As a love story I did find this book to be very interesting with the tension between all of the characters and their complicated histories. A good chunk of the story had me in knots as I waited to see what happened to some of the characters and anxious to see how it all turned out. The author definitely was able to bring the complexities of the situations to the forefront which really had me hooked.
The book did give us a view into something I never really had known much about and that was how Indian recruits were forced to fight for the British in World War I, as that was their job, but the British had insincerely promised the Indian government to deliver Progressive self-rule at the end of the war, which did not happen.
It was sad to see these soldiers go off to fight a war which they would rather not have, with poor clothing for the climate and no great knowledge of the culture.
Again as the love story goes, to me it was an interesting read in a wonderful setting..
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. martin's Press for a copy of this book.

I have mixed opinions about the novel, Meet me in Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft.

The novel is set in Bombay around World War I, when Britishers ruled India. It is a romantic fiction about two Britishers, Luke, and Maddy. They love each other and get married. Luke goes to Europe to fight for England in World War I. Will they be reunited after the war?

Reading the book was an immersive experience of how life was in India for the Britishers. As far as I could understand, it was pretty comfy while the Indians suffered. Probably this is why it took me a long time to read this novel because I had an aversion to the ‘rich’ life of British characters until World War I started. There were complaints in almost every chapter about the extremely hot weather in Bombay. I wished the characters left for England instead of complaining and the story ended with that.

I got interested in the book after I finished about 50% of the book. While the author’s writing is flawless, the setting could be sensitive to a few Indians. It is surprising that the only mention about Indians is when the characters refer to the cooks or gardeners.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanusa for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Category: Adult romantic fiction
Publication Year: 2021

Meet Me In Bombay
By Jenny Ashcroft

I absolutely enjoyed reading this powerful and heartwrenching read. Set in the early 1900's in India, this book captured and immensed me into the story as Maddy and Luke first met each other that fated New Years Day. From the beautiful descriptions of the lush Indian landscape and the horrid loom of the coming Great War, the beautiful prose and story of how these lives collide and torn apart is a story I highly recommend. This poignant tale about love and loss tugged at my heartstrings and I am so enthralled with this amazing novel.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy. All opinions are my own.

The first half of this book was painfully slow for me, and I wasn't invested. I thought I knew exactly where the story was going... and then I was wrong! That's when I started to feel more engaged and couldn't put it down! Though much of the book takes place in England, I can see why it has drawn criticism for being a romanticized depiction of colonial India. The setting could have been moved to England entirely without drastically affecting the plot (and thus eliminating the problematic element). The draw for me was the question of "Will they find their way back to one another?" because I really cared about that conflict. I So Liked It by the end, but I might have DNF-ed early on if I didn't feel the need to stick with it longer to write a fair review. (3.5 stars)

The appeal of this book and story is certain, from the description and unfolding drama. However, the narration was too stream-of-consciousness for my taste and it was hard to stay engaged.

This is a historical fiction set at the beginning of 1914 in Bombay India ( what is now called Mumbai). Our main Characters are Maddy Bright and Luke Deveraux who are part of the English population. Maddy has just returned home for the first time since she was a small child, her mother is distant and almost cold. Maddy can only wonder why she is so cold and asks why she never visited her when she was growing up in England. Maddy ponders this while she tries to find something to occupy her time and the mysterious man she made eye contact with at the New Years party after her arrival seems to be a perfect way to do this. She starts to receive letters from him and a guidebook full of suggestions for interesting new places to visit in the city. Shortly after receiving the guidebook Luke finds himself back in Bombay and starts taking Maddy to restaurants only the locals know about and to the beach to watch sea turtles hatch. However, their happiness is not long lived just after they married Luke is sent to France to fight in the war. And as we know from the opening of the book he receives an injury that causes him to lose his memory and now he must regain so that he can return home to Maddy.

I loved this book until about the 75% mark, by that point Maddy was deeply depressed because everyone but her believed Luke was dead. I usually enjoy books that are this realistic but I had a hard time reading about Maddy’s depression while her family was pushing her to move on. Ultimately I had to DNF this book, and the reason was that the closer I got to the end it seemed like the story was all over the place. For example Guy who had previously been really nice and always loved Maddy became rather controlling and tried to change Maddy. It also became evident that Guy was racist when I didn’t think he had been earlier in the book, it was almost as though the author thought he should be villainized since he took Luke’s place. I understand that this book was meant to be realistic and would therefore be very sad but I did not care for it after I was three quarters in. Everyone is not everyone’s cup of tea and while this wasn’t mine I would still recommend it to friends.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the free book.

I have super mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I was completely invested in Maddy and Luke’s love story. I enjoyed how this was set during WWI. I had to know how it ended for them. But it should’ve been set somewhere else.

On the other hand, setting a novel in colonial India for the ‘exotic’ location and nothing else is super problematic. If you don’t know about British colonial rule in India, take some time to do some research. This book is only about white officers whose job it was to train Indian soldiers for the use in Britain’s army, even though they weren’t given anything from Britain in return.

This was my favorite book of the year so far! I stayed up way too late reading it because I just had to know what happened. The descriptions of India and the front line in WW1 were so realistic, and the main character's emotions were so real and so raw. I would absolutely recommend this book, and I can't wait to read more from this author! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review..

Started this one and just not enjoying it so quit about 35% in. Not connecting or caring about this one. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

A beautifully written historical romance with everything I love about a book! Wonderful writing, great true to life characters, breath taking descriptions about food, culture, landscape and a wonderful love story with captivating moments that made me talk back to the book.
Grabbed a 5 star rating from me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an ARC of this book.The opinions expressed are my own.

