This book is a unique and fun retelling of Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion’ and Sonali Dev did an amazing job! The characters are layered and beautifully developed. Indian tradition shines bright in this book, especially in terms of food and family. Indian cuisine is my favorite and I am left craving the comforting flavors of gulam jamun and dal makhani. Aside from the food, this book explores the complicated relationships between parents and children and how choices made long before our children are born end up affecting them later in life. The love story is sweet, the characters are complex and interesting and the subject matter is both fun and relevant.

Partially through the book despite it's misgivings I felt like this would be a 3 star. By the halfway mark when it was becoming a chore to get through I realized it would be a 2.

This is not a rom com like the blurb suggested and I was never able to get into the romance. The characters just didn't have much chemistry and overall were not very likable.

Rico was especially unlikable. I don't know why he was still holding on to this high school relationship at age 30 but it was made even worse by how much of an ass he acted towards Ashna. He forced his way back into her life via this competition as some sort of score to settle with her. His constant iciness towards her never felt warranted even after we received bits of their past relationship via flashback.

Ashna and her mother both need to work out their past trauma in therapy. It was quite jarring going from the lightness of the Food Network set to he alcoholism and abuse that plagued their pasts.

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

More in depth review on my blog
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.com/2020/04/recipe-for-persuasion-by-sonali-dev.html

This book was gorgeous. I think I highlighted half the book. The writing is rich and the characters are real, the situations realistic, and the heart of it all: gah. Just gorgeous. I ended it with a happy heart, though the journey was sometimes painful-much like real life. I cannot wait to share this one with my reading buddies so they can fish over it, too.

I wouldn't really call this a heartwarming romantic comedy... more like a tragedy. Nothing made me laugh and it did trigger me a little (suicide is mentioned in this book). This book mostly made me feel sad for all the characters that POV's in it.
But I did enjoy the second chance romance aspect of it and how this book did talk about hard hitting subjects: martial rape and patriarchal ideals for women.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harpers Collins Publishers for the Advanced Readers Copy and for the opportunity to give an honest review on the book below.

 

I was really looking for a light rom com to take my mind off the craziness going on right now. I thought that Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev was going to be the perfect book for me. A book based off of Jane Austen’s Persuasion…cooking competitions…soul mates meeting up after a really bad high school break up, this sounds like this book is the perfect recipe for me. Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. This book tells the story of Ashan Raje and how she gets roped into a Food Network cooking competition with Rico Silva, her ex from high school, the boy who was THE boy for her.  Ashan will do whatever it takes to save her father’s restaurant; even it means dealing with the boy who broke her heart. 

 I felt like we left the main story way too much for me to get invested in the characters. You know how in some stories the plot goes from A to B, in a straight line? Or even kind of like a mountain range were you have ups and downs in the plot but it is still going to get there in the end? This book was more like squiggly lines up and down the page. There was a lot of reflection and inter monologues while really diving into the feelings, and while some may really love that type of book, it just left me feeling bored. I wish the description about the book was rewritten better so that you know that you aren’t just getting Ashna and Rico’s story but Ashna’s mother as well. While both of those stories separately were good, I think having the parallel stories just made the book feel long.  I really enjoyed when the story stayed out of the characters heads and more in the story.  Again this could be just a personal choice and it was just not my cup of tea. So if you are an Austen fan and you love contemplative books then this definitely would be a book for you to pick up.

Not going to lie, I was really in the mood for a light romcom when I picked up this book but got far more than I expected. Recipe For Persuasion by Sonali Dev continues the Raje storyline in another modern adaptation of a Jane Austen classic: Persuasion. I have to admit that I have never read Jane Austen’s Persuasion so I cannot speak to whether or not it was an accurate or well-done retelling of it, but as a stand alone contemporary romance, I thought it was brilliant. (And I’m usually not a fan of high school romances and love lust that spans decades.)⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I appreciate the diversity of characters in the cast: an Indian chef and a Brazilian soccer player are the main characters, however the supporting cast also comes from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities. I only felt conflicted at times that there was two main competing storylines (between Ashna and her mom and Ashna and Rico) which meant neither could go as deep as I would’ve liked. But I do appreciate the exploration of deeper relationships and experiences and how it fit together. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I wasn’t hooked right off the bat by Rico and Ashna (like I said, I teach high school and the relationships in books that originate there I’m always a little skeptical of) but once their connection deepened I was hooked. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Even if you haven’t read any Jane Austen, I highly recommend checking out Sonali Dev’s adaptations! ⁣⁣

Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

In her stirring and alluring second book on The Rajes, Sonali Dev paints a portrait of a chef in self destructive distress, a heartbroken soccer player and a spicy mix of family secrets. While it might not be the most accurate retelling of Persuasion, Dev manages to translate Austen's drama of manners across culture and time. Recipe for Persuasion is indeed a persuasive, hilarious and delicious brew of romance, perfect for those staying in. Highly recommended for the romantic readers!

I went into this book looking for a light hearted romance and this book is certainly not that. It is a much heavier story about the deep, traumatic family issues that Ashna faces while trying to save her failing restaurant. The romance is secondary and feels more like a poorly developed after thought. I liked this book for what it was. I do think it tried to do too much from within the framework of Persuasion. None of the storylines really got the attention they warranted.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sonali Dev’s books, and the Rage series is becoming my favorite. Ashna is trying to keep her father’s restaurant, Curried Dreams, from failing. An opportunity is presented to her to be a chef on a reality show, paired with a celebrity. Little does she know that the celebrity, Rico, a soccer star, maneuvered on the show to be paired with her. Themes include relationships between mother and daughter, truthfulness, feminism, alcoholism and so much more. Most of all, in these crazy times, it’s a really enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I started this book no agony, all hope and am now two-thirds agony, one-third hope that <i>Emma</i> will get the Raje family treatment soon.

I am so torn because I really enjoyed Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors and was looking for something to feed my newfound Persuasion obsession; I wanted so badly to love this. After Dev's previous book, I was prepared for another retelling "in the spirit of" Austen instead of a simple modern-day rehashing of the original, but even in that light calling Recipe for Persuasion a retelling is a bit of a stretch. Dear Ashna, bless her heart, is no Anne Elliot. She bears little to no resemblance to Austen's quiet, heartbroken heroine. I thought maybe this was another case of gender-swapped protagonists, but Rico Silva is every bit the lovelorn, awkward moron Wentworth was. Don't get me wrong, Ashna's a fine character, but she was so altered, one would not have known her apart from the book premise. In a retelling that's already barely recognizable, a drastically different heroine really doesn't help its case.

I think that's really the crux of the problem with this book: it's not a good Austen retelling. As another book in The Rajes series, however, it's fantastic. I will say that part of this might be my unfamiliarity with Persuasion, which I did after all, just read yesterday. Because I don't have a 8+ year relationship with it like I do with Pride and Prejudice, maybe there were overarching themes and nuances connecting this to the original that I missed, but somehow I doubt it. So I'd say if you're a Persuasion fan expecting something familiar, look elsewhere. This holds no cliff-jumping Louisa, no competing affections of Mr. Elliot, and certainly no gossiping grapevine (unless you count the internet, I guess, but it doesn't serve the same literary purpose as the eavesdropping did). No, here information isn’t gleaned from snippets of conversations overheard by other person; instead, they talk to each other with their eyes. (Guess what, I can talk with my eyes too 🙄) I don't know, there was just something about the dynamics between Ashna and Rico that felt off. I get that the Persuasion pace might not translate well to a modern audience and appreciate attempts to keep the spirit alive while talking creative liberties, but this felt more like a love-hate/"I'm going to run away from my feelings" story rather than the slow-burn dance Anne and Wentworth went through. WHERE WAS THE ANGST?? I needed more angst. I also think the age difference hurt more than it helped in this case. People actually got married young in Austen's day, so it made sense in Persuasion, but here it was harder to believe some young, dumb puppy love could lead to this life-altering, soulmate kind of love. (It probably didn't help the that first love descriptions were overly romanticized and sappy. Granted, they were fifteen, but still...) Also, sexy collarbones, really? (First butt chins, now this? I love Sonali Dev, but her penchant for highlighting random body parts is kinda weird). All this to say, you could've changed the title and taken away the retelling claim, and I would have been none the wiser--and maybe even happier. But alas, I had unmet expectations that colored much of my reading experience.

