Romance • Generational Trauma • Indian Culture
Publication Date • 10 September 2024

Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for the free review copy and audiobook.

Here is a tried and true fake dating trope but make it under the guise of shirking the familial expectation of arranged marriage. It’s got a legit Indian matchmaker, Veera Aunty. It’s a story of second and third generation Bengali-Canadian immigrants living in a smallish province. It’s about a trinket shop that’s about to get rebranded into a place of gathering and community, serving up chai and mishti (Bengali for “sweet” aka dessert!).

This is the backdrop for Sunshine and Spice.

I right away was pulled into this book - it gripped me with main character moody Dev (who shares a name with my own dad.. who always told people to call him “Dave” to make it easier for them and him) and sunshiny Naomi Kelly. There is a scene where Dev mistakes Naomi as someone his mother is trying to set him up with which had me rolling laughing. There were also moments where I felt this sense being seen: the shame of not being fluent in languages and just wanting so much to fit in, to belong.

As it’s a romance, Naomi and Dev will get their HEA, loose ends tied up neatly and predictably, with some spicy open door scenes along the way. The romance was my least fave part of this book (granted I’m not normally a romance reader), as I think the book shines more in the sections around culture, belonging, assimilation, and expectations of being caught between cultures.

🎧 The audiobook was easy listening with dual narration by Soneela Nankani as Naomi and Imran Sheikh as Dev.

Such a fun story; loved the Toronto setting and sunshine/cinnamon roll vibes, as well as the interesting (and new-to-me) differences in the cultural experiences of the two protagonists.

A solid debut!

This was one of the new to me authors for 2025, and I’m happy I gave Sunshine and Spice a shot. It turned into a heartfelt, less rom-com romance. There is a solid grumpy/sunshine vibe between the characters that will appeal to those who love the trope.

Taking a step back, I won’t rehash the blurb. What’s familiar? This has the age-old opposites attract, grump/sunshine, forbidden romance vibe. The hero, Dev, comes from a South Asian family steeped in culture and tradition. Whereas Naomi, our heroine, was raised with a more Western approach. Naomi gets tangled up with Dev when she’s hired to oversee his mother’s store rebrand. Except Dev needs more help, he’s currently the target of his mother’s matchmaking schemes. What better way to get those potential brides off his back than faking a relationship with Naomi in return for helping her make the rebrand a success?

What makes this story unique? The main characters, the setting, the entire dynamic of the story. There is so much to unpack, from the cultural elements present to Naomi’s constant feeling of ‘other’ as she interacts with Dev and his family, longing for her own connection to a culture she lost out on growing up.

There are constant dynamics between what both Naomi and Dev want and the expectations that have been ingrained in them since childhood. For Dev, it’s his desire to be an obedient son, not to make waves when everyone else in his family is known for causing disruption. For Naomi, it’s being raised to be her own person without cultural ties or expectations yet craving what Dev has always taken for granted. This push and pull is what dragged me into the story after the book had a bit of a slow start. However, I won’t lie; series firsts tend to have a slow momentum sometimes as they set the tone and world.

For the overall story pacing, once the adhesion beat takes place, locking Dev and Naomi into a partnership of sorts filled with heat and attraction, I couldn’t stop reading. I enjoyed the ride of Dev and Naomi falling for each other and was equally eager for when it would all fall apart like a house of cards. Palit did a great job of keeping me guessing, and I couldn’t really predict how this would end.

Overall, if you are looking for something with a touch of the familiar, though with an immersive romance from a totally different perspective, Palit brings a breath of fresh air to the contemporary genre. For readers who enjoy Nisha Sharma.

~ Landra

Much like Naomi, I’ve always felt I’ve had my foot in two worlds, being the first generation of immigrant parents. However, unlike Naomi, I’ve been immersed in my parents’ culture through the home, which has made it easier for me to find my way with my parents’ world. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Naomi not knowing her culture but having a desire to learn. These were the best parts of the book, following along as she learned more about her heritage. The instant spark with Dave was perfect and I enjoyed following along as they realized they were well matched. Naomi was also a savvy businessperson, working to get her new business off the ground. This was the perfect mix of culture, romance, and finding your own way in the world.

