The Singles Table - Review

The Singles Table (Marriage Game, # 3)

By: Sara Desai

Publication: November 16th 2021 by Berkley

336 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Opposites attract in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about a free-spirited lawyer who is determined to find the perfect match for the grumpy bachelor at her friend’s wedding, from the author of The Dating Plan.

After a devastating break-up, celebrity-obsessed lawyer Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. She puts her energy into building her career and helping her friends find romance through the wedding season. She's never faced a guest at the singles table she couldn’t match, until she crosses paths with the sinfully sexy Jay Donovan.

Former military security specialist Jay has no time for love. His life is about working hard, staying focused, and winning at all costs. When charismatic Zara crashes into his life, he's thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of chaos he wants to avoid. Worse, they're stuck together for the entire wedding season.

So they make a deal. She'll find his special someone if he introduces her to his celebrity clients. But when their arrangement brings them together in ways they never expected, they realize that the perfect match might just be their own.

I have no idea what the description of this book is talking about with Zara having had some devastating break-up. From what I could tell, Zara had never had a particularly intense relationship before. She's just simply beginning to feel the pangs of her age catching up with her and getting tired of all of the aunties trying to insinuate that she's getting old to be single still.

Zara was such a fun character to read. She's someone who talks to think. Stream of consciousness literally flows out of her mouth. And while I can't say that I always love to be around people who do this in real life, she was easy to like. I could easily see how people could think she was "too much" so I kind of felt guilty for feeling that way about people who are similar that I've shied away from. Stories tend to always help the reader feel sympathetic to the main character because we get to see inside their heads and read their thoughts, go through their struggles with them, and seeing Zara be aware and even (sometimes) insecure about herself made her likable and relatable. But Zara has found a way to meld her personality with the expectations of her family.

Jay (Donovan is not his last night by the way Goodreads) was in the military. And he grew up with just him and his mom. He has mixed heritage and his dad left long ago. His grandparents disowned his mom when she got pregnant before marriage and so Jay hasn't had the ties into the culture that Zara has. He really only has his business partner and a few lifelong friends. But mostly Jay has found that structure and control help him distance himself from the poverty he and his mom went through.

Jay and Zara initially have a meeting where the two of them butt heads. Zara isn't at all interested in him, but she's likes to compete against the aunties during the wedding season and try her hand at matchmaking. She's been successful before. So she sets out to try to match Jay with someone. Only the more she gets to know him, the less she sees other women as compatible with him. Jay is on board with the idea of him and Zara sooner than she is. I can't remember exactly what Zara's hold-up was. I did finish this book a full two weeks before I sat down to write my review.

The Singles Table was exactly what I needed at the time. It was a fast read about two characters I could root for. Zara isn't someone I'd typically gravitate towards in real life, but I couldn't help but like her. Jay needed someone like Zara to bring him out of his shell. And I enjoyed every minute of their story. The Singles Table gets 4 Stars. Have you read The Singles Table? What did you think? Let me know!

The Dating Plan - Review

The Dating Plan (The Marriage Game, # 2)

By: Sara Desai

Publication: March 16th 2021 by Berkley Books

352 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Even with a step-by-step plan, these fake fiances might accidentally fall for each other in this hilarious, heartfelt romantic comedy from the author of The Marriage Game.

Daisy Patel is a software engineer who understands lists and logic better than bosses and boyfriends. With her life all planned out, and no interest in love, the one thing she can't give her family is the marriage they expect. Left with few options, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiance.

Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. When he learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realizes his best friend's little sister has the perfect solution to his problem. A marriage of convenience will get Daisy's matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfill the terms of his late grandfather's will. If only he hadn't broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago...

Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that very little is convenient about their arrangement. History and chemistry aren't about to follow the rules of this engagement.

The Marriage Game was one of my favorite reads from 2020. I was pulled into the story and the characters, and it opened a whole new world of Indian literature, characters, and culture. After reading The Marriage Game, I wanted to replicate the experience, and I've read several books about Indian characters since. I knew I would want to read more from Sara Desai and the other characters mentioned in The Marriage Game if she chose to write about them, which she did. I was so disappointed when my request to review The Dating Plan was denied. Thankfully, the e-library had a copy, and I was able to borrow it from there.

