The Other Man
- Downloads：6561
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-06 11:21:14
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Farhad J. Dadyburjor
- ISBN：1713612178
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Claudia
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Awesome storyI could t put it down， the author really did a great job。 Can’t wait for more of this authors work。
Dennis
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I've been trying to read more books outside of my own cultural experience and this was both enjoyable and an eye-opener。 My only complaint was that all the characters became so 'enlightened' by the end。 Don't get me wrong-I'm glad the leads got their happy endings， I just wish it would have been despite some other characters rather than aided by them。 I've been trying to read more books outside of my own cultural experience and this was both enjoyable and an eye-opener。 My only complaint was that all the characters became so 'enlightened' by the end。 Don't get me wrong-I'm glad the leads got their happy endings， I just wish it would have been despite some other characters rather than aided by them。 。。。more
Jay Barnhart
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I’m biased， but I could not put this book down！ What a fantastic read and inspiring story。 This book gives a glimpse at what it’s like to come out to a family that expects a completely different ending to the story and WILL inspire EVERYONE who reads it。 It definitely hit home for me。 Highly recommended。
Clio （Bemuzed）
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My thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union publishing for the early access via e-arc。I thought this story was definitely well worth the reader's time。 I don't read a whole lot of romance and so it's nice to get to dive into a romance with a different setting and cast when I do as so much of the genre seems to be dominated by US or UK settings。This Mumbai based story really enchanted me and it's description of the sights， sounds and taste of Mumbai at the same time also really transported me there， an My thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union publishing for the early access via e-arc。I thought this story was definitely well worth the reader's time。 I don't read a whole lot of romance and so it's nice to get to dive into a romance with a different setting and cast when I do as so much of the genre seems to be dominated by US or UK settings。This Mumbai based story really enchanted me and it's description of the sights， sounds and taste of Mumbai at the same time also really transported me there， and made me wish to go there myself one day。I think the story feels very suitable for it's setting。 And while it is a story about this particular one fictional man， I'm sure many will be able to identify with him at some level or another， even if you don't share his heritage。 Ultimately it's a story about the struggle of dealing with the expectations put upon oneself， either by yourself or by others。 And finding out and embracing what you truly want for yourself， for your own life。I found the plot well executed。 It didn't feel like much of a stretch as some romance premises definitely do。 And enough attention was given to all elements to result in a satisfactory delivery。 The relationships within this one were also superb。 None of these relationships were simple， they were all very nuanced， very real。My main problem is very personal， and that is the lying。 I can understand why the protagonist lies， and how at some point he has just been lying so much that he can't really stop as it'll all come crashing down。 But that is just something that I take serious offense by and so I was often exasperated by the decisions our protagonist Ved was making。 And that's a feeling that I don't particularly enjoy， though it also didn't make me turn away from the book。 I guess， because it was also clear why he was choosing to lie。Definitely recommend， especially to regular romance readers who are looking for something not set in the US/UK for once。 。。。more
Alisa
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2。5 starsIt was slow and heavy on the monologue。 It was unique in that it was set in India and addressed various cultural and societal issues being gay there brings。 I wanted to love it but didn’t really click with the writing style。 If you’re looking for something different you should check it out。 Most reviews are higher rated than mine （so it could be a me issue， not a book issue） and it’s on KU
Inscribed Inklings