This is not to say that this was a complete waste of a book. I think Sonali Dev has the makings of great writer. (Maybe I'm biased because Asian American versions of modern-day Austen are near and dear to my heart, but whatever). If you ignore a few literary mishaps like "amazeballs" and "her heart warmed" (which I'm kind of hoping were edited after the advanced copies were sent out), Dev delivers some absolutely brilliant pieces of writing. This didn’t quite pack the emotional punch that Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors did, which is surprising because this is literally about 8.5 years’ worth of pent-up emotion, but for the most part, I didn’t feel like I was reading a trashy romance (though I skim-skipped that one chapter). What I appreciate about Dev is that she’s not afraid to tackle difficult subject matters. Granted, she did it with slightly less finesse than she did in her last book, but it's refreshing to read a love story that also has some substance. There are sections where her exposition comes off as a bit preaching and out-of-place (e.g. when Rico fangirls over Yash by reciting his entire healthcare plan), but for the most part it was organically woven into the narrative. Unlike most authors, she doesn't just use issues to add fake depth or melodrama to her books; she finds complexity and engages with it in a meaningful way.

She also used Recipe for Persuasion to continue to build upon the charming Raje family that we've all come to know and love ginormous eyes and all. Ashna's mom, Shobi, for example. Her perspective seemed oddly out of place if this was a strictly Austen-esque book, but she was a great addition to the Raje family and storyline. Both her past romantic struggles as a modern woman trying to fight Indian patriarchy and her current struggle to navigate the complexities of her current relationship with her daughter added another layer of complexity to the book. It completely detracted from the Persuasion premise but would’ve made an interesting standalone Raje book.

I’m still a Sonali Dev fan after all this and still waiting, hoping, wishing that Emma will be next. Though if China, India, and Siddartha Dashwood (what kind of parent name their children after large Asian countries and why didn’t they name one Russia?) are any indication, it's more likely that we'll get a Sense and Sensibility retelling instead.

If you want a warm, romantic book, this is not the book for you. It goes through painful issues.

Even though Ashna owns a restaurant, she has a phobia cooking anything that her father didn't teach her. When she was in high school she fell in love with Rico. After a huge misunderstanding, they broke up. Years later, no matter how much they tried, they are still in love with each other. Ashna agrees to work on a reality show that pairs her up with Rico. Their close proximity makes them start having an understanding of how emotionally abusive Ashna's father was.

As a fan of the original Persuasion, this book does a good job of Ashna's and Rico's pining over each other. Ashna herself is painful character to read about how abusive her father was. His suicide left her blaming herself. I wish she saw a therapist to figure out why she faints when trying to cook a recipe that is not her father's. Instead, she closes up.

My main problem with this book was that I was supposed to be understanding toward Ashna's mother. She saved Indian girls instead of being there for her daughter. There are chapters showing her point of view of why she avoided Ashna's father (answer: once they got married, he raped her). Even though she had compelling reasons, the fact that she left Ashna mentally and physically alone with a man who she knew was an emotionally abusive person annoyed me. She didn't try hard to keep in contact with Ashna after she divorced the father and went back to live in India. Ashna forgave her too easily.

I'm always a little apprehensive going into books that are modern adaptations of classic literature (particularly when it comes to Austen), but Sonali Dev did Austen's Persuasion some justice in Recipe for Persuasion.

While I liked the novel overall, I think my big issue was that it felt at times, especially in the middle, like there were two different competing storylines being told in the same book. Recipe for Persuasion bills itself as a romantic comedy, but quite a bit of its contents definitely fall into hard family drama territory. And when there's so much other stuff getting sorted out in books like this, often the main love story is what suffers. It just felt like a little something was missing there, like we were told that Ashna and Rico had this incredible love but were never exactly shown it for most of the book.

Obviously, this isn't to say that the more serious topics that the novel delves into aren't incredibly important, just that we could've used some connective tissue in the middle to bring everything together more seamlessly.