I loved it! The characters, the drama, the spin on fake dating (fake dating, but behind your parents back, and also all the secrets). The spice!! I love how this book focuses on how the "grass is always greener" and how both MCs seem like their upbringing and family situations disappoint them, but grow so much throughout the book. I could viscerally feel Naomi's longing for her ancestral culture, a feeling of belonging that she has never had, always feeling alone in the middle. I loved seeing Dev's culture through her eyes and learning so much alongside her. (I had tears from some of her wide-eye revelations, happiness, and at a scene at the end where she was told she does belong and will learn!) Such a fun and spicy romance!

Unfortunately this adult romance was not for me.

I made it about 20% in before I decided to stop. I enjoyed the setting, as it was not one I see a lot of in this space. The main characters inner dialogue was not something I enjoyed. I think I'm just not a fan of books written with the tone of the main female character, it's a very valid thought space to be in as an immigrant, but it's tiring to me as a minority also. I think I would have enjoyed their fake dating but was not invested enough in either of them due to the reason stated earlier and the fact that the male character is going through his own version of "being in a box". Readers who want to go on a journey with characters coming into their own in their culture would enjoy this. The writing was good, just a bit too telling for my tastes also.

Thank you @BerkleyPub and @BerkleyRomance for the free book and thank you @PRHAudio for the #gifted listening copy of Sunshine and Spice! #BerkleyBookstagram #berkleypub #BerkleyIG #berkley #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #SunshineAndSpice #AuroraPalit #berkleyromance

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐤𝐡
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

𝟒★

This was such a fun one! It included some of my favorite trope all wrapped into one and Naomi and Dev had the most amazing banter. I loved how this book was full of cultural traditions, and it gave me the chance to learn more about another culture and I really enjoyed that aspect. I also really appreciated how this book wasn’t just focused on romance, but took a look at topics such as immigration and creating a sense of identity and community. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it!

🧡Fake Dating
🧡Grumpy x Sunshine
🧡Workplace Romance
🧡Dual POV
🧡Forced Proximity

🎧I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the talented duo, Soneela Nankani and Imran Sheikh. I thought both narrators were phenomenal. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and would highly recommend this one on audio!

Posted on Goodreads on September 17, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around September 18, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on September 17, 2024
**-will post on designated date

This was a quick and fun read with some laugh-out-loud moments as well as ones I cheered for Naomi as an underdog. My favorite part of this novel was the cultural aspects and how Naomi had been kept from her Bengali traditions because of her mom's decision. This added depth to the characters and plot and I wished for more of this part. I liked the friendship between Dev and Naomi and their banter and chemistry and thought the ending, although predictable, was sweet.

DNF @ 40%

I adored the FMC Naomi, and because I like her, I can't in good conscious root for her to have a relationship with Dev. I am a huge fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope. It doesn't bother me that he's grumpy. It DOES bother me that he is rude, particularly to women, and including Naomi.

In the beginning, his mother is setting him up on dates, and he basically igores his dates, and even treats them with disdain. Again, it's not a problem that he doesn't want to go on the dates with the women that his mom sets him up with, but since he is going on them, he should at least be somewhat kind to the women who have to suffer his presence.

He was completely rude to Naomi when he first met her. I got to the point where they have started fake dating - to benefit him - and he is just rude to her during a cooking class they take together.

I understand that in many communitites, it is still traditional for the women to do much of the cooking and caregiving for children, and as long as that's what the women want, that's totally fine. But Dev seems to look down on women's work.

I'm going to give this 3 stars, which may seem extremely generous for a book that I'm DNFing. I look at it this way - if I were in a situation where this was the ONLY book that I had access to, I believe I would finish it, and I would mostly like it and give it 3 stars. But the reality is that I have hundreds of books at my fingertips, and I would rather read something that I adored than something that I liked.

Reading this book made me happy. I enjoyed the story and the romance itself kept me captivated from start to finish. It’s heartwarming with characters that you root for and a plot that’s not repetitive and keeps you involved in the story from start to finish. Honestly, most of all I just loved the interaction between the hero and heroine as they were falling in love with one another.