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I've read a lot of books in LGBTQ genre， but this was one of my first times reading an Indian version of it。 There were parts I enjoyed and there were parts I wished was a bit different。 This book was aimed at an amateur Indian audience。 It was a simple introduction to LGBTQ romance。 It was also among older men and not young adults， so the stress and problems they faced were very different。For the most part， the blurb is exactly what the story was about。 The narration was singular and linear。 Th I've read a lot of books in LGBTQ genre， but this was one of my first times reading an Indian version of it。 There were parts I enjoyed and there were parts I wished was a bit different。 This book was aimed at an amateur Indian audience。 It was a simple introduction to LGBTQ romance。 It was also among older men and not young adults， so the stress and problems they faced were very different。For the most part， the blurb is exactly what the story was about。 The narration was singular and linear。 The writing style was articulate and conversational。 The tone of the book was emotional and angsty。 The theme of the book was about coming out of the closet。 I would say it's perfect for beginner Indian readers who want to read this genre。 The story followed the life of Ved Mehra who was the heir to Mehra Company。 He was a rich handsome guy who was gay。 His parents were divorced and his mother Dolly wanted him to get married。 She kept trying to set him up on dates and he finally gives in。 He met Disha who was the perfect addition to their family。 At the same time， he meets Jaipur Visitor/ Carlos on Grindr。The rest of the book was about how Ved tried to handle both worlds。 You need to read the book to know the ending。 The book was very predictable overall。 I could pretty much guess all the aspects of the plot and that was the only let down。 。。。more
Rafaela Morillas
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A unique perspective。 Reading the other man was like nothing I have read before。 Being gay was never a big deal in my life or my world。 What a tragedy to waste so many years at the same time cheating others out of having an honest relationship。 What a miserable existence provocatively written with a stunning twist that I never expected。
Larry H
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3。5 starsIn The Other Man， boy meets girl…and then he meets boy。At age 38， Ved is truly an eligible bachelor。 He’s handsome （many say he resembles George Clooney）， he’s smart， and he is in line to run his family’s electronics empire。 His mother knows any woman would be lucky to have him as a husband， and she’s determined to find him a suitable wife。 She doesn’t understand why he keeps rejecting all the women she suggests！The thing is， Ved doesn’t want to disappoint his mother， but he is livi 3。5 starsIn The Other Man， boy meets girl…and then he meets boy。At age 38， Ved is truly an eligible bachelor。 He’s handsome （many say he resembles George Clooney）， he’s smart， and he is in line to run his family’s electronics empire。 His mother knows any woman would be lucky to have him as a husband， and she’s determined to find him a suitable wife。 She doesn’t understand why he keeps rejecting all the women she suggests！The thing is， Ved doesn’t want to disappoint his mother， but he is living as a closeted gay man。 Being gay is a crime in India， and he knows that telling his parents the truth will break their hearts。 He has already fallen in love and had his heart broken once， so what’s the point anyway？But to keep the peace， he agrees to go out with the vivacious Disha。 She’s smart， beautiful， independent， and her family could be an excellent business connection。 He’d be foolish not to get engaged—who cares if he doesn’t love her？And then he meets Carlos， an American vacationing in Mumbai。 Carlos is everything he could want， and he feels alive whenever he’s with him。 With Carlos he dreams of a life he never thought he could have， and he’s finally ready to take the first step。 But there’s the small matter of his engagement…This was a sweet， thought-provoking story， one which so many LGBTQIA+ people all over the world have dealt with。 It’s a reminder that it’s sometimes so much harder to find the courage to live the life you want instead of the one others want you to live。 I'll admit I wasn't completely enamored of Ved's behavior in the book， but I can't say I blame him。See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria。blogspot。com。Follow me on Instagram at https://www。instagram。com/the。bookishworld。of。yrralh/。 。。。more
Starla
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It took me a moment to get into the no frills， journalistic writing style， just because I'm not used to it， but I ended up enjoying it a lot。 I flew through this story， and it tugged at the heartstrings quite a few times。 I was very invested。 I understood Ved， and Carlos， and I understood Disha。 I think this book is something between a romance and romantic fiction， because romance isn't always necessarily the primary aspect since Ved's own journey， and his （and the other characters'） struggle wi It took me a moment to get into the no frills， journalistic writing style， just because I'm not used to it， but I ended up enjoying it a lot。 I flew through this story， and it tugged at the heartstrings quite a few times。 I was very invested。 I understood Ved， and Carlos， and I understood Disha。 I think this book is something between a romance and romantic fiction， because romance isn't always necessarily the primary aspect since Ved's own journey， and his （and the other characters'） struggle with societal norms and expectations are very much intertwined with it。 