Recipe for Persuasion is a modern love story influenced by Jane Austen's Persuasion. This story focuses on Ashna, a 30 something chef trying to keep her father's business alive, and her mother Shobi. The story goes between Ashna's current timeline, snippets form her childhood, and Shobi's youth.

I was expecting a light read but was met with something heavy. This book touches on a wide variety of political topics and social structures. There are wonderful insights and pieces of wisdom for any reader. I wasn't expecting to delve deep into Shobi's story. Shobi is a very authentic character and kinda "stole the show" for me. I felt like Ashna was at times very one note and it took her a long time to learn and grow in the story. I think Rico is a hero worthy of any modern heroine.

I liked this book. It is a very modern love story, with modern views, a modern cast, and political tones.

I went into this book not knowing it was second in the series but did not feel lost at all. This is a self contained story of one of the Rajes and while likely the book would have had more nuance had I read the first in the series, I don't feel that it will ruin anything if you haven't. Also important to note is that this only touches VERY superficially on Jane Austen's Persuasion; you definitely will not be missing out on anything if you don't know the plot of that book.

Story: Ashna is desperately trying to keep her father's Northern California restaurant going after his suicide but things are looking dire. When her sister suggests she help her husband by being a 'celebrity chef' in a competition reality show, Ashna sees a way to ease her financial troubles. That is, until her ex, a famous football/soccer star, shows up as her celebrity partner. Can Ashna fix her troubled relationship with her mother, overcome her anxiety about using her own recipes rather than her father's, and finally deal with the ex she never really got over?

Persuasion's central plot revolves around a woman who, when she was younger, was persuaded not to marry a man 'beneath her station.' Ten years later, the man returns wealthy and lauded while her family's fortunes have fallen. Similarly in this book, Ashna once had a relationship with Brazilian Rico Silva; he was an aspiring athlete when she knew him but now is world famous. Where Persuasion was about our heroine spending too much time helping and following others instead of herself, this book is more about dealing with a large family and getting over modern anxieties as a neurotic but somewhat selfish person. Where the hero, Wentworth, in Persuasion had an integrity and strength of character, here Rico Silva is more of a free wheeling playboy, more annoyed that he was turned down years ago by Ashna than bitter. For these reasons, this has a very light Persuasion influence and is not a modern retelling in any regard.

That said, I did not enjoy Recipe. The author seemed to take every situation to the nth degree: the father is a prince, the mother is receiving India's highest civilian award for her services to the country, one relative was in a horrific plane crash and is now psychic, etc. etc. It was all so completely over-the-top; nothing could be ordinary, from the accidents to the family's situation. Even Rico had to be the best thing to hit soccer since Pele.

Similarly, nothing was believable in the plot. Who would hire an owner of a failing business as a 'celebrity chef'? How would Rico be able to so easily finagle his way onto the set as her specific partner? Right upon meeting her, he saves her from cutting off her toes by sliding across a set studio floor while having just undergone extensive knee surgery. It stretched my credibility too much for a book written in such a straight-forward fashion.

Another reason I had a hard time is that I just wasn't invested in any of the characters, especially Ashna. She has the tools to fix her business but stubbornly opposes all attempts. The people trying to help her come off as manipulative or overbearing. Ashna's interest in Rico and vice versa was never really understandable. No one was relatable or even very likable.

I have to think that for a retelling or inspiration using Persuasion, authors should not focus on the 'long separated sweethearts' and instead bring in the traits that made the characters so memorable. Persuasion is about two people meant for each other for very obvious reasons and that's just not something I got out of Recipe at all. Even the title is clunky. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

This is an enjoyable contemporary romance with a blend of modernity and the nod to Jane Austen's Persuasion. Funny, sexy and poignant about romantic and family relationships and perceived obligations.

Nope this is not sweet romcom that I’ve dreamed of and it is not also great example for retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

I actually have to admit that when I click the request button, I didn’t think it was retelling of one of the famous classics. I looked at the beautiful cover and read the blurb made me think it’s entertaining second chance romance with humorous enemies- ex lovers story with a sweet and romantic touch of Indian cultural motifs. But as soon as I got the book into my hands, I found the story way too much tragic.

