Great book for newbies to the romance genre!!!

Great fake dating and cultural identity. I appreciate the build to the spice and I do love open door spice.
There are great moments with family bonding as well.

It could have pushed more for someone who read romance so much like I do. It could have pushed more on the romance.

Naomi is a brand consultant, branching out her own and trying to gain trust and clients in the community. Naomi is a second generation immigrant with roots in South Asia, and despite her mom's reluctance and aversion to the culture, Naomi wants to rebrand local Indian Bazaar. Dev, the son of the owner (and first generation immigrant from South Asia), is heavily involved in the rebrand, and is also the victim of an unwanted matchmaking scheme. To avoid potential brides, Naomi and Dev pretend to date when the need arises. But Naomi's happy spirit starts to break down a stoic Dev and feelings develop. Naomi, seeking cultural acceptance, and Dev, wishing he had less cultural responsibilities, attempt to navigate working together and they discover important things about family, love, loss, and customs.

💭 This was a great debut novel and I can't wait to see what else this author has in store! Dual POV, a grumpy x sunshine, a new to me culture - I learned a lot and loved the contrast between someone trying to escape certain customs and someone trying to find acceptance with them. This book definitely gave me some insight into how immigrant families create community and support each other, trying to keep their customs and traditions alive. I loved how Dev was a stereotypical accountant who was willing to come out of his shell for Naomi.

4 ⭐️
This book was such a cute, easy read for me and I’m so glad I was able to get an ARC for it. I loved the premise: fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, but also I wanted to dive into stories that represented different cultures and I loved that I learned so much from this book and its storyline. Naomi & Dev were so cute and funny with their banter AND their denial lol. I also really loved the immigrant representation & the expectations that come from older generations. I definitely related to that and was so glad that there are stories where I feel validated. This is definitely on the contemporary romance side, so the spice isn’t THAT spicy but the story I think, didn’t need that. It stood on its own.

Book comes out tomorrow!! Sept 10 🫶🏼
Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. :)

Matchmaking, fake dating, a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, and Desi culture: All that and more is in Sunshine and Spice, the debut novel by Aurora Palit. I was first drawn to this book for its cute cover and the title, but the joy only grew as I began reading it. Set in Kelowna, British Columbia, it’s about a Bengali-Canadian named Naomi who recently started her own business as a brand consultant. Her newest client is Gia Mukherjee, also Bengali-Canadian, who is looking to relaunch her store. But Gia is unimpressed by Naomi and her lack of cultural identity. Meanwhile, Gia’s son Dev is in his 30s and still single, which means it’s time for a matchmaker. Dev doesn’t want to be pushed into marriage, and Naomi needs more cultural knowledge to do her job. So Naomi and Dev decide to fake date while he teaches her about Bengali customs. It’s a win-win, right?

Tropes & Narrative Devices:
- Fake dating
- Opposites attract
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Matchmaking hijinks
- Dual third-person POV (Naomi and Dev)

What I Liked:
- Culture and discussions about immigrants and identity. I loved getting to know more about Bengali culture and how it fits within the greater Desi culture. From the food to the community celebrations, it was fun to learn about it as a non-Desi person myself, but also from the perspective of Naomi. She’s Bengali-Canadian, but due to events in her mom’s past, she’s been raised completely outside of that culture. She knows very little about Indian and, more specifically, Bengali customs, yet she longs to learn more. I loved getting to see Naomi’s perspective as being part of yet separate from such a major part of her identity. There are some great examinations of expectations based on immigration and first- or second-generation family.
- Family relationships and disagreements. Speaking of, I loved exploring the various family members on both Dev and Naomi’s sides and the very different attitudes they have. Dev’s mom, Gia, comes at things from the opposite end of the spectrum compared to Naomi’s mom, Sue. Naomi, Dev, and his siblings all fall somewhere in the middle in terms of cultural identity, views on roles within a family, and what kind of marriage makes sense for them.
- Matchmaking! Gia hires a matchmaker for Dev, but he does NOT want to be part of this. Naomi posing as his secret fake girlfriend seems like the perfect solution. He doesn’t want a marriage of any kind, let alone an arranged marriage… yet the more time he spends with Naomi, the less a long-term relationship seems like something to avoid.
- Naomi and Dev’s opposite personalities. She’s sunshine, he’s grumpy. She’s good at talking to people, he tends to put his foot in his mouth. Underneath his rough exterior, Dev is caring and sweet and always helping others, but he’s also afraid to rock the boat. Naomi is independent and curious, but she needs to learn to genuinely open up to others. I enjoyed seeing how they each bring out the best in each other.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- Nothing, this was great!

