Included as a top pick in bimonthly June New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached).

I love the enemies to lovers trope so I was instantly excited to read this as soon as I got my hands on it.

Sam is the typical broody male interest with an intense past filled with guilt. He’s overprotective and controlling (not of other people exactly but of how everything in his life has to pan out) yet kind and caring to those he loves. I did take issue with the way he handled certain problems in the story and how he always wanted to punch Layla’s suitors.

Layla was my favourite part of the book. She starts out very lost and with a broken heart. She had just lost her job, her boyfriend and her life in the Big Apple. Forced to move in with her parents, she was determined to succeed at setting up her own company and settle down in an arranged marriage. She wasn’t looking for love, only companionship. She was very open minded and super loyal to her very overwhelming but loving family. I loved how much Layla’s culture was important to her.

Layla’s suitors were such peculiar characters and the all the bickering between her and Sam during the meetings made me cackle I loved their banter and sarcasm. I could definitely feel the chemistry between them and was rooting for the couple from the start.

Sam’s character development was slower than Layla’s which made sense in a way. She started rebuilding herself and her life right at the start of the book whereas Sam only had a change of heart once he started to get to know Layla better. I thought the demons each of them fought were relatable and realistic.

I’m happy Sam got over feeling a guilt he should never have carried and that his sister found her happy ending with someone more deserving of her love.

I highly recommend this book to all the romcom lovers out there! It’s super fun and very quick to read.

This was an enjoyable read and will appeal to romcom fans or anyone looking for a light story. The story felt modern and fresh. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I smiled a lot while I read this book.

This novel is full of heartwarming family dynamics between quirky characters. I loved Layla’s relationship with her huge family, particularly all her aunties, her mother, and especially her father.

I did wonder, though, why she didn’t have a stronger reaction to what happened in the beginning of the book with her father. As someone who is very close to my parents (and someone who has dropped everything to sit with my parents in the hospital for days on several occasions), it almost seemed like it was an afterthought to her, which rubbed me the wrong way a bit. Especially considering how close she is with her family. I would have loved to see that big family rally around him and one another in support as my big family tends to do in similar situations.

Aside from that, I think this is such a fun/funny hate-to-love romance particularly for people who like to see the strong attraction between the love interests despite their frustrations with each other.

For me, I tend to prefer this trope when the couple is so busy loathing the other person, they barely notice their attraction and hardly realize how much passionate frustration and passionate lust have in common. This is why I can’t say that this book is my favorite of the trope, but I can say I expect it will be for many who like to see the chemistry between enemies much more blatantly on page.

If you’re looking for an OWN voices, match-making, enemies-to-lovers romance filled with banter and big families, with just enough drama and angst, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book.

I realllllly loved this one! This has been the 4th cooking/restaurant book I've read and I don't hate it! I love these fun family dynamics involved with cooking!
I really like Layla and Sam, they are a horrible match but at the same time right for each other. I love books with enemies to lovers tropes and the confusion of the game. It was a really nice book to read by the pool, and I thoroughly enjoyed the banter!

Oh say hello to my new favorite south asian- american lead, own voices story.




Honestly this such a breath of fresh air, seeing my culture, language, food featured in a really well written romance.
Meet Layla Patel, our main character, she is fiesty, and proudly brown. With a huge extended family of aunties and uncles and cousins all hailing in their roots from Pakistan to India.


Her life is falling apart, and she is returning home to her family in San Francisco. To just patch her life and have a fresh start. And open a new business for her recruiting job.

Meet Sam Mehta, CEO of a corporate downsizing company, In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home.



And that's where things get conflicting because lost in communication Layla's dad has offered the place to both her and Sam to run their office.



And as they are forced to share the office space ............... arguments happens, things(literally xD) and sparks both fly in between them.



Also along with all this drama there is a woven mix of Layla finding his father’s email account her finding out he evaluated the guys and chose 10 special candidates and 10 blind dates for her daughter . And due to her constant bad history of relationships, she decides to honour him, because who can think the best for her than her dad??



