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triviareads · 10 months

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ARC Review of Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

Summary:

Wedding planner Bobbi Kaur is determined to make sure her friends Kareena and Prem's wedding goes off without a hitch, even if it means working with popular chef Benjamin 'Bunty' Padda. Bobbi and Benjamin may not have gotten off to a great start, but doesn't stop their mutual attraction. As they try to solve the mystery of who's sabotaging the wedding, they quickly fall into a relationship even as they know there's a deadline approaching...

My review:

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I was expecting based on some of Nisha Sharma's earlier books that I've read including Dating Dr. Dil, the book prior to Tastes Like Shakkar. I thought Benjamin and Bobbi were solid characters individually, I bought their chemistry, and I really liked the background cast of their friends and The Aunties.

I'm not going to lie, I initially thought a "shaadi saboteur" would make for a really hokey plot, but I was invested because I was firmly on Bobbi and Benjamin's side and rooting for their success. I think that conflict's resolution might have been a bit rushed and contrived, but until then, it worked. Also, Nisha mentioned in her acknowledgements that she wanted to explore the concept of "family managers" in Indian culture namely, when children feel like their value to the family is conflated with the help the provide which is... so so accurate. The shaadi saboteur plot really pushed that idea to the forefront of my mind while I was reading, because Bobbi was determined to prove to her value to her family and her friend whose wedding she's planning to the extent where she thinks that's all she's worth. Benjamin had a similar conflict with his own dad who, get this, runs a frozen naan empire.

Regarding Bobbi and Benjamin's relationship, the blurb pushes the "enemies" aspect of their relationship but in actuality, they know pretty early on that they have sexual chemistry, and after the first time they have sex, they're basically in a relationship. It's fairly early on in the story, but I actually liked that. The plot took the time to explore their growing relationship and you could understand what drew them to each other, and perhaps more importantly what kept them together which, in my opinion, might have been how they handled the long-distance aspect of their relationship.

I love how Nisha wrote the long-distance relationship in an epistolary format, like, that's what convinced me they should stay together. There were texts, cute little notes, checking in on each other, Benjamin ordered Bobbi food when he knew she'd forget, and of course, there had to be phone sex. Which I thought was pretty solid all things considered. Speaking of sex—

The sex:

Here's my thing: Authors can sometimes get weird about people of color and sex, and even moreso about people of color and kink. I think it's this paranoia about how they're depicting the characters' sexuality, their bodies, and how "correct" they're being about the sex (oh and some strange detours into multilingual dirty talk in a way that fetishizes the language) that gets in the way of writing sex scenes that are actually... sexy. But I thought Nisha handled this potential pitfall really well here. The fact that Bobbi isn't conventionally skinny? It's touched upon just the right amount and her body is described during sex, but Nisha never harps on it. The fact that Benjamin enjoys bondage during sex? He explained it to Bobbi frankly, checked in with her, but otherwise it was no big deal. Their desire for one another was frank and explicit. There was no place for coyness here. I only wished some the scenes themselves could be a little longer.

Stand-out moments include:

a) First sex scene was at the 44% mark and that made me happy. It was a storage room oral moment on those decorative throne things they make South Asian brides and grooms sit on during their wedding reception which I thought was hilarious

b) A blowjob scene that surprised me because she was laying down and he like, actually straddled her chest and went for it, which I don't see in a lot of contemporary romances.

c) At one point during sex they were looking at themselves in a mirror and Bobbi likened herself to those women in old Indian paintings with their hips and stomachs out and I just thought that was really beautiful and body-affirming.