This is a fast read， and I think the characters and the story， could have been slightly more fleshed-out， but it's very simple， straight to point， as well as honest and realistic。 I was a little worried about the cheating aspect here but I didn't mind it。 It's something that technically was cheating， and even the character says it was but it didn't feel quite that way， especially since Ved and Disha are pretty upfront about their situation， and their arrangement。 I loved how Ved realises the hurt that was inflicted upon him in the past is now the hurt that he's causing， and he's very realistic about it， and it's easy to see why he's in such turmoil。 I loved how his relationship with Carlos developed， and how both of them were persistent when they needed to be。 Also， bonus point for the parents' reaction。And of course， I liked the ending， it was heartwarming， and even if it was a little too neatly wrapped up， it was the ending we needed。 All in all， this was a compelling， thought-provoking story， and it made quite an impact on me。*I have received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher， and I am leaving an honest review。* 。。。more
☄︎。 *。 cal ✰
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Carlos turned back to the window。 "I could stare at this view all day。"Ved continued looking at Carlos。 "Me too。" my bulleted thoughts for the other man:➵ i know that this is romance novel but for me it focused more on ved's growth as an individual。 i was here for the moment that he realized that this is his life and he is choosing happiness。➵ loved how this book gave us the message that ved may be a closeted gay man but that didn't give him the right to be a shitty person to those wh Carlos turned back to the window。 "I could stare at this view all day。"Ved continued looking at Carlos。 "Me too。" my bulleted thoughts for the other man:➵ i know that this is romance novel but for me it focused more on ved's growth as an individual。 i was here for the moment that he realized that this is his life and he is choosing happiness。➵ loved how this book gave us the message that ved may be a closeted gay man but that didn't give him the right to be a shitty person to those who care for him。➵ i loved ved but this story is basically about him cheating on his fiancee， disha。 no excuses。 and also about him lying to carlos that he is indeed already engaged。➵ i am honestly shocked that carlos never bothered to check up ved on social media or even on google！ imagine dating one of the most influential man residing in mumbai and you didn't even know he is getting married。 no facebook check？ no twitter check？ no instagram check？➵ highly appreciate how india was so vivid and clear to me as a reader。 the tradition， culture， food， and also the discrimination against the lgbtq was very much present。➵ oh my god。 this book is probably the most child-friendly adult romance ever！ we got both no sex and sexual tension between ved and carlos。 cheesiness and hugs are the only things present here。 no groping too。 maybe because it was set in a conservative country namely india？ lacks spice in that department。➵ i was so invested in this。 I was turning the pages fast。 ➵ consists of short chapters that， for me， ends in a cliffhanger-ish way。 i literally couldn't stop reading this book。 a page-turner。➵ i smiled a lot reading this but marketing it as a romcom is way too much。 the story was equally heartwarming and depressing。➵ loved the parents！ ➵ the hea in the end was so worth it！overall， i feel like this is one of those books that one can safely recommend to someone who wanna dive in to the mm romance genre without it getting super heavy。 。。。more
Nursebookie
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The Other Man By Farhad J DadyburjorThe Other Man is a contemporary romance read about a closeted gay man， and a wealthy heir to a business empire living in India where arranged marriages are the norm and being queer or gay is not accepted by the culture， and is considered an unnatural offence and a punishable crime。 At 38 yo， with a family pushing for a matrimonial match， he finally agrees to a potential future with Disha Kapoor。 Enter Carlos Silva a dashing businessman from America。 What comes The Other Man By Farhad J DadyburjorThe Other Man is a contemporary romance read about a closeted gay man， and a wealthy heir to a business empire living in India where arranged marriages are the norm and being queer or gay is not accepted by the culture， and is considered an unnatural offence and a punishable crime。 At 38 yo， with a family pushing for a matrimonial match， he finally agrees to a potential future with Disha Kapoor。 Enter Carlos Silva a dashing businessman from America。 What comes next is an enjoyable romcom that is a quick feel good read。 。。。more
Rishi Vohra