Ah this story is so close to my heart, i mean all the talk about marriage, arranged marriage and how the institution works in south asian families. From abusive marriages, to dowry to marrying for a green card, to marrying so than they can find someone to cook, clean their house , take care of their parents, to wanting a virgin wife, tbh it in its humorous way discussed it all.



It handled such a sensitive topic so well. Like it delivered the impact, but also had a light tone woven on how it was narrated. I MEAN SO BRILLIANT.



Some of the candidates were really hilarious, one was literally a CIA agent!?!?eowdjfnkuwckjfdjf like all he did was tell her its Classified about every question she asked it was hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



OH THEE BROWN-NESS OF THIS BOOKS.

ALL THE UNCLE AUNTIES, CHACHIES. THE WHOLE EXTENDED FAMILY WITH EVERYONE HAVING SUCH QUIRKY PERSONALITIES.

THE FOOD OMG THE DAAL, SAMOSAS, DOSAS, AND CHAI AND GULAB JAMAN. HELLO HUNGER GAMES.



this book although a romance, has so wonderfully handled dark side of arranged marriages in south asian culture. It discusses the bads, but also the goods, juxtaposing the two sides of the same coins.


it talks about self worth issues, its talk about forgiving and moving on. its uplifting and moving. it tells you yes you can do better. yes you can move on from dark past of you lives and carry on.



Please please do give it a read, more so if you are south asian! One of MY FAVORITES>

I don’t quite know where to start with this book. The synopsis had a lot of promise – it really sounded like a diverse version of The Hating Game, which is exactly something I should have loved. But I struggled with this from page one. The writing just wasn’t for me. It felt kind of basic, and it didn’t keep me engaged enough to want to keep reading.

The story and characters were not enough to save this for me. I have read a lot of rom coms in the past few years, and I realize there’s a sort of formula that they all follow. And this one really followed that formula. I was so looking forward to the diversity in this book (there isn’t enough of it in mainstream romance), but it kind of felt like every other rom com, but with Indian parents. It just wasn’t at all memorable.

Now, this was probably would have been a three-star book. It was fine, nothing special, but not terrible. And then something happened at the end that I did not like. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I kind of hate when characters make other characters jealous on purpose, and this was done in a kind of gross way. And now the part I didn’t like is kind of all I remember about this book, and I finished it about twenty minutes before I started writing this review.

Clearly, The Marriage Game wasn’t my favorite book. I honestly went into this wanting to love it, but it completely fell flat for me. The writing wasn’t special enough to keep me engaged. The story wasn’t bad, but it also didn’t feel unique or particularly original. And the characters were very much rom com cookie cutter characters. If this was a movie, it would be of the cute, but entirely forgettable Lifetime Original kind. You know I hate giving reviews that aren’t great, but I just didn’t enjoy this book all that much.

Overall, this was a sweet rom-com with fun and witty dialogue. I loved Layla’s quirkiness and her big family. Her and Sam’s opposite natures, conversations and arguments made this book a delight.

Read this if you want some steamy attraction and funny, witty banter in your life.

This is a solid and enjoyable romance with a funny beginning and a solid, sweet ending. A few issues for me with the pacing of the plot and some stereotypical characters has me giving this about 3.5 stars.