Overall:

This might be one of the best rom-coms I've read in a long time. It accomplished exactly what it set out to do: You got that desi rep (specifically that Jersey desi rep— iykyk) with a solid cast of Indian characters, a great romance that's probably as hot as any rom-com will ever get, and plot that was funny and sweet in equal measure. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who's remotely interested in this genre.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

#arc #arc review #netgalley #nisha sharma #contemporary romance #avon books #avon #Harper Voyager #romance novel #desi tumblr #desiblr

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punkscowardschampions · 5 years

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Ali & Ro

Ali: hey, what you reading? Ro: White Nights, the Dostoyevsky short story, at present Ali: Ooh, nothing like some Russian realism on a pleasant Summer's day Ali: cool you down better than any cheap fan Ro: Quite Ro: The sun is fiercer than my determination to finish this volume Ali: Let me know if it's worth a read myself Ali: Idk how you concentrate with Bea and Fraze going on Ro: I don't think you'd enjoy it, but of course, you're always free to make your own mind up Ro: It occurs so often it's essentially white noise, no? Ali: Valid Ali: Clearly I'm just nosy 😜 Ali: gotta know who I'm rooting for on this one, like Ro: Have you picked a side yet? Ali: from what i can ascertain Ali: Bea felt left out when Fraze and his friends went to the pub without her Ali: so, I can see that Ali: but also, when you're glued at the hip as much as they are, I also see the benefits of having some time apart, of course Ro: Oh Ro: How foreign it feels to align with Bea on, well...frankly any subject Ro: Of course I won't voice it and disturb the equilibrium Ro: Pleasant summer's day and everything, as you said Ali: Pity it can't be on something more happy-making Ali: Why not? They've got no problem doing so Ali: Add another voice to the conversation, babe Ro: Such is life, connected only in misery alas Ro: They barely want to hear what each other are saying, any contribution I made would only be lost in the fray Ro: Much like how Bluebeard has treated my kind offering Ali: Doesn't have to be, get in touch with your anger and there'd be endless bonding material Ali: He is a cat with very little manners Ro: That is one area I may never come close to competing with her and thus, shy away from the attempt Ro: True, not a faithful companion but a constant one nevertheless Ro: In so far as there is light coming through the leaves where I reside Ro: But I doubt anyone can compete with Rocky's loyalty this afternoon, talk about joined at the hip Ali: Fair, she's a pro Ali: Not enviable, really, but impressive nonetheless Ali: Who doesn't love a bit of komorebi? He's big into wabi-sabi too, VERY Japanese in his philosophy Ali: Bless, its so sweet, he's ALMOST being cute Ali: He might be a little demon but he does remember his Ps and Qs, nice one, Ma Ro: Fraze certainly is impressed by it. I however, don't know which is more abhorrent, when they fight or make up Ro: Though I am sure that if they insist upon kissing I'll have to take my leave Ro: Indeed Ro: Enviable of him, at least Ro: We can't accuse him of wishing Carly off your lap to take her place, that's years past his fancy, so he must like her without ulterior motives Ro: Tess is being rather well behaved herself, though it is undeniably problematic that she finds more happiness when you have a girlfriend instead of a boy in your life Ali: I think even they'll have the good grace to wait 'til after the festivities for that one Ali: Or find somewhere a bit more private 😂 Ali: Summer lovin' baby, can't fight that high note Ali: Right? Wouldn't be caught dead, nevermind if I got the pictures out to show how he used to let us dress him up Ali: that'd be a real brawl, take note guys Ali: Yeah, ain't looking that gift horse in the mouth though Ali: if she's happy so am I Ro: Well she certainly appears to be so Ro: Perhaps she'll take Rocky home with her, we'd have a solid few minutes before he was returned, I'm sure Ro: Less if you did get the pictures out and his mood took a turn Ali: He'd be buzzin' Ali: Endless supply of other kids on the site Ali: but I give it less than that 'til he wrecked their van, her parents would not be wid it Ro: She actually does live there then? Hard to separate the facts from the school lead fiction sometimes Ro: I mean, it makes sense but Ali: Yes she does but perhaps you're still working under other misapprehensions if that 'makes sense'? Ro: She has the aesthetic the sort of girl who would live in a caravan, or perhaps old van in times past Ro: That's all I'm saying Ro: It would make sense if her