Oh Sona, I thought you’d be my girl’s girl protagonist. I’d strap in as your ride-or-die reader as you went from lamb to lioness and became the hero of your own story.

Instead, as the book progressed, your first-person perspective became more about being the investigative narrator of someone else’s storyline. I know you’re a nurse, which means you prioritize caring for others—but it’s OK to put your own hero’s journey first. To attach emotionally to you and your outcome, I needed more from you than being a dead patient’s delivery girl.

The audiobook narrator, Deepti Gupta, has such a soothing voice. Her delivery really added positively to my reading experience.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I’m still such a fan of Alka Joshi’s Henna Artist trilogy that whatever she writes snacks will go straight to my TBR list.

This was a slow dance. At times I wish it would go faster, it then I fell more deeply into it, the characters, and the story of a young woman finding herself thanks to an artist. In finding herself, she travels to some of my favorite cities in Europe, with places that I recognize as having been to, and others that I hope one day to visit. As I write this, I am reminded of “Eat, Pray, Love” and that journey and how I find parallels. It’s a slow dance, but it’s worth it.

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Thank you netgalley and to the publisher for the ARC, this has been an anticipated read for me.

I read the authors previous book and knew this would deliver. I enjoyed the story and was engaged in the plot. The characters had depth and really carried the story. I love the lyrical way the author writes and the audiobook narrator captured that.

I was excited to read "Six Days in Bombay" as I loved Joshi's Henna Artist trilogy. This book is just as engrossing--it is an epic that first allows us to peek into the everyday life of Sona, a nurse in 1937 Bombay, and then witness her adventures across Europe. Her travels and interactions with a wide cast of characters help her understand herself and the woman whose brief friendship changed her life. It is a captivating tale and I loved watched Sona grow as her world expands. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review of this audiobook.

★ ★ ★ ½

Alka Joshi’s Six Days in Bombay kicks off with a bang—a famous painter dies under suspicious circumstances, and Sona, a young Anglo-Indian nurse, is suddenly the prime suspect. What follows is a globe-trotting journey from Bombay to Europe as Sona tries to clear her name and untangle the truth about Mira Novak, the enigmatic artist who changed her life in just six days.

The setup is rich, and the premise has real intrigue. Joshi brings exotic locations to life with her usual flair. But where The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur gripped me from the start, this one took a while to warm up. The first third drags, bogged down by overlong descriptions and a slower pace than the mystery deserves.

That said, once Sona hits the road—armed with Mira’s note and a few cryptic paintings—the novel finds its rhythm. The twisty backstories and emotional reveals add depth, and Sona’s growth is satisfying. Still, I wished the plot had more urgency and fewer travelogue-style detours. The narrator did a wonderful job, though.

Fans of art, secrets, and strong female leads will enjoy this one—but it’s not Joshi’s strongest work.

** Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Harlequin Audio for comps of the eBook and audiobook. The opinions are my own.

I loved Joshi’s other books, but this one left me a bit disappointed. The premise and protagonist are very promising, but the writing just doesn’t feel… finished. The plot feels slow to start and rushed to finish, and the characters aren’t quite developed enough. I love seeing all the different places represented, but I wish there had been a few more revisions to refine the storytelling.

I absolutely loved this book. The author's storytelling is so vivid and nostalgic. I loved following Sona’s journey across Europe it felt personal and dreamy. The themes of identity and finding yourself were powerful, and the mystery around the artist kept me hooked. The audiobook narrator was amazing and brought everything to life beautifully.

Super excited for Alka Joshi’s newest book post her Henna Artist trilogy! This one had very similar vibes to her previous series. It really reminded me a lot of The Perfumist of Paris in many ways. It was a good time seeing Sons travel from Bombay to Prague, Florence, Paris, and London. There felt like there was something missing from this, though, to make it a truly great book. But overall enjoyable and definitely worth checking out if you like Joshi’s other books.

Than you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read from Joshi and I'm hooked on this author! Such a beautiful piece of writing that fully captures how just one person, or one day, or one interaction can have an impact. I loved the story and the characters and the descriptions. A remarkable tale expertly written to evoke emotion.

The audio was spectacular. The narrator made me feel like I was there.

Alka Joshi delivers a captivating and richly layered tale in Six Days in Bombay, a historical fiction gem set in 1930s India. With vivid imagery and a gripping plot, this story pulled me in from page one and never let go.