Final Thoughts
Sunshine and Spice is a wonderful debut! I loved all the cultural discussions, the main and secondary characters, and the overall cute vibes. I definitely want to read more from Aurora Palit! And is it just me or was there some setup for a second book? Cynthia and her coworker? Let it be so, because I would love to read that.

Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit is a fast paced and fun Desi, Hindi, romance that explores the themes of belonging, identity, and the challenges of being an outsider looking in. This is a story about finding your roots and embracing your blessings. It's about finding out who you want to be, even if it's almost exactly the opposite of what you always thought it was. It's about following your heart and deep connection. It's about hard work and paving your own way. It is a rich tapestry of themes, layered with flavor and spice, just like almost any meal in traditional Indian cooking.

Naomi Kelly, a brand consultant, teams up with Dev Mukherjee, a man caught in his mother's matchmaking schemes, to fake-date in order to help each other with their predicaments. In exchange for trying to shield him from his potential matches, Dev agrees to give lessons in Bengali culture to help her rebrand his family’s local bazaar. The author does a great job in weaving together the characters' personal journeys while also shedding light on sensitive topics and cultural expectations. Sunshine and Spice is a heartwarming and thought-provoking debut novel that explores the complexities of identity, belonging, and love; with no shortage of family, food and tons of fun.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#NetGalley #Berkley

Sunshine and Spice was a sweet book. I liked that the book focused around culture, heritage, and identity. I enjoyed Naomi and Dev's characters. I thought Naomi and Dev were great matches for each other. It was cute how Naomi pulled Dev out of his grumpy shell. Their juxtaposition was fun to read. Palit did a wonderful job with Dev and Naomi's chemistry and banter. I liked that they had alternating chapters. Surprisingly, I didn't mind the author's writing style. I usually struggle with third-person narrative, so kudos to Palit for creating a well-written narrative. My biggest gripe with this book was the ending. I felt like the ending could have been resolved better. Gia and Naomi's ending felt too cookie cutter for me. Overall, this was a fun and easy read! Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

what a stunning debut!!! I loved every second I got to spent with Naomi and Dev. Aurora Palit writes with such care and tenderheartedness and these two leads absolutely have my whole heart. I loved the discussions of identity, heritage and culture and can't wait to see what Aurora Palit cooks up for us next! Whatever it is, I'll be having what she's having!

Overall cute story but I think I connected more with the FMC feeling disconnected from her culture bc she doesn't speak the language. I'm not sure there was chemistry but still cute.

This is a delightful fish out of water story. Both Naomi and Dev are trying to find their own way, and chart their own path within cultural and family expectations. Add in a little grumpy/sunshine and this book will keep you smiling and thinking long after you finish reading.
4.5 stars

Read if you like:
🌏 South Asian Culture
🇮🇳 Indian Traditions
🪷 Matchmaking
🔀 Opposites Attract
🛍️ Workplace Romance
🥸 Fake Dating-ish
😘 Hookup to More

For me, the cultural aspects of this story is what really shined through! I loved the look at opposing characters who came from a similar cultural background but grew up very differently with one immersed in the culture, and one that was raised fully away from their culture.

I appreciated the fake-ish dating with hooking up to help the MMC ward off women that his mother was trying to set him up with to marry him off via a match maker.

I also really enjoyed the aspects of the FMC trying to strike it on her own and struggling but still working towards her dream with her company while working on a project for the MMC’s family to give them some forced proximity/interactions with a workplace romance vibe!

Thank you to Berkley for my ARC and PRHA for my gifted audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Fake dating is my jam! I could devour dozens of books with this trope so I love that Aurora Palit tried her own spin on it. I really loved all the discussions about being the "right" kind of South Asian. It was really relatable to see both Dev and Naomi struggling with parental and cultural pressures in different ways. Watching them cope with those pressures and learn to live their lives in ways that felt right for them was really uplifting. My one quibble with this book was with the lying. I love the fake dating trope but I struggle when there is lying or secrets kept between the love interests so that reduced my enjoyment a bit. Despite this I had a pretty good time with this book and I'm so glad I picked it up. I love grumpy characters who are determined to care for their loved ones and Dev definitely fit that character type. It was really sweet to see him find someone to support and care for him too. If you're looking for a fun fake dating/matchmaking romance this could be the one for you!

This was a standout debut by a new Canadian author and I really enjoyed it!

