DNF at 71%.

I hate to not finish a book, but I just didn't connect with any of the characters. I think I would have enjoyed this one more if it had been a full-length novel.

It definitely appears to be an "it's me, not you" situation as most reviews I've seen have raved about it, so don't let my experience deter you from picking this up!

"From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes a heartfelt short story about one woman’s journey of self-discovery and what it means to be happy.

Ayesha Shetty lost her brother seven years ago, the same time she lost everything else important to her: her dreams, her fierce independence, and the man she loved. Not wanting to see her mother hurt anymore, she put her wild self away and became the dutiful daughter her mother needed and took on her brother’s role in the family business.

Now her best friend’s big, fat Indian wedding is a chance to get away from her endless duties at the restaurant and maybe even have some fun (if she remembers how). But a setup arranged by her mother, with a doctor no less, is the last thing she needs. The fact that he checks all her mother’s boxes just makes everything better...and worse.

Then Emmitt Hughes shows up. Her brother’s best friend. The love she once chose over family duties and her responsibilities. The one she asked to leave, and who did. The one who knows the real Ayesha. Torn between a love from the past that could cost her the only person she has left and her sense of obligation to her mother, will Ayesha find the strength to stop thinking about what everyone else wants and finally put herself first? Or is the old Ayesha truly gone for good?"

If you haven't dove headfirst into the writing of Sonali Dev, how about take this quick little swim. I'm sure you'll be picking up the rest of her catalog in no time!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Man, I have truly missed Sonali Dev’s writing! Reading this short story felt like going back into a familiar comfort zone. I love the way Dev handles themes that are often considered taboo in South Asian culture such as coping with grief and intercultural romance. She has a magical way of putting things into perspective and getting the meaning across in a manner that makes your heart ache for the character. The mother-daughter relationship explored in this book is wonderful and realistic. A great read to keep me going before her next book releases!

Plot ✍
Ayesha Shetty lost her brother seven years ago, the same time she lost everything else important to her: her dreams, her fierce independence, and the man she loved. Not wanting to see her mother hurt anymore, she put her wild self away and became the dutiful daughter her mother needed and took on her brother’s role in the family business.

Now her best friend’s big, fat Indian wedding is a chance to get away from her endless duties at the restaurant and maybe even have some fun (if she remembers how). But a setup arranged by her mother, with a doctor no less, is the last thing she needs. The fact that he checks all her mother’s boxes just makes everything better…and worse.

Then Emmitt Hughes shows up. Her brother’s best friend. The love she once chose over family duties and her responsibilities. The one she asked to leave, and who did. The one who knows the real Ayesha. Torn between a love from the past that could cost her the only person she has left and her sense of obligation to her mother, will Ayesha find the strength to stop thinking about what everyone else wants and finally put herself first? Or is the old Ayesha truly gone for good?

Thoughts 💭
AHHHH. Second chance romance. You have to love a good comeback story. This is a short story so it's pretty straight to the point and fast paced. It has a great amount of backstory and emotion. Very sweet read. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC!

This short story packs an emotional punch! I might have cried at one point. Okay, who am I kidding I totally cried.

I am usually not a fan of the second chance trope but I really enjoyed this story about Ayesha and Emmitt and even though they had been apart for so long I immediately felt the spark between them.

I don’t usually write full reviews for novellas and short stories. I also didn’t expect to like this story so much, but in the 60 or so pages (this is just a guess and I do not know the actual page count) it really made an impression on me. It was heartbreakingly sad, funny and sweet. I truly had ALL THE FEELS.

This is a story about love and loss and finding yourself again when grief has consumed you for so long.

As far as steam goes, there are a few make out scenes but this is closed door and honestly the lack of steam didn’t bother me at all since I was enjoying the story so much.

This is the first book I have read from this author and I’m determined to read more of her work now.

I received an eARC of this story from the publisher Amazon and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Wedding Setup releases on January 11th and will be available in Kindle Unlimited.

CW: death of a loved one

"Actually, you two were amazing. I never met two people who were so unafraid of losing each other. So confident of each other's love."