At its heart is Sona Falstaff, a smart, determined nurse who unexpectedly finds herself at the center of a murder mystery. As tensions rise and secrets unravel, Sona’s emotional journey of self-discovery is both powerful and inspiring. The female leads in this novel are strong, complex, and refreshingly real—each one adding depth and fire to the story.

The cultural nuances, historical backdrop, and family drama are intricately woven, making the novel feel both cinematic and intimate. Joshi masterfully balances suspense with emotional depth, and the result is a story that’s both thrilling and heartfelt.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Sneha Mathan, and it was a fabulous experience. Her narration brought the diverse characters to life with such skill—the accents, the emotion, the delivery—everything stood out in the best ways. It truly enhanced the immersion.

If you love historical fiction with strong women, emotional drama, and a touch of mystery, this one’s for you. A fun, thought-provoking, and utterly immersive read!

The audiobook was so well done! I was immersed into Sona and Mira's world. There was some romance, some mystery and suspense. Well done, Alka Joshi!

Very interesting story!

This story starts out in 1937 in Bombay at a hospital where the main character is a nurse. Sona is a good nurse that takes special time with her patients. She is young and has had issues while growing up because her mother was from India and her father was English. During this time the people of India are trying to get free from the English. This is a very interesting time in India which makes the story informative from a historical point of view.

The story goes to Prague, Florence, England and Paris. which is interesting because Hitler is gaining power and there is speculation about another world war. The characters in the story are well developed and fun to get to know. The book describes details about the characters from their past that helps us understand who they are in 1937. The story also describes issues for women of the time period.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Sneha Mathan did a great job making the story come to life.

In Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi, Mira, an artist (whose character is based on the artist Amrita Sher-Gil) befriends our main character Sona, when admitted into a hospital in Bombay. Sona, after Mira dies under questionable circumstances, is forced to leave the hospital in disgrace.

After receiving a note, from Mira, along with some of her art, Sona commences on a journey do deliver 3 paintings. On the way we learn Mira’s story, she begins to question Mira’s motivation for choosing her while trying to clear her name.

The narration by Sneha Mathan is very well done. I was able to remain engaged because Sneha is able to bring these characters to life.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Book Rating: 4 Stars
Audiobook Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Apr 15 2025

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4.5 ⭐

Synopsis:
When renouned painter Mira Novak arrives at Wadia hospital in Bombay after a miscarriage, she's expected to make a quick recovery, and Sona is excited to spend time with the worldly woman who shares her half-Indian identity, even if that's where their similarities end. Sona is enraptured by Mira's stories of her travels, and shocked by accounts of the many lovers she's left scattered through Europe. Over the course of a week, Mira befriends Sona, seeing in her something bigger than the small life she's living with her mother. Mira is released from the hospital just in time to attend a lavish engagement party where all of Bombay society. But the next day, Mira is readmitted to the hospital in worse condition than before, and when she dies under mysterious circumstances, Sona immediately falls under suspicion.

Before leaving the hospital in disgrace, Sona is given a note Mira left for her, along with her four favorite paintings. But how could she have known to leave a note if she didn't know she was going to die? The note sends Sona on a mission to deliver three of the paintings—the first to Petra, Mira's childhood friend and first love in Prague; the second to her art dealer Josephine in Paris; the third to her first painting tutor, Paolo, with whom both Mira and her mother had affairs. As Sona uncovers Mira's history, she learns that the charming facade she'd come to know was only one part of a complicated and sometimes cruel woman. But can she discover what really happened to Mira and exonerate herself?

Along the way, Sona also comes to terms with her own complex history and the English father who deserted her and her mother in India so many years ago. In the end, she'll discover that we are all made up of pieces, and only by seeing the world do we learn to see ourselves.

Alka Joshi is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. She researches her books thoroughly and writes beautifully. I really enjoyed the Jaipur Trilogy and Six Days in Bombay is equally compelling. The characters in the novel were relatable and flawed. The different settings (Bombay, Istanbul, Paris, Florence, Prague, and London) were described in such a way that I felt like I was traveling with Sona, the main character. I highly recommend the book if you like learning about other cultures and great storytelling. This novel was based on the life of painter Amrita Sher-Gil, a Hungarian Indian painter.

