Did you ever read a book to lose yourself in the characters and the plot? Then, this is the book for you.! Manny is a successful, young CEO of her own unique firm, Breakup. She is engaged to a stereotypical architect with his high brow family. Did I mention that Sari is of Indian descent? Her fiancé helped her through the untimely passing of her parents. His frequent travels leave little time to be together, let along plan a wedding. In comes an annoying customer, and as fate would have it, Sari joins Sammy at his brother's wedding to learn about Indian culture. What happens along the way is delightful, fun, .... and let's just say karma is served, Indian style. Don't miss the opportunity to follow Sari! Hope she has a sequel, and soon!! I was privileged to receive an advance copy to review. Opinions expressed are my own.

Warning: this book is so much fun!

Sonya Singh's debut is a fast-paced, thoroughly enjoyable rom-com. Even though the end of the story is never really in doubt, there is enough thoughtful relationship-building in here to keep you engaged.

Manny is a fabulously successful businesswoman, having brilliantly filled an important gap. Her business, "Breakup", will help you end your relationship in a humane way - no horrible fights, no breakups by discovering that your partner's relationship status has changed on social media. You and your ex will be able to maintain a cordial relationship, if that's your choice. But, somehow, along the way, Manny may have lost track of her own relationship, and she's definitely got gaps in her understanding of her Indian heritage.

Sammy needs a date for his brother's big fat Indian wedding, and the woman he's involved with isn't Indian. He needs a temporary "breakup" and an Indian date.

You can see where this is going, can't you? And that's what is delightful about this book. You know what's going to happen. But it doesn't happen as easily as you might think, and the supporting characters on both sides of the equation, particularly Manny's work crew, are a delightful bonus in the story.

I did have to laugh when I realized that Manny and Sammy's current partners, neither of whom are prizes, share their names with me and my brother.

There are some big issues here - the way families can be smothering, the whitewashing that can happen to successful women of colour, grief - but they are woven beautifully into the story.

If you need something to escape with, that might require a Kleenex and a favourite beverage - this fits the bill! Kudos to Sonya Singh. (and she'll be at the Festival of Literary Diversity, May 1-7)

I really enjoyed this book! I laughed a lot and got a lot of the humor since my best friend is Guyanese Indian & have been around some of the celebrations. I also understood as someone who is Half-Haitian/Half-Trinidadian not always feeling apart of the cultures or feeling like I don't know enough as Manny did, especially growing up in the United States & having parents who acclimated to being in the states having left their respective homelands behind. I wish that the book was longer because it felt like it was over so quick, I finished it in the same day! The only think that would made it even better would've been Sammy's perspective. I had a great time with this book and while there wasn't really much elements of steam, it more than made up in humor and banter between the characters!

Rating 2.5/5 (rounded up to a 3 star)

I want to start off by saying I am not South Asian so I cannot speak on the representation and its accuracy in this book.

While the cover and title really drew me into this book, this book fell flat for me. I feel like the book itself doesn’t pick up until the halfway point and even then the pacing of the second half of the book left me wanting so much more. I love that Manny starts this journey of finding and reconnecting with herself and her culture, it's just hard for me to fully appreciate the journey itself when the book itself spans a week.

While there is a romance plot to the book I don’t think this is a romcom, but rather a book about Manny’s journey. I didn’t truly believe the chemistry or love declarations between Manny and Sammy and I wish the book would have fleshed out more moments between them so that the romance could be believable to the reader.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Grab The Tissues! Fans Of My Big Fat Greek Wedding & Crazy Rich Asians Will Love This Culturally Rich, Vibrant, & Fast-Paced Rom-Com. Breakup Queen Manny Hopes To Understand What It Means To Be Indian, & Sammy Agrees To Give Her A Crash Course At His Brother’s Wedding If Only She Will Help Him Temporarily Breakup With Lisa. Manny’s Beautiful Story Of Self-Discovery Leads To Much More Than She Expects.


This story opens in late fall in Baskin, California.