This was a fun rom-com with a different kind of protagonist set than I typically see. I’ll admit I don’t gravitate most strongly to romance, but there is something about the fake dating trope that gets me and this book fit that. It also has grumpy/sunny which I thought was good but while Naomi was a little muted from a stereotypical sunny (Which I loved, way more realistic) Dev was a little exaggerated for me as a grumpy which detracted a little for me at times. I loved the cultural pieces of this book, both the details I’m not familiar with and the dynamics between generations with immigrants and a character completely cut off from her culture. Naomi is desperate to get the rebranding job of Gio’s Bazaar shop because since going on her own money is very tight. Dev, Gio’s son, is struggling to avoid the matchmaker and potential matches his mother is forcing his way. They decide to help each other Dev with advice on the bazaar and Naomi pretending to be his girlfriend to make prospective matches leave him alone. The beginning was a bit slow, but overall it was a fun, light, good debut.

Naomi Kelly has opened her own business, and she needs a new client fast, or it’s scrambled eggs and ramen for the next month. As a brand consultant, she knows how to take a struggling business and turn it around. But her passion is to help the small, family-run businesses, and in her town in Canada, that means fitting in with the local Bengali community. She’s Indo-Canadian herself, but her mother hasn’t been a part of the Bengali community for a long time, and Naomi grew up without much connection to her Bengali heritage.

She’s gotten a chance to pitch to Gia Mukherjee, and she has to get this right. Gia has been running a bazaar for many years, and it used to be community hub. But then her husband had a stroke, and she had to close the store to help him. Now she wants to build up her business again, but the store is filled with kitschy knickknacks that no one wants to buy. The other stores in the strip mall where she is have changed, and Gia’s needs a whole new plan. Naomi can see that immediately, from the tacky tchotchkes that fill the shelves and the layer of dust over them.

Meanwhile, there is one thing Gia wants more than the rebranding of her bazaar. She wants her son Dev to settle down and get married. She’s even hired a matchmaker, and the matchmaker jumps right in with several women who she thinks would be perfect for Dev. It’s all set. Except for one thing. Dev isn’t interested in getting married, and certainly not to any of the women the matchmaker has found for him. So when he’s at the store and Gia drops by to do some more research for her pitch, Dev takes her for one of the women he’d been set up with and tries to shut her down.

When Dev realizes his mistake, he apologizes. But it gives Naomi an idea. She can pretend to be his girlfriend, scaring off the women the matchmaker will send his way, if he helps her out with the rebranding of the store and helps her fit in better with the Bengali community. And Naomi has a great pitch—to turn the bazaar into a coffeeshop. It will bring the community back to Gia’s and give customers a much-needed cafe. It will take a lot of work to transform it, but Naomi is up for it. And she has to do a good job, to get referrals throughout the community.

But when the fake relationship stars to throw out real sparks, Naomi and Dev find themselves in a difficult position. They need to decide for themselves if their family expectations are more important to them, or if love is.

Sunshine and Spice is a sweet rom com that looks at the way social norms influence us and how love can disrupt the status quo. Aurora Palit’s story of love and family has spice and humor and lots of heart. It’s about finding your own voice in a family and chasing the dreams that mean the most to you.

I really enjoyed Sunshine and Spice. I liked these characters and couldn’t wait to see how things would turn out. I especially liked how they wanted something different than what their families wanted for them, but they found ways to balance their independence with their family obligations. Learning more about Bengali culture was fascinating, and seeing how their relationship played out is just lots of fun.

Egalleys for Sunshine and Spice were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I’ve been really looking forward to this one since I saw it on an email. It was so insightful and clever writing. It felt like I have read this book before, the characters were so wonderful to read about and it felt like this book was just MEANT to be loved

Aurora Palit was a new to me author and I went into this not knowing what to expect, but Sunshine and Spice was a quick, fun read! I enjoyed the characters, their cultures, and their personalities. I especially loved reading about Naomi and Dev’s family lives and the relationships they had with their parent. I always enjoy a fake-dating trope, but the addition of the South Asian cultural aspects of this story really made the book shine. Fans of Sonali Dev will like this book.

I love it when a romance is more than just a romance and gives the reader more substance! And this is one of those books! I love a diverse read, where I can learn about another culture. I wish more readers would be willing to read a book about a culture different from their own. When you don't, you are missing out on wonderful books!

