Manny is a smart, successful woman who was raised by immigrant parents who raised her to be their version of an “All American Girl”. She hasn’t been taught about the traditions and all that go along with her history. Mostly she’s been so very focused on building her business that she ignored it or didn’t really pay attention enough to care, until she did. With her parents gone and while planning her wedding she suddenly realizes she’s missing a connection to her past and who she really is. As a woman who has grown a business helping people be their true selves this she knows if not now when. A client asks for a special request and they strike a deal. He gets help with his request and he gives her a crash course in learning about herself, her community, culture and all that goes along with it. It didn’t feel as if they had a true connection, any chemistry at all to each other and out of the blue confess their deep feelings after a crazy short time together. What?? The concept and writing are good, but aside from enjoying learning some things about their culture felt it feel short in the romance HEA that was intended. I also wonder if it seemed on some level to exploit broad cultural stereotypes. As I am not of that culture I leave it up to those who are.

Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh is a delight. Following Manny through her journey of self discovery and finding true love is a wonderful experience.
I truly enjoyed the cultural journey to India and the celebrations. Sammy is a wonderful host and true gentleman who you are sure to fall for. Thank you to NetGalley and Sonya Singh for the opportunity to read this wonderful story.

This is an entertaining romcom from a debut author. Manny is a successful businesswoman who is realizing she wants to learn more about her culture and heritage as a South Asian woman. It is interesting and fun to read about her journey and to learn more along with her. Of course there is also some romance along the way. Overall this is a good debut and I will definitely read more from this author.

A quick read rom com which I enjoyed but didn’t blow me away. I liked the characters themselves but found the romance aspect to be in need of a touch more development to make it feel more believable.

I really struggled with this book. For starters, the introduction with a letter to #DearBreakUp became over kill. It didn’t add to the story, and it always took me out of it. This entire book felt like a caricature of Indian Culture at worst and a modernized drama at best. The main character Manny doesn’t feel Indian enough and after a white-washed magazine cover of her is released she ignores all of her values and agrees to a week long Indian Crash Course by way of a client’s brother’s wedding. Along the way she receives a Fairy God Mother who is actually a Gay Indian Stylist who’s family is a group of Indian Drag Queens and Manny’s PA.

I don’t want to spoil the rest of this book for those would like to read it, but I totally agreed with the Sister’s rant. This book left me feeling icky, and I was upset that I put time to finish it.

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

This was a super fast rom com read that I needed in a time where I was in a book rut. The Patel family reminded me of my own family - big, loud and ferociously loyal to each other. I enjoyed this read and the pacing was perfect!

This was fun but slightly off the mark for me. I felt like the romance wasn't fully developed -- like we were supposed to be rooting for them but we didn't really *feel* it.

Wasn’t a fan of the writing style. I couldn’t get invested past 25% of the book, so I didn’t finish. It just lacked polish to me, and the romance felt cliched. Happy to see more Asian focused titles and hope many more will be published, this one just missed the mark for me.

This was such a fun book. The plot was predictable but I enjoyed learning more and more about the characters and Indian culture.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Shuster for this ARC copy of this book.

The story is told in the first person in Manny’s POV. The story is wonderfully written.

Manny decides to explore her Indian ancestry and in doing so finds an enriching life and also a new romance with Sammy.

I felt it was a bit rushed at the end, but I did enjoy it, thank you. I love reading about books about Indian cultures.

So this one was a little bit weird because I liked the characters and their development but the romance was underdeveloped and was more told than felt. The end felt rushed and a little contrived with the different parties suddenly being angry for such small things. Also the back story of her mom was a little weird. But I definitely loved the discussions about culture, belonging, and feeling comfortable in your skin.

Manny is the ceo of a company that helps people breakup with their significant others. She is career focused and engaged to a man who is equally focused on his career goals. When a South Asian man comes to the company for help for a situation that is often typical for South Asians dating outside of the South Asian community. Manny who has never been exposed to anything to do with her heritage decides to help this man in exchange for attending his brother's wedding to immerse herself in an Indian community and family. And before she knows it, this experience and this man have her mind spinning.

I really did not like this book at all. This just felt like stereotypical and superficial representation where flashy weddings and bollywood dances are what make up South Asian culture/community. Manny seemed almost disrespectfully clueless about attending weddings and there were stereotyping jokes peppered throughout that story that were just distasteful to me. Otherwise this was a regular cheesey heavy handed romance about finding love that shows you that your career isn't everything and family is important. But I just wish it was done better. There was so much potential. I also hated the premise of this company, which kind of put off on the wrong foot from the get go.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lonely Pages Book Tours, and Simon Schuster CA for the gifted e-book!

In this contemporary romance, there's more than just love in the air. Manny Dogra is questioning her complacency in life, spreading her wings and reconnecting with herself. Yes, she's a successful CEO of a growing business that helps people break up with kindness and respect. But ever since her parents' deaths in a car accident a couple of years ago, it feels like work is all she has, a handy distraction from grief. This is only exacerbated by a workaholic fiancee who is more interested in her career and his own power moves than spending time with Manny or setting a date for their wedding. After several nudges that culminate in a giant push when a magazine whitewashes her cover photo, Manny wants to face her insecurities that she's not Indian enough and connect more with her heritage. As a second-generation American, Manny feels her parents emphasized the American dream over their Indian roots, leaving her disconnected from the cultural norms and experiences she wants to be part of. The perfect opportunity lands in her lap when an unusual client breakup request results in a trade; Sammy Patel will take Manny to his brother's weeklong wedding bash so she can get the whole experience under Sammy's tutelage.

I found Manny's story to be thoughtful and heartwarming. I loved seeing her slow transformation and her growth towards self-acceptance and belonging. There's lovely commentary about making your culture your own and not needing to compete with a certain image to be enough. I am curious to see what ownvoices reviewers make of the intersectional story about being queer and Indian as presented by a particular side character. There is some stereotypical behavior and inconsistent misgendering of drag queens that I found a bit cringe. However, the messages about the equal importance of found family and valuing multiple experiences of culture were much appreciated by this reviewer.

The weakest portion for me was the romance. I didn't find it problematic, which is step one. However, I think that Manny's journey was more fleshed out, and the love story came as an afterthought with some instalove vibes. The fact that both Manny and Sammy were technically attached to other people throughout also bugged me even though I was happy to see both of them move on. As a person, I found Manny more endearing than Sammy, who is generally presented as the perfect man when he's not having an unreasonable fit of temper. I liked that he owns his mistakes, but it was a bit frustrating to see him make the same one multiple times, including the final act argument.

If you like a low angst romance with commentary on heritage and cultural belonging, this would be a great read for you, especially if you don't mind the love story taking a backseat to larger plot elements. Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for my copy to read and review!

I loved the character development in this book!! The author created such a great link between the reader and the characters. I enjoyed this one.

This was such a simple and sweet story! I loved the premise. I love stories about women reconnecting with their heritage and roots, so naturally liked this. I enjoyed learning more about Indian culture as I don't know all that much and am forever broadening my horizons, and I loved learning about their wedding customs. I liked that the book explored being “white-washed” and how it can make people feel disconnected towards their culture. The book was a light and easy read. The prose flows nicely and the chapters are short which makes reading a breeze. The beginning of each chapter includes an email from a client that added a consistent touch of humor throughout the book. My one dislike, the book is very heavy on insta-love. The characters fell in love after only knowing each other for a week which did not feel all that realistic. Overall, despite a few flaws, I enjoyed this debut novel and am looking forward to seeing what else the author publishes. It didn't wow me, and it won't end up being a favourite of the year, but it was enjoyable and I am glad to have read it. If you’re looking for an entertaining romance with some Indian culture woven throughout, I'd recommend. 3.75 rounded up.

Such a loveable group of characters. I could help but fall in love with Manny as she rediscovers herself, her family and her roots.

A super fun and swoon worthy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This was… not fun. Contrary to the vibes of the title, there was not a trace of a smile on my face. It lacked, well, everything. The dialogue was boring, the characters bland, and the way the story was progressing was frankly confusing. I couldn’t even get past page 50.
Also, not a fan of the names of the main characters. Like at all.

Talking about life experiences, about merging cultures and feeling like you just don't belong is something some of us can relate to.

That's why I found this story was spot on in so many ways. As an East Indian, born and raised in in a predominantly white town, my interactions with school/friends were very different from my interactions with my 'Indian' friends, whom I would meet at the Mandir or cultural celebrations and events.

If you've seen the first season of 'Never Have I Ever' staring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and inspired by the life of Mindy Kaling, then you'll have an understanding of what life was back in the 80's when I was growing up.

I loved this story as I have been in Manny Dorga's shoes and found so many of her experiences relatable. Now, being on the cover of a magazine and owning a super successful business is not one of the shares experiences! Although I think it would be fun to get all glammed up by professionals for a photo shoot! 😂

Through Manny's experiences and journey, she was able to learn to accept and love the woman that she's becoming.

Thank you @netgalley and @simon for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Sari Not Sari is not only about finding love with another person, but with your culture and yourself.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for my eARC for review!
Manny Dogra is the owner of a mega-successful company called Breakup, which specializes in custom breakup emails and bootcamps for various relationship issues.
She's engaged to Adam and has rescheduled their wedding date repeatedly. Manny also lost her parents in recent years and never had the chance to learn about her South Asian heritage.
Enter Sammy Patel. While seeking a service Breakup doesn't offer, he whisks Manny to a Patel family wedding and in the process teaches her how to embrace her inner Indian.
Sari Not Sari is an absolutely lovely immersion into Indian celebrations and culture. Sonya Singh's writing is witty, charming, and carefully crafted to bring a slow burn to Manny and Sammy's attraction.
Also a great pick for Asian Heritage Month. Recommended!
Released on April 5.