As a writer, Sonali Dev is absolutely talented. I was invested in the story and as messy as the characters were, she developed them well and I felt like I really knew who they were, for the most part.

Personally, I really didn’t love where the plot went, and for that, it’s hard for me to say I really loved the story. But I would read more from this author.

(4.5 stars, rounded up to 5)

"Lies and Other Love Languages" by Anissa Gray is a stunning exploration of family dynamics, love, and forgiveness, earning it a well-deserved 4.5-star rating. The characters in the novel are intricately crafted, with each member of the dysfunctional Cooper family coming to life on the page with their own flaws, desires, and secrets. Gray's atmospheric prose and vivid descriptions beautifully capture the setting of Atlanta, Georgia, immersing readers in the vibrant culture and rich history of the city.

Gray's writing style is both poignant and compelling, drawing readers into the lives of the characters with its emotional depth and authenticity. The plot of "Lies and Other Love Languages" unfolds with a perfect blend of intrigue and heartache, as the Coopers navigate the complexities of their relationships and confront the truths that threaten to tear them apart. The logic behind the characters' actions feels sound, adding to the realism and resonance of the story. Additionally, Gray skillfully weaves themes of cultural relevance and diversity throughout the narrative, offering a nuanced exploration of race, class, and identity that feels timely and relevant.

Overall, "Lies and Other Love Languages" is a deeply moving and thought-provoking novel that will stay with readers long after they've turned the final page. Gray's skillful storytelling, richly drawn characters, and powerful themes make for an unforgettable reading experience. Whether you're drawn to family dramas or stories of redemption and forgiveness, "Lies and Other Love Languages" is a must-read that is sure to captivate and inspire.

This was definitely a personal opinion and experience - so don't let my rating keep you from giving this one a try.

It's a story about friends and childhood and finding family and acceptance. I've read a few from this author and I typically love the characters and really connect to the story. It's engaging, well-written and almost always, this author's stories tackled really interesting relationships that tug at your heartstrings and make you love it.

But this one was a struggle for me. I just couldn't seem to get into the story. I struggled to like Rani and, while I don't need to like characters to like a story, one that is character driven and completely wrapped around characters definitely has to have one that I connect with and want to keep reading for.

This could have been situational and not at all reflective of the story. If this one sounds great, give it a try! I hope you love it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Vandy is a successful advice columnist. When her beloved daughter Mallika suddenly disappears without warning, Vandy is desperate to find answers. The more Vandy searches the more she is forced to confront the ghosts of her past, including her estranged best friend Rani. What I love most about Dev's work is that she captures the longings, desires, and needs of women through all ages. But above all this is a story of friendship and the sacrifices we make and the lies we bear for the ones we love.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

Lies and Other Love Languages by Sonali Dev uses a multi-generational, multi-decade perspective to look at motherhood and friendship, and how much a person is willing to do for those they love. The book is well-written, well-developed, and well-executed, and I would recommend it to others who are looking for a captivating and meaningful read. I have read almost everything from this author and look forward to more from her!

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller! Receiving an advanced copy was much appreciated. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

I should know better by now. This is not my kind of read, so personally, I didnt like it, so I will rate 3 stars.

Lies and Other Love Languages is a compelling and emotional book that explores the power of truth and love in the lives of three women. The book offers a rich and diverse story that will appeal to fans of contemporary fiction, family drama, and multicultural romance. The book is well-written, well-developed, and well-executed, and I would recommend it to others who are looking for a captivating and meaningful read.

Secrets come to light regarding motherhood, family, and friends in Lies and Other Love Languages by Sonali Dev. Vandy Guru dispenses advice about all kinds of issues and has built a successful following yet she's hiding lifelong secrets that she cannot get past. Her daughter Mallika always felt like an outsider in her own family despite knowing that she's loved. Her latest failure to become a dancer prompts her to join a genetic study that reveals much more than she bargained for, and she flees to find the answers she so desperately needs about her personal and family history.

This book introduced me to Sonali Dev, and I'm so glad. The characters were engaging, and you root for them to be happy. Many issues are covered in this one novel, and it's not just a romance--questions arise about how far you would go to do something for a friend. It also covers the question about what is family, who is your family, and are genetics all that matters when it comes to building a family.

I really appreciated learning more about Indian culture and would have liked if there was a glossary for terms that I didn't know. I loved the dynamics between the families and pull between modern views and cultural views. There was a lot that caught my interest.

The story goes back and forth between Vandy, her estranged best friend Rani, and Vandy's daughter Mallika, so you get a wide perspective of what happens in the book. I liked all the characters and found them distinct and interesting. As I said before, you root for all of them.

Now, the ending feels quite abrupt in this book. While you do get closure for the most part, it ends in such a way that I almost wondered if my copy was unfinished. The final sentence didn't wrap it up the way I thought it could, and it wasn't a cliffhanger. This led to me giving this book four stars instead of five. Despite this, I cannot wait to consume all the rest of this wonderful author's books.

Told in different points of view, Lies and Other Love Languages by Sonali Dev focuses on relationships between mothers and daughters. The book started out slow for me and the ending was predictable. But once the book started to pick up, I found that the writing was engaging and I cared about what happened to the characters in the story. 3-1/2 stars rounded up to 4.