I got sucked into The Dating Plan immediately. I read The Shaadi Set-Up prior to The Dating Plan (review of that set for September). These two stories both have tropes concerning lost loves that have returned. And I couldn't help but contrast the difference in how long it took me to feel invested in the characters. The Dating Plan pulled me in instantaneously. And I didn't want to put it down once I started reading it. I finished it in two days which is really good for me these days.

Daisy is unique. She is analytical and detailed. She's happy to live her life single and would love for her marriage-minded family to get off her back about marraige. The description is a bit misleading because it indicates that Daisy is the one to suggest the fake engagement to Liam as a means of getting her family off her back. This isn't true at all. Agreeing to the relationship does give Daisy the perk of getting her family off her back, but she's not the one who initiates the relationship. As a matter of fact, Daisy doesn't want anything to do with Liam after her stood her up for her senior prom. Before Liam, Daisy's mother left and so Daisy has a bit of history and trauma around abandonment.

Again, the description spells things out a bit wrong for Liam. He runs into Daisy and does make an effort to reconnect with her, but she's not interested. He's been away from San Fransico for 10 years, and so he's not been in touch with Daisy or her brother (his former best friend). Liam is back for two reasons. One is business, and the second is his grandfather's funeral. His grandfather left him the family distillery with the condition that Liam is married before his next birthday. So Liam is the one to reach out to Daisy about the fake engagement. And therefore, he has to find some benefits for Daisy in order for her to agree.

One thing I really appreciated about The Dating Plan was that many times the characters had the option to be open about the nature of their relationship or to hide it and they often chose to tell the truth. Well with the exception of those they were trying to fool. This openness gave the trope a different spin than you typically see.

I always have to mention the adult scenes because I figure someone out there might be interested to know. Language and sexual scenes were present. Neither dominated the story so that's a bonus for me as I don't enjoy reading books where the language or scenes do take over. I do have a lower tolerance for these than some (but perhaps a higher tolerance for it than others).

Favorite quotes:

-When she'd woken up this morning, she would never have guessed she would be pulled away from her cozy workspace and dragged to a tech conference, only to wind up on the run from her ex, with an armload of pads and her matchmaking auntie hot on her heels.

-His lips brushed over hers in a featherlight caress, so gentle and unexpected she forgot to breathe. There was no passion in the kiss. The earth didn't move, time didn't stand still, fireworks didn't fill the sky, not even a single bird twittered around her head. But it was tender adn sweet, his lips were soft and gentle, and for the briefest second she was tempted to give in to the heat of senseation and kiss him like she was a lovelorn teenager all over again.

-Unlike Sanjay, who admired the superheroes for their otherworldly powers, Daisy loved how they were committed to saving the world, even though they were all broken inside.

-"Spreadsheet birthday sexy times."

The Dating Plan was everything I was hoping it to be. The more honest approach to a trope surrounded with dishonesty made this story different in a sea of similar stories. I was hooked immediately. The characters were complex and interesting. And I couldn't help but root for them individually as well as together. I am dying to get my hands on The Singles Table and am so disappointed that I've already been denied. Hopefully, the e-library gets a copy of that one as well. The Dating Plan gets 4 Stars. Have you read The Dating Plan? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for The Singles Table

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

The Singles Table (Marriage Game, # 3)

By: Sara Desai

Expected Publication: November 16th 2021 by Berkley

336 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Opposites attract in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about a free-spirited lawyer who is determined to find the perfect match for the grumpy bachelor at her friend’s wedding, from the author of The Dating Plan.

After a devastating break-up, celebrity-obsessed lawyer Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. She puts her energy into building her career and helping her friends find romance through the wedding season. She's never faced a guest at the singles table she couldn’t match, until she crosses paths with the sinfully sexy Jay Donovan.

Former military security specialist Jay has no time for love. His life is about working hard, staying focused, and winning at all costs. When charismatic Zara crashes into his life, he's thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of chaos he wants to avoid. Worse, they're stuck together for the entire wedding season.

