A huge thanks to Lonely Pages Book Tour and the publisher for providing me with the ARC in exchange for my participation in the tour.
- Book: The Shaadi Set-Up
- Author: Lillie Vale
- Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult
- Pages: 368 pages
- Publishing Date: 7 September 2021
- Content Warnings: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol
- Representation: South-Asian Rep (Indian-American), Marathi Rep
In this witty and heartfelt rom-com debut for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Emily Henry, and Tessa Bailey, an Indian-American woman signs herself and her boyfriend up for a matchmaking site to prove they’re a perfect match, only to be paired with her ex instead.
In one sentence I will say my desi heart is full! How can I not rant about a love story full of desi drama, Indian parents, peak humor & literal Shaadi set-up. First things first, the book is hilarious to read. I literally fell down my bed so many times throughout my bed. To begin with, Rita is the character I adored so much, the way she is determined, confident, and straight-faced humorous. She is making her career while pursuing her risky career in furniture restoration and making herself independent. But we know what happens in desi households once you cross mid-twenties, you HAVE TO get married and the pressure starts building. Trying to escape from the continuous nag from her mother & grandmother, Rita does make a profile on MyShaadi.com, a matchmaking site.
Determined to set her profile in a way that matches her current boyfriend Neil, she works hard on it, eventually raising her hopes high. But things never go in a way we want them to, right? It ends up not matching to Neil, it would've been alright if the matched profile of her ex-boyfriend Milan Rao. They broke up six years ago, leaving Rita deep in sadness. When she thought she was over him, here we go with the cruel joke of the universe. What will happen when they collide again? Will it be confetti or glass pieces? The slow burn and yearning just took my breath away, Lillie really tested my patience which is barely there, and made me finish the whole book in two days lol.
Milan, my guy, your mysterious aura and cheeky personality is what made me go through the whole book so that I can know a little more about you, just a little more.
I loved the desi aspects were presented in the story, I see my story there, it makes me so happy. Lillie you've touched the desi fragments of my heart I never knew were present. Basically, in short, it was a desi contemporary about second chances and slow-burn romance with a witty heroine to completely make my heart full! Also, those cute floofy boys deserve another section for appreciation, I was so damn happy when I saw them in the book, the instant serotonin boost.
About the Author:
Lillie Vale is the young adult author of ALA's 2020 Rainbow Books List selection Small Town Hearts and Beauty and the Besharam (forthcoming from Viking Children’s). She writes about girls fighting back,secret-keeping and between-places, the ways in which we’re haunted, food as a love language, and all the feels. Born in Mumbai, she grew up in Mississippi, Texas, and North Dakota, and now lives in an Indiana college town. Her debut adult romantic comedy,The Shaadi Set-Up, releases in 2021
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