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A well-known entertainment and lifestyle journalist， Farhad Dadyburjor made his literary debut with his spectacular novel， 'How I Got Lucky。' Now he strikes gold once again with his just released new book， 'The Other Man。'The book revolves around an illustrious and eligible Mumbai bachelor who is being pushed into marriage with a woman from his society circles。 The alliance makes sense to the business community and of course， his divorced parents who also see the ideal match for their only child A well-known entertainment and lifestyle journalist， Farhad Dadyburjor made his literary debut with his spectacular novel， 'How I Got Lucky。' Now he strikes gold once again with his just released new book， 'The Other Man。'The book revolves around an illustrious and eligible Mumbai bachelor who is being pushed into marriage with a woman from his society circles。 The alliance makes sense to the business community and of course， his divorced parents who also see the ideal match for their only child in this good-hearted and beautiful young woman。 But the protagonist is in a dilemma。 He is gay and cannot come out in our close-minded society。 However， this book is more about conflicting emotions and choices we have to make - what we really want vs what is expected of us。 Therein lies the brilliance of the author as even though the book is set in the Indian context with its ingrained mindsets， it is relatable and relevant to all and holds universal appeal！ 'The Other Man' is a unique story superbly told and well-paced with well-crafted characters and peppered with Farhad's characteristic humor that ever so often brings a smile to one's face！ His writing is lucid and intelligent with the right amount of depth when the story demands it。 There are plenty of memorable， heartwarming and dramatic moments， along with brilliantly timed twists and turns。 This is a book that gives one a lot to think about while keeping one entertained throughout！A thoroughly enjoyable and meaningful read！ 。。。more
Angela Y
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I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Copy provided by Lake Union Publishing。The Other Man is a heartwarming and transporting rom-com about finding happy ever after on your own terms。 Ved is an heir to his father’s Mumbai business empire。 He has money， looks， and status。。 Ved's mom has made it her mission to get him married to a girl with just as much money and status so he can expand his business and give her grandchildren。 The only problem is that Ved is gay。 I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Copy provided by Lake Union Publishing。The Other Man is a heartwarming and transporting rom-com about finding happy ever after on your own terms。 Ved is an heir to his father’s Mumbai business empire。 He has money， looks， and status。。 Ved's mom has made it her mission to get him married to a girl with just as much money and status so he can expand his business and give her grandchildren。 The only problem is that Ved is gay。 However， gay marriage is illegal in India。 Ved is terrified of coming out to his parents， so he puts on this act to get engaged and married to the latest match his mom sets him up with， Disha。 The only bright spot is being a stranger on Grinder。This book was such a fun and refreshing book about gay rights and the many problem it faces in Asia （in general） of not being about to come out to parents， being frowned upon， etc。 This has been a huge issue that many people in Asia face and was so lovely to see a book that talks about these topics。 I hope there will be more books that come out about these topics。 The only thing I disliked about the book was that all the characters talked in third person。 I wished the book was more personal so we could understand in depth about each character more。 I would definitely recommend reading this book。 。。。more
Candice
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3。75 stars
Zoë
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Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book！While the storytelling dragged on a little for my taste， this book is an incredibly important addition to shelves in the fiction genre。 This talks about a homosexual relationship in India， and I thought it was handled with deep respect and taught me a lot。 It was a story I felt needed to be told。
mace
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DNF at 6%Look， if a man's internal monologue about his secretary includes 'Sheetal had ditched her demure daytime sari for Friday-night “fuck me” attire， a short black dress with a plunging neckline' on page 2， I'm out。 "Fuck me" attire？ Really？ DNF at 6%Look， if a man's internal monologue about his secretary includes 'Sheetal had ditched her demure daytime sari for Friday-night “fuck me” attire， a short black dress with a plunging neckline' on page 2， I'm out。 "Fuck me" attire？ Really？ 。。。more
Sarah-Hope
