in The Rajes series retells Jane Austen's [b:Sense and Sensibility|14935|Sense and Sensibility|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397245675l/14935._SY75_.jpg|2809709] and features Yash Raje and India Dashwood. I loved how Dev incorporated the original into this, and I'm hoping she's planning to write a retelling of [b:Emma|6969|Emma|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373627931l/6969._SY75_.jpg|3360164] next.
allerner's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.5
jacieandbooks's review
5.0
Oh, Yash.. I’ve loved him since Pride, Prejudice, and other Flavors. Seeing him find magical romance was wonderful. I was curious before reading how you could write someone as wonderful to match Yash’s energy and goodness. Dev delivered with India; a literal yoga goddess. They are an incredible pair. If you don’t like (or believe in) insta-connection then this one isn’t for you. I did get frustrated because in my mind there was a clear answer to the “we can’t be together” dilemma, but then when India addresses why that doesn’t work for her, it made sense for her character. My concern is that Naina is really comes across as “the bad guy” so I’m wondering how in the world she’s gonna be the MC in the next book. But I’ll definitely be checking to find out.
sarahrahrah's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75