A Change of Heart is the first book I’ve read by Sonali Dev. I found it through NPR’s Best Books of 2016. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and it was unusual, violent, and sometimes disturbing, but I have to say that it sucked me in. I was reading it while I was on vacation, on my first cruise. It was kind of fun to read a book that starts on a cruise while on a cruise, and I definitely got into it. Dr. Nikhil Joshi’s wife, […]
An extended grumble with a few facepalms and at least one out loud “WHY”
After two of her books, I have a very complicated relationship with Sonali Dev. It would be very, very easy if I could just say “I don’t like her books,” and move on. Instead, I’m in the potentially masochistic position of still wanting to read her work, but I just desperately want it to be better. I want to respect the hero. I want him to respect the heroine. I don’t want to read how he lies and hides things from her, or how he […]
Cannonball Book Club Discussion Post: The Bollywood Bride
We have reached the fateful day – it’s time to talk about The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev. Its perhaps an open secret around these parts that we haven’t found too much to love about this book. So, let’s dig in and talk about the whys and how’s with this book, and some larger thematic conversations as well. Let’s start with a few ground rules: Since we’re anticipating lots of conversation, please try your best to reply directly to each other, that way they are […]
A romance with all my least favorite tropes
Oh, CBR BookClub. I’m so excited for you to exist, but this was definitely not my choice to introduce folks to the romance genre. About two thirds of my reading every year is romance. I know what I like within the genre and this one hit upon so many of the things I can’t stand. So as you all know from reading this one yourselves this is the story of Ria and Vikram. They were once young lovers, but haven’t seen each other in 10 […]