Sari, Not Sari

Sari, Not Sari

  • Downloads:9604
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2022-04-09 10:51:38
  • Update Date:2025-09-07
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Sonya Singh
  • ISBN:1982185910
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

This delightful debut rom-com follows the adventures of a woman trying to connect with her South Asian roots and introduces readers to a memorable cast of characters in a veritable feast of food, family traditions, and fun。

Manny Dogra is the beautiful young CEO of Breakup, a highly successful company that helps people manage their relationship breakups。 As preoccupied as she is with her business, she’s also planning her wedding to handsome architect Adam Jamieson while dealing with the loss of her beloved parents。

For reasons Manny has never understood, her mother and father, who were both born in India, always wanted her to become an “All-American” girl。 So that’s what she did。 She knows next to nothing about her South Asian heritage, and that’s never been a problem—until her parents are no longer around, and an image of Manny that’s been Photoshopped to make her skin look more white appears on a major magazine cover。 Suddenly, the woman who built an empire encouraging people to be true to themselves is having her own identity crisis。

But when an irritating client named Sammy Patel approaches Manny with an odd breakup request, the perfect solution presents itself: If they both agree to certain terms, he’ll give her a crash course in being “Indian” at his brother’s wedding。

What follows is days of dancing and dal, masala and mehndi as Manny meets the lovable, if endlessly interfering, aunties and uncles of the Patel family, and, along the way, discovers much more than she could ever have anticipated。

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Reviews

Oleanderbat (Angie)

This book was Bollywood magic! Everything I love about those movies even without the music was present。 Manny and Sammy’s relationship from bad beginning to sweet ending was wonderful to watch unfold。I also loved the finding of self identity through the exploration of culture。 Manny’s story of feeling at loss at what identity was truly hers spoke to me as someone who is also stuck between cultures myself。 I truly enjoyed this story, however I just wished certain things were different。 For one th This book was Bollywood magic! Everything I love about those movies even without the music was present。 Manny and Sammy’s relationship from bad beginning to sweet ending was wonderful to watch unfold。I also loved the finding of self identity through the exploration of culture。 Manny’s story of feeling at loss at what identity was truly hers spoke to me as someone who is also stuck between cultures myself。 I truly enjoyed this story, however I just wished certain things were different。 For one thing I would have liked it to be longer so that the ending, while sweet didn’t feel rushed。 Also I would have like more interactions with Adam that should actual chemistry between them and didn’t feel clinical。 I just couldn’t see any real affection between them to sell me on their relationship。 I also would have like more interactions with Sammy to make the love story feel more believable and less rushed,All in all the balance between romance, comedy, culture and self identity was done well。 Would definitely recommend to fellow romance lovers looking for more diversity in their stories! (I received an e-arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review。) 。。。more

Luanne Ollivier

3。5 Sari, Not Sari is Sonya Singh's debut novel。 I really enjoyed it! What's it about? From Simon and Shuster: "This delightful debut rom-com follows the adventures of a woman trying to connect with her South Asian roots and introduces readers to a memorable cast of characters in a veritable feast of food, family traditions, and fun。"Our lead character is Manny - the owner of a unique business。 'Breakup' helps people ease the pain of ending their relationships。 They'll help find the right way an 3。5 Sari, Not Sari is Sonya Singh's debut novel。 I really enjoyed it! What's it about? From Simon and Shuster: "This delightful debut rom-com follows the adventures of a woman trying to connect with her South Asian roots and introduces readers to a memorable cast of characters in a veritable feast of food, family traditions, and fun。"Our lead character is Manny - the owner of a unique business。 'Breakup' helps people ease the pain of ending their relationships。 They'll help find the right way and words to break up - by email and/or text。 A fun premise for sure。 You'll find email requests at the beginning of each chapter that are quite funny。 I found this tidbit reading Singh's bio - "Sari, Not Sari, is an ode to her own personal dating experiences, during which she honed the art of writing the perfect break-up email/text。"Now, following the rom-com formula, Manny has her own relationship issues, there's a client that might just be more than business, a find yourself epiphany for our lead character, a great bunch of quirky supporting characters and the ending that you really want。 I quite liked Manny as a lead - she's warm, funny, caring and - she can't see that her fiancée is a bit of a donkey's behind。 Singh gives us more to love with Manny's search for her South Asian roots and the large, boisterous and loving Patel family。 Seriously, I'd love to go to one of their family get togethers - food, family and dancing - what's more to want? (Note that I really like Bollywood movies and can see this novel as a film!)I loved Sari, Not Sari - what a great debut this was。 Pick this one up for the beach bag this summer。 。。。more