FYI. Some ableist language

In her debut novel, Ms. Desai treats us to a fresh sparkling romance sure to brush off any doldrums left over from sheltering in place. Layla is pure chaos, a modern day, Indian American who inhales donuts with her morning chai while Sam Mehta is a neat freak with an aversion to all things Indian.  Never shall the twain meet. I believe Layla's father might have the truth of it when he tells her that relationships work because the differences between two people make each day new and exciting.
 Layla is done with her rebellion. She's done looking for that perfect romance, her Westley to sweep her off her feet like the Princess Bride. Other than the left over blue streaks in her hair she's back home, ready to conform to an arranged marriage and jump start her own recruiting business.  Her father offers her the office space above the family owned Indian restaurant which he has unfortunately also leased to Sam Mehta a downsizing consultant who is definitely not an office mate who fits in with her personality.   Between Layla, her cousin Daisy who fills in as their receptionist and Sam you're in for a treat that will keep readers on their toes in anticipation of what the next chapter might bring. 
Sam lives for revenge. His one goal is to win a contract that will put him the position to downsize the staff in the the hospital where his sister's ex-husband works. Layla's plan to go through a series of dates with the arranged marriage candidates that he father has shortlisted raises the specter of bad arranged marriages forcing him to accompany her to all the dates that she sets up.  Each arranged marriage candidate will start you smiling and each date is like laughter beads strung together in an effervescent necklace that will leave you chuckling.  
Despite their differences the chemistry between Sam and Layla is off the charts and they can't seem to keep their hands off each other even in a public elevator in Sam's apartment building.  Sam's neighbor gets quite the eyeful when the elevator opens and Layla has to shelter behind Sam's broad back as she gracefully accepts the clothes that she left on the floor of the elevator. 
Being Indian myself I absolutely relate to all the cultural tropes in this story. The large extended friends and family circle, the shopping for Indian clothes, the fascination with matchmaking particularly to an engineer or doctor and lets not forget all things Bollywood. 
I can't wait to see what delicious treat, the author will serve up next.

This book is seriously a 4 star worthy! I loved each and every chapter of the Marriage Game. Being of Indian origin I can relate to this book on my aspects. It gave a fluttering deja vu most of the time to me.

I loved each and every character of the book; it took me a long time to finish it but I did so with relishing every bit of word of it. The chemistry of Layla and Sam was off the charts and since I myself am fan of lover of enemies-to-lovers, this one is my newest addition to my list.

What I didn't like was how much confusing the whole naming charade was- like the last names of the Patel family signifies they are Hindu but some of their first names are muslim names. It was a major flaw of the book and apart from it everything in it was great!

Before I forget to add I was got annoyed sometimes when Sam wouldn't leave his agenda of bringing justice to his sister, though I can associate with him on a psychological basis and then I could say that at the end it all just depicted how much he loved Layla and how her coming into his life saved him from forever drowning in his guilt!

I loved their banter and the marriage interviews were just a sprinkle of on the top making them realise things about each other. Sam is everything a Brown(or every) girl would want to have, he is funny, smart, handsome, caring etc etc.

I especially loved that Layla came so far from her previous self while in a short span of time with Sam. One could literally say that they both brought out the best in each other.


I am definitely recommending it to all my friends!

I read this book and laughed so much that my family was sure I was losing my mind! This book has everything I needed and all the things I wanted in a book right now - excellent story, fascinating setting, secondary characters that are just perfect. I loved every single thing about this reading experience.

This is a lovely romance. Enemies-to-lovers trope with the added elements of the potential for an arranged marriage and a wager between main characters. I really enjoyed seeing the characters push and support each other. They both have some major family histories that inform their choices (not all good ones) yet the histories aren’t a huge sticking point for the relationship. I also loved the portrayal of the Indian family with all of the involved aunties. A very enjoyable story and a really quick read. Perfect summer book.

I loved this sexy romantic comedy. This is the perfect type of book for our current world. It made me forget about what's going on while I read it, which is the highest recommendation I can make!

The Marriage Game is a modern romance novel. The beginning had a lot of potential, it was a mix of The Hating Game and Josh and Hazel's Guid to not Dating which are two of my favorite books. However, this book lost me in the middle. I feel like Sam made too many mistakes to be forgiven. Without giving away spoilers, his big mistake was absolutely unforgivable to me. I grew very tired of his revenge obsession as well, I just really disliked him by the end. Also, Layla's father was the absolute worst at picking men. It was entertaining to read about all of her bad set ups, but at least a few of them should have been a pinch normal. I was really bothered by all of the terrible picks, and no one seemed to mention how bad her dad was at setting her up with men.
The ending is very sweet, but I just disliked Sam so much I really couldn't cheer for them.