There are suicide, child neglect, alcoholism. But one thing I know: Ashna is definitely not Persuasion’s Anne! The things they’re in common: First letters of their names, rejecting the man they could have HEA, risk of poverty ( she can lose her restaurant that she keeps it open for the memory of his deceased father) and their ages.

And of course Persuasion is the wrongest choice to be retold in cooking reality show drama concept centered on a young chef suffering from anxiety and ex soccer star suffering from leg injury. The staccato way of story telling was too wordy, arduous, slow and made me lose my interest.

I didn’t have problem about characters but their tragic stories overshadowed their love stories at most parts and Ashna’s too selfish mother reminded me of soap opera villanelles.

Overall: I may sense the author has real talent by her word choices and the way of building stories but she gave so much details and descriptions that slow down the pace.
And the tragic events she developed for own characters were too depressing and heavy. So I go with solid 3 stars for this book because I felt like being deceived after reading enjoyable blurb and vivid cover of the book.

I expected something enlightening my dark mood. We’re locked down in our house! You may imagine my husband and me give each other our kill at the first sight glares. He just called steak with my name when he cut it into tiny pieces as if he’s planning the perfect mur... I mean cooking perfect stew. So all I need a perfect reading escape for getting through these stressful days! But unfortunately this is not my cup of Irish whiskey (happy St. Patrick’s Day quarantine Eve by the way! )

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers/ William Morrow Paperbacks for sharing this interesting ARC in exchange my honest review. I wish I could like it more.

Sonali Dev's retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion is a updated and diverse version that does not play light. The book encompasses family relations, gender roles, patriarchal societies, a forced marriage and of course many many misunderstandings. Ashna is a chef trying to save her late fathers famous restaurant, Rico is a retired pro-footballer who played for Manchester United. They are partnered together on a chef and celebrity Food Network show, Rico because he is seeking closure and Ashna to win. There are flashbacks to both Ashna and Rico's childhoods and Ashna's mother, Shobi's, life and marriage in order to better understand the circumstances.
This book shows you that life and love is not always pretty and that it can really hurt but that those are also the things that make life worthwhile.

I loved the first book in this series so much. Sonali Dev did a great job with retelling Pride and Prejudice and with her next re-telling I went, oh no. No. No. This book was too all over the place. Reading the description you think you would be focused on the heroine (Ashna Raje) and the hero (Rico Silva) but nope, we also get into Ashna's mother's life prior to her marrying Ashna's father. I ended up being more fascinated about her life than what went on with Ashna. No one was developed very well due to the flopping back and forth. And honestly, I didn't like the final resolution with Ashna. I still don't think she's passionate about being a chef. I wish that she had acknowledged that and did something else. FYI, the book does quote Persuasion, but even my favorite line ever in the history of literature was enough to save this book.

"Recipe for Persuasion" follows Ashna Raje. Ashna is running her late father's business, "Curried Dreams." Too bad the business is about to fail. Unable to cook anything besides her father's recipes, Ashna is not able to do much in the kitchen. When her sous chef quits she doesn't know what she will do. When her cousins nag her to do a celebrity cooking show, she thinks she may have figured out how to save her father's restaurant.

Rico Silvia is recovering from a career ending sports injury. He is celebrating his best friend's upcoming wedding. During that, he starts to realize that his latest relationship ended because he didn't let himself fall in love. And he realizes he didn't because of his first love who turned him away. When Rico hears about Ashna being in a celebrity cooking show, he makes sure that he appears on the show as her partner.

The third character in this book is Ashna's mother, Shobi. Shobi was married to the former prince (Bram Raje). We slowly find out how awful the marriage was and how Shobi's life turned out the way it did. She wants to get closer to Ashna, but doesn't know how.

I have to say that Ashna bored me and got on my nerves. She blindly ignores everything she knows about her father and then somehow gets a realization about things. Girl you should have been woke up. We find out that she used to love sports (just like her mother) until she didn't and why. I wish that Dev had did a bit something different with her in regards to the ending.