parents were travelers Ali: She isn't, though if you need her to have an exotic culture to get behind then feel free to labour under it Ali: I certainly hope we don't have the aesthetic of the sort of girls who live in the suburbs Ali: or the narrow mindset Ro: I don't need anything from her and I wasn't trying to give or take any traits for or from the girl Ro: Just making conversation Ro: I thought you'd appreciate me trying to discover more about her Ro: Now that she's such a presence in your life Ali: Now's your chance, whilst she's actually here herself Ali: even my perspective is still secondhand, if fairer, in my humble opinion, than playground gossip Ro: You know I don't listen to that Ro: I have my own first hand experience of the unfairness of it Ali: I know that, but I also know we're all prone to forgetting to be objective in the face of a bias we want to confirm Ro: Agreed Ro: But I know too that you yourself are bias and inevitably see what you wish to, when it comes to her Ro: To an outsider, which I am, she appears quite different Ali: Are you honestly worried about how my misinterpretation of her might affect me? Ali: An outsider, by your choosing, might I add Ro: Of course I am Ro: That's all I'm worried about Ro: Are you honestly suggesting that you wish for me to included when your actions suggest otherwise? Ro: In spite of your prior words, might I add Ro: Not to mention Carly's own. I very much doubt she would aspire to join me in a sewing circle or tea of an evening Ali: I appreciate your concern but its unwarranted, I can assure you Ali: I'm not loveblind Ali: and surely you see the possibility that because I know her better, I know things that negate appearances from the outside and first impressions? Ali: Of course I do! Trust me, none of us take great joy in you exiling yourself Ali: Just because she's different, doesn't mean you don't have things in common Ali: Being good people, one of them, but more than you are giving credit for, by the way Ro: I can see lots of possibilities, believe me Ro: But you do love her? Ro: Or have I made another wrong impression about that also Ali: I do Ro: Okay Ali: That doesn't mean you have to buy a nice hat and really lean in to getting along but Ali: she's going to be my friend now, whatever happens with the romance side of things Ali: so, you're going to need to learn to live with that idea, for your own sake more than mine but yes, it would be nice Ali: I don't like seeing you like this, 'nor do I like arguing with you Ali: At all Ro: I'm sorry Ro: I hate arguing with you too, more than anything Ro: Definitely more than any reservations I may have, misplaced or otherwise, about Carly Ro: Do you two have plans after the BBQ winds down? I'm willing to try and be more social if she is indeed staying Ali: I'm sorry too, not for being with Carly but that you're feeling this way Ali: I'd really like to rectify that so that sounds perfect Ro: Maybe we could read her tarot for her? Ro: Do you think that's something she'd like Ali: That'd be awesome, I've told her about some of our exploits Ali: We can teach her Ro: I hope not all! Ro: Her believing I'm offering tea to poison it is not the idea Ali: 'Course not Ali: We still have our secrets, Posy Ali: but I'm glad to know you're not scheming on the sly 😉 Ro: I would never Ro: She has yet to do me that wrong Ali: Did you know Laoise beat her up the other night? Ali: Over literally nothing, she's not learnt her lesson AT ALL 😒 Ro: Oh my god Ro: In that case we absolutely must teach Carly some things Ali: 😈 Ro: I try not to hold hatred in my heart for anyone but that girl is a test Ali: Loving her would make Jesus cry Ali: and not in the #goals way she reckons Ali: You're not that kinda bad, honey Ro: Who won the fight? Ro: I hope it was Carly Ali: Sadly it was more of a close call kinda affair Ali: gotta teach her how to land a decent K.O. amongst other things Ali: but you leave that one to me 🥊😘 Ro: Having a common enemy may not make her my friend but I'll admit to having more affection for her now Ali: See? I told you, more in common than you thought Ali: Not gotta be besties but its at least worth a laugh at Laoise's expense Ro: Yes Ro: And Carly really does seem very happy to be here Ro: with you Ali: I hope so Ali: Her life isn't filled with enough happiness, so whatever I can do Ro: And I promise I'll try to do what I can as well Ro: If only blessings on the sly Ali: Thanks, Ro Ali: it feels right having you back on side Ro: For me too Ro: Although I also promise that I always am when it comes to you Ro: I might be slightly put out of joint, sometimes, but never off side Ali: And the same is returned tenfold, you know that Ro: I love you, Ali Ali: I love you too

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