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Farhad J。 Dadyburjor's The Other Man is a rom-com， not my usual choice for reading。 I wanted to read this title， however， because the central romance it's built around is gay and because it's set in India， which I thought would make for an interesting combination。I admit to losing patience with The Other Man at times because of the internalized homophobia of the main character。 I just kept wanting to whack him upside the head as he made mistake after mistake and dug himself into deeper and deepe Farhad J。 Dadyburjor's The Other Man is a rom-com， not my usual choice for reading。 I wanted to read this title， however， because the central romance it's built around is gay and because it's set in India， which I thought would make for an interesting combination。I admit to losing patience with The Other Man at times because of the internalized homophobia of the main character。 I just kept wanting to whack him upside the head as he made mistake after mistake and dug himself into deeper and deeper troubles。 Seriously。 He's just met the man of his dreams yet becomes engaged to a woman at the same time to make his family happy。 It's a rom-com， so you know that's not where the story ends—but realizing that does make his behavior any less exasperating。I appreciated that the novel also included the story of his fiancee—also trying to make her family happy， but determined to maintain her autonomy in ways many women being pushed into a semi-arranged marriage might not be。 She's also more honest with herself （if not to her family）， which makes her a more likeable character。By the end， I was glad I'd read this novel。 I'm not necessarily going hunt out similar titles， but a bit of rom-com from Dadyburjor did my heart good。I received a free electronic review copy of this title from NetGalley; the opinions are my own。 。。。more
Keathe Steigert
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I didn’t connect with this book in the way I’d hoped to。 I really enjoyed the complicated issues that were brought up with a closeted gay man in India， and really appreciated that his fears of coming out to his parents were unfounded。 I also appreciated that this wasn’t the usual book about a young guy finding romance as I so often see in LGBTQ+ romances。Unfortunately I just didn’t like Ved all that much as a character。 I found him to be a little one dimensional and really never connected with h I didn’t connect with this book in the way I’d hoped to。 I really enjoyed the complicated issues that were brought up with a closeted gay man in India， and really appreciated that his fears of coming out to his parents were unfounded。 I also appreciated that this wasn’t the usual book about a young guy finding romance as I so often see in LGBTQ+ romances。Unfortunately I just didn’t like Ved all that much as a character。 I found him to be a little one dimensional and really never connected with him in such a way as to be drawn into his story。 Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for sending me this eArc via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
trishla ⚡ | YourLocalBookReader
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"I want you to be who you are。 You are our greatest blessing。" rep // Indian MC， mlmcw // homophobia， cheatingI remember when Section 377 was struck down。 I remember the day I saw that love was no longer criminalized in my home country。 I think this book was a beautiful birth inspired by that one moment of hope - where everything could be better。 The Other Man starts out with a story that's far too common and ends on a romantic note。 It follows Ved， a 38 year old unmarried， sole son and heir o "I want you to be who you are。 You are our greatest blessing。" rep // Indian MC， mlmcw // homophobia， cheatingI remember when Section 377 was struck down。 I remember the day I saw that love was no longer criminalized in my home country。 I think this book was a beautiful birth inspired by that one moment of hope - where everything could be better。 The Other Man starts out with a story that's far too common and ends on a romantic note。 It follows Ved， a 38 year old unmarried， sole son and heir of his fathers electronic business who also happens to be gay and in the closet。 He's put off marriage for this by throwing himself into his work and trying to make his parents proud。 However， the time is coming where his mom is sending him more and more matches。 Usually he's able to get around this by finding an "issue" with the bride， but Disha is as perfect as can be。 Even more so， he likes her - in a platonic way。 This leads to their imminent engagement in 2 weeks。 However， just as Ved is considering a marriage of convenience - along comes JapuirVisitor aka Carlos - an American man working in India on Grindr。 Ved is taken aback by this kind man that seems to want more than just a hookup and finds himself going on dates with him and falling more and more in love。 However， Carlos is still in the dark about his engagement to Disha， and with his work contract expiring soon， Ved is going to have to decide soon about what he truly wants in life and what he's willing to risk for his own happiness。 I have to say I loved the family dynamics in this book。 They start of rather cookie cutter - emotionally absent father and overbearing mother but they grow into such lovely representations of what a healthy family looks like。 The coming out scenes for both his parents were just touching and made me have hope going forward for acceptance。 Their support， understanding and unconditional love are reasons alone to read this book。 Find me on: instagramThe ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Claire Tumlin