The Wedding Setup by Sonali Dev is a second-chance romance between Ayesha and her brother's best friend, Emmitt. Two of my favorite tropes! But it's actually the second-chance at a relationship between Ayesha and her mother that I can't stop thinking about. They're both fierce and passionate and sorely confused about what's best for the other.

At her best friend's wedding, Ayesha and Emmitt are forced to reconsider the relationship they abandoned years ago. There's a choreographed dance. An eligible bachelor that climbs through a window. A wine cellar with a door that sticks (hello, forced proximity trope). And lots of meddling aunties.

Such a fun short read full of spirit, depth and the ultimate lesson that we shouldn't let our grief hold us back from what we love.

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me the chance to read and provide an honest review of this book!

This was a sweet short story about life and love and second chances. I've never read anything by Sonali Dev before but now I'm intrigued to read more!

Everything changed for Ayesha Shetty seven years ago when she lost her beloved brother. Gone were all her hopes and dreams since Ayesha gave up everything including the man she loved to devote all aspects of life to her widowed mother. The restaurant they own takes all their time, energy, and has sucked the life out of Ayesha. Ayesha was a wild child who enjoyed sassing her mother and living life to the fullest; now, at age twenty-eight, all the previous bright colors of her life has faded into the background.

When Ayesha’s is set to be part of best friend, Bela’s, over the top, elaborate Indian wedding, she begins to come back to life a bit even though her mother and aunties are now playing matchmaker. The intended prospect turns out to be an Ob/Gyn who enjoys talking about his work raising his ick factor. When Emmitt Hughes, who was her brother’s best friend and love of her life, shows at the wedding, so many emotions resurface for Ayesha, good and bad. Ayesha pushed Emmitt away after the tragic loss which essentially did nothing but punish them both.

Emmitt is determined to win back the girl who broke his heart if only he can break through her wall of self-punishment and deeply restricted life. Slowly, with the background of the wedding festivities, Emmitt and Ayesha try to find their way back to one another if only she is willing to let go of the sorrow, guilt, and sense of obligation to her mother and their family business. Emmitt has spent the time away working towards a reunion; he is more than ready to win Ayesha back. This second chance romance with a Bollywood backdrop will please fans of Ms. Dev who deftly explores the deep of emotions of grief, loss, and the redemption of love.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

3.5 (4 stars)

The Wedding Setup is a second chance romance short story inspired by Bollywood movies. This story is my first of this author's and I quite enjoy it.

Ayesha has given up her dreams to help her mother after the death of her brother. On the weekend of her best friend's wedding, Ayesha is set up by her mother and auntie with a prospective husband, until someone from her past shows up.
Sonali Dev's writing style is easy to read and enjoy. The characters and emotions of this story are written with so much depth and is delightful.

Overall. a fun short read, where you have to check out if you like second chance romance!

#netgalley

Ayesha unexpectedly lost her older brother, Ajay, seven years ago and since then has been managing the family restaurant and trying to be the perfect daughter for her mother. Her mother tries to set her up with a cute doctor at her best friend’s wedding but someone from Ayesha’s past comes back and derails the whole set up.

This is a short story about a second chance at love after dealing with grief, uncertainty, and family expectations. Although short, the author, Sonali Dev did a great job at portraying so many of the emotions that comes with grief and love. It was cute and heartfelt, definitely for fans of contemporary romance. It’s a great read if you’re looking for something quick. I gave it a 4/5.

*thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review*

My first read by author Sonali Dev and I truly enjoyed this story. the characters were developed and the back story was interesting. Ayesha struggles to find herself and back to love following some changes made for the sake of her family after a tragedy. This short story was a sweet second chance romance with a happy ending. For me it was an introduction to this author and I will check out some of her backlist for sure!

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Email: DaniReadsTooMuch@comcast.net
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Writing a romance with potent chemistry and backstory is difficult enough in itself, but Sonali Dev accomplishes all of that and more in less than 100 pages. As a fan of second chance romance, I couldn’t ask for more in this slightly heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting romance.

We get an in depth look into Ayesha’s backstory, as well as that of Emmitt and snippets of the other side characters. The overall character arc’s were pretty well fleshed out, with the theme of healing from old wounds and reuniting at the center. There were a few times I was a bit skeptical of what the ending of this story would be, and if Emmitt would end up working out with Ayesha, but the happy ending was happily delivered. I also enjoyed the bit of plot twist that happened near the end to bring everything together.

