Like It

Romance /Romcom/ open-door/ minimal details/

Soundtrack: Dance the Night — Dua Lipa

I have been waiting to read this arranged meeting turned into commitment of convenience novel since February as I adored the gorgeous colors on the cover. I mostly enjoyed it and am looking forward to her next book publishing in January. 

Anyone else get frustrated when they don’t love a book? I tend to rate sweet rom-coms lower than other romances, and it might just be this sub-genre doesn’t work for me. 

Of note, this book has a different name and cover in the UK, and for once, the US one wins.

Touching heavily on family expectations, SYBM executes that portion exceptionally well. The commentary the pressure of second-generation immigrants to achieve and how the MC felt this pressure differently and wrestled with the guilt of letting their parents down was well flushed out. I loved the solid parent-child relationships. These helped the reader comprehend the idea of arranged marriage better.  However, in the end, I felt that there were too many glossed-over side plots and characters that resolved all their conflicts a little too neatly. We had one beautiful moment of vulnerability, and I wanted more. 

 Moreover, these MCs spent entire paragraphs questioning whether the other’s feelings were real, a theme that drives me up the wall. I need clear communication from all adults over the age 25 please!

This book was a lot of fun—the parties, the food, the dancing. Sharing meals helped build many connections, and I could almost smell the spices through the pages. Karthik’s worry about his mother’s happiness was touching. The slow-burning tension of the will they or won’t they was tantalizing. 

Meghna begins the book harboring feelings for her college boyfriend, and I sometimes felt that the connection to her ex didn’t make sense. While the true nature was revealed near the book’s conclusion, I judged her for allowing the situation in the first place.

Karthik was charming but filled with conflicted feelings about marriage, commitment, and anger management. I understand he had a complicated relationship with his father, but I would have loved a deeper dive into that storyline. 

Meghna and Karthik had obvious chemistry, and I flew through this book. It is a good debut and I look forward to her future works!