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The Other Man by Farhad J。 Dadyburjor is a fun romance for readers looking to expand their horizons with a story of a Mumbai business heir and a forbidden love of a closeted gay man who falls in love with a visiting businessman。 Full of self-discovery and the theme of admitting love no matter the cost， The Other Man is a sweet romance perfect for fall 2021。
Fernanda Granzotto
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*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review， all opinions are my own*Here we have a cliché story， as soon as you start to read and understand the story you already know more or less where it is going， that's not something that bothered me because I like cliché stories but I'm not a big fan of this kind of cliché where the main character deceives/betrays another person。 Here we have Ved who is gay but has not come out yet， the book takes plac *Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review， all opinions are my own*Here we have a cliché story， as soon as you start to read and understand the story you already know more or less where it is going， that's not something that bothered me because I like cliché stories but I'm not a big fan of this kind of cliché where the main character deceives/betrays another person。 Here we have Ved who is gay but has not come out yet， the book takes place at a time that being gay in India was still a crime。 I think it's very important to have stories like that， romantic clichés that aren't about white and straight couples， I can't talk about the representativeness of this book but I admit that if I were a straight couple in this story I would have stopped reading in the middle。One thing that bothered me a lot about this book， was the fact that Ved was constantly talking about how he should tell people the truth， so as not to hurt anyone else and to be truthful， and I'll never understand how hard it must be to come out to people but it was really annoying to read every time about how much he wants to tell but doesn't and in the end， the author chose， in my opinion， a not very nice way to make it happen， but I liked some of the choices the author made to try to get out of the cliché。 I liked the book and I recommend it if you like clichéd stories！ 。。。more
Gabriele | QueerBookdom
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DRC provided by Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Representation: gay Indian protagonist， gay Brazilian secondary character， Indian secondary and tertiary characters。Content Warning: overworking， drugs， mentions of fatphobia， body issues， anxiety， mentions of spousal abuse， alcohol， mention of death， mentions of bullying。 The Other Man by Farhad J。 Dadyburjor is a contemporary novel about love， both familial and romantic， about living one’s truth in spite of ad DRC provided by Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Representation: gay Indian protagonist， gay Brazilian secondary character， Indian secondary and tertiary characters。Content Warning: overworking， drugs， mentions of fatphobia， body issues， anxiety， mentions of spousal abuse， alcohol， mention of death， mentions of bullying。 The Other Man by Farhad J。 Dadyburjor is a contemporary novel about love， both familial and romantic， about living one’s truth in spite of adversities and the expectations of others， and the weight of lying; set around the time of the repealing of section 377 from the Indian Penal Code， which criminalised homosexuality。 Almost forty， Ved Mehra is a closeted gay man living in Mumbai， working in his father’s electronics company， who after the end of a steady affair four year before and the resulting heartbreak decides to only pursue one-night stands。 His mother continuous meddling in his love life though forces him to go on dates with women he has no intention of marrying and when he cannot think of a reason to refuse his mother’s latest match， his already troubled life becomes even more difficult。 The only bright spot being a friendly stranger on Grindr。The Other Man was a quick and refreshing reading experience。 I loved the fact that Ved was not the clichéd twenty-something that usually star in romantic comedies and that he managed to find love only later in life。 I know this was predominantly due to the criminalisation of homosexuality in India， but I still liked reading about this kind of experience in spite of the reasons for it。The only negative feedback I would give is related to the italicisation of words when there was not emphasis on them。 It was a stylistic choice influenced by the fact that people from different cultures would not have been familiar with those words and it sort of irked me。Another aspect I adored was how important for Ved’s parents was to see him finally happy。 His father in particular， but they both were set on doing everything they could to see their son happy。 Everything they did was for him （even when inadvertently doing something that would have made him sad） and I loved this so much。 The Other Man is an emotional roller-coaster of a novel that made laugh and cry in tandem with its protagonist， which I absolutely recommend。 。。。more
ShanKL （ShopCoffeeKids - Instagram）
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An endearing romantic comedy set in Mumbai about finding your happy place to be you。 Ved Mehra has it all - gorgeous， wealthy and wildly successful。 He’s also living a life as closeted gay man。 Heart broken after a four-year hidden relationship， he finally agrees to marry to please his mother and her meddling ways。 At the same time， he meets a man who restores his heart to be able to love again。 Carlos has a carefree lifestyle， challenging Ved to rethink his choices to pick him。 Please give me m An endearing romantic comedy set in Mumbai about finding your happy place to be you。 Ved Mehra has it all - gorgeous， wealthy and wildly successful。 He’s also living a life as closeted gay man。 Heart broken after a four-year hidden relationship， he finally agrees to marry to please his mother and her meddling ways。 At the same time， he meets a man who restores his heart to be able to love again。 Carlos has a carefree lifestyle， challenging Ved to rethink his choices to pick him。 Please give me more of Ved and Carlos as the ending felt a bit rushed。 Thank you NetGalley and @amazonpublishing （Lake Union Publishing） for the complimentary copy。 。。。more
Trigger Warning Database
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Trigger & Content WarningsHomomisiaDomestic abuse recounted
Heather
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This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Lake Union Publishing and #NetGalley for my honest opinion。 A quirky little read with lovely characters。
Jeff
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Interesting Romance In （Arguably） Underserved Setting。 Maybe there are more gay romances set in India written in Hindi and/ or marketed to Indian audiences。 This American that doesn't know any human languages other than English can't say。 But *in my experience* as someone for whom this was Book 189 on the year and who has read over 600 books since Jan 1， 2019 alone。。。 this was unique in setting and primary characters。 Further， as someone in tech （who actually manages - and thus interacts near-da Interesting Romance In （Arguably） Underserved Setting。 Maybe there are more gay romances set in India written in Hindi and/ or marketed to Indian audiences。 This American that doesn't know any human languages other than English can't say。 But *in my experience* as someone for whom this was Book 189 on the year and who has read over 600 books since Jan 1， 2019 alone。。。 this was unique in setting and primary characters。 Further， as someone in tech （who actually manages - and thus interacts near-daily with - teams of Indian nationals）， the workload described here sounds realistic。 （For better or for worse。 My guys are *awesome*， but they *do* tend to work quite a bit。） The interfering family dynamics are something Nicola Marsh has written of fairly often in her straight romances involving the Indian diaspora （such as July 2021's The Man Ban）， and the struggles of coming out vs submitting to familial and societal expectations are well known and told quite often in American literature and culture at minimum。 Hell， even in the US gay sex was officially illegal even this Millennium！All of this to say， as a romance， I think this book actually works in showing a （mostly） seemingly realistic view while still falling into the standard rules of the genre。 Yes， there is a fair amount of sex， on screen though not erotica level explicit。 Yes， there is a happily ever after。 And yes， there is a fair amount of angst getting there， culminating in a massive fight that splits the couple up before finally coming together - fairly standard stuff for the genre， and yet filled with details specific to its setting。 While I don't know if the Indian law that plays a fair role in the background of the story was ever actually overturned and I have no idea when this fight was going on， it doesn't play enough of a role to detract from the story not knowing when this was - though those that *are* more familiar with that particular fight may be able to identify a bit more with the book just from seeing what was happening in their own lives at that time。 While I'm not sure that I personally would classify this book as romantic *comedy*， there were a few funny moments and it could well be that there is more humor to be found here for those more familiar with Indian culture。Overall a strong and interesting book， and very much recommended。 。。。more
Ritu Bhathal