Manny Dogra, roughly thirty-one or so, is affectionately known as the Breakup Queen. After coming to the rescue for a few friends in need, an idea had soon formed. Three years and fifty employees later, she is the CEO of her own multi-million dollar company headquartered in a penthouse office in Baskin, California. Breakup’s services don’t come cheap, but they are confidential. They help to ensure a friendly breakup that gives the target of the breakup closure so that the parties can move on amicably rather than burning bridges. Manny and her employees take pride in their work. Some might see their role in a breakup as a negative, but they like to think that they are offering a service that provides peace of mind.

Manny lost her parents in a car accident two years ago, and she still struggles with the loss. With no other family, she deeply feels their absence. Adam had entered her life not long after their death, and his presence saved her from the grief that was swallowing her up. He knew just how to distract her from dwelling on the past. They were a great team and worked well together. Adam had helped her grow Breakup, adding employees and new package options, and it gave Manny renewed purpose.

Adam Jamieson, Manny’s fiancé, is a workaholic just like her. He comes from money, but stepping out and achieving his own success is important to him. He is building his own architecture firm, and it is a time-consuming commitment. He designs gorgeous hotels, and his current job has kept him away from home for some time. Berlin is a great opportunity, but he assures Manny he will wrap it up soon. They’ve been engaged for well over a year now, but they’re having trouble setting and keeping a wedding date.

For the last year, Manny has increasingly felt lonely. Adam’s absence has given her time to reflect on her loss and the grief that she tries to push down. Something is eating at her, but it finally begins to make sense to her when Adam’s indifference to her concerns comes to light. Soon Manny is questioning her choices and wondering about her relationship. Coming to the realization that she knows next to nothing about being Indian – no thanks to parents that had left those traditions behind when they came to the U.S. – Manny begins an identity crisis that leaves her feeling empty and looking for answers.

Sammy Patel, probably in his thirties, is desperate for Breakup to take his case. Manny explains that they don’t do Timeout or Temporary Breakups, and it is a hard and fast rule. Despite Manny’s refusal, Sammy is not taking ‘no’ for an answer and he isn’t above making a scene to get his way. He thinks if Manny just hears his case, she will instinctively understand his predicament and make an exception. She is Indian, after all.

He fell for Lisa Donahue about two years ago, and he is desperate not to hurt her. At the same time, his younger brother is getting married. In Indian families, there are a lot of old-fashioned ideas that have survived, and not all translate well into a modern American lifestyle. Sammy is the oldest son, and there are certain expectations that come with his position in the family. Much is expected, including the idea that he should marry an Indian girl to make his parents proud. Lisa is not Indian. Add to that the fact that Sanjeev is marrying Needa – whose family is practically Indian royalty – and the pressure to appease his family is intense. Should Sammy bring shame upon his family at the wedding, the ripple effects could even impact Sanjeev’s potential in-laws. There is a time and place to ease his family into the idea of him being with Lisa, but it must come after Sanjeev’s wedding.

Family is something that Sammy values, and he has no intention of missing his brother’s wedding. He needs to attend it without Lisa, however, and explaining that to her is just not an option in his mind. He hopes to prevent any questions or potential resentment of his family, so he has decided to break up with her – temporarily – just long enough to attend the wedding festivities in Marble, California and avoid having to explain himself. He has every intention of getting back together with her after the weeklong wedding activities wrap up. The breakup is particularly delicate since he has no intention of burning bridges with his girlfriend. To ensure his ultimate success, he wants to hire the best help out there and Breakup is the only viable solution.

When Sammy’s unconventional request coincides with Manny’s growing identity crisis, she suddenly seizes the opportunity that presents itself. In exchange for accepting Sammy’s request for a Temporary Breakup, she asks for him to take her along to wine country with him for the week of wedding activities as his guest under the guise of a potential business partner. They claim they are opening a winery together and she needs to learn more about the Indian weddings that they might host. This leads to a week of Indian culture, family, and politics. It also leads to some unexpected feelings. As Manny grows closer to the Patel family, and as they embrace her openly, both she and Sammy embark on a journey of self-discovery. They each learn what it means to them to be Indian, and the answers are surprising. The couple eventually finds a happy for now ending.

