“But sometimes you are lucky, (…) if you find love and it finds you.”
Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: Discusses racial discrimination.
“Sari, Not Sari” follows Manny Dogra, the CEO of a company called Breakup that aids its clients in just that—breaking up through emails, with dignity and tact. Her business is extremely successful, she’s engaged, and she thinks she’s finally overcoming the grief that came with losing her parents. Then in comes Sammy Patel, a handsome businessman who is looking to take a break from his non-Indian girlfriend so he can attend his brother’s extravagant Indian wedding without ruining it all. But here’s the thing: Breakup only works with permanent break ups, not taking breaks. Sammy tries to convince Manny to take the case, persuading her with her supposed understanding of the Indian culture. But here’s the thing, Manny is Indian but she didn’t *grow up* Indian, she really is as americanized as can be. When Sammy agrees to give Manny a crash course in all things Indian as she attends Sammy’s brother’s wedding as a business partner—not a date—, she takes the case and reconnects with the roots she didn’t even know she had, as she slowly starts to understand what it means to be a Patel, to be Indian.
This was the slowest of slow burn romances, but as this was also a book about personal growth I’ve decided not to write it off because of that. With the sweetest of plot twists, “Sari, Not Sari” deserves its full 5 stars and maybe even a bit more.
This book perfectly illustrates imposter syndrome with regards to culture, which was impressive considering that imposter syndrome is usually related to profesional development and not to more personal matters. Manny was dealt a hard hand, but she’s trying to do the best with what she’s got. Sammy had the best intentions, although perhaps not the best execution. The Patels were both welcoming and cruel? At the end of the book I had fluctuates from loving them to hating them to loving them again.
And I have to point it out: THIS IS SONYA SINGH’S DEBUT NOVEL? Excuse me, what? Sonya, I can’t wait to see what’s to come for you. This book was so sweet and the love in it so tender and the friendships in it so solid. Character development was on point, they weren’t just copy/pasted slates of the same 3 character traits; the characters in “Sari, Not Sari” were complex and had so many layers and character flaws. I loved them and I loved the story you told.
I would recommend this book to people interested in a romance book that’s more than just a romance book. “Sari, Not Sari” will teach you about self worth, honesty, lost love, grief, and family, all in the midsts of two different cultures colliding.
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ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
andrea's galley 