The blurb made it seem very interesting. But sadly information that we maybe could have gotten earlier we got very late. Pryja was very meh as a character.... Dallas was so and so. But i were just bored, did not feel like they had any chemistry.

This was my first experience with this author and I found it to be an entertaining read. I have been exposed to quite a bit of Indian culture, so I could relate to many parts of the story. The romance that developed between Priya and Dallas was slow and steady but also had plenty of sizzle. I enjoyed the feisty and witty banter between the two and how that banter eventually developed into something more. The representation of the customs and culture was done nicely and I really enjoyed that. The only drawback to this book was that it started out a bit slow and it took me awhile to get into it. But once I did, I really enjoyed it. Very entertaining, I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read!

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Tried to like this romance, but after the rather disturbing scene at the start - heroine meeting hero, potentially being in the right in a near-miss accident, but then bodily trying to push the hero to make her point (or her frustration known) and then trying to kick him in the shin when she couldn't move him? Sorry, but is she five-years-old on the recess court at kindergarten?
This totally killed the enjoyment for me, and then, being desi myself, the fact that being desi is 'supposed' to be everything about loving Bollywood music, spicy curry, and sparkling heavy jewellery? That is a cliché if I ever saw one, which further killed the vibe for this story, unfortunately

An Indian-Canadian woman in her late twenties—Priya—is a caterer and part-time private investigator who doesn't believe in finding the one true love of her life. But when she literally bumps into a hot vice president—Dallas—their shared interest in a sport called pickleball commences a journey of developing feelings for each other. Represented as a desi, Priya loves Bollywood songs and dance, delicious spicy food, and stunning jewelry; and while some would say that her lack of connection within the south asian community doesn't read so well, I don't personally believe in setting up a checklist for what an Indian cultural representation should entail. Having said that, her character still fails to come alive since it underdelivers on past instances in her life that must hold a certain importance; such as her being an orphan, inheriting substantial wealth, or no strong display of a close friendship. In contrast, the love interest shines through a gentle, confident personality that logically questions but also patiently waits. As a backbone of the story, the romance doesn't impress any further than the initial slow-burn and yearning or the few steamy scenes in between. Intentional or not, the choppy sequencing and certain aspects create a humorous undertone which can be labelled entertaining to an extent.

Ok, well, can I be honest? I just don't know about this book. It has some good points, but it felt like I didn't really get to know the main character. Let's see if I can explain.

The story is about Priya Keelor, a woman in her late 20's. She lives in Canada, but certain things in the story tell me that she's of Indian descent (her name and her love of Bollywood). But the author--Nalini Warriar--doesn't really come right out and say that until about 75% into the story. We also learn midway into the story that she's an orphan, but don't find out until much later why. Warriar tells us that Priya's alone in the world, yet later we learn that one of her friends has actually been in her life since they went to boarding school together. In England. So that's another interesting thing about her -- she lived in England before moving to Canada. Late in the book we find out why. We also find out that her deceased parents were very wealthy. Again, very late in the book.

I wish these facts were moved up to the front of the story. It would have given me a chance to know and better understand Priya's motivations. It would have helped me have more empathy for Priya.

I think that's the gist of the problem -- it's hard to get to know and care about Priya, because the most important parts of her backstory are buried near the end of the book. Throughout the book, when she acted in ways that just seemed immature for her age, I just didn't understand why she would do that. For example, she has a growing attraction for the second character in the story, yet at one point she kicks him in the shin and at another point she sprays him with pepper spray. I felt sorry for Dallas, because it didn't seem like he deserved either action. But if I knew her backstory earlier, I would have understood that she had the tendency to act first and think about it later, the by-product of being without parents or siblings since age 16. That she had to have a thick skin and tough exterior to survive alone in the world..

The story has so much potential to give the reader a peek into the life of a woman who suffered through a major trauma and came out stronger and better. To help the reader understand the challenges of adapting from one culture and lifestyle to another one. It appears that Priya may have made two major moves into different cultures and lifestyles: India to England, then England to Canada. Adding this into the story could have given it depth and a deeper substance. After all, those experiences made Priya special and unique. I think the author missed this opportunity.

Some of the transitions between scenes were too abrupt. Sometimes the transitions occurred without chapter -- or even paragraph -- breaks. For example, Priya was in her apartment in one sentence, and in the next sentence she was at her catering business, or on the beach, or at the shelter where she volunteered. The author moved on to another place and time without giving the reader a warning. It was a bit unsettling.

On positive side, the author's second character (Priya's eventual love interest) was better developed on the pages. Dallas was a patient man who was willing to wait until Priya discovered her feelings for him. I think that's why he was called "Mr. Go Slow" by his brothers and friends. He put up with Priya's antics without getting angry, and he was there for her whenever she needed someone around, like the time when she was in the hospital because of an assault. Priya would say "I need to do this by myself" and he would give her space, but still stayed in contact with her, even when she tried to push him away because she needed to be an "independent woman."

There are some beautifully described romantic scenes scattered throughout the book. One of my favorites was the evening that Dallas and Priya were on the beach. It reminded me of the beach scene in Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" video. It must have inspired Warriar too, because "Wicked Game" later became Priya & Dallas' song.

Should you read the book? I think if you have an interest (or even just a curiosity) about Bollywood or Pickleball, you will find the book entertaining. I think if you are looking for a light read, this could possibly fill the spot. (However, there are some serious issues mentioned in this book, which take it out of the "beach read" category.). If you are in the mood for a book with some gorgeous romantic scenes and a slow burn relationship, this would be your book. Just be patient, because the best comes closer to the end of book!