A fake dating, dual POV, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine romance between two South Asian Canadians who meet while they work together to revamp Dev's family cafe and he uses Naomi to ward off his mother's matchmaking schemes. Feelings turn real quickly though and Dev and Naomi have to figure out if a 'real' relationship between them is actually possible.

Spicer than expected and full of cultural traditions and pressures, this is perfect for fans of authors like Farah Heron, Uzma Jalaluddin or Sarah Desai. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I chose this romance because of the setting--second generation immigrants, and how the young generation deal with elder generation expectations and the new setting and its social and cultural rules.

There's a good quote in the middle of the book that kind of sums up why I liked that aspect so much: The heroine's mother has a talk with the heroine, saying, "There's no handbook for immigrants and the generations that follow. I think they did the best they could. They raised me according to what made sense to them. And I did the same for you."

The romance is a grumpy/sunshine romance, and it's perfectly fine, but where the writing really shines, for me, is Naomi's quest to find herself between these conflicting cultural expectations. Even when you seem to belong to one set of people, one can still feel an utter outsider for so many reasons.

Delightful romance book! I loved the premise of this book so much. I like the grumpy male main character, Dev. All the side characters were really well done too. But I really love our female main character, Naomi and everything she was struggling with. There was so much good stuff in here about family, love and struggling to find where you belong. And I loved what I assume is the set up for the next book on the series.

SUNSHINE AND SPICE by Aurora Palit is out in 3 days, which means you should pre-order it right now! I’m obsessed with this book and Aurora’s writing! It’s witty and sexy with so much depth the characters that had me sobbing (usually while laughing!).

Naomi is determined to make her brand consulting company successful, even if that means working with a Bengali family that brings up every confusing, difficult feeling about her lack of connection to her own Bengali heritage. But when it becomes clear she needs a better understanding of the culture to properly support the bazaar, she admits she may need a guide.

Dev wants to support his newly-widowed mother… just not enough to pick a bride from her approved list. When the community’s matchmaker starts sending women at him left and right, he’s desperate to run them off. So Naomi poses a deal: she’ll scare away his potential brides by pretending to be his girlfriend if he helps her with his family’s bazaar rebranding.

But as the two work side by side, they start to realize that their feelings may not be as fake as they’d like to believe.

This is pure grumpy/sunshine goodness! Naomi and Deb balance each other out so perfectly. I was desperate for that first kiss (and it did NOT disappoint!). I loved watching Dev come to understand his roll in his family and where his limits are, and I particularly loved Naomi’s journey to understand her own identity and her relationship with it.

I can’t wait to put SUNSHINE AND SPICE on my shelf!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and Aurora Palit for this ARC!

This book was like a warm hug! I enjoyed the characters, their cultures, and their personalities. They stayed true to themselves while also having some much needed personal development. I especially loved reading about Naomi and Dev’s family lives and the relationships they had with their parents. They weren’t perfect, but they loved each other anyway! Naomi was so bubbly and fun which complimented Dev’s reserved personality. I liked reading about her being so eager to learn about the culture and find her place in it.

Dev and Naomi’s relationship was so sweet. They were just so enthralled with each other but didn’t know what to do about it in the beginning. When they gave into their connection, those were the best scenes! They truly made me smile. I wish we would’ve saw more scenes that were mentioned to us towards the end. It would’ve been nice to see those small acts of service moments that I love so much.

I would recommend this book to a friend and I am interested to read more of this author’s works!

Sunshine and Spice has all the favorite tropes I like to read: fake dating, forced proximity, stormy v. sunny.
I thought Naomi was gutsy to go out on a limb and take her brand to newer heights.
Dev was weary if resisting his parental pressure to have an arranged marriage.
So Naomi and Dev carry on as a couple to fool everyone but they may be the biggest fool as they find a lot of common ground.
I liked knowing the two would probably end up together but with plenty of bumps along the way. I always want the couple to have an HEA especially since they’ve most likely worked hard for it.

4 Stars A cute and fast-paced romance! The main character, Naomi, is disconnected from her South Asian culture and is looked down upon by other Bengalis because she doesn't speak the language or understand other cultural aspects. This was really compelling to read and the most interesting part of the story! The romance was cute, though it felt like the book didn't go as into depth with the romance as it did the FMC's cultural journey. There's a lot of fun in this book, with the family dynamics, jokes, and Desi traditions. Recommend it!

I really liked this book. It was a quick and really fun read. Exactly my cup of tea. And the cover is beautiful!!

It was an original and intriguing read as the FMC is missing relation to her roots and the cultural clash is playing a relevant role.
It's well plotted and enjoyable, a nice and interesting read featuring a couple I liked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine