This book didn’t go how I expected it to for a number of reasons. I liked the characters a lot. The plot was a little bit disjointed at times but the emotions were tangible. I would recommend to people looking for a quick holiday read with a little bit of love at first sight.

A Holly Jolly Diwali follows Twenty-nine-year-old Niki Randhawa who lost her job and spontaneously books a last-minute flight for her friend Diya's wedding. When Niki arrives in India, she meets London musician Sameer Mukherji. Niki is immediately drawn to Sam and through the wedding and the group honeymoon the feelings between them grow even more. Sam helps Niki let go of her worries and embrace her Indian roots.
But when she gets a job offer back home, Niki must decide whether she'll go home or choose embracing life and Sam.

This was a swoon worthy romance book about growth and embracing all the life as to offer and taking chances.

Cute, but a little too cheesy. If someone is looking for a romance that takes place during a holiday I'd suggest it, but sadly it's not on my list of top romances you have to read right this second.

We need more books like this! "Holiday books" usually fall under the category of "Christmas romances" -- which, in my opinion, there's an oversaturation of in the book market -- hence, A HOLLY JOLLY DIWALI felt like a breath of fresh air. Not only was it interesting to read about, but the romance was swoon-worthy! Can't wait to read more from Sonya Lalli.

✨ REVIEW ✨⁣
A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli (@berkleyromance #BerkleyRomancePartner)⁣
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Is she writing a review immediately after finishing the book? Who is she? 😌⁣
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What I liked:⁣
-The commentary on being a daughter of immigrants, and how it can often be complicated⁣
-Niki’s trip to India for the first time and discovering where her parents came from & how she feels not Indian enough⁣
-Her relationship with her sister and her parents⁣
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What I didn’t like:⁣
-The romance 🥲 This definitely falls into the insta-love trope, which isn’t my favorite⁣
-The last 25% felt very…chaotic LOL⁣
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Read this one if you’re looking for a sweet, funny book with lots of heart ✨

A Holly Jolly Diwali is a great novel full of romance and Indian culture. I loved reading about Niki's experiences in India and embracing her culture. Niki is always practical but after booking a last minute trip for her friend's wedding in India, she decides to have a holiday fling with Sam. The fling doesn't quit turn out the way she plans. I really enjoyed Niki and Sam's relationship and seeing how Niki reacted in different situations. Niki has always felt pressured by her family to be perfect. I recommend A Holly Jolly Diwali for anyone looking for a fun holiday book or wants to learn more about Indian culture.

Thank you Berkley Romance for A Holly Jolly Diwali.

I loved this book so much! This was the perfect romance. The sparks between Sam and Niki’s chemistry just crackled off the page. I loved the story and I really enjoyed all the characters. Perfect book to read during another quarantined holiday.

When twenty-nine year old Niki is suddenly laid off from her job, she decides to do something uncharacteristic and fly to India for her best friend’s wedding on a spur of the moment vacation. She arrives in India in time to celebrate Diwali before the wedding. Niki meets Sam, a London musician, and is instantly attracted to him. The attraction is mutual so they decide to go on a group trip with the newlyweds. However, on that trip, their whirlwind romance is threatened when they have to come to terms with their different lifestyles.

This was a book about celebration. It wasn’t necessarily a Christmas novel, because only the final chapters took place during Christmas. Niki celebrated Diwali, and most of the novel was about her friend’s wedding. There were different kinds of celebrations, and they all gave the story a very festive feel.

I flew through this book. It was fast paced and exciting. It wasn’t steamy but I loved the romance. I fell in love with the characters and I really want to know where their story is heading next!

A Holly Jolly Diwali is a fun, festive romance!

Thank you Berkley Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a slight change to your holiday reason, check out A Holly Jolly Diwali! It was nice to mix up my Christmas books with our culture celebrations like Hanukkah and Diwali.

Niki is an analyst who always does what’s expected. When she is let go from her job, she decides to use the time off to go to India for her best friends wedding, arriving just in time for Diwali. She meets Sam, the lead singer of the band and hits it off when them. They have a slow build friendship to maybe more and they go to the wedding together. They also join her friend Diya and her new husband for a group honeymoon (this is a thing?! It sounds fun!) Sam is definitely more creative and encourages Niki to do what she wants, not what is expected.

