Sona is a nurse and when Mira Novak become her patient, they develop a close connection. When Mira suddenly dies and Sona is blamed, Sona sets out to figure out Mira and her death. With Mira being half-Indian like Sona, there are many similarities. Set in the lush backdrop of 1937 Bombay and a Europe tiptoeing towards an inevitable war, the listener is sucked into the story.

I adore Alka Joshi's writing style. It is full of vivid descriptions while also keeping the story at a brisk pace. The characters are complex and loveable.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction. The ending is also perfection and was EXACTLY what I had hoped for!

The audio was absolute perfection and I would recommend it over the book because the narrator is fantastic.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Audio for the DLC. All opinions are my own.

I was looking forward to reading another Joshi novel, I loved The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur. Six Days in Bombay is the immersive story of Sona, an Anglo-Indian nurse who lives a very small and sheltered life in Bombay. Due to her mixed heritage, she doesn't know where she belongs. Her life changes when over the course of six days she when cares for renowned artist Mira Novak. From there Sona finds herself on a journey of self-discovery through Europe, experiencing new things and coming to terms with her past. I felt the pace was pretty slow in the beginning, but it picked up and was very enjoyable once Sona began her adventure.

I appreciated listening to the audiobook, as it really brought Joshi's descriptive words to life. I especially loved all the descriptions of Prague, Paris, Florence and London. I felt like I was walking down the street, right along with Sona.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Another sweeping and beautiful novel by Alka Joshi. I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator, as usual with her audiobooks, was excellent. The main characters all had depth and were well developed. The story of Sona and her journey from a sheltered young woman to one who grows and becomes more worldly through contact with a patient at the hospital where she works is has interesting twists and turns. I would highly recommend this in audio or book version. I have read and listened to her books and either method is appealing.

“But if we don’t try to help, what good is our privilege?”

🪷 Genre: Histirical Fiction
🪷 Steamy rating: Warm mild
🪷 Profanity: Low

Six Days in Bombay is yet another captivating story by Alka Joshi. I loved immersing myself in 1930s India, just before World War II, and experiencing the rich historical setting through her storytelling.

Sona, a nurse of mixed English and Indian heritage, has lived a sheltered life in Bombay. Her world begins to expand when she meets Mira, a famous painter who becomes her patient. Their quick friendship introduces Sona to a life beyond her job and the small apartment she shares with her mother.

While I appreciated the depth of Sona and Mira’s friendship, I wasn’t entirely convinced by Mira’s character. Certain traits of hers frustrated me, making it hard to believe Sona would be so drawn to her.

Overall, I found this story to be both beautiful and painstakingly slow. While I enjoyed it, it took me much longer to finish than expected.

Triggers: Racism, domestic violence, drug overdose, infidelity, death of a friend, death of a parent, and abandonment

Thank you @harlequinbooks for the gifted advanced copy of this beautiful story.

Six Days in Bombay
Publishes April 15, 2025
Narrator: Sneha Mathan

TRIGGER WARNING: MISCARRIAGE, Sudden Death

Six Days in Bombay was a beautiful story about a renowned painter Mira Novak. Mira arrives to Waida Hospital in Bombay after suffering a miscarriage. As Mira recovers her nurse Sona wanted to learn more about her due to sharing her half-indian identity. Sona finds herself wanting more from life after hearing all Mira’s stories about her travels, and exploits, even all the lovers she had as she made her way all over. Things turned rapidly as Mira ends up back in the hospital again suddenly dying, leaving Sona under suspicion, forcing her to find new means of work.

Mira left Sona four paintings with cryptic messages sending her on a wild goose chase all over to deliver paintings to people once in Mira’s life. Not only was Sona able to go see many new places she was also able to learn that Mira’s life wasn’t all she made it out to be and that things were so much more complicated.

This was my first book by Alka Joshi and let me tell you it WONT be my last. I wasn’t always a fan of women’s fiction but I really have been enjoying it lately and some of my favorite new books fall in this category. I highly recommend reading this amazing story.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC audiobook. This review is voluntary and all my own words.

A wonderful coming-of-age historical fiction novel! I loved spending time with these lovable, well drawn characters. I felt like I wanted to take the main character under my wing as she navigated her early twenties. The narrator brought all of these characters to life!

I am always excited to read what Alka Joshi writes, especially after reading and loving The Henna Artist series. In Six Days in Bombay, we follow nurse Sona and the friendship she strikes up with patient Mira over the course of a week. When Mira passes away though, Sona is the one who looks likely to take the blame. Before the hospital can act, Sona finds a note Mira left for her, along with paintings which she wants delivered to important people in her life, across the world. Jumping at the chance to escape the investigation, Sona takes up the challenge of fulfilling her friend's final wish, while also discovering some things about herself along the way.

I had the pleasure of listening to this one on audiobook and it was absolutely divine. The storytelling was, as usual for this author, exceptional. I was in Sona's world from the first page and felt every emotion she did. I also enjoyed traveling the world with her and meeting Mira's old friends. This was another fantastic book by Alka Joshi which I am glad I was able to read.

The story opens about a decade before India gains independence from the British, in a hospital in Bombay (the city that will become Mumbai). The central character, a nurse in that hospital, Sona, befriends a couple of her patients, an elderly doctor and a worldly female artist, Mira. For more than half the story we see Sona's quiet, sheltered existence. But when Mira dies, and fingers are pointed at the young nurse, Sona is pushed out, her quiet existence is shattered, and she is left with the task of distributing 3 painting to Mira's friends through Interwar Europe. Sona leaves India as a heath aid to the recently recovered retired doctor, traveling as far as Turkey with him then journeying on to Prague, Paris, Florence, and eventually London. The story becomes one of not just discovering the many facets of the woman that she befriended but a journey of self discovery. I don't want to draw too much of a comparison but there is a commonality with eat, pray, love and several other books where a character must leave themselves behind and travel to find themselves. This tale proved to be an enjoyable escape through time and around the world and I look forward to more stories from this author.
I enjoyed this book in the audiobook format and must commend the excellent narrator for imparting the perfect tone and emotions into her performance.
I received advanced access to this audiobook thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Harlequin Audio) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.