Big thanks to NetGalley & Avon for providing an ARC for free, in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, the e-book itself had some formatting issues that surely will be fixed prior to publication.

I was intrigued from the first moment I saw the cover and the title, they both seemed interesting and when I saw that the author's style is compared to Beth O'Leary, Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood then I really got excited as those three ladies are on my top-5 authors list when it comes to contemporary romance.

When I saw the book is over 400 pages I was worried, because it often means that the pacing is too slow and / or there are unnecessarily long descriptions of surroundings or there's prolonged contemplating.
Now, even though the pacing was okay (but got slower after the first few chapters), I'm afraid this book is just not for me therefore I had to put it down as a do-not-finish read. Here's broken down into bullet points why:

- The book starts with minor characters around our FMC who I think all have terrible personalities. Even the supporting characters aren't that supportive but hurting and raw with Gia, the FMC.
Jay, who is the appointed funny character with a stand-up comedy background, has absolutely no humor in my opinion and Gia and even Gia's mother are both funnier than Jay (not to mention how terribly rude the way he's speaking to Gia in almost all of their interactions.)
Gia's mother is trying to be the "Samantha of Sex And The City", but it is too overwrought and also she is more hurtful in her tone and in her saying toward Gia than supportive
there are the girls whose names I don't recall right now but Gia is referring to them as The Bitches so t should say all, I think,
Juliet who is Gia's boss is also too uptight and strange,
etc the other minor characters... and this is only from Gia's side, I did not mention our MMC, Ben's side. By the way Ben has 4 siblings so... why the heck do we have SO MANY minor characters??? There's absolutely no need for that. Creative writing 1-on-1, compress the supportive role into as few minor characters as possible, otherwise it will be confusing to follow the story, not to mention how unnecessary the characters will become.

- The introduction of the MMC is confusing. I thought for more than 100 pages that Ben is the delivery guy... It honestly never happened before that it wasn't clear who they are or what role they have.

- Because of this very reason, the whole delivery of the story feels disorganized and rambling.

- The male character is too similar to the female character in the way of thinking and speaking and behaving, this might sound strange but you can actually feel on the MMC alone that a woman wrote this book. Basically the MMC feels and thinks and acts like a lady.

- There were many inconsistencies that also bothered me. Just to mention one example, Gia said she is not an alcoholist but 5 sentences later she claims she couldn't take even 5 days without alcohol and then she asks Ben whether being sober is fun or not. I mean, what the heck? So you can imagine when the book is full of things like these.

- And so more and more I'm progressing in the book, more and more I feel like both main characters are acting like teenagers / adolescents instead of adults. After 60 pages in the book I still didn't feel a connection to either of the characters and just over page 120 I completely lost my interest in them as well. As I felt no character development whatsoever and the letters started to become more cringe-worthy than amusing, I sadly decided to put the story down as a do-not-finish read around page 200 which is 50% of the whole book.

But there were some cute ideas behind the main concept, that I generally liked:
+ The basic concept behind the story, too bad the execution is just not my cup of tea as it feels rushed and rambling
+ Loved the unusual approach of connecting the two main characters (accidental note change)
+ I liked that the FMC is not a typical "perfect and beautiful" character, but more realistic with realistic job and life background

I review this book for 2-star only as it's veeery unusual of me to not finish a book. There's a lot of room for improvement in the writing technique and in the general execution of otherwise great and interesting ideas (see the details above).

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC. I thought the premise was really cute. Old school notes brings me back. And I really related to storytelling and getting to know someone over notes. Less of the instant gratification we’re so used to with technology and social media now.

The formatting on kindle was kind of wonky, which I assume will be changed prior to release.

DNF at 40% - I’ve rated this on Netgalley but haven’t put a rating on Goodreads as I don’t think it’s fair to rate it without having finished it.

I decided to stop reading this book before the half way point as I had realised it wasn’t going to be my cup of tea. I’d categorise this book as women’s fiction as opposed to romance, I’m not a big fan of women’s fiction so I didn’t want to slog through and then end up giving it a low rating simply because it’s not my sort of book.

