A Good Indian Girl was both entertaining and thought provoking.

I escaped to Italy with Jyoti and accompanied her on her personal journey. The character’s struggles and development were realistic and compelling. With the help of her friend Karishma, Italy, food and social media Jyoti moves beyond her struggle to conceive, her loss of her restaurant and her family's expectations.

More than anything I appreciated a novel about adults who still struggle with expectations, both their own and others. Jyoti clearly thought she knew what she wanted out of life… but it is difficult for her to weed through the expectations and judgments of her family and community. (Often these themes stay in the covers of YA books even though they continue into our adult lives).

If I were to change anything about the novel, I wish the ending had been less rushed.

I wanted to know more about Karishma’s friends. I got extremely frustrated with Jyoti’s sisters. I became fascinated by Jyoti’s mom. And now I want to find an Italian-Indian fusion restaurant.

I love the depiction of the different life paths people take and the idea that no matter your age you can still have opportunities to get what you want out of life.

I highly recommend this novel, especially for those who are in a transitional phase of life or struggle with people pleasing.

Since this is the first book I’ve read by Mansi Shah, I cannot wait to read more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy of this book.

Why yes, I would like another helping of delicious prose and delicately plated family drama from Mansi Shah. “A Good Indian Girl” is an emotionally uplifting book that explores the multi-layered impact of immigration and culture. I rooted for Jyoti from start to finish.

This novel felt very "Eat, Pray, Love", but only with one country and more dramatic with familial drama. I didn't love the social media aspects of the book and thought that it wasn't woven seamlessly integrated into the story which made it feel forced. I loved the main character Jyoti and her bravery for leaving everything she knew and decided to go on an adventure and learn more about herself.

A lush, sophisticated tale that you can almost taste on your tongue! When recently divorced Jyoti journeys to Italy to reconnect with her passion for the culinary arts, she discovers a newfound appreciation for the pleasures of travel, the joys of found family, and a talent for connecting with others through food…as well as a chance to redefine life on her own terms, apart from the expectations of her traditional Gujarati family and her people-pleasing tendencies. An inspired coming of age story that will take you on a delicious journey to Tuscany!

3***
This was quite a good story about immigrants and children of immigrants and how they have to cope with life changes and cultural differences. Jyoti, the eldest of three daughter of a Gujarati couple, is expected to live up to a certain standard and be kind of a role model to not just the family but the whole community.

Jyoti faces lot of challenges and has to go through struggles after her divorce from her husband, Ashok. She does find her calling when she visits her best friend, Karishma, in Italy. Jyoti, who loves to cook for others finds Florence to be the place to try out her fusion cuisine and succeeds.

The story is kind of slow and tedious for three quarters of the book, then it takes an unexpected turn and moves at a nice, comfortable pace. This is when the story got quite enjoyable.

For someone who likes to cook, I would want to try some of her fusion pasta some day.

Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Mansi Shah for the ARC.

Jyoti, the main character of A Good Indian Girl is spending the summer in Italy, running away from her problems. Her ex husband's new wife is pregnant and he wants Jyoti to make the call on the embryos they once froze together. Her perfect gnocchi lunch is ruined.

Frankly, I didn't have much sympathy for Jyoti. She's 42 but she's never grown up, and has spent her life pleasing others. I found her underwhelming as a main character and the clumsy prose didn't help. One sentence in the present would be followed by an entire paragraph of past info dumping.

Jyoti finds herself in Italy and goes viral on tiktok, and still it takes other people doing things behind her back for her to find her professional destiny. Listen, many women go through the heartache Jyoti does and have to deal with it while working full time and caring for others without the luxury of an Eat Pray Love break.

All in all, I didn't care for Jyoti's woes or her happy ending, and when that happens, there's really not much left to root for.

Jyoti has done everything right in terms of being a "good Indian girl". She obeyed her parents, cared for her younger siblings, and even had an arranged marriage. Now, after almost 20 years of marriage, her husband has left her for someone younger who can give him children. Jyoti went through years of struggling to conceive, she even stopped working at their restaurant, her favorite thing, to focus on having a baby. Now she has no husband, no child, and no restaurant.
Desperate to escape the judgement of the Indian community and her family, she decides to spend the summer in Tuscany with her best friend. At one of her lowest points, she posts a video on social media and unloads all her feelings, not only does she go viral, but ends up unintentionally making the situation with her family even worse.
Does she choose her own happiness or take the easy path and please everyone else?
This was an interesting take on the struggles that the children of immigrants face. Jyoti wants the comforts of everything she's known while at the same time yearning to forge her own path. The story moved a bit slow at several points, and I didn't really get invested until a climax that comes at 75% through the book. Jyoti wasn't an unlikeable character, but she did have moments that made her a bit annoying. I really liked the additional characters, especially Karishma. Chayya was outright mean most of the time and Tanvi had no real role at all. The ending felt a bit rushed and was satisfying enough, but I had a few questions, mainly about Jyoti's family, in the aftermath. This book also made me hungry as well as strengthen my desire to go to Italy! I wish the author had included a recipe or two. Who knew you could crave pasta and cauliflower shaak at the same time, haha!
Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I finished this in a day and absolutely loved it. The author's use of food and details around cooking made me feel like I was in the kitchen with Jyoti; her ease and confidence in her recipes gave the book a comforting feeling. I appreciated the vulnerability Jyoti's character felt after her divorce left her second guessing herself and her life choices and I loved that she was able to sort through those feelings in Italy with her best friend. I can't wait for this to be released so I can purchase the physical copy and recommend it to anyone in a transitional period in life.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Mansi Shah for the opportunity to read this ARC.