So they make a deal. She'll find his special someone if he introduces her to his celebrity clients. But when their arrangement brings them together in ways they never expected, they realize that the perfect match might just be their own.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

The Marriage Game - Review

The Marriage Game

By: Sara Desai

Expected Publication: June 9th 2020 by Berkley

304 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--It's a clash of culture in this romantic comedy about arranged marriages from Sara Desai.

Layla Santos is the child of first-generation immigrants from India. Her parents run a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in San Francisco and are very traditional in their ways, including a firm belief in the benefit of arranged marriages. Her father, thinking he knows best, signs Layla up for IndianGirlMatch.com and sets up a series of dates without telling her....

Sam Mehta is the self-made CEO of a corporate consultancy specializing in downsizing. Also the child of first-generation immigrants with traditional beliefs, his famly treated him like a prince and saw him as a symbol of their social and economic strength. But his sister's marital experience has taught him that parents don't always know what's best for their children, and arranged marriages don't always end in a happily ever after.

When life throws Layla and Sam into close quarters, Sam finds himself unexpectedly chaperoning Layla on her dates. But neither can deny the chemistry building between them, and they wonder if perhaps they should make an arrangement of their own...

I am so intrigued by the idea of arranged marriages. On the one hand, I am so thankful to have been able to fall in love with my husband and marry for love. But on the other hand, I can see the appeal of arranging a marriage that starts out as friendship based upon shared beliefs and ideals and builds into more. I always seem to root for these relationships in books. Usually, I am reading about historical London society when arranged marriages come into a storyline. Sara Desai did a great job showing the complete range of possibilities you might encounter from an arranged marriage.

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Marriage Game. I was not familiar with the author. I didn't know whether I would connect with the cultural differences. And I've been both in a reading hangover which has been affecting my enjoyment of books as well as in a place where I am quick to DNF.

You guys! I loved The Marriage Game. Sure there were words I couldn't pronounce. There were things I didn't understand, but Sara Desai did a pretty great job explaining things she knew some readers might not be familiar with. I will say that I didn't fully understand how culturally it seemed to be important to maintain the appearance of propriety by not having an unmarried man and unmarried woman spending time together versus that actually happening quite frequently. It just left me a little confused on how Indian culture really feels about those things.

I liked Layla a lot. She's been hurting since her brother passed away a few years ago. She tried to make herself feel better with a string of men. After breaking up with her boyfriend and losing her job in New York she moves back home. Her father has a heart attack shortly after she gets home and she finds out that he has been weeding through a ton of resumes for arranged marriage candidates. She basically decides to see if any of the men her father picked out might be real potential matches for her.

Sam left a surgical career path after his mentor and brother-in-law attacked his sister. He felt guilty that he couldn't see the man for who he really was. He couldn't protect his sister. And all of his decisions since have been influenced by this. Even though he doesn't know Layla well, he strikes a deal with her (or a game) to go meet the men her father lined up for her potential husband. He will serve to try to weed out any candidates that might be dangerous or just duds.

Layla and Sam start out with an antagonistic relationship. They both want the office space over her parents' restaurant and this is the prize for their marriage game. During the meetings with potential husbands, Sam and Layla learn more about each other than the suitors. I loved their banter. It was easy to see there was an attraction between the two. Tension sizzled. I loved it.

I wasn't expecting the physical scenes. I think there were two maybe three, but they were medium descriptive. I prefer to read around a light level personally. I hate including this in every review, but I certainly feel the need to address it when I come across these types of scenes in case others care about the level of description as well. I can see that being a deal-breaker for some readers.

The writing was exceptional. I was hooked so quickly which has been rare for the reading mood that I have been in lately. I actually laughed out loud more than once which is also extremely rare for me so kudos to Sara Desai for that as well. I will 100% look into future books written by her.

Favorite quote:

-"The real measure of a man comes not when things go right, but what he does when things go wrong.”

I am so glad that I picked up The Marriage Game. It was a breath of fresh air with the comedic influence, the hate-to-love relationship, the aspects of Indian culture, and the writing style. I can heartily give The Marriage Game 4.5 Stars, and I will be stalking Sara Desai on Goodreads for more books. Have you read The Marriage Game? What did you think? Let me know!