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for providing an ARC in return for a fair, unbiased review.

Thhank you #netgalley for the copy of #mr.goslow!! This is such a cute story of kindling and sizzling romance between Priya and Dallas!! Being born in India and migrated to United States, I was able to relate to the story. Priya is a modern Indian girl living in Canada with ties attached to her culture, but stands up for what she believes in. She loves to dance and if you would know Indian music, Bollywood is all about dancing and singing :D All of Priya’s ethnic dresses and jewelry reminds me of my closet full of Indian clothes and jewelry that I am not able to wear during this quarantine times. I loved the chemistry between Priya and Dallas, how slowly and steadily their banter transforms into attraction and romance was very nicely portrayed by the author. Overall I would rate this book 4 stars as it took me a while to get into the story!!!!!

This book hovered between the 2.5-3 star range for me.

I think more romance novels definitely need to feature more “family of choice” moments in their works because this is one of the tropes I really loved about this book that I thought was applied well.

“Mr. Go Slow” tells the story of Priya and Dallas, neighbours and passionate pickleball players who get to know each other while playing pickleball at the same club.

The romance aspect of this book definitely takes it time although the attraction between Priya and Dallas starts very early on in this book. I’d definitely recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of slow-burn romances.

While there are aspects of the book I did enjoy, personally the pacing was off and it felt like ”Mr. Go Slow” was trying to do too many things in terms of Priya’s character while telling me nothing about her at all.

Although the majority of the book seemed to be told from Priya’s perspective, the narration of the book shone when Dallas’ voice took over. I also had issues with the pacing and plot points, which at times felt very messy.

While I think this book is Indian inspired, as a desi, Priya didn't read like an Indian character apart from her love of Bollywood and Indian food and clothes. I think it was her lack of South Asian friends or South Asian community that threw me off because most people I know, no matter how estranged from the community at least have friends or a point of contact within the South Asian community and Priya didn't have any of that which struck me as odd.

There were moments in the book that didn't sit well with me, particularly in terms of Priya and the words used to describe her ethnicity. While the author does an ok job in trying to explain it, I still think at times it came in too little, too late, especially because we get all of Priya’s character development towards the very end of this novel.

I would think that if anyone wanted a slow-burn read surrounding an unusual sport, this may be the read for you.

TW: For attempted suicide

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

Caterer, Bollywood dancer and part-time private investigator Priya Keelor is living life easy. She's single, doesn't believe in marriage or relationships and is happy with her decision! (I mean who needs men anyway, haha). Dallas Crenshaw is an uber-sexy, bearded, VP who is super chill and laid back. When Dallas and Priya collide, quite literally, things get a bit heated. However, Priya is not Dallas's type but Priya is willing to go with the flow. Their shared interest in pickleball, spicy food, Bollywood dance/music brings them together. What's going to happen when Dallas starts to have feelings, will Priya let him in forever or is she going stay drifting the ocean?

This book was super refreshing and such a fun read. As a South Asian, I don't get to read or see a lot of representation of us in Western media. Recently, there have been a few books with South Asian characters however they are so typical and not relatable at all. Either the book is about an arranged marriage, trying to get married or how the girl ran away from India to America because she didn't want to get married. I mean we are so much more than that & the accents!

I loved the representation however and have to read every book with a South Asian character. I was a bit skeptical going into this book as I wasn't sure what pickleball was and how much it would be apart of the story. I am really glad it was a common ground for both the characters instead of it taking over the novel.

I loved Priya. She was in tune with her culture but wasn't shown as the typical desi girl from India. I just wanted to raid her closet and borrow her Indian clothing and jewellery. The fact that the story takes place in Ontario and around Toronto/Kingston hits so close to home. As a South Asian girl who loves Bollywood dances, lives in Toronto and loves spicy food, Priya is my spirit animal. She is wilder, a lot more fun and can throw back tequila shots like candy. A character I absolutely loved and I won't be forgetting about for a while.

Dallas Crenshaw though! I really felt like I was reading a book about me. Dallas is my dream man. Super sexy, that beard, laid back, logical did I mention sexy! UGH, where can I find a Dallas? Dallas is so respectful and the fact that he listens to Sufi music just put the icing on the cake. Is he secretly brown?! He's so cute spying on Priya while she dances. It reminds me of those cute short stories my grandma would tell me about the Indian prince spying on the princess dancing at night and he could only see her shadow and nothing else. So cute!

It did take a while to get into this book. I was about 30 pages in and honestly was starting to get bored. Yes, the characters were fun and I loved their introductions however, I was a bit confused with the transition of scenes. There wasn't a lot of explanation of what the characters were doing and then all of a sudden they were doing something else.

Also the introduction of both characters and their interaction in the first half of the book, it seemed as if there was no chemistry. I was getting friendly stranger vibes from them during the first half. I think that's why I was starting to lose interest in the book. Oh, but that second half of the book! I promise it's worth the read. The second half of the book is where the steaminess starts. The slow build-up of romance and yearning between the two is what got me going. I live for this type of romance. When they finally got together, oh yeah! It's worth the read.

Overall, I had a really fun time reading this book. It made me laugh tons and the relatability of the characters is what kept me going. I stayed for the steaminess and I'm so glad I did. If you love Bollywood, Indian clothing and a build-up romance this book is for you.

3.75/5 Stars