I loved this author's previous novel, The Vibrant Years.
I found this book much harder to get into. The story was good, but I had difficulty relating to the characters.
She's a brilliant writer and I do look forward to future titles by her.

Thanks Netgalley and the author for the earc.

Esse foi um dos livros mais doídos que eu já, que mostra como três mulheres estão unidas uma a outra e como que eu certo momento tudo se dissipou ao alcançar aquilo que sempre quis.

Vinny e Rani se tornaram amigas inseparáveis, com diferentes passados e experiências no mundo, porém logo depois do nascimento de Mika se separaram.

Depois de 27 anos e um ano do falecimento do Vir, marido de Rani, algumas verdades vem a tona e a partir desse momento que vamos descobrir o que as separou e como elas vão se reconectar.

~~ SE NÃO DESEJA TOMAR SPOILER, PARE AQUI ~~

A concepção da Mika era por conta do amor que Vir e Rani tinham pela Vinny ao se deitarem juntos. Até aquele momento, sexo sempre foi automático para Rani, mas com Vir foi diferente. À separação de Vinny e Rani nunca foi sobre Mika, mas sobre Vir e a conexão que eles tiveram. Foi naquele momento que depois de ano negando que Rani nunca foi uma opção para Vir, que ela se apaixonou por ele. Por que ele soube como navegar com ela depois de traumas.

Para proteger o casamento da Vinny e Vir, Rany vai embora da vida deles. O que Vinny não sabe é que teve outros episódios onde Vir compartilha momentos e sentimentos íntimos com Rany e foi aqui que me quebrou, por que o maior medo da Mika era descobrir que o pai era como o avô (coisa que para Vinny sempre foi muito dolorido de ver) e ai temos a mesma questão: será que conseguimos escapar de padrões dos casamentos dos nossos pais? De verdade, eu não sei. Mas me entristece muito saber que Rani tem segredos que ela escolheu guardar para de certa forma inocentar um homem que sua melhor amiga e sua filha acham que ele era. Um peso que só ela carrega.

Embora Rani, carregue esses segredos, ela escolheu os te-los para que assim pudesse ter Vinny de volta em sua vida. Mesmo em meio as meias verdades… Eu acredito que no final, ela só não continuo a se apaixonar por Vir por amor a Vinny, mas Vir me pareceu ter recaídas e buscava as mesmas conexões que teve quando esteve com ela a primeira vez.

4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book! I’m not always a fan of books jumping back and forth in the timeline, with lots of secrets so I wasn’t sure what to expect as events unfolded. But I quickly bonded with the characters and devoured this book in one sitting as I wanted to see how everything played out. The narrator did a wonderful job, which made the experience even better. I’m definitely a fan and will check out the author’s previous work!

Sonali Dev’ writing is so captivating and evocative, bringing each scene to life with a vividness that pulls you deep into the characters' world. And, you can’t help but be fully immersed in it and root for these two to have their very own version of HEA!

The writing is solid, creating a vivid atmosphere, but the plot is a mix of captivating moments and predictability. Characters are well-developed, though some lack depth. Pacing fluctuates, making it a decent but not outstanding read.

This was an okay book. It was really slow in the beginning and felt like it wasn't going anywhere for a long time. The ending was good and quick to read. It was predictable but it was still a good and the story was well written.

This was a very tricky novel to rate. It started off quite strong and I came to enjoy the alternating POVs and family dramatics. However, it all became a bit melodramatic and quite predictable, in terms of Mallika's discovery and Vandy's relationship with Rani and Vir. There was also a bit of repetitiveness with the discussion of pregnancy and miscarriages, which started to felt a bit excessive. Altogether not my favourite read.

I read the author's previous work and enjoyed it, and this book was no exception. Engaging story and really well-thought-out characters. I figured out the plot relatively early on and my only criticism was that it seemed to take a really long time to get to the point of the novel.
I would recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC!

I really liked this book, it was different than anything else I've read which was a breath of fresh air. I will be recommending this to my friends, and auto buy this author!

After reading and loving "The Wedding Setup", a short story by the author Sonali Dev earlier this year, I wanted to read a novel by her and when this latest release by her came up, I went all in for it.

The author wonderfully showed the story of three interlocking protagonists and how each action of them affects each other, directly or indirectly. The twisted past, the messy present, and the possibility of a tormented future give the story a strong base and a dominating factor in the story.

For me, the benchmark of the story is the friendship of Rani and Vandy, and how with time it evolved, changed, rusted, and yet, had a connection. The differences in family and economic background, parenting, upbringing, surroundings, and people around them were visible in their relationship and gave deep insights into their character development.

The story also sheds light on how parenting affects children deeply, making them make choices they wouldn't have thought of and do things they haven't imagined, consciously or subconsciously. Also, it shows how childhood trauma can impact your whole life.

The relationship of Vandy and Vir, and Mallika and Rex was written beautifully and showed again, how the relationship of parents with each other as partners affects children's relationship with their partners.

The story is very filmy when it comes to the competition between Pinky and Tinku, Vandy’s two sisters-in-law, and all the dance drama, which of course I enjoyed!

Although the ending was very well built up, for me, it was very predictable. I think the blurb gave away too much of the story and with the little slow narrative and pace, it takes away the interest in between. I would have loved to see more of Mallika's relationship with her cousins, especially Amey, and maybe with Aarav as well.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book because of the engaging writing style and the storytelling and I would like to read more by the author for sure.