I thought the story definitely had some potential, and I really appreciated the heroine being from an Indian background but without her characterisation relying upon stereotypes. It’s clear that the author has put a lot of love into this book. However the plot (to the 40% mark at least) felt a bit jumpy and I often felt that things I would’ve liked to read happened off the page and were just referenced by characters after the fact. I also wasn’t a big fan of the cast of supporting characters, especially those at Gia (the female MC)’s workplace who are all designed to be unlikeable but sort of ended up blending into one. I also felt that I struggled to connect with Gia and this hindered my enjoyment of the story. My favourite parts of the portion of the book I read were Ben (the male MC)’s chapters, especially when he was coaching a youth football team. I know this element was going to continue throughout the book but unfortunately this wasn’t enough motivation for me to keep reading.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Looking for a cute romcom over many orders of takeout Indian food?

The premise of this book is incredibly cute and made me oh-so-hungry! Gia freaks out after kissing her boss at a party and begins making a list of goals to plan for her inevitable termination at work. She orders Indian takeout and her list accidentally gets attached to the takeout bag and into the hands of Ben from the takeaway. Ben and Gia begin exchanging handwritten, honest notes over many deliveries of Indian food. They’ve never met but it’s like they know one another deeply. (Side note: Ben works at the takeaway but doesn’t do the deliveries. 😉)

I’m a total fan of snail mail and pen pals! I still have some today and the conversations I have with my friends over letters are sometimes deeper and more honest/raw than conversations I’d have with friends face-to-face. Hence, this little love story that developed over the exchange of letters was incredibly sweet and endearing. (Anyone’s love language words of affirmation?)
(On a trashier reality tv side note, this also reminded me of an innocent Love is Blind — falling in love, sight unseen. Lol!!!)

As for the storytelling, I thought the writing was straightforward, easy to read, and humorous. The author did a great job bringing the plot and each of the characters’ stories to a complete resolution.

Overall, this is a fun little romantic story about falling in love over letters and good food. This book doesn’t have any smutty scenes and is a clean read.

Really enjoyed well written rom.con I was immediately drawn in by the characters their story.A book that’s engaging fun.#netgalley #avonbooksuk

A very cute story, but not for me. Halfway through I was weary with the politics and dynamics at Gia's office. Also, but that could be a coincidence, I don't understand that often in romance novels the female main character has to be in event or wedding planning, or in marketing.

If you're in for a happy ending, that's what you're gonna get. But alas, it is way too good to be true: closure on a painful subject and acknowledging poor behavior from the past, loads of new friends, a happy environment to work in instead of thinking losing that exact job...

Love on the Menu will be perfect for readers of women's fiction. Not quite so much for readers looking for a light romcom. Good story and engaging characters.

Not strictly a Rom-com, Mimi Deb's book is more contemporary fiction, looking at relationships between family, friends, and romantically.
Gia, the female MC, is on a work visa from India and is perilously close to losing the one job she has, which would keep her in the country due to some mishaps. One at the work Christmas party that she is convinced will be the final nail in her coffin. She has a close relationship with Ma, her mother, or MiMasa as she is entered in her phone, Probably more open than the average relationship between an Indian mother and daughter, but then, Ma isn't your average mother figure, either.
Gia writes a list of things she needs to do in the new year to make things better.
Somehow the list ends up travelling to her local Indian takeaway, of which she is a regular customer, and the list sparks the start of a note correspondence with someone who works at Namaste London - Ben.
Ben is the male MC, and he is struggling to find a place in the world that will fulfil his family's hopes, as well as his own.
They disapprove of his job at the takeaway, but given the struggles he has already faced in life, they don't say too much...
I enjoyed how the book was written, with the correspondences between the characters, as an end note to a chapter, or the beginning and the details of their lives, how they meet, and their lives intertwine as time progresses.
It is good to read of a heroine not cut from the same stereotypical cloth as many, with Gia being a woman of colour and not a lythe, tall, 'dusky' beauty, but someone with the beauty that shines from within.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC

I would classify this as more of a women’s fiction book than a romcom. A lot of drama for both main characters. I tend to go more for the romcom vibe, so it wasn’t really my cup of tea. Those of you who like more drama… give it a read!

The e-book itself had some formatting issues that I’m guessing will be fixed prior to publication.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Love on the Menu to come out April 13, 2023!

I am not sure how to review this book. It’s a love story , a forgiving your friend , an Indian mother who loves you dearly, making a career in London when you work colleagues are interesting and a boss who you don’t really understand . The male in the love story Ben has secrets and they meet through an Indian takeaway order.. I won’t spoil it. I love the orders in each chapter. A perfect ending . Read it is my advice