Wow! Sammy and Manny’s romance is an incredibly rich story that dips deep into Indian culture. It especially shows the struggles that young Indian Americans have with balancing their Indian background and their American lifestyle when it comes time to settle down. But despite the immersion into Indian culture, this is a universal love story. It contemplates different kinds of love. There is love that is inspired by the heart, love that is earned, and love that is learned. Some settle for a love that is safe. Some find a once-in-a-lifetime love that lights a fire from within.

Sammy and Manny are both in love with a non-Indian. Sammy is trying to distance himself from the pressures of his family. Manny’s case is a little different. It was her parents that had distanced themselves from the Indian culture, and with no near relatives, Manny had been raised entirely in an American lifestyle. They start from different places. It is Manny that begins the week with the goal of self-discovery, but Sammy, too, has much to learn.

There is much to say about the fabulous supporting characters in this wonderful story. The Patel family is warm and loving. Manisha is a lot of fun. Although Manny has no family left, she has created her own little family of friends. Anjali is her compulsively-organized assistant. Rob is her gay best friend, former college boyfriend, and CFO. Jay is his partner and a bartender at the Wallflower. Rajiv is the owner of a nearby food truck and has become a valued friend. Note that although Manny doesn’t know much about being Indian, she does have Indian friends. One might conclude she had learned a little more about Indian culture by now. Aliyan is a wonderful fairy godmother-type character. He is colorful, inspiring, and full of character.

There are a few issues that merit mention. *Spoilers* There are a few very minor timeline issues that can cause a little confusion for those like me who pay close attention to the details. It caused me to look back and recalculate the timeline on a couple of occasions. It was an irritation but didn’t prevent me from enjoying the book. Another issue is Anjali’s cousin, Aliyan. His presence for the week doesn’t’ feel realistic. I believe he was from back home, so as a successful Bollywood stylist, getting away for a week at the drop of a hat would likely be impossible to pull off. And the fact that he has a group of friends in Marble also feels a bit unrealistic. Next, Manny’s unprofessionalism towards the end bothered me. There were ways to communicate the basics to Sammy without giving too much away since he is a client as well, so some of her hesitancy seems manufactured. But moreover, she begins to let things slip that really shouldn’t. Her entire business empire is put at risk if confidentiality is broken. I was waiting for that to happen because she opened herself up to that a few times. Manisha could have destroyed her and it isn’t clear why she didn’t. It also isn’t clear why Manisha hadn’t seen fit to clear the air with Manny sooner. On another note, there are some issues relating to Adam that are meant to make readers uncomfortable. I am non-Indian but have spent much time with Indian friends and family and enjoy the culture. The issues relating to Adam felt almost too awful to be true, and although this is fiction, it felt stereotypical in a way that doesn’t closely reflect reality in my own experience. It can be difficult to balance viewpoints, but in reading that I hoped it didn’t mean to stroke too broad a brush on non-Indians. It personally would have felt more realistic to me if Adam’s hang-ups were more subtle in nature. Finally, there are a lot of missed opportunities and gaps in time, but that is not unusual in fiction.

Grab the tissues! Fans of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Crazy Rich Asians will love this culturally rich, vibrant, and fast-paced rom-com. Breakup Queen Manny hopes to understand what it means to be Indian, and Sammy agrees to give her a crash course at his brother’s wedding if only she will help him temporarily breakup with Lisa. Manny’s beautiful story of self-discovery leads to much more than she expects. She hopes to finally deal with the grief of losing her parents by learning more about their Indian heritage – her heritage – but the life-altering experience brings her so much more. Operation Indian leads to a week of fun, but it is all based on lies. There are a few surprises that you might see coming, but they are touching nevertheless. The story is wonderfully written. The plot is somewhat complex. The characters are carefully crafted and three-dimensional. The story is told in first person in Manny’s POV. I rate this book 4.5 stars.