Rico was a head scratcher. I honestly didn't get why he was into Ashna at all. I think that's the biggest problem I had. Dev writes them as teenagers, but there's nothing there. I saw zero chemistry between them as teens to make them be this decades long love story that just had to get together. I was also perplexed about some of Rico's past, but Dev doesn't delve into it enough. Heck she barely delves into Ashna's all the way through. We just hear things piecemail.

Shobi's backstory was more developed, which pushed me to thinking that this book should have been her story more than Ashna's. It would have set up nicely with a Persuasion type setting. Heck maybe even set it up to be retelling of Mansfield Park. Parts of the book would have worked for that maybe. I don't know. I was just frustrated and saddened when we get the full storyline here.

We get prior characters showing up in this one which was nice, but I found myself caring more about them than Ashna.

The writing was solid, the story was not. The flow was awful. Juggling through characters, different time periods and then the present day was too much.

The ending tied things up in a much too tidy bow to be believed.

An Indian chef and a Brazilian soccer player are the main characters in this lovely retelling of Persuasion.

As a hard fan of Jane Austen and originally from Brazil, I was immediately hooked by the premise of Recipe for Persuasion. Two high school sweethearts (an Indian chef, and a Brazilian soccer player), separated by family opposition, meet again twelve years later as participants in a culinary reality show.

What at first seemed to be a romantic comedy soon turned out much denser and more complex. The intricacies of Indian culture, especially the role of women and their fight for equal rights, is a big part of the story.

It is not exactly a light read. Ashna (the heroine) suffers from a traumatic childhood. Fruit of a loveless marriage, she was deeply influenced by her parent's neglect. Alcoholism, verbal abuse, marital rape, child emotional abandonment, and a touch of politics distance the book from the realm of rom-coms.

It was not the escapist reading I was expecting. It was a solid story with very interesting and layered characters.
Ashna is vulnerable and full of doubts, a person haunted by duty and guilt. Frederico, the hero, like his counterpart in Persuasion, is a confident man, but most of all, a very respectful individual. His love for Ash was palpable and beautiful.

Overall, a very engrossing and diverse telling of Persuasion.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sonali Dev returns with the second of her Jane Austen inspired novels, centered around the Raje family of California. Just because this family is royalty, doesn't mean life is easy.

Ashna Raje is desperate to save Curried Dreams, the restaurant her father opened upon moving to America. But between dwindling customers, mounting debt, and her own inability to cook anything new and unique--even after a Parisian culinary education--Ashna feels downtrodden and desperate. And let's not talk about her relationship with her mother... But when her friend, China, asks her to be a chef on a new cooking show, "Cooking with the Stars", she's uncertain. Until she learns that it might be what saves her restaurant.

Manchester United star striker Rico Silva had it all: a Premier League title, a World Cup trophy, thousands of adoring fans, and a Calvin Klein endorsement deal (he did it as a dare, shut up). But now he has a messed up knee held together with screws, his soccer glory days are behind him and an uncertain future before him. When a mid-life crisis hits him at his best friends bachelor party, he does what anyone would do: look up his ex from high school. Yes, that one. The one that wrecked his heart and he still holds a flame for. And then he finds out that she is about to be chef on a cooking show with celebrities and, in a desperate move, he bullies his way in. Or, rather, his agent does.

The last person Ashna expects to be paired with is Rico, her ex-boyfriend from high school. And so she is mortified when an accident leads to a heroic moment and now the entire world is hooked on Ashna and Rico together... and shipping them. But she needs this show. So she is willing to shove aside her past to focus on her future. But her past continues to chase her, and it has a huge impact on her future and her happiness. That is, if she will let it.

A fantastic, moving second novel that examines past love, the ramifications of broken marriages and addiction on children long after they become adults, gender in India and around the world, and ultimately finding happiness.. Told in alternating points of view between the Ashna of the present and past, the Rico of the present and past, and Shobi--Ashna's mother--of the present and past, "Recipe for Persuasion" weaves the threads of fate together. Frayed in some places, weak and nearly broken in others, but coming together so strong and powerful at the end.