smashley_rr's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.25
Enjoyable romance novel! The building tension was PERFECT and I just kept waiting for any of the many possible shoes to drop. I also found myself looking up different foods/clothes/aspects of Indian culture as I read to learn more about the context of the novel. Wonderfully written chemistry and banter between Mili and Samir as well! Looking forward to reading others by Sonali Dev!
kwugirl's review
3.0
Cute, if requires a good amount of suspension of disbelief at how good the FL is at school and work.
misskrislm's review
5.0
Sonali Dev is a master of her craft and style. While I started her series at the end with [b:A Distant Heart|34845112|A Distant Heart (Bollywood, #4)|Sonali Dev|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1492007291s/34845112.jpg|56079117], I'm beyond grateful to my instinct that drove me back to the beginning. The story of Mili and Samir griped me deep within my heart and hugged me close through the love and pain this pair share for the whole of this book. Many mistakes are made, and those are what make the story so valuable. Each one displays another part of the characters' humanity and value, brings them closer together, and raises the stakes exponentially. I loved watching Dev set them up for failure before seeing them stand up together once again. A pure joy from beginning to end.
abigailbat's review
Mili was married at the age of 4 as was custom in her village, but her husband never came for her. For twenty years she's waited, trying to hone herself into the perfect wife for the man who would someday come and make her life complete. Now she's gone to study in America, to get an education befitting an Indian Air Force officer's wife.
Samir is on a mission to save his brother. Their grandfather was supposed to have annulled his child wedding and his brother's now married to someone else. After a horrifying near-miss of an accident, Samir knows that he has to travel to America to find his sister-in-law and get her to sign papers to annul the wedding.
But when Samir and Mili meet, she runs away and crashes her bike, spraining and ankle and breaking her wrist. With no one else near to take care of her, Samir, feeling guilty, stays to make sure she's all right. And the two start to get to know each other, each keeping secrets.
I enjoyed this romance and really liked Mili as a character. It made sense to me why she was doing the things she was doing and that her child marriage, while illegal, gave her the freedom to travel and study that she wouldn't have had as an unmarried woman. I liked the slow burn of Mili and Samir's relationship building and the kind things they did for each other, even though Samir was seen as kind of a rake and Samir had this picture of Mili the vengeful wife in his head. The cultural details and descriptions of food in this book are amazing.
I listened to the audiobook and narrator Priya Ayyar reads with a sweetness befitting Mili's character, sense of duty, and naivete.
Samir is on a mission to save his brother. Their grandfather was supposed to have annulled his child wedding and his brother's now married to someone else. After a horrifying near-miss of an accident, Samir knows that he has to travel to America to find his sister-in-law and get her to sign papers to annul the wedding.
But when Samir and Mili meet, she runs away and crashes her bike, spraining and ankle and breaking her wrist. With no one else near to take care of her, Samir, feeling guilty, stays to make sure she's all right. And the two start to get to know each other, each keeping secrets.
I enjoyed this romance and really liked Mili as a character. It made sense to me why she was doing the things she was doing and that her child marriage, while illegal, gave her the freedom to travel and study that she wouldn't have had as an unmarried woman. I liked the slow burn of Mili and Samir's relationship building and the kind things they did for each other, even though Samir was seen as kind of a rake and Samir had this picture of Mili the vengeful wife in his head. The cultural details and descriptions of food in this book are amazing.
I listened to the audiobook and narrator Priya Ayyar reads with a sweetness befitting Mili's character, sense of duty, and naivete.
theybedax's review
4.0
While I love Sonali Dev's masterful characters and beautifully crafted stories with such vibrant India culture that you feel transported; there were a few things that didn't seem properly resolved in this book. Much of what Samir did was so reprehensible that the resolution just wasn't enough for me. I care about these characters and I even love the character Samir but this story left me wishing for more.
irraya's review
3.0
Most popular Indian books are historical or intellectual. Contemporary books were either too Indian or too Western. This book balances that out nicely. It was a cute romance, and the bits and pieces of Indian life were fun to read about.
There were a couple of scenes towards the end of the book that I really disliked, and made me like the book a little less. The ending felt very melodramatic. I felt like it had turned into a soap opera. I was both amused by the humour, and the ridiculousness of it all.
I think I might check out some other books by her. It was a fun read, and I haven't come across any good Indo-Western books that I've enjoyed.
Audiobook - I liked this narrator. She had a pleasant voice, and didn't have an Indian accent for the whole book, only for a few characters.
There were a couple of scenes towards the end of the book that I really disliked, and made me like the book a little less. The ending felt very melodramatic. I felt like it had turned into a soap opera. I was both amused by the humour, and the ridiculousness of it all.
I think I might check out some other books by her. It was a fun read, and I haven't come across any good Indo-Western books that I've enjoyed.
Audiobook - I liked this narrator. She had a pleasant voice, and didn't have an Indian accent for the whole book, only for a few characters.
destinugrainy's review
3.0
Mili dinikahkan saat dia berumur 4 tahun lalu berpisah dengan suaminya. Hingga dua puluh tahun kemudian, dia masih mengharapkan suaminya akan datang kepadanya. Dia telah membaktikan seumur hidupnya untuk mencintai Virat Rathod, suami yang tak pernah lagi ditemuinya.