I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I received an eARC from the publisher thru NetGalley for a review of this book.

I thought it was pretty good. It did start off a bit far fetched with the story line but once it got going, it did redeem itself and I ended up giving it 4 instead of 3 stars.

I liked the personal interactions, the descriptions of the Indian wedding festivities and the various characters and personalities in the book.

Overall, a good book that I would recommend.

I did not finish this book.

What pulled me out of the story the most was the way Manny's workplace was treated. Her company has 50 employees, is three years old, and has "gone public".

The conference room serves as a huddle space for 50 people.

Anjali is introduced as the Office Manager, but then she's given the new account "managing the international market" and treated like an assistant by Manny.

"Forbes Magazine recently celebrated her company as a multimillion-dollar business." What does that even mean? There are so many multimillion-dollar businesses.

Manny calls this giant Code Red emergency to announce that she's going to be gone for a week and she her team questions taking on this client because it doesn't fit the values of the company, she says "the company is me and i wrote those values."

That's not how any of this works. Manny sounds like an awful boss and is unbelievable as a successful businesswoman.

Manny Dogra always knew where she belonged in this world. Her parents always told her she could be anything she wanted to be. After their deaths, she is lost. Her fiance Adam fills the void. They are both workaholics. They use this as a crutch to not deal with personal issues. A decision by Adam sets Manny on the road of discovery. Who is she, if not Indian. A deal made with a client opens her mind and heart. In the process real love surfaces. I enjoyed all the process of an Indian wedding. In the end, the truth comes out. Sammy lashes out. A heart broken Manny throws herself back into her work. Little did she know that the people who work for her want her happy. :Love wins out at the end.

I really though at the beginning that I would give this book 4 stars but the ending was rushed and the romance not believable.

Mani is CEO of a company that specializes in helping people break up their relationships is struggling with her Indian heritage. Sammy comes to her to use her services for a temporary break up with his current girlfriend while he attends a week long Indian wedding celebration. Mammy agrees if he takes her along and teaches her about what it means to be Indian.

This book was so entertaining and I loved the incorporation of Indian culture. I also loved the writing style of this new author. However, the two mains love story was unbelievable and there was no true romance. The ending made absolutely no sense like maybe a first date but a marriage proposal! These two haven’t even broken up with their long time serious partners but are now marrying each other, makes absolutely no sense. How this book is pitched as a rom-com I still don’t know, there’s no romance!

In the end, I would read the next book this author writes just to see if she changes anything.

Manny is the highly successful CEO of an online company, Breakup, specializing in easy, painless, and permanent breakups by email. She has been immersed in the American way of life by her Indian immigrant parents and was raised without knowledge of Indian traditions, culture, or holidays. Her few Indian acquaintances, including her business manager, Allayn, and a food truck owner, are bewildered over her ignorance regarding her Indian heritage. I found it challenging to connect with the characters.

Manny is engaged to Adam, who is frequently away on business, and I was confused about the extent of his companies. He is described as an architect and involved in his wealthy family's wine business and Breakup.com. Manny does not seem wholly invested in their relationship. He was a comfort when she was stricken with grief over her parent's death, and she poured extra time into growing her company. Manny blames Adam for being away too often on business and neglecting their relationship, when in fact, she has been emotionally absent as well. I found her business colleagues interesting, but the gay man seemed included as a stereotype to add diversity, as was a relative of Allayn, whom we meet later.

I felt that the story's pace was uneven and rushed at the end. Much was heavy with unrealistic dialogue. I found the premise intriguing based on a person attempting to connect with their identity. The book's cover was eye-catching. I was very interested in reading this story. One of my most vivid, colourful memories was attending a dazzling celebration and wedding in New Delhi almost 30 years ago.