Overall, a very good short story from Sonali Dev, with a couple and a main character that you learn to root for, and learn to love rooting for. It feels like a fully fleshed out romance novel, and like any good book leaves you satisfied but also wanting a bit more. I definitely recommend it!

This was my first book by Sonali Dev and I really enjoyed the way she wrote the story. It was an easy read and was quick short story.

Personally, I love the second chance trope and the story between Ayesha and Emmit was beautiful and you could feel the emotions between those two without much words needed.

All in all, if you are searching for a quick cute Second chance romance book this is definitely something for you !!

I was lucky to receive an ARC of this story, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The story revolves around second chances and moving forward, and was a lovely and tender read. Ayesha and Emmitt are such warm and wonderful characters, and I love the way Sonali Dev was able to put so much emotion and love into even a short read. She really has a way of drawing you into the story and giving each character a unique personality. Highly recommended!

'The Wedding Setup' is a short-and-sweet story that follows Ayesha, a woman who, in the wake of tragedy, is struggling to connect with who she was before. When she attends her best friend's wedding, she's confronted by the ex-boyfriend she left behind. Ayesha must wrestle with the consequences of her choices, and decide if she is willing to let them impact her future - will she settle for the life her mother wants for her, or will she pursue the future she's always dreamed of having?

Thank you to Amazon for the ARC to read and review.

Short and sweet story for Ayesha and Emmitt filled with the family drama and Indian culture we love from Sonali Dev. Ayesha hasn’t fully dealt with the death of her brother and the consequences for her life. Ayesha’s Amma sets her up at her best friends wedding.

Thank you to the author, Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is short and sweet, using the well-worn trope of meddling mother, rebellious daughter and unsuitable male lead. Despite being a novella, the author makes the characters come alive - yes, with some stereotypes, but overall heartwarming and a lovely short read.

This short story by Sonali Dev was nothing groundbreaking but did make me look forward to her next full-length book. A wedding, star-crossed lovers with a secret past relationship- all classic Dev. It was a little too short for the characters to be fully fleshed out like I would have liked but if you know someone who hasn't read Dev's longer books before, this would be a good way to get them into her stories.

This was my first book in 2022 and also my first book from the author. I don't usually read romance genre but I wanted to read Sonali Dev's Bollywood series from a long time and I thought that this would be a good place to start with her books.

The story is about a defiant girl called Ayesha Shetty who is not scared to speak her mind or chase her dreams. But after her brother's death she chooses to support her family's business letting her desires and her ambitions take a backseat. She and her mom run a restaurant called Mangalore Stew and this takes up all of Ayesha's time and efforts. Her once close and fiery relationship with her mother is strained and they hardly air their difference of opinions, opting instead to maintain a stony silence.

But everything changes when Ayesha attends her best friend's wedding and her mom sets up a traditional boy-meets-girl scenario for Ayesha. This was a quick and fun read and few of the scenes were funny. The character I liked was Emmitt Hughes. I just wish there were still men like him. The ending was sweet and everything fell into their place, although I felt a little odd that despite Ayesha and her mom having such a close bond, there was such a huge misunderstanding between them. An additional like for the book including characters having roots in my hometown of Mangalore and few Tulu words like dodha and kinni. The Mangalorean in me always feel proud to see my hometown name in any book I read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an e-book copy to read and review.

The Wedding Setup is a short story that reads in the style of a Bollywood movie. It is a quick and interesting read considering the theme that is handled by the author. Ayesha suppresses her dreams and stays to help her mother at their family restaurant after her brother dies. She calms down and becomes the opposite of who she used to be. In an attempt to keep her mother happy, she starts to accept and agree with her without question.

The author handles the storyline very well and in this short story brings out a ton of emotions. The mother-daughter relationship, how it changed, Ayesha's friendships, past love and the current arranged marriage setup. With the prospect of an arranged match and her ex turning up at her best friend's wedding, Ayesha is torn between choosing what she wants and what would make her mother happy.

I enjoyed reading this book and I admire how the author has handled both the plot and her characters. Overall this is definitely a book that I would recommend for those who love second chance romances and an overload of different emotions!