Virat sendiri tidak tahu kalau dirinya masih terikat pernikahan. Yang dia tahu, ibunya telah mengajukan pembatalan pernikahannya waktu itu. Sayangnya kakek Virat dengan liciknya menyatakan bahwa pernikahan cucunya tidak batal. Dia bahkan meminta Mili dan neneknya mengurus havelie keluarga Rathod. Wajarlah jika nenek Mili meminta hak cucunya lewat jalur hukum. Ketika surat dari Mili datang kepada Virat dan juga tuntutan hukum tak lama setelahnya, Virat terkejut. Kini dia memiliki seorang istri yang dicintainya, dan istrinya sedang hamil. Jika pernikahannya sebelumnya tidak dibatalkan, maka anaknya akan menjadi anak haram.
Kecelakaan yang menimpa Virat membuat Samir, adik tiri Virat, yang harus turun tangan mencari Malivka, istri Virat. Samir tahu bagaimana rasanya dianggap sebagai anak haram, dan cintanya kepada kakaknya membuatnya menyanggupi permintaan kakaknya untuk mencari Mili. Samir berangkat ke Amerika dan segera bertemu Mili. Yang tidak dia bayangkan sebelumnya adalah ketika dia harus merawat Mili yang terluka karena menghindari dirinya. Empat minggu bersama Mili membuat Samir jatuh cinta pada wanita itu. Tapi dia punya misi yang harus diselesaikan.
Membaca romance dengan latar belakang budaya India ini menyenangkan. Mili adalah wanita cerdas dan memiliki kelembutan hati dan empati yang besar. Kondisi kemiskinan yang mengikutinya sejak kecil tidak menyurutkan dirinya mencari pendidikan setinggi-tingginya sampai ke Amerika. Dia mempertahankan budaya yang dipegangnya, misalnya pernikahannya itu, meski di sisi lain dia juga menginginkan kebebasan untuk dirinya sendiri.
Samir, playboy Bollywood, yang memiliki kebaikan hati. Dia sangat mencintai ibu dan kakaknya yang telah menyelamatkan masa kecilnya yang kelam. Dia sanggup berbuat apa saja untuk kakaknya, bahkan jika dia harus mengorbankan cintanya.
Saya jadi kepingin membaca buku lain dari series ini. Semoga ada terjemahannya.
Virat sendiri tidak tahu kalau dirinya masih terikat pernikahan. Yang dia tahu, ibunya telah mengajukan pembatalan pernikahannya waktu itu. Sayangnya kakek Virat dengan liciknya menyatakan bahwa pernikahan cucunya tidak batal. Dia bahkan meminta Mili dan neneknya mengurus havelie keluarga Rathod. Wajarlah jika nenek Mili meminta hak cucunya lewat jalur hukum. Ketika surat dari Mili datang kepada Virat dan juga tuntutan hukum tak lama setelahnya, Virat terkejut. Kini dia memiliki seorang istri yang dicintainya, dan istrinya sedang hamil. Jika pernikahannya sebelumnya tidak dibatalkan, maka anaknya akan menjadi anak haram.
Kecelakaan yang menimpa Virat membuat Samir, adik tiri Virat, yang harus turun tangan mencari Malivka, istri Virat. Samir tahu bagaimana rasanya dianggap sebagai anak haram, dan cintanya kepada kakaknya membuatnya menyanggupi permintaan kakaknya untuk mencari Mili. Samir berangkat ke Amerika dan segera bertemu Mili. Yang tidak dia bayangkan sebelumnya adalah ketika dia harus merawat Mili yang terluka karena menghindari dirinya. Empat minggu bersama Mili membuat Samir jatuh cinta pada wanita itu. Tapi dia punya misi yang harus diselesaikan.
Membaca romance dengan latar belakang budaya India ini menyenangkan. Mili adalah wanita cerdas dan memiliki kelembutan hati dan empati yang besar. Kondisi kemiskinan yang mengikutinya sejak kecil tidak menyurutkan dirinya mencari pendidikan setinggi-tingginya sampai ke Amerika. Dia mempertahankan budaya yang dipegangnya, misalnya pernikahannya itu, meski di sisi lain dia juga menginginkan kebebasan untuk dirinya sendiri.
Samir, playboy Bollywood, yang memiliki kebaikan hati. Dia sangat mencintai ibu dan kakaknya yang telah menyelamatkan masa kecilnya yang kelam. Dia sanggup berbuat apa saja untuk kakaknya, bahkan jika dia harus mengorbankan cintanya.
Saya jadi kepingin membaca buku lain dari series ini. Semoga ada terjemahannya.
joanne_is_from_canada's review
4.0
The cultural touches and description of Indian food made this love story stand out. Every time I put this one down I couldn't wait to pick it back up again. Highly recommended, can't wait to pick up her new book.
martamae77's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/injury detail, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Suicide attempt and Infidelity