Meet Me In Bombay is a sweeping saga about all that is loved and lost as World War 1 casts its shadow over the Indies and English Rule. Maddy is recently returned to Bombay from schooling in England and falls immediately in love with a mysterious quiet man at the New Years celebration at the yacht club. As he courts her from afar she looks to the day he will return to Bombay... their love affair is beautiful, true and brief, as soon war breaks out and he leaves again. Luke suffers amnesia in battle, their struggle to return to each other is fraught with disinformation and political as well as personal sabotage. Will Maddy and Luke be reunited or will Maddy stay with Luke’s daughter Iris in Bombay settling on a safe life with the man her mother preferred from years ago? I enjoyed this book by Jenny Ashcroft. I do wish the ending had not been so succinct and tidy making a story that I was very involved in seem clipped and a bit rushed. I also at times found myself wishing that the author would refrain from adding so many side conversations in parenthesis within the writing as it could be distracting. I would still recommend this book for the historical time period and setting, it’s epic love story and the writing that so vividly captures life in Bombay. I received an ARC, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book via netgalley!

This is a mesmerizing love/ heartbreak story set in A beautifully described historical fiction. The Issue that I have with this book is that some of the setting can be a bit culturally insensitive for a fictional story. Maybe adding a preface touching upon some of these historical sensitivities would alleviate some of the Ackwardness.

I kind of went blind into this book because I loved the cover!! It grabbed me from the start and I was expecting at least one of the characters to be Indian. By no they were the colonizers falling in love in a place they colonized, robbed, enslaved and killed. and this kind of caused my interest to wane.

I know love happens anywhere anytime and that the story is fictional, but this just didn't feel romantic to me. It felt like Ashcroft was romanticizing colonialism. I still respect the work she has devoted to this book, but it's just not for me!

This is ultimately a love story, but it also provides a unique angle on the time period before, during, and after World War I while highlighting some lesser know aspects of the war, at least from an American perspective. The love story itself was relatively predictable, yet captivating all the same. I enjoyed this book and it kept me reading, but there were many parts where I could see everything coming. Still, this is an enjoyable and unique piece of historical fiction.

4.75 stars
Thank you to #NetGalley and #St.Martin'sPress for the chance to read and review this book. #MeetMeinBombay
A deeply moving love story set against the background of historical Bombay that is difficult to put down. You can feel the luxury afforded the British, the heat and humidity of the summer weather, and appreciate the sites and aromas that are offered. A story of the depths of love and the heights of emotions that can endure through conflict.
Reference to local sites of entertainment and traditional celebration were an added bonus. (born in India and have heard my parents speak of them!)
This book not only details the love story of Maddie and Luke, but the story of family love, forgiveness and belief in the future.
Add this one to your list, you won't regret it.

I'm not sure how to review this book to be honest. I loved the story line and thought the writing was beautiful. However, I'm not sure I'm okay with the descriptions of the location and characters. I struggled to finish this one and found it to drag on for quite a while. Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy.

This historical romance is mostly set in the Bombay during the days leading up the Great War. The British colony is full of young men involved in colonial affairs, but ultimately destined for the battlefields of France along with the Indian soldiers they will lead. Much of this story is about deception and loss, the lies we tell those we love as we try to protect them, the futility of trying to create happiness for someone else, and the power of self-sacrifice as a test of true love.

Perhaps heavier on romance than on history, this book still pleasurably evokes its time and place.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a heartbreaking story! The wonder of love found an the angst of separation because of war is so gripping in this story. The descriptive writing is so beautiful and opened the world of Bombay and the trenches in France. There is so much depth in this must read story!

Meet Me in Bombay is such a beautiful book that encourages the reader to soar on the promise of new love while confronting the harsh reality that humans are in fact fallible creatures and historical events reflect that. Madeline is an incredibly lovable protagonist. I loved her spunk from the get-go but she's also compassionate and deeply caring about those around her. The love story between her and Luke is an easy one, they are each other's special person from the first meeting, but the world is on the brink of WWI and both are connected to the coming war in several ways. I think the honest beauty of their romance juxtaposed perfectly with the bitterness of the world they live in throughout the story.

My favorite thing about this book is the character development. The POV cast (those we get to read from the perspectives of) undergoes a lot of changes throughout the story and I think the plot is better for it. As the world events continue on, the inner world of characters like Madeline, Luke, her mother, and others grows as well. The author deftly jumps between the characters and throughout the timeline as the reader moves between past, present, and future without any confusion. My only criticism is that the pacing was a bit slow in places but I've read several English-woman-in-India historical romances and I consider this one to be the best of them all. Any historical romance reader will enjoy this one.

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Madeline Bright was regretting her decision to leave England and return to Bombay to live with her parents, but in 1913, young ladies did as they were told to do. Maddy, a curious and free-spirited young lady, loved the excitement of Bombay, and was grateful that her best friends Della and Peter were also here with her. At a New Year’s celebration, Maddy and Luke Devereaux met and quickly fell in love, to her mother Alice’s chagrin, as she wanted Maddy to marry Guy, an important doctor and colleague of Maddy’s father Richard. The War is coming closer, threatening everything, and Maddy and Luke decide to be married before Luke is called to fight. Maddy was devastated when she received word that Luke had been killed in action, never having known his baby daughter Iris.

I enjoyed the exotic setting, and would have liked even more detail on the surroundings. At first, I felt Maddy was a typical bored society girl, with bored society friends, in a foreign location where they were the ruling class and therefore had nothing really to do. When she fell in love with Luke, I saw her character deepening and developing, and after Luke’s death, she survived her heartache and even managed to rebuild her life. Meet Me in Bombay is a beautiful story that shows the reader that love triumphs over everything.