Sneha Mathan does a wonderful job narrating the book and bringing it to life. It was a mesmerizing performance!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the advanced digital copy of the audiobook.

💕Highly recommend for historical fiction/women’s fiction readers! 💕

💛The story revolves around Sona (a British/Indian nurse) who encounters a famous painter; Mira. The story is about Sona’s life and growth and how she manages to break barriers. In her journey, we also find out about the real life of Mira leading to an ending that is quite unexpected. We also get to experience the 1930s India and the impact to the country under the British rule.

💚 This book was vibrant in a way that made me imagine the story like a movie. The characters are life like and I really loved Sona’s growth. She goes through so much and I was rooting for her so hard! There were incidents in the book that shocked and appalled me and I was angry at how women were treated. Coming from a country which was colonized by several countries and with similar notions towards women, my heart was heavy.

💛I also wasn’t aware of the artist Amrita Sher-Gil who’s behind the inspiration for the character Mira. I googled her and immediately saw the references to the life like portraits she did of Indian women. I wouldn’t have known about her if not for this book.

💚I listened to the audiobook too and it was fantastic! Narrated by Sneha Mathan, it brought the story into life. So well done!

My only reason for giving this a 4 ⭐️ is the first couple of pages were a bit hard to get into. But as the story progressed I started really enjoying it.

Thank you to HTP Hive for a galley and ALC of the book. All thoughts my own.

Six Days in Bombay is a whirlwind of emotion, connection, and the kind of unexpected magic that only comes when you let go of the plan and live in the moment. When Tara and Vivaan cross paths in the bustling, vibrant heart of Bombay, what starts as a chance encounter unfolds into a six-day journey full of vulnerability, healing, and chemistry that leaps off the page.

Shikha Kumar captures the pulse of the city and the quiet ache of two souls carrying heavy pasts, giving us a love story that’s tender, raw, and breathtaking in its simplicity. It’s about timing, fate, and the power of being seen—truly seen—by someone who just gets it.

A short stay, a long impact. This story lingers like the scent of monsoon rain and the echo of a goodbye that might not be forever.

3 Stars – Not the Story I Was Expecting

Six Days in Bombay is described as a story about a nurse who travels across Europe to clear her name after the death of a patient—but that plotline doesn’t actually unfold until halfway through the book. And when it finally does, the journey ends up having very little to do with her redemption at all.

The story was decent overall, but it felt clunky and a bit scattered. The pacing was slow to start, and it took a while for the main storyline to take shape. Aside from Sona and Dr. Stoddard—who were both well-developed and engaging—the rest of the characters felt flat and underexplored.

By the end, this felt more like a “finding yourself through life lessons” kind of read than the high-stakes redemption arc I was expecting. If you’re in the mood for a slower, character-driven story, this might work for you—but it just wasn’t quite what I’d signed up for.

This book was really good. I liked the concept and overall enjoyed listening to it. I would have had a hard time reading the physical book because some of the chapters are really long. Listening to it helped me get into the story and connect with the characters. It didn't have as much of a mystery aspect as I expected; it was more about friendship and the journey of getting out of your shell and fulfilling last wishes. It was well written, and the narrator was excellent.

Joshi is one of my favorites for the traditions and culture of India but also challenging those traditions and deeply engrained feelings. This time the story took the ideas of Indian culture back in time and outside the borders of India in discussing the shift in the British Empire in India and how that effected the cultural feelings of those who had a foot in Indian culture and a foot in British culture, or mixed blood. While this was a status symbol for many years, the shift was drastic and sudden, The consequences of this relationship between cultures is explored through an artist, a nurse, a series of doctors and a diplomat. This followed her previous book in being able to deftly weave all of these strands together in a way that is sensitive to the culture but also challenge it.

A young half British, half Indian nurse, Sona, befriends famous painter Mira Novak over six days in a Bombay hospital where she's staying following a miscarriage. Fired after being held responsible for the painter's accidental death, Sona gets tasked with delivering four of her paintings to the people Mira wanted them left to, leading to a cross Europe adventure that sees Sona discovering both love and herself.

Set in the 1930s, this was a moving coming of age/historical romance that did drag in places but overall had a unique take on a period of history I didn't know much about and was loosely based on real life people. While I wouldn't say this latest standalone from fav author Alka Joshi was my favorite of hers, it was still worth the read and good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.