4 stars.

I LOVE seeing books with South East rep, especially when the main character isn't this perfect light skinned, skinny girl ideal that a lot of harmful stereotypes are based around. Zoya has been faced with those her whole life. Always too dark, too fat and seen as a burden on her family since she's the only child. Luckily she has a good support system in the terms of her cousins and friends - which are SO important.

Were there things about the book I disliked? absolutely. I think the whole health craze talk was a little absurd. Sure no one wants to let low cal, butter and bread less food forever, but Zoya acting like it was the end of the world for a meal or two was a little over the top. Also the entire pacing of the story seemed a little odd to me, the ex boyfriend seemed more like a unnecessary plot point than anything else.

But the things I LOVED far outweighed the things I didn't. Seeing the women in her family struggle with the patriarchy and the crushing of their own dreams for one was both heartbreaking and surreal. I think about my own mother and wonder what dreams she must've had before her marriage. And I hope that I am bold and brave enough to chase my own. At the root of it, this story is really about sisterly love, and the unspoken bonds and rules women have. I think the ending was perfectly suited for this story.

Zoya Sahni is a 26-year-old marketing whiz who lives in Bombay; she's the only child of two adoring parents, self-identifies as fat, and is about to age out of the competitive marriage market. Her family, including Auntie Sheila Bua, are desperate to see her wed, and Zoya agrees to an engagement with Lalit despite having very little in common with him. While THE RULES OF ARRANGEMENT presumably checks all my boxes for one of my favorite romance genres, I struggled to connect with Zoya, whose willful ignorance and internalized fatphobia made it difficult to care about her romantic, professional, or personal success.

I'll take the second grievance first: fatphobia. I'm certainly not of the belief that all fat characters have to embrace their bodies with positivity and glee, but I found Zoya's perpetual self-criticism tiresome. Rather than showing Zoya's struggle to self-accept, Bhatia portrays a protagonist full of harmful judgment of herself and others. For example:
- Zoya imagines passive-aggressively insulting an "Annoying Auntie" by saying "Have you lost weight, Auntie? I bet you can fit into a 4XL now!"
- She observes a "dreadfully large woman" entering a room.
- Describing her future MIL (a health nut, but not someone struggling with ED--at least not on the page): "her anorexic face"
- Trainers at a gym ridicule Shiela Bua when she has trouble breathing after using a treadmill: "We've seen it before. You are just gasping hard and all your fa--weight is putting pressure on your lungs." (We later find out that Sheila Bua is extremely ill.)

These are just a handful of examples, but the book is brimming with micro-agressions. Zoya's worldview relies on extremely immature binaries: "Because she's thin, and thin people are happy, and happy people don't need to stuff themselves silly with food, right?" She also talks about food as a drug: "...my dealers deliver the very substance home, neatly packaged, hot and steaming, ready to consume. What is my escape?"

To frame all of this further, Zoya reveals she is a straight-size XXL.

Romance is moving toward inclusiveness and diversity, and this includes the body types we're seeing on the page. ONE TO WATCH, SPOILER ALERT, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT SWEETIE, and IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE, NONI BLAKE all feature fat protagonists who experience health, happiness, love, satisfaction, and positive embodied experience. Even though Zoya eventually arrives at a "revelation" that "Being Thin Is No Guarantee of Happiness," the conclusion is inspired by seeing an unhappy skinny person, not by her own experience of happiness that has nothing to do with body size.

It was hard for me to ignore my constant frustration with Zoya's internalized fatphobia, and my annoyance was only compounded by her unwillingness to see extremely obvious goings-on in the world around her. Lalit being hung up on his ex, the identity of her secret admirer, Tanya's humanness... Zoya is too self-involved to see any of it. Reveals only come because other characters articulate them--not because Zoya figures anything out on her own.

I appreciated how much of Bombay we get to see in THE RULES OF ARRANGEMENT -- and not a super-sanitized version, like we get in a lot of Indian romance. I only wish the book's protagonist was as dynamic and nuanced as the setting.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Release Date: Expected 13th July 2021



Zoya is twenty-six years old and very single. So by the standards of her exceptionally traditional family, she's practically a spinster. She loves her family, and would love them to be happy - but maybe not at the expense of her own happiness. But now, her aunties have found the most perfect potential match for her ... just as she finally gets an offer for her dream job on the other side of the world.

Before now, the only rebellion happened inside her head, but now she has to make a choice and decide exactly who she wants to be - a loyal daughter and a loving wife? Or a brave, risk-taking independent woman?

But is the world (and Zoya's family) finally ready to realise that women can and will 'have it all?'

I've never been to Bombay, but Bhatti had me transported to another part of the world through Zoya's colourful inner monolouge and vibrant thoughts - she had a beautiful, almost poetic way of describing the world around her as though it was a vivid dream. Zoya was the most perfectly imperfect character and she was so charming right from the moment we meet her, and completely impossible not to love.

As we go on the biggest journey of her life so far, we watch Zoya try to the find the balance - old and new, love and work, tradition or restarting.

This story had such a warmly familiar 'coming of age' feel to it, and just goes to show it doesn't matter how old you are - there's always time to get to know yourself. This was a love story - about family, friends, romance but most importantly about loving yourself.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐



Thank you to Anisha Bhatia and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I was very excited for this book as it featured a fat, desi MC and was set in Mumbai, however I couldn't seem to enjoy it. I think that the writing just couldn't pull me in, or maybe it was the wrong timing for me to be reading this book. Either way, it just didn't seem to work for me.

I was bored and it felt like it was dragging on forever. This may be due to the fact I prefer more fast paced books and couldn't have patience for the plot to get thicker.

The Rules of Arrangement by Anisha Bhatia is a wonderful, heartwarming, and contemporary fiction novel that is a breath of fresh air. Yes, this is a contemporary romance, but it is honestly so much more.

I really, really enjoyed reading the story of Zoya Sahni. She is a down to earth, intelligent, realistic, and amazing young woman that has a heart of gold. She is a traditional young Indian woman in the aspect that she is respectful, loyal, and wants to make her family happy, yet she is modern in that she wants more then just to be a housewife wrangled into an arranged marriage. Here we see her internal struggle as she tries to find herself, her place in life, what her own destiny will be, all the while trying to satisfy her own inner thoughts that can at times be self-defeating and the naysayers that balk at the different path that she is seeking. Her journey through this book is what I enjoyed the most.

Zoya is real, raw, fiery, and not presented in the cookie cutter image that a lot of books create for their main female character. Her own personal and external issues are struggles any real woman can identify with. That is what makes her so likable and so endearing...and it is what kept me rooting for her the whole way through.

I loved this book, Zoya, and the messages of accepting oneself flaws and all, that we females are more then just a dress size, hair color, or what society expects of us. We are so much more and we owe it to ourselves to be more like Zoya.

Fabulous!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Alcove Press for this stunning arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

Disclaimer: I got this ARC in exchange for an honest review from: @NetGalley.

I loved reading about Zoya's story. She's not the perfect Indian family and has a supportive family for the most part. It's rare to find desi stories where the protagonist doesn't hate her family. I would love to see more stories like this!!

Rules of Arrangement had me laughing, crying, cheering and craving amazing foods I've never even heard of. Anisha Bhatia brings us along and immerses her readers deep in a world steeped with tradition and ambushing aunties as we follow 26 year old, unmarried, Zoya as she struggles to find balance between honoring her family and honoring herself.

Zoya has never fit in and never been allowed to forget it. Her skin is too dark, waist too thick and as she approaches 27 the fact that she is unmarried is a source of shame for her traditional Indian family. Luckily, Zoya's auntie is a successful matchmaker and the race to the alter is on.

While Zoya may struggle to be a Diamond Daughter, she is amazing in her professional career. So amazing that she is up for a big promotion that will whisk her 8,000 miles away to New York City. Far away from family expectation and into a world full of possibilities and freedom.

Zoya tries desperately to reconcile the two side of her life is a uproaringly funny Indian Bridget Jones style tale filled with heart that will not leave your disappointed. I love this book and gave it 5 stars but wish I could give it 6 for all the Harry Potter references!

Wow. This was such a fun book. I wasn’t sure what to expect; the description said Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows meets Crazy Rich Asians and I enjoyed both, so I thought I’d read this too. And I’m so glad I did because this was so fun. I was snorting out loud with laughter! The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the trope about a secret admirer and them never guessing who it is, even though it’s so obvious. Bur this story had heart, family, great characters, and a solid ending. The ending could have gone so many ways, but I think they chose the best.

The premise of The Rules of Arrangement is so good, but the delivery left much to be desired. To be completely honest here it felt like I had read this book on Wattpad (sorry!!). There was a lot of internalized dialogue that didn't bring me closer to the main character, Zoya, and a lot of cliches that didn't bode well with the preemptive themes of the novel. The first half of the novel drags on as you meet the roughly 500 characters and get a sense of the character's life. The second half is where all of the action is and the pace reflects that. I will say that the book is incredibly descriptive and definitely brings the flavors of India to life.

Likes:

Shelia Bua Zoya's closest aunt is probably my favorite character in the novel. She is complex and full of layers that are pulled back piece by piece throughout the novel. Once you think you understand her, there's something that comes along that makes you question that. I got annoyed with her a couple of times, but that didn't make me dislike her character.

Plot: I'm a sucker for books about breaking against the norms of the world and becoming your own person. While this wasn't the most perfect reflection of that, I still liked it. I found the plot to be interesting and kept me reading. I rather enjoyed all of the subplots about Shelia Bua, Tanya, Aisha, and Arnav. They were fascinating and added majorly to the book overall. I actually kept reading because of them.

Setting/Culture: You know when you read a book and you're instantly transported to where it's taking place? That's this book. Bhatia is great at describing the scene. You get a sense of the colors, the scents, the tastes, the overall feel of the scene. It's phenomenal. It was so good that I actually went out and bought samosas because I became that hungry reading the book. Seriously! Her descriptions really brought the book together when the internal dialogue became too much because I was then placed in the world and not just Zoya's head.

Dislikes:

Zoya: You spend a lot of time in Zoya's head and her inconsistent character makes it incredibly frustrating. I understand the need to want to appease your family and follow tradition and yet still want independence and to rebel. That is a very comprehendible dilemma. However, the constant back and forth without any action by Zoya makes her a very annoying main character. She's supposed to be moving the story, that's why she's the MC. Additionally, her internalized fatphobia is incredibly shocking. She has no self esteem and is constantly berating herself for being fat but is also okay with it? Plus the constant descriptions of food and wanting to shove it in her mouth is just off putting. I wanted to root for her. But I couldn't find it in me to do so. She's supposed to be progressive and intelligent but I'm not sure I think she deserved her degrees for the lack of knowledge she has. I was just very upset with her.

Stereotypes: The book relies heavily on stereotypes to continue through. Her "evil" cousin is slim and constantly throws insults at Zoya because she's fat. Zoya's boss is attractive, attentive, and has a heart of gold under his rough outer shell. Her friends are attractive and just progressive enough to bode well with the story, but also traditional enough to make her feel bad about herself. There's more, but I think you get the idea.

Theme :Zoya is from a wealthy family and the only way for her to find happiness is either through an unwanted marriage or to move to New York with a slight promotion makes for a very depressing outlook. I was hoping for some kind of uplifting element to it, whether reasonable or not. There's a bit of a promise at the end, but it leaves more doubts and questions than answers. I was hoping for Zoya to embrace who she is as a dark-skinned, fat woman who has her own hopes and dreams. It's not really there. I was just disappointed. I am probably projecting my own opinions on to the book, so

Long Story Short
Do I recommend this book? Yes, but with a note that this is more of a critique of societal norms than a full blown romance. Honestly if Bhatia were to write a sequel I would 100% be down for it! I want to know how Zoya's life turns out after this novel with everything that happened in this one!!! If you're willing to bare through the internalized dialogue to make it to the great parts of the plot I totally recommend reading this with a plate of dal, samosas, and lassi next to you.

I came for the cover and stayed for the absolutely delightful, funny, heartwarming and daring story!

It makes my heart full, reading such a delicious, feminist (more-than-just-a-) romance featuring people of color. The Rules of Arrangement is a story of Zoya, a plus-size Indian girl who, at the age of 26, is already past the age of an ideal wedding according to the society. When her aunties are ready to match her with a suitor, Zoya receives a job offer in New York that she doesn't want to pass on. This is when she needs to decide if she will follow her own heart or stay obedient to her family - whom she nonetheless loves to pieces.

But what's more, this novel is also focused on the struggles of a darker skinned, plus-size woman in the world of modern dating which is hypercritical of bodies like hers. Zoya is honestly just perfect and a character and the reader can tell she loves herself unconditionally, but the pressures she faces on a daily basis would inevitably get to anyone.

This book was so much fun - sprinkled with humor yet very clever and profound, memorable and powerful. Zoya is a character I would want to become best friends forever in a heartbeat.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was full of heart and ended up being so much more than just the romance that I was expecting. It was about family and friends and following your dreams even when the people and culture surrounding you is against it. The book also addresses the struggle that women who are of a larger size have when it comes to not only dating but acceptance from those around them. I don’t know how accurate the representation of Indian culture was, but the book shared a new perspective that may be new and will be valuable to readers.

Zoya knows that her family expects her to get married, while she is more focused on her successful career, they are ready to arrange her marriage as she has been unsuccessful on her own. Zoya has always been the “fat one” and doesn’t see herself having many prospects for a good match. When a rich handsome man makes her an offer she can’t refuse Zoya gets engaged, even though she’s pretty sure the health crazed Lalit is not a good match for her and seems to have ulterior motives. She is convinced that love isn’t in the cards for her, but a surprise twist involving a secret admirer may show her that she has been wrong all along.

When i read the synopsis for this title I was excited. I'd adored books by Sonali Dev and Sajini Patel last year with similar themes and loved them. I initially thought I was going to enjoy this book, but I was soon easily annoyed. The descriptions of the aunties and the protagonist herself just made me angry. It brought nothing to the story. Sorry of the scenarios set up along the road to the end were funny, I will grant that. Overall I was frustrated, disappointed and sad at the route this book took.
Thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review

*****ARC provided in exchange for an honest review****
I loved this book! As a single girl in my late 20s I could very much relate to the main character Zoya. That was the beauty of this book, the relatability. Even though the main character Zoya is living in Bombay and in that regard lives a life very different from my own I could connect with her as a character, and relate as she struggled to find herself and what life had in store for her. I also enjoyed the romance in this book, although there were times when I struggled when I knew that Zoya deserved better but I was happy with the way that it ended. I think that reading culturally diverse books is so important and am really glad I gave this book a shot! I would gladly read anything else by Anisha Bhatia

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review an eARC of The Rules Of Arrangement in exchange for an honest review.

Zoya is a marketing MBA from a rich family living in a fancy area of Mumbai and loves to explain the food she eats in excruciating detail to people not acquainted with Indian cuisine. That's how narratives presumably go in her head. My real angst with this book is her internal incoherence- that she wants to live with her family's approval and doesn't put up resistance to most things and yet wants to rebel and live the exact same family life she's sick and tired of being subjected to. Even worse, her fatphobia is startling, whether internalized or not. This protagonist we're supposed to root for is a bumbling buffoon (could have been charming) with progressive ideals (smoking pot and casual sex, not in terms of opposing endogamy and patriarchy rampant in her own life) and little to no self esteem.

Her growth arc was incomprehensibly despondent. If it takes so much for a rich, privileged, accomplished woman in India to find "freedom" (going to NYC for work for a 5% salary raise), the odds are it's never going to happen to anybody else. She's meant to be relatable and somehow the book fails to deliver on that by dovetailing it to a Bandra girl who speaks the way Shobaa Dé writes, has curly hair and refuses fairness creams and has incredibly hot friends and a suspiciously nice boss. The freedom arc with her aunt is suspiciously similar to her own, and it doesn't bode well for Zoya's life after the book ends. I hope she finds her freedom, but I'm not sure that is likely with someone of her Bombay-ness and her droll acquiescence with "tradition" (aka the Rules of Arrangement) and internalized misogyny ever can.

I think I have the same problems with this book that I'd with a Karan Johar film. They take on big issues and slap some five star glitter on it and decide that a resolution isn't the real endgame, but a wedding (or a prospect of). I also know in my gut that my mom and everyone in her demographic will enjoy this book, and that it will be a success by and large. Not to say that I didn't enjoy the brief interactions of Zoya and Arnav. They just got impossibly lost in the whole OTTness of the rest of it- which maybe was the point, but I'd like a solid HEA if I had to go through all of the family drama to get to the romance.

I was lucky enough to get an Advanced Reader Copy of The Rules of Arrangement, which I couldn't put down as it was such a gripping read to learn about Zoya, her family and her religion.
The Rules of Arrangement is the first ever book that I've read including and Indian Family and this has shown me that religion works in many different ways.
The Rules of Arrangement was a quick read for me which I absolutely enjoyed.
Anisha Bhatia writing style is absolutely amazing and the way the story is formed is beautiful. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read story that include different religion to their own

I am happy this book ended the way I wanted... I wanted to shake Zoya and tell her to speak up, say no, tell them off. But of course she has traditions and rulea to follow.. This book gave me great insight on indian marry culture and women treatment...
The fact that Zoya realized her worth and power is the true win for me.
I love the book cover, loved what the book represents and means.. Just loved it

I really enjoyed this book. This book is not like your typical romance. I was anticipating just from the title a romance between a guy and girl thrown into an arranged marriage and that alone BUT this book is so much more. This book is definitely one that should not be passed up if you want to read a romance and learn something. Not just about the character but about yourself too. Zoya is a plus sized girl and throughout the book she does acknowledge it. She loves herself and is not apologetic about it. I commend her for that since its not easy to do so if that is all you think about-or family members point it out constantly. She opens herself up to the possibilities of life. I did not quite understand why the author spent so much time on the family but as I read the book and turned the final pages, I understood. Zoya has a deep love for her family and for her ambitions in life and must choose who to honor, them or herself? I loved Zoya's character and how fun it was to read about her love for food, family and New York City. I too love all those things so I felt like I could relate. This book will make you make you laugh and make you want to hug every family member after you finish. I personally have never heard of the author Anisha Bhatia, but I would definitely read more books from her in the future.