The Marriage Game was a cute rom-com book! I really liked both Layla and Sam and found myself lauging out loud several times on the dates. Their banter was fun. I found their flirting while Sam accompanied Layla on dates to be a bit tooooo over the top. I also lost interest about halfway through and getting through the end was meh for me. The conflict dragged a bit. I think for a debut book, the author did a great job. I'm excited to read more from her.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

This was such a fun book that I absolutely sped through while rooting for Layla and Sam the entire time.

Layla is returning home from New York, freshly dumped, fired, and humiliated to millions over the internet. Her father without her knowledge sets her up on an Indian dating website and allows her to use the office above the family restaurant to start her own business. Then the first man starts knocking on the door......

Sam is the CEO of a downsizing company used to crushing people's dreams and also meant to be using the same office as Layla. The two of them immediately don't get along and the insults (as well as the sparks) start to fly.

Both of them have hidden agendas for their lives and as they together start to experience these suitors, outside people start to intrude, and communication goes wrong, the two of them have to figure out if each other are worth fighting for.

I really enjoyed this book and found it fun, I loved the setting and descriptions of Indian culture and dating, and really loved both Sam and Layla. They annoyed me, but not too much, and I really found their relationship believable.

I'm glad I went on a whim and requested this one because 1.) the cover is gorgeous and 2.) there are so many good things about this book!

Sometimes it's hard for me to get swept into a rom-com. There are times where the characters just aren't working for me or the plot takes one too many turns and I'm just not meshing with it but this one didn't suffer from either.

The book has two point-of-views: Layla and Sam. The sparks between them are pretty instant but obviously they are blind as a bat. It definitely isn't an instant-love and even though they think of each other as attractive they'd rather banter and I was 100% okay with that. The banter was everything I needed and it had me laughing!

I have never read a book with a plot quite like this and I enjoyed the ride. There were different iconic things mentioned like Nickelback (I liked a good amount of their songs so I have no problem with this, ha), Twilight, and The Princess Bride. It all melded so nicely and maybe that's why it was easy to connect with Layla because we liked a lot of the same things. As plot twists go, there is miscommunication and then some other curveballs I didn't see coming and had me shocked (in a good way, of course!). There are definitely steamy moments between the two (I can't say how steamy because I bypass them. I'm just here for the cute moments/rest of the plot ). The only part of the plot I didn't care for was the sexual jokes but that's just personal preference.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The characters and plot swept me away and it definitely hit the spot for a good rom-com.

I can be a sucker for a good love-to-hate story with lots of banter and this book fit the bill. The premise of this book is delightful and there is definitely a diverse group of characters that push the plot forward. I enjoyed the pop culture references peppered in the arguments and there were a couple quips that made me smile. Cute read.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

Layla Patel has returned home to be with her family after a disastrous ending to both her job and relationship. Her dad offers her the office above the family restaurant where she meets Sam Mehta. Because of some miscommunications, Layla and Sam are forced to share the office space and design a game to decide who gets to keep the space. Sam will help Layla find a husband through a dating site her father set up for her.

The Marriage Game had the same feel as the early 2000 romantic comedies I love to re-watch. It was fast paced and there were lots of laugh out loud moments. I loved how strong and independent Layla was and the banter between her and Sam was fun to read. Even the supporting characters were really well written and important to the story. I'd love to read a book about her cousin Daisy! The conflict between Sam and Layla could be a little too much at times and resolution happened very quickly but that's common for a romantic comedy.

Thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

Layla was a good protagonist: comfortable in her own body, capable and willing to fight her own battles, standing up for herself/friends/family, and a good sense of humor. The descriptions of the food and cooking were quite yummy. A very nice first book by this author, and I'll be looking forward to more from her in the future.