Recipe for Persuasion is wonderfully rich and detailed with its portrayal of Ashna overcoming adversity. The added layer of cooking and family heritage really resonated with me. I will definitely be recommending this book to patrons at my library!

Ashna is a troubled woman trying to save her father's restaurant. Rico is her high school boyfriend. They were separated at the end of high school, with hurt feelings and misunderstandings on both sides. When Ashna's friend convinces her to enter a cooking reality tv show, Rico finds out about it. As a star professional soccer player, he pulls some strings to become Ashna's celebrity partner on the show.

As the title suggests, this book is a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. I'm not a huge fan of retellings of Jane Austen, especially when they follow the story almost exactly. This book was different enough in setting, characters, story, and tone that I really enjoyed it.

It was deeper than I expected, too - the subplot of Ashna's fraught relationship with her mother plays a great second fiddle to the romance between Ashna and Rico. Her mother at times is also a narrator, which I thought I wouldn't like, but which eventually became almost as compelling as the main storyline. Her mother is a complex and dynamic character, who begins as a villain until her own perspective is added to that of Ashna's. At the beginning, there were a bit too many internal monologues, but it didn't keep me from turning the pages.

I need to re-read Persuasion now, and I just checked out Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors from my library. If you're a fan of Austen re-tellings and modern romances with cooking themes, you'll likely appreciate this book.

This is my first book by Sonali Dev, and going into this book, I had no idea she was writing a series based on Jane Austen novels. But boy did I figure that out pretty quickly within in the first couple of chapters. Also what a coincidence, considering Persuasion is one of my favorite books by Austen. (Um, hello Captain Wentworth!!!)

Despite knowing Persuasion pretty well, the plot of the book never felt too predictable. The book also deals with some hefty topics for a simple chick lit. It hits you hard with conversations about rape, rights of a woman, and patriarchy. But even with those topics thrown in, you never feel emotional drained.

This is a chick lit. Read it with those eyes and you'll be thoroughly entertained. If you're expecting deep introspection about the human condition and cultures, this is not the book for you. Overall, this is a fun little quick read that will hit you hard with the nostalgia for Jane Austen novels.

It's no secret that I adore Jane Austen's Persuasion, and also really enjoy this author's writing. So when I read the blurb of this book on NetGalley, which marketed it as a Persuasion retelling, I immediately requested for it, and checked it out.

But after reading this one, I was really disappointed. Not by the writing, that was solid, as always. I was mostly frustrated with the story line, or rather the story structure, which was a hot mess! And this is not to mention that I personally did not think this story had enough of Austen's Persuasion to be marketed as a retelling or re-imagining of the classic.

Though I've to say that the thing that bothered me the most was that this story did not focus on the lead pair Ashna & Rico as much as it should have. It kept going back and forth between their story (present and backstory), and Ashna's mom's backstory and her love story! Which was frankly too much. And totally unnecessary.

It's like the author couldn't decide which love story to focus on, and gave us two, without doing complete justice to either. Which was super frustrating! Especially because this book / story had so much potential, what with the second chance romance trope, and the setting of a reality cooking show. It could have been so amazing!

And instead, it kept going around in pointless circles, sharing too much unnecessary details, and summarizing the things that should have been focused on - things like the chemistry between the lead pair to begin with.

Which is why I cannot bring myself to wholeheartedly recommend this one. Even though the author has a way with words, and a natural knack for story telling. Because in this unfortunate case, it was wasted.

Ashna is stuck. She's a chef who can only cook her father's recipes. And even those aren't that good anymore. In order to save her Palo Alto restaurant, she agrees to join a Food Network show hosted by her friend DJ Caine. She is paired by international soccer star Rico Silva, who just happens to be her first love. D

Dev does it again, taking Jane Austen's Persuasion and weaving Indian culture, mouth watering food descriptions, and true to life emotions. This is a second-chance romance that you will devour.

If you have a chai addiction, love cooking shows, soccer, or stories about family--specifically mothers and daughters, then this is the book for you.

This book sums up who I am as a person, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. This book left me happy, and I really loved all the characters. As you can tell from the title, this book takes inspiration from Austen's Persuasion just as the one before played on Pride and Prejudice. Sonali captures both the wit and the inner turmoil of characters in a way that lends itself perfectly to an Austen retelling.

I enjoyed the book overall. I loved seeing the similarities between Austen and Dev. What I didn't like was getting preached to about politics. In the first book the politics were kept more general, but in this one they weren't. I read to escape politics, so it was irritating.

Well.....this isn't Jane Austen.

A retelling of sorts of Persuasion - brought into more modern time with alcoholism, suicide, rape, ptsd and panic attacks - things that the polite ladies of Jane Austen's book would NEVER speak about.

In this version - high school sweethearts (a chef, and a soccer player) are separated by family opposition and meet again, twelve years later, as participants in a culinary reality show. The contrast between the reality show and the dark past history of Ashna and her mother was jarring - and could probably has been handled with a lighter touch - or an easier transition.

Still, it had the elements - the barest bones of elements - of the familiar story - enough to keep me interested.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This is a beautiful book, I just wish there had been content warnings in the beginning. It tackles some very dark content, and it does so well, but it can still be heartbreaking to read.

A sweet second chance romance that warms the heart and fills the soul!

There was a cultural barrier but I feel the author did such an amazing job at opening her world to the reader! I felt in awe at the growth and strength of Ashna as I got to know who she was and where she came from!