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3。5 StarsReading the blurb for this book， I felt I really wanted to read it。 an LGBTQ romance， based in recent years， in Mumbai。 It's not something that is written about often， so I was excited。Ved Mehra is the son of an affluent businessman， from a wealthy family， and wants for nothing。Except for love and acceptance。Finding himself forced into an engagement with the delightful Disha， Ved thinks it must be for the best。Only。。。 he's gay。Then he meets Carlos。The story is set around the time when S 3。5 StarsReading the blurb for this book， I felt I really wanted to read it。 an LGBTQ romance， based in recent years， in Mumbai。 It's not something that is written about often， so I was excited。Ved Mehra is the son of an affluent businessman， from a wealthy family， and wants for nothing。Except for love and acceptance。Finding himself forced into an engagement with the delightful Disha， Ved thinks it must be for the best。Only。。。 he's gay。Then he meets Carlos。The story is set around the time when Section 377， a law set in British colonial times， criminalising homosexual activity， amongst other things is due to be overturned。While I really wanted to love the story， I found the characters to be underdeveloped， and there were areas that the story almost went too fast， or felt a little unbelievable。I mean， considering Ved hadn't come out to his parents， would he still have brought a man back to the house， so brazenly， indulged in such loud physical pleasure， and have none of the house staff batting an eyelid， nor his father asking questions？But， there was a HEA， so， I was happy！Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Vienna Zharnov
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DNF at 23%I'm not making myself read this book any longer。 Gay rights in India？ Really important stuff and if this book was written a little better I'm sure it would be a really good example of the struggles they face every day。 But I'm not here to judge the importance of issues but how well the book was written and how the idea for it was executed。 And "The Other Man" isn't going on any of my shelves because it was a two-star read for me。 Look I like to know the backstory for the characters but DNF at 23%I'm not making myself read this book any longer。 Gay rights in India？ Really important stuff and if this book was written a little better I'm sure it would be a really good example of the struggles they face every day。 But I'm not here to judge the importance of issues but how well the book was written and how the idea for it was executed。 And "The Other Man" isn't going on any of my shelves because it was a two-star read for me。 Look I like to know the backstory for the characters but either write it at the beginning， in a separate chapter or let the characters talk about it。 I felt like I was physically having an existential crisis during the first 10-15% of the book。 Ved （our MC） is a miserable man and it's mostly his own fault。 Here is the thing - it's not like Ved's parents are around him 24/7 so he could easily maintain a relationship with another man in secret。 He's also 38 and is so scared of upsetting his mother that he does everything she tells him to do。 I had a hard time remembering his age because he acted like a 20-year-old who wants to stay in mom's good graces。 He's an independent adult with a VERY well-paying job （he has a cook/butler？？？ for god's sake） and at the same time he can't make up his own mind。 Ved is very unlikeable in my opinion because while I can understand that he's scared， I don't understand his decision to date Disha （a very nice woman） for several weeks if he knows he won't marry her。And let's go back to the writing for a second。。。 so many time jumps。Chapter 10-11: Disha and Ved's first dateChapter 12-15: Literally nothing happensChapter 16: "So， Ved continued going out on dates with Disha over the next several weeks"Chapter 17: "A couple days later"I wish I liked "The Other Man" so much but I couldn't read any more than 23%。 I had to push myself to read this far。 I hate leaving negative reviews especially for ARC's but the one thing I liked in this book were Sheetal （Ved's secretary） and Disha。 。。。more
Rose Guzman
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✨2。5/5 Rating✨Spoilers & Thoughts Below！！•The Other Man was an okay read， unfortunately though it just wasn’t for me。•It was fast and easy to get through as the chapters were short and quick， which I did like。 •The overall storyline was very interesting as it dealt with some heavy issues including: coming out， social and family pressures， and the repel of Section 377。 •However， I did feel that the plot wasn’t as fully developed as it could have been as there were moments that felt a bit rushed。• ✨2。5/5 Rating✨Spoilers & Thoughts Below！！•The Other Man was an okay read， unfortunately though it just wasn’t for me。•It was fast and easy to get through as the chapters were short and quick， which I did like。 •The overall storyline was very interesting as it dealt with some heavy issues including: coming out， social and family pressures， and the repel of Section 377。 •However， I did feel that the plot wasn’t as fully developed as it could have been as there were moments that felt a bit rushed。•Unfortunately， the main character， Ved was a bit frustrating and annoying at times。 Some of his actions were just not the greatest and while it was understandable that he was struggling with family pressure， it wasn’t an excuse for his behavior。 •There were a few enjoyable aspects of this book that I did like which included， the friendship between Ved and Disha， the insight and discussions regarding the LGBTQ community in South Asia， and the Mumbai culture and cuisine。 •Overall， I think the idea of this book was decent。 It just didn’t hit the mark for me。**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review。** 。。。more
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