Pamela Devereux

Manny Dogra always knew where she belonged in this world。 Her parents always told her she could be anything she wanted to be。 After their deaths, she is lost。 Her fiance Adam fills the void。 They are both workaholics。 They use this as a crutch to not deal with personal issues。 A decision by Adam sets Manny on the road of discovery。 Who is she, if not Indian。 A deal made with a client opens her mind and heart。 In the process real love surfaces。 I enjoyed all the process of an Indian wedding。 In t Manny Dogra always knew where she belonged in this world。 Her parents always told her she could be anything she wanted to be。 After their deaths, she is lost。 Her fiance Adam fills the void。 They are both workaholics。 They use this as a crutch to not deal with personal issues。 A decision by Adam sets Manny on the road of discovery。 Who is she, if not Indian。 A deal made with a client opens her mind and heart。 In the process real love surfaces。 I enjoyed all the process of an Indian wedding。 In the end, the truth comes out。 Sammy lashes out。 A heart broken Manny throws herself back into her work。 Little did she know that the people who work for her want her happy。 :Love wins out at the end。 。。。more

Abigail Books Addiction

Usually, I love reading Sonya Singh books。 But this book was not doing it for me。 There were too many issues in this book that it made the main character very messy, especially in the romance department。 I find myself not really liking Manny at times。 She was too flakey about her situation that I could not give any sympathy to her。 She made her life that way a long time ago。 And she now realizes it’s a problem when her wedding comes sooner than later。 I really didn’t like how rushed the romance Usually, I love reading Sonya Singh books。 But this book was not doing it for me。 There were too many issues in this book that it made the main character very messy, especially in the romance department。 I find myself not really liking Manny at times。 She was too flakey about her situation that I could not give any sympathy to her。 She made her life that way a long time ago。 And she now realizes it’s a problem when her wedding comes sooner than later。 I really didn’t like how rushed the romance was in the book。 They should have waited。 Not all romance should be rushed。 It should take its time。 。。。more

A。J

This book is so bad I wanna give it a zero but I can't so I'll give it a one。 I'm losing my mind at how genuinely bad of a romance this was。 1。) It feels like it was written for white people。 I'm not Indian so I can't say if this was actively offensive but rather than written within the context of the culture this book was an explanation of browness in a very obvious non subtle way and it came off bad。 Like if I was explaining blackness to someone my first explanation wouldn't be CPT。 Plus rathe This book is so bad I wanna give it a zero but I can't so I'll give it a one。 I'm losing my mind at how genuinely bad of a romance this was。 1。) It feels like it was written for white people。 I'm not Indian so I can't say if this was actively offensive but rather than written within the context of the culture this book was an explanation of browness in a very obvious non subtle way and it came off bad。 Like if I was explaining blackness to someone my first explanation wouldn't be CPT。 Plus rather than take in information she questioned a lot of it and I was like "girl you're meant to be learning stop questioning everything"2。) She's engaged throughout literally the entire book。 In my opinion cheating is not really justified and as the certified breakup queen she should have ended her relationship 3。) The insta love is truly embarrassing 4。) The twist was one of my least favorite types of twists and I said if it happened I'd give this book one star and I was joking but the book was so outta pocket bad that here we are。All in all 0 outta 10 would not recommend 。。。more