Letters from prospective clients began each chapter with descriptions of reasons to break up with significant partners. These added a touch of humour, and I was disappointed not to learn how Breakup responded to these requests and how the following emails would read. The company rejects Sammy Patel's request because he wants only a temporary breakup from his girlfriend, and Breakup only does final endings to relationships. He is angry and rude because he has been turned down, wanting something against company policy. He keeps returning to Breakup's office, badgering them to comply with his request. He only wants to break up with his girlfriend for a week while he attends his younger brother's wedding celebrations. It would cause a family rift if he brought his white girlfriend. Finally, Manny gives in. She is annoyed that her photo has been whitewashed on a magazine cover, her skin lightened, and her mother's Indian necklace photoshopped out.

Manny agrees to a temporary breakup letter if Sammy will take her to the wedding pretending to be his business guest and teach her about Indian culture. This is where it began to feel unrealistic to me. His large, extended, wealthy Indian family seemed replete with stereotypes that seemed straight out of a fabulous Bollywood movie. Manny is uneasy at first. She attends numerous parties and celebrations leading up to the wedding and has crash courses in music and dance. Manny has appropriate, elaborate clothing and accessories sent in by her business manager. She enjoys learning about Indian culture from the Patels' who have added some of their own family traditions. During the week, she feels more at ease and connected with the Patel family members, who are mostly kind and accepting of her. Manny and Sammy's romantic feelings seemed rushed and came out of nowhere, but it works in this type of story.
I wish to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.

The first half of this book was very slow. I didn’t find it to be much of a romance as it was more about the main character Manny learning about and discovering her culture. I did enjoy the character development though. The ending felt very rushed and I would have liked to see more of Manny and Sammy’s relationship.

Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Manny runs her own business, Breakup, where they write the email to breakup with someone with no mixed messages, as well as other opportunities to help support people through breakups and relationships. Her own relationship, with architect Adam, has been mostly long distance recently and mainly treated like, and focused on, business. When Sammy comes to Breakup, wanting help with a temporary break-up from his non-Indian girlfriend, so he can go to his brothers wedding and not disappoint his big Indian family for dating a non-Indian. But Manny and Breakup don’t do that… until Manny cuts a deal with Sammy… Breakup will take on his case if he brings her to the wedding under the guise of a business partner, so she can get in touch with her Indian roots.

Review: It was a cute story, it was interesting to learn more about Indian culture and to see how Manny’s parents desire to make her feel American made her feel disconnected from her culture when she was older. It was fairly predictable and the ending felt rushed. I didn’t feel the tension and build up between Manny and Sammy, it just kinda happened.

*I received a free ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was freaking adorable! Watching Manny find herself, her heritage, and ultimately love was so heartwarming and sweet. The entire plot was fun from start to finish, and it hit the right balance of sweet, sad, funny, and wonderful. While I did think at times the characterization and pacing was off, ultimately this made me feel so much joy that it deserves a positive review. Highly recommend for anything looking for a quick, happy, heartwarming read.

I absolutely adored Sari, Not Sari - Sonya Singh’s debut rom-com! This was just the book I needed to keep me entertained over the past weekend.

Meet Manny - the highly business confident CEO of Breakup. She seems to have it all - the killer job, lifestyle that comes along with said job, and boyfriend. But does that mean she is happy? Manny starts questioning her relationship and her connection to her past when a magazine cover photo goes all wrong.

Enter Sammy - an Indian gentleman who needs Manny’s company’s help to break up with his girlfriend temporarily so he can go home to celebrate his brother’s wedding. Manny agrees to help Sammy with the condition he help her rediscover her heritage. What follows is a sweet story of discovering oneself - for both Manny and Sammy - and in the process, these two discover they have so much in common. I loved their relationship (after all only in books can characters fall in love after a week and it be totally realistic).

