I loved this novel so much. It’s really well written.

After seven years of dating Kunal behind their parents’ backs, Simran and Kunal are engaged, right on schedule. Kunal is in medical school and Simran is almost finished with her master’s degree in psychology. Her parents think it’s cute but not impressive that she got a collection of her essays published by a small press. Writing is not a real career to her India-born parents, who’s coupling was the result of an arranged marriage. The fact that Simran got to choose her own mate should mean she has nothing to complain about.

But when she meets another writer she admires, she’s instantly drawn to him, and everything she thought she wanted from her life is called into question.

One of the great things about reading books is that you get to learn about other cultures—what is great about them and what you’re grateful is not part of your culture. The expectations of Simran’s mother Nandini would have driven me into an insane asylum—she’s a doctor, but she was forced to be a family physician with regular hours. She never has enough time for her patients, especially because she has to be the doctor to all of her family members and all of her in-laws while her husband got to be a surgeon with his own practice.

Simran travels to India where many girls stop their education when they begin to menstruate, sometimes getting married because their parents can’t afford her. The parents stress about coming up with a dowry. In America, Nandini and her husband are paying for everything, which in no way stops Kunal’s mother from demanding a whole heck of a lot.

This is a book about the ways women of all ethnic backgrounds sometimes don’t get to fully follow our dreams. There are complex characters and situations and no easy answers. Recommend.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel, which RELEASES July 14, 2020.

Very entertaining and an eye-opening look into Indian culture. I personally love reading books about different cultures. I like to learn about different customs and traditions. It is fascinating to me! This book was very well-written and was engrossing. I was interested immediately in the plot. The book didn't take long to get 'good'. After the first few pages I was hooked! I would definitely read this author again. Great title and one I will definitely be recommending to customers.

Absolutely amazing representation of how complicated mother and daughter relationships are and can be but, each woman has their own story to tell .I was sad when it ended. I wanted more but I'm looking forward to seeing more from this author.

I appreciated this book and felt that the characters were extremely well-developed and complex. The author did a fantastic job of depicting the fraught and delicate balance between two distinct cultures, something I think a lot of readers will relate to regardless of their background.