This is a wonderful book! Dev is under pressure to get married, his mother has hired a matchmaker. Naomi is hired by his mother to help the family's ailing business. The two are thrown together, and fake dating ensues! Dev is under pressure to follow his family's Indian traditions. Naomi is also facing cultural dilemmas. Can the two find love, or are the cultural dilemmas so strong that they will keep them apart? Can Dev choose between pleasing his mother or following his heart?

I am a fan of Indian shows, including the Indian Matchmaking on Netflix. So I loved the matchmaking aspect of this story.
This a well-paced romance with the familiar tropes, including forced proximity and fake dating. But the cultural aspect enriches this romance.
Pick up this book, you won't be disappointed.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

While I loved Naomi from the first time we met her, I wasn't as sure about Dev the potential love interest, or that I would be able to connect with both of them throughout the story. I really loved Naomis' interest in learning all about her Bengali roots, and the traditions they hold, something she didn't get raised by a mother who ran from the expectations of her family and all the things that go along with being Bengali. She really immerses herself in Dev's family and loves every moment, while at the same time, Dev is bucking against what his family expects of him, and doesn't really feel like he fits in with his family. (this is the part that I could most resonate with, while I love my family lots of times I feel like the odd man out especially in group settings)

The romance was cute the grumpy/ sunshine trope is in full effect. I did enjoy seeing Naomi pull happiness and joy out of Dev, especially in the moments when he least expects it. Naomi's vision for the Bazarr was beautiful and heartfelt, and she pulled off the perfect place for Gia and the rest of the Bengali community to come together.

Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit is a cute romance focusing on different cultures. It was a unique read getting to learn and experience the Bengali and Canadian cultures. I love Naomi and her quest for adventure and learning about her roots. Dev is a strong male character who meet Naomi on this adventure. Their chemistry is addicting and made me want to know more and keep reading their story. This is an adorable read and I loved it! This author was great and I can't wait to read more from her in the future.

This is such a sweet grumpy sunshine fake dating book! Dev and Naomi are the perfect match!

I really appreciated seeing Naomi’s experience and how different it is from most South Asian books. She didn’t have any real fire to her cultural identity, but she desperately wanted to. This is such a sweet story about finding yourself.

Thanks to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, PRH Audio and
for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for free in exchange for my review! I was also lucky enough to receive an ALC from the Penguin Random House Audio Influencer Program. @prhaudio #PRHAudio #PRHAudioInfluencer
All opinions are my own.

This was a delightful romance. I loved the fake dating premise. I also enjoyed learning about the Indian culture. I thought Dev and Naomi made a wonderful couple. I also loved that there were mixups about who Naomi really was in the beginning and how they were initally enemies but decided to (fake) date to appease Dev's overbearing Indian mother.

I also thought the audiobook was very well done. Soneela Nankani seems to be an up and coming talent in the audiobook world as I have seen her name listed as the narrator of many audiobooks recently. I was not familiar with Imran Sheikh but I thought he also had a great voice and he complimented Soneela Nankani's voice nicely.

Overall I thought this was a swoonworthy and cozy romance for fall. I look forward to reading many more books written by Aurora Palit in the near future!

Thank you again to Berkley and PRH Audio for granting me early access to the ebook and audiobook! I truly adored this book and highly recommend it for your romance TBR!

Naomi is a brand consultant hoping to get the opportunity to transform a local bazaar into something special. The problem is the owner is very in touch with her Bengali heritage and Naomi never grew up being taught the traditions of her culture. After Naomi gets the job, she makes a deal with the owner’s son Dev. Naomi will pretend to be Dev’s girlfriend and help fend off his mother’s matchmaking if he gives Naomi some help with the rebranding of the bazaar. As the two spend more time together their opposite personalities attract. But Naomi would never be a suitable match for Dev in his mother’s eyes. Will the culture clash keep the two apart or will their headstrong families find a way to come together?

I felt this grumpy/sunshine romance brilliantly delved into the topics of familiar pressures and expectations to be very relevant. Also how different generations of immigrants decide to connect to their heritage and culture. What a wonderfully enjoyable romance!