Sonya Singh does a wonderful job introducing readers to the Indian wedding culture and family traditions, and ties the story up very nicely. I can’t wait to read her next novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Simon Schuster for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Manny is a successful CEO of a company that helps people who are struggling with their relationships. She is living with her fiance who works in his family business. Manny is of South Asian descent but is very Americanized and doesn't really celebrate or follow her culture. Manny gets featured on a magazine and the photo of her is unsettling when she looks at the photograph she notices that she has "whitened" which unsettles her. Sammy Patel contacts Manny and wants to help him breakup with his girlfriend temporarily because he needs to attend the wedding of his brother and he doesn't feel comfortable bringing his girlfriend Lisa. Eventually Manny agrees to help him issue a temporary break up with his girlfriend and Manny agrees to go to the wedding because she wants to reconnect with her heritage and learn more about her culture.

I enjoyed the light read which made me laugh at the silliness of the story. Of course the story isn't very realistic but it was a fun read. Sometimes you just need to read something light and silly with a happy ending. This book fits that category. It would be a great movie. I do recommend this one a great beach read leaving you feeling happy.

I'm 21% into this book and so far, nothing has happened. It's all backstory as far as I can tell. The hero and heroine haven't met yet, and there's no plot through-line. It's just a bunch of disconnected events. I don't like slice-of-life stories, and that's what this feels like so far. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I want to give this book 10 stars! Sari, Not Sari was a hilarious, romantic tale where a girl, who does not really know her Indian heritage, is fully immersed into said heritage and comes out a changed woman.

Manny Dogra is in essence an orphan. Her parents have been gone for several years. They did not raise their only daughter on the traditions of India, or Bollywood, as many characters in this story scream. She is a successful CEO of a company in the business of offering breaking-up emails. She has a non-Indian fiancé who may be more into his work than Manny.

Enter client Sammy. He's off to his younger brother's wedding and he needs help to pause his relationship with his non-Indian fiancé. A pact is brokered and Manny sets off with Sammy to be fully engrossed in a knock-out, drag-out, week-long Indian wedding celebration.

There are many eccentric characters in this story, and most all of them are loveable. What I loved about it was gleaning some of the traditions and seeing some of the players realize what is really worth while in their busy lives. I can totally picture this adapted into a movie! Don't let this fun, romantic romp get away!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

how much fun was this book? well, I can't tell you, you'll just have to read it yourself!!
Manny, an amazing Indian CEO of a break-up company, is trying to find her roots, after two years of stunted grief over the loss of her parents. Her fiance us away more than he is home, and she is feeling a little lost. A catalyst moment has Manny accepting a job that her company wouldn't ordinarily do, in exchange for joining Sammy at his brother's Big Fat Indian Wedding, where she can learn a bit of what it is like to be a young Indian woman in America. Hilarity, hijinks, and a lot of gorgeous dresses ensue.
the cast of characters are delightful, and the author could easily entertain me with stories for each of them, and for some of those hilarious break-up email chapter headings!
thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
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Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for blessing me with this eARC debut. in exchange for a honest review.

Review: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2

Reading this book reminds me how much I miss reading Rom Coms. They can be unbelievably sweet, witty and at times sweet..

Pros: Sari, Not Sari is such an easy read and while I was entertained, it felt like a "safe' book where there wasn't any memorable scenes that would hit a 5 star mark. As someone who does occasionally enjoy watching Bollywood movies, I was hyped to read this book.. It's so wonderful to see a multi-cultural book represent!

Cons: I would categorize this book more to chick lit as opposed to rom com. The romance felt very off-side and rushed. It feels like a journey of self discovery of the FL while trying to connect with her cultural roots when she experience an identity crisis that made her question herself. As mentioned because the romance was rushed, it felt so unrealistic as everything happened in 1 week in an instant romance way. I also couldn't really connect with the ML as it felt like we glance by him.

All in all, it is a solid debut and such an easy read and I would be all for reading any future works by this author.

This was such a quick and cute read! I loved Sammy & Manny and learning about Indian culture! The side characters added so much to the book - everyone was so lovable and many were relatable to some extent. This was felt like so much more than a romance - it covered grief, finding yourself, as well as love/relationships!

The ending did feel quite rushed though and I would have liked it if had been dragged out some.

This was such a good debut novel by a fellow Canadian! 🇨🇦

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!