Jerilynn

I was a bit nervous going into this book after looking at the ratings and some of the reviews。 This book had so much potential it was decent/ okay for a debut novel。 However, it read more like a women's fiction novel to me rather than a romance。 The romance takes a backseat in the story。 It happens pretty abruptly in the last couple of chapters of the book。 And doesn't get fleshed out enough to feel like a well-developed romance。 This book focused on Manny's journey of getting in touch with her I was a bit nervous going into this book after looking at the ratings and some of the reviews。 This book had so much potential it was decent/ okay for a debut novel。 However, it read more like a women's fiction novel to me rather than a romance。 The romance takes a backseat in the story。 It happens pretty abruptly in the last couple of chapters of the book。 And doesn't get fleshed out enough to feel like a well-developed romance。 This book focused on Manny's journey of getting in touch with her Indian culture since she wasn't really immersed in it growing up due to her parents' wishes to assimilate into American culture and finally grieving after the loss of her parents。 Yes, this story does have a HEA so that can classify it as a romance。 But I'm just saying it centered on Manny's not feeling Indian enough and crash course into Indian culture rather than the two MCs falling in love。 I think it would have done better if it was properly marketed。The other main issues I have with this book is that the MCs were technically cheating or being unfaithful to their partners。 Well, Manny was Sammy was taking a "short break" from his girlfriend。 To be fair, Manny's boyfriend is a prejudiced dirtbag! On the other hand, I got whiplash or confused with Sammy talking to Manny not so highly or positive remarks about his girlfriend to highly and so grateful,/ somewhat guilt due to a savior complex to not so highly about his girlfriend again。 I just think that this was a waste of time and it could have been better if the time was used to flesh out the characters a bit more or build upon the MCs romance。I did not have a problem with the Millennial dialogue。 But I can understand how it might come across as outdated。 I DID however think that the whole wearing shorts thing to a wedding was completely ridiculous。 I know that the author was trying to show Manny's ignorance about Indian culture but come on shorts are not the appropriate attire for any guest at a wedding where you don't even know the person who is getting married。 She should have asked Sammy ahead of time for the memo or dress code for the wedding like a responsible adult。 That really did make my eyes roll as I was listening to that part of the story。 The positives of this story were the incredible side characters, that are so loveable! Conversations that Manny has with friends, bits, and sprinkles of Indian food, music, and culture。 Sammy's family。 The dress shop scene was so cute! Sammy's cinnamon roll side that was so adorable he did have a couple of heart-eye emoji scenes in the book, I hope that this author's next novel only gets better and has a better developmental editor for her next story。 。。。more

JennShesBooked

This was more Insta love than I like, even though it took almost 300 pages to get there。 It was very choppy for me with little to no lead up to major events which left me feeling disconnected from the story line。There were some great characters though and some really funny moments which makes it a three star instead of two star read for me。

Ofdreamsandstories

I was drawn to this book for its gorgeous cover and unique title! Sonya Singh’s Sari Not Sari was a delight to read! Being a South Asian decent, reading stories about my Indian heritage is so heart warming and enjoyable!Manny our main character is fake dating Sammy and attends his brothers wedding。 In exchange all American raised Manny gets a taste of her desi side while being introduced today tadka and irritating aunts and uncles。Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the complimentary I was drawn to this book for its gorgeous cover and unique title! Sonya Singh’s Sari Not Sari was a delight to read! Being a South Asian decent, reading stories about my Indian heritage is so heart warming and enjoyable!Manny our main character is fake dating Sammy and attends his brothers wedding。 In exchange all American raised Manny gets a taste of her desi side while being introduced today tadka and irritating aunts and uncles。Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the complimentary galley。 I highly recommend this fun, romcom novel that hit the shelves on April 5, 2022 。。。more

Charity (My Brighter Books)