Rico and Ashna didn’t have a smooth journey but Rico never gave up and fought for the love he knew he deserved! He fought for himself and he fought for Ashna!
A beautiful read that opened my eyes and heart to a new author!

This is the second in a series of Austen re-writes by Sonali Dev. Like *Pride and Prejudice and Other Flavors* the concept for this updating is clever - the protagonist and her high school boyfriend broke up because of her father's determination that he is socially inferior and thus inferior. Dev's premise here is a good one, but the writing isn't particularly engaging. There is a lot of telling instead of showing and it just feels thin. In the second half, when the novel probes Ashna's (Anne Elliot's) traumatic childhood experiences, it feels overwrought. By the time the revelations are made, there have been so many clues that they are not a surprise. Overall, this is a light read, but not a great one.

Sonali Dev can do NO wrong - her characters are sublime, her love stories are beautifully drawn, and and her descriptions of the Indian American experience are spot on. Taking on Jane Austen is no small feat, but in the hands of a master, there are just no worries!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy of this book. I love Jane Austen and Persuasion is a particular favorite of mine. I had really high hopes for this book but it just kind of fell flat. I found the backstory really sad. I think the author has a lot of promise and I will definitely read more by her but this book did not do it for me and it was difficult to complete. I am really between and 3 and 4 - 3.5 but will round down to 3 because it did not grab me.

Reading the synopsis and seeing the cute cover, I thought this was going to be a rom com. It's slow moving about 450 pages and deals a lot more with a tragic back story than romance. I would love to read more from this author but this just didn't do it for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing this eARC.

I was very excited about the premise of this one - I love a persuasion takeoff, and the cooking show and former footballer angles sounded fun. For me though, this one just didn't resolve into more than the sum of its parts. For some reason I wasn't really grabbed by it, and it took until about the 60% mark for it to pick up a bit. I think this one is a little long, it could have used an extra trim here and there, but I did like the characters and other elements here. It just wasn't quite the perfect read for me right now.

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev is an expertly told retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion that is at its core a story about love, romantic and familial.

Second Chance romance, yes! Jane Austen retelling, yes! Second book in the Rajes sage , yes!
I was super excited for the plot that takes place on a reality cooking show.

The descriptive writing is mesmerizing. The relationship between Ashna and Rico is swoon-worthy with the perfect amount of chemistry , even after 10 years. The emotional trauma and heavy topics addressed in the book are handled expertly with respect.

This is a multi-layered, complex story about second chances. Romantic second chances and second chances within families. not just romantically, but within families as well.

The story is told in alternating perspectives of Ashan and Rico and also Ashna's mother Shobi.

I fell in complete, total and utter love with the Raje family when I read Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors.

This story tells one of loss and redemption, not only between the Ashna and Rico but also between Ashna and her mother Shobi.

I love the angst that is portrayed only the way this author can. The family dynamics in the Raje family are complex and complicated.

This is a very well written story brimming with diversity and modern references that made me fell in love with Austen's Persuasion all over again.

Dynamic, elegant prose and flawless character building make Recipe for Persuasion a book you will not want to put down.

Highly recommend !

I think with this book Dev has crossed firmly over the "romance" line and into the "women's lit" category. This is a layered, complex story about second chances--not just romantically, but within families as well. And we get chapters from the point of view of not just the romantic leads, Ashna and Rico, but Ashna's mother Shobi as well. There was so much past pain for all of these characters that it made their second chance renewals that much sweeter and more heart touching. After [book:Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors|43500381], I was really in love with the Raje family, so I started from a happy place and was never disappointed for a second. With P&P, I was familiar enough with the source inspiration that I could identify the fun little connections. This time, I wasn't smart enough to re-read [book:Persuasion|2156] first, so I don't remember enough to comment on this story from that angle (though I may find myself reading it now just because I'm curious). Even without that, this story stands firmly on its own as another funny and heartwarming escape from one of my favorite authors.

This modern set retelling of an Austen classic transforms the tale of lost love to one of mothers and daughters, family expectations, loss, and regaining not only love, but family.

4.5 stars

In recent years, modernizing Jane Austen stories has become all the rage. In Recipe for Persuasion, Dev takes inspiration from Austen’s Persuasion to tell the story of Ashna Raje, a chef who reluctantly agrees to join the cast of Cooking with the Stars to save her struggling restaurant. She immediately regrets her hasty decision when she is paired with her first love, Rico Silva, who is now a FIFA soccer star. Their romance ended badly, and Ashna and Rico blame each other for the failed relationship. When they have a disastrous first meeting for Cooking with the Stars, the clip goes viral and they become social media darlings. The author hews close enough to Persuasion to warrant the inspiration claim but creates her own sweet, clever tale, a highly satisfying update of a classic story.

Ashna Raje is a great chef but her overbearing mother cannot be pleased with her and her choices. Because Ashna has a restaurant that's failing and she's desperately trying to save it. Well good news! She gets picked to be on a celebrity of sorts cooking show. She's so nervous and excited and wants desperately to prove to her mother and restaurant goers she has what it takes. It's a very exciting chance for her!

Until she's partnered with Rico Silva, a celebrity sports star AND past love of hers! Omg I love a book with food (foodie that I am) and throw a little exciting love story in there with a past. You got me hooked! Desperately wanting to win, not knowing how to work beside someone she once (still) loved? Could turn out disastrous in so many ways. And what will her mom think? Great book to read and a page turner.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for my ARC of this book. Highly recommended. Especially the food!