Theo67th read of 2026:
How Simi Got Her Groom Back by Sonali Dev
Simi and Rupi’s sister relationship is the deep heart of this story. Yes, there are romances in this for both women, and Rupi gets fake-engaged to Simi’s fiancé, Prem. This combines pressures of family expectations with immigration concerns and deals with Rupi’s unraveling trauma of being trafficked to the US and the sisters’ childhood trauma.
Prem’s family seems perfect. The greatest writing magic trick Dev pulls here is keeping Prem’s family full of good, delightful people while they become more than a poster family, or even just the opposite of what Simi and Rupi had growing up. Some of the most affecting parts of this were Rupi’s connection with the twin boys (Prem’s nephews) and Prem’s dad, who is recovering from an extremely debilitating stroke that’s left him largely bedridden and without much mobility or ability to speak.
The first 25% very much builds the conflict between the sisters and their jealousies of each other, not to mention the shenanigans potential. But it is the rest of the book that is a triumph of dedication to love and family, and the conscious hard choices and deliberate determination it takes to make a great one. I also want a mom like Prem’s.
Thanks to Sonali Dev and her team for a complimentary copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
4/5 stars
#Bookstodon #ContemporaryFiction
https://ack.nerdfight.online/notice/B7IvBINNDdyqjkD4nw
How Simi Got Her Groom Back by Sonali Dev
Simi and Rupi’s sister relationship is the deep heart of this story. Yes, there are romances in this for both women, and Rupi gets fake-engaged to Simi’s fiancé, Prem. This combines pressures of family expectations with immigration concerns and deals with Rupi’s unraveling trauma of being trafficked to the US and the sisters’ childhood trauma.
Prem’s family seems perfect. The greatest writing magic trick Dev pulls here is keeping Prem’s family full of good, delightful people while they become more than a poster family, or even just the opposite of what Simi and Rupi had growing up. Some of the most affecting parts of this were Rupi’s connection with the twin boys (Prem’s nephews) and Prem’s dad, who is recovering from an extremely debilitating stroke that’s left him largely bedridden and without much mobility or ability to speak.
The first 25% very much builds the conflict between the sisters and their jealousies of each other, not to mention the shenanigans potential. But it is the rest of the book that is a triumph of dedication to love and family, and the conscious hard choices and deliberate determination it takes to make a great one. I also want a mom like Prem’s.
Thanks to Sonali Dev and her team for a complimentary copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
4/5 stars
#Bookstodon #ContemporaryFiction
https://ack.nerdfight.online/notice/B7IvBINNDdyqjkD4nw