Love my review? Follow me on Goodreads, Instagram or my Blog to see my full book reviews! BLOG|InstagramSari, Not Sari had a good premise when reading the description of the book。 I love to read about Indian culture and I love a good Girl Boss vibe。 But unfortunately this book has lost its mark with me。Our main character is Manny who is a CEO of her own company called Break Up。 Where they have clients request personalized break ups done for them that is communicated through email。 Now Manny was Love my review? Follow me on Goodreads, Instagram or my Blog to see my full book reviews! BLOG|InstagramSari, Not Sari had a good premise when reading the description of the book。 I love to read about Indian culture and I love a good Girl Boss vibe。 But unfortunately this book has lost its mark with me。Our main character is Manny who is a CEO of her own company called Break Up。 Where they have clients request personalized break ups done for them that is communicated through email。 Now Manny was unfortunately never really taught about her culture because her parents desire to ingrain her in America。 Now that her parents are gone due to a tragic accident, she is still dealing with her grief of that loss and chooses to engross herself with work in her company。 Alongside her working all the time is her fiancé Adam who isn’t really there a lot and pushes her to work more。 He also can’t make a commitment to set a date for them to start planning their wedding。Through a mishap of magazine white washing her features on the cover。 Manny realizes that she needs to understand her own self and her Indian culture。 In comes Sammy, and some of my issues with this plot。 Sammy is an Indian man who has a non Indian girlfriend。 He needs Manny's services to do a “temporary” break up with his girlfriend for just a week for his brother's wedding。 Sammy explained that Indian culture is so tight on marrying other Indian’s women that he was also afraid that his family of Patels would cancel his brother's wedding due to his choice of a girlfriend。Manny addressed, why can’t you just be honest with family instead of temporarily breaking up with his girlfriend? But Sammy was adamant that this was the only “solution。” Which to me, was kinda shallow and didn’t make sense to me。So in exchange for doing this personalized email for Sammy, she asked him to take her to his brother's wedding to have a crash course about the culture。 Which to me from an outsider's perspective, Manny experienced it and not really learned about it。 So the book goes on where she is getting to know Sammy’s family and on with the family wedding festivities。 That's where they eventually got to know one another and realized that they loved one another。 With the reason’s below, not sure how that happened。My biggest issue of this book are these:It took maybe 45-50% of the book to finally really start to see Sammy in Sari, Not Sari。 For a rom-com, that felt like forever! I felt like the love interest should have been introduced and the relationship built a lot sooner than it did in the book。You don’t really get to know Sammy, heck you barely see them interact with each other in the book。 So it was Insta Romance that happened in a span of a week。 A lot of the story is Manny interacting with everyone but Sammy。 Actually, you may know more about Sammy through his family than Sammy himself。 So I felt there was no chemistry there and no true build of romance。Both Manny and Sammy were in separate relationships throughout the book, which I felt wasn’t really addressed as a good conclusion in the book。 It was half haphazardly mentioned and dealt with and then it was over。 Not sure why this bothers me but here it is。 One of the family members gets upset with Manny about using their family to learn about Indian culture。 The girl told Manny to leave and not come back。 But for reasons I really can’t remember, Manny decides to stay for the wedding。 Well, you don’t see that situation get resolved at all。 So I am wondering, why build that relationship throughout the book with that relative and without a peep of that situation you don’t read of that person again。 No resolution, just tossed through the window as if it never happened。The resolution of the ending in the last 5% of the book was not great。 It felt quick and it didn't make sense。 I really feel the ending needs to be stronger because the ending is what really made me feel this book wasn’t good。This book had good potential but I feel that romance wasn’t strong for a rom-com and the ending wasn’t that good。 。。。more

Sarah

This was an light, easy read that taught me a little about Indian culture, particularly wedding rituals。The story revolves around Manny, the CEO of a company that helps people break up with their significant other。 Her relationship isn’t ideal and when her fiancé “whitewashes” her picture for a major magazine cover, she decides that it’s time to get in touch with her South Asian heritage。 Manny uncharacteristically decides to take on a potential client in return for an immersion in Indian cultur This was an light, easy read that taught me a little about Indian culture, particularly wedding rituals。The story revolves around Manny, the CEO of a company that helps people break up with their significant other。 Her relationship isn’t ideal and when her fiancé “whitewashes” her picture for a major magazine cover, she decides that it’s time to get in touch with her South Asian heritage。 Manny uncharacteristically decides to take on a potential client in return for an immersion in Indian culture at his brothers week long Indian wedding。 The reason that I didn’t give this book a higher rating is I found the romance a little rushed and unbelievable。 I also found some of the characters were written as stereotypes of Indians and the LGBTQ community。 These aspects reduced the story in my opinion。On a positive note, I did enjoy that the beginning of every chapter included a letter from a prospective client。 The situations and break up reasoning added some humour to the story。Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more

RomanceByTheBook

Sari, Not Sari is a fun debut filled with food and family。I really wanted to love this book: the idea is so fun and has so much possibility: a tech CEO not in touch with her history has to fake date her way into a big noisy Indian wedding。 The food and festivity scenes were hands down my favourite parts of the book。 But the book didn’t quite hit all the marks for me。 Let’s start with the good stuff: Sonya is a vivid writer whose food scenes made my mouth water。 Her writing style was fun, vivid, Sari, Not Sari is a fun debut filled with food and family。I really wanted to love this book: the idea is so fun and has so much possibility: a tech CEO not in touch with her history has to fake date her way into a big noisy Indian wedding。 The food and festivity scenes were hands down my favourite parts of the book。 But the book didn’t quite hit all the marks for me。 Let’s start with the good stuff: Sonya is a vivid writer whose food scenes made my mouth water。 Her writing style was fun, vivid, and drama-filled: I felt like I was watching a Bollywood movie while reading。 I also really liked the main characters Manny and Sammy。 They are funny and witty and grow with each other。 I love a good fake-relationship and these two had an interesting reason to be in a fake relationship with each other。 Through this dynamic we got to see the two of them grow and open up to each other, and therefore us the reader。 I loved the banter between the two of them and their scenes really stole the show for me。However, the rest of the characters in the book felt so one dimensional to me: a workaholic who can only engage if someone is discussing work。 Her privileged wealthy in-laws don’t even know what culture she’s from – they think she’s Spanish, and her friends seem to just tick a box: the gay friend, the Indian friend etc。 Click on the link to read our full review on our blog: https://romancebythebook。com/2022/04/。。。 。。。more

maddie (taylor's version)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!3。5 stars, rounded upI enjoyed this rom-com! It’s a pretty easy, fast-paced read。 The characters were interesting, the plot was entertaining, and the writing was well done! The romance was a bit too fast paced, though, in my opinion, and the ending was definitely a bit too rushed for me; I definitely would have liked to see a bit more resolution。 Despite this, I still enjoyed the book :)

♥Milica♥

DNF @ 25%I couldn't even make it a third of way through。 Contemporary romcoms are either a hit or miss for me, and this one falls into the latter category。I was expecting something fun, but that never came, I was bored and I decided it was best to end it early。 That's all there is to it。 Some of the characters made me a bit uncomfortable in their behaviours, and while I can't speak on the rep, as I'm not Indian, I'd encourage you to read this review if you want to learn more about why it was pro DNF @ 25%I couldn't even make it a third of way through。 Contemporary romcoms are either a hit or miss for me, and this one falls into the latter category。I was expecting something fun, but that never came, I was bored and I decided it was best to end it early。 That's all there is to it。 Some of the characters made me a bit uncomfortable in their behaviours, and while I can't speak on the rep, as I'm not Indian, I'd encourage you to read this review if you want to learn more about why it was problematic:https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 。。。more

Nadia Jonesy

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada as well as Sonya Singh。 This book。。。well。。。it was very clever but not realistic at certain points。。but is it a cultural issue for me? I do not know。。。but it was a fast moving relationship。。。I just did not understand but it was a good read。

Louise

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this advanced copy。This book had a lot of really fun elements and characters but ultimately, the plot fell a little flat for me。 I loved the idea of Manny's business Breakup (though I, for the life of me, cannot figure out how this business is profitable or actually works, but whatever) and I love how boss Manny is when it comes to the work side of her life。 And the set up for her meeting Sammy worked for me at first。 I loved all her co-workers ( Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this advanced copy。This book had a lot of really fun elements and characters but ultimately, the plot fell a little flat for me。 I loved the idea of Manny's business Breakup (though I, for the life of me, cannot figure out how this business is profitable or actually works, but