Sonali Dev’s sophomore novel - THE BOLLYWOOD BRIDE - just released this week. And it is everything. Read Pepper’s review to be utterly convinced that this is the next book YOU HAVE to add to the top of your TBR!!
“A fresh new voice.” -Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times bestselling author
Ria Parkar is Bollywood’s favorite Ice Princess-beautiful, poised, and scandal-proof-until one impulsive act threatens to expose her destructive past. Traveling home to Chicago for her cousin’s wedding offers a chance to diffuse the coming media storm and find solace in family, food, and outsized celebrations that are like one of her vibrant movies come to life. But it also means confronting Vikram Jathar.
Ria and Vikram spent childhood summers together, a world away from Ria’s exclusive boarding school in Mumbai. Their friendship grew seamlessly into love-until Ria made a shattering decision. As far as Vikram is concerned, Ria sold her soul for stardom and it’s taken him years to rebuild his life. But beneath his pent-up anger, their bond remains unchanged. And now, among those who know her best, Ria may find the courage to face the secrets she’s been guarding for everyone else’s benefit-and a chance to stop acting and start living.
Rich with details of modern Indian-American life, here is a warm, sexy, and witty story of love, family, and the difficult choices that arise in the name of both.
PURCHASE HERE: AMAZON
PEPPER’S REVIEW
Holy shit, this book was good. I can’t stop thinking about it. Not only did I finish it in like record Pepper reading time, it’s also still on my mind. Vikram and Ria. Ria and Vikram. I want more. I’m dying. (cue Pepper’s all time favorite GIF):
Ok, let’s talk about Ria. Oh dear God I really really loved Ria. Except for this one time, and I’ll get to that in a minute - first the good stuff. Ria was a fierce ass bitch.
Fierce at loving. Fierce at hating. Fierce as mother hugging hell at protecting. Everything Ria did, it was with 127% heart and soul. She thought through everything (probably too much) and acted on her intentions with EVERYTHING in her god damn body. She half assed NOTHING. This is why I loved her so much. She committed in every decision she made. And no matter if the decision was a great or shitty one, she kept with it and saw it through. People like that are truly inspiring to me. I’ve been channeling a lot of Ria in my life lately. Thank you SonDev for this beautiful, wrecked, strong, deep herione.
And then Vikram. Viky. The Savior of Ria’s heart. Vikram was flawless. Absolutely perfect.
OK, he did some shitastic things. I would have probably acted much worse in his situation - TBH. Ria was no saint either. And mother of GOD he more than redeemed himself. Are there men really like this in the world?
PS -That isn’t a rhetorical question either. I’m serious. Someone read this book and email me and tell me if you know of someone like Vikram. I will send you a $10 amazon gift card if you can prove that there is someone as good as this character IRL. You have to read the book to know, though. I’d appreciate pictures too. And maybe a short (paragraph) story. Thanks.
OK, back to Vikram. The new love of my life. Absolute. Mother Fucking. Perfection.
That’s it. I don’t even know what to say more about him. He had me at hello.
Can we just discuss how ridiculous the supporting cast was? I’m a sucker for a good supporting character and these were some of the best! The aunt and uncle? The bride and groom? The auntie brigade? The at times sleazy manager? Alright, there were a few bag of dicks among all these amazing people, but man I could take some serious spin offs from this book. Especially Ria’s cousin (Nikhil) and his bride (Jen).
Have I told you lately how much I loved this book?!?
I only had two issues with it, however.
1. Ria’s commitment to protecting Vikram from herself made me want to bitch slap her by the end. She just would not let go of the concern she had - albeit a big one - and I really did get a little angry with her for a few seconds.
2. It ended way too quickly for me. I needed more of Ria and Vikram together at last. I needed an epilogue. Please SonDev write a novella for me! They were so amazing. This is literally one of the BEST second chance romances I have ever read. And I needed more of their second chance HEA.
PS - this is also one of my all time favorite friends to lovers books. Ever. So SO perfect how they met, became friends, and fell in love. GAH!! I want to read it again and again.
Sonali Dev is a phenomenal story teller. This book was written so beautifully and with so much emotion. I could not put it down. I loved reading about the Indian culture and how crazy and amazing (cramazing) an Indian wedding celebration is. I wanted to jump in this book and celebrate with this family. I’m just enamored. Enamored, I tell you. Compeltely in love with SonDev and her writing. I am DYING to read A BOLLYWOOD AFFAIR. Also, did you notice how rich and powerful and beautiful the cover to both of these books are?
Well, now I am gushing like an asshole. It’s fine, though because this book was God Damn amazing. Get this now. Get SonDev and Ria and Vikram in your life today.
Sonali Dev’s debut novel - A BOLLYWOOD AFFIAR
Mili Rathod hasn’t seen her husband in twenty years—not since she was promised to him at the age of four. Yet marriage has allowed Mili a freedom rarely given to girls in her village. Her grandmother has even allowed her to leave India and study in America for eight months, all to make her the perfect modern wife. Which is exactly what Mili longs to be—if her husband would just come and claim her.
Bollywood’s favorite director, Samir Rathod, has come to Michigan to secure a divorce for his older brother. Persuading a naïve village girl to sign the papers should be easy for someone with Samir’s tabloid-famous charm. But Mili is neither a fool nor a gold-digger. Open-hearted yet complex, she’s trying to reconcile her independence with cherished traditions. And before he can stop himself, Samir is immersed in Mili’s life—cooking her dal and rotis, escorting her to her roommate’s elaborate Indian wedding, and wondering where his loyalties and happiness lie.
Heartfelt, witty, and thoroughly engaging, Sonali Dev’s debut is both a vivid exploration of modern India and a deeply honest story of love, in all its diversity.
PURCHASE HERE: AMAZON
AUTHOR INFO
Sonali Dev’s first literary work was a play about mistaken identities performed at her neighborhood Diwali extravaganza in Mumbai. She was eight years old. Despite this early success, Sonali spent the next few decades getting degrees in architecture and written communication, migrating across the globe, and starting a family while writing for magazines and websites. With the advent of her first gray hair her mad love for telling stories returned full force, and she now combines it with her insights into Indian culture to conjure up stories that make a mad tangle with her life as supermom, domestic goddess, and world traveler.
Sonali lives in the Chicago suburbs with her very patient and often amused husband and two teens who demand both patience and humor, and the world’s most perfect dog.
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