I loved all of the cultural aspects of this book, especially the wedding customs and the references to the delicious food. But I didn’t really feel too much chemistry between Niki and Sam. I did empathize with Niki about her parents expecting her to do what they wanted; particularly after her sister chose to do what she wanted. My favorite part was the sister’s fight over their mother’s yellow sari!🥻

It was a very cute book that was short and sweet. Thank you so much to @berkleypub for this gifted copy. A Holly Jolly Diwali is on sale now!

This book mostly went out of my head as soon as I finished reading it. The romance didn't particularly satisfy me and I had a hard time feeling connected to the main character. The cultural discussion was interesting but overall something felt like it was missing.

it was really enjoyable to watch niki’s story unfold in this book. learning about her culture and Diwali and watching niki gain an importance for it was something I loved about this story.

there wasn’t much of a romance to root for, to be honest. like yes, it was there, but it was so faint and definitely didn’t feel like the point of the story. which is fine!! but it’s important to point out that I don’t think most readers would consider this an exciting romance read.

the pacing was a bit slow and kind of all over the place. I definitely wouldn’t consider this a romance book but if you read it just as Niki’s story, then it is a beautiful one.

I finished up A Holly Jolly Diwali over the weekend and absolutely adored it (thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for the gifted egalley of this perfect holiday read). It was such a fun romance about an American-born woman who travels back to her parents’ birth country of India for a friend’s wedding taking place around Diwali. The characters are charming, Niki was laugh out loud funny from the opening scenes, and I loved learning more about the Indian culture. I even added a few places to my travel bucket list. 🌎⁣
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And this is a great one for readers who don’t like steamy “open door” scenes. There are a few semi-passionate kisses but this one is basically steam-free.

Living in a city mentioned in books sometimes makes you read a book differently than other readers, but this one was just perfect for me. I loved having the book during the holiday season, as it was nice to attend Diwali events soon after reading this book. Enjoyed reading about their visit to India as well as their lives in Seattle. This is an author that is an automatic read.

This was super cute. I would call this more women's fiction/family book. I loved learning about the holiday Diwali a ton as I didn't know much about it. I loved the journey Niki took both psychically and internally as well. Super cute again and would recommend!

I will be the first to admit I don’t know a lot about Diwali and I really enjoyed this book set during Diwali. Sonya Lalili did such a good job building the world and I LOVED that the book started with Niki making a huge impulsive decision. I love when characters do that and I really enjoyed this whole book.

This book was super cute to read, especially because readers are not used to other stories set in Holidays that aren't Christmas. So, with that premise only, I was hooked.
We first get to see the protagonists interacting into an insta-love relationship, which got me a bit reluctant because it's not my kind of trope, so I didn't find the romance swoon-worthy much BUT the whole Indian culture surrounding the book was absolutely fascinating and all the Diwali references were what made me really enjoy it.

A meet-cute at the Diwali celebration brings together two music and art enthusiast for an adorable RomCom. Layered in this love story, we find the love interests battling a journey in self-discovery, family conflict and expectations.

The visualization Lalli incorporated brought forward life and traditions of living in Mumbai. And, the Festival of Lights leaped off the pages in a kaleidoscope of beauty. I simply can't get enough meddling Aunties and Moms in Indian #ownvoice stories.

A Holly Jolly Diwali is a joyous insta-love story for the holiday season.

Thank you @berkleyromance @berkleybooks for the complimentary copy. Buddy Read - @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads

Sonya Lalli has created a sweet and romantic tale for everyone to enjoy with A Holly Jolly Diwali. Young, new and obsessively good, you won't be able to put this down!

I enjoyed Niki and Sam’s journey to love! It was a book that gave all the feels, and made you think about life and love!

A romance with twists... Yes, please.
Good girl Niki has just lost her job. She has just been fixed up with a family friend's nephew, and her best friend is getting married half a world away. As she navigates her life, she finds herself imagining other people's romances. When she decides to finally throw caution to the wind, and books a ticket to India for her friend's wedding, she is finally ready for an adventure. At the first wedding event, she meets Sam. Is she ready for a fling? Is she ready to imagine her own romance?
Although her parents are from Punjab, she still wonders about the meaning of Diwali. As she meets new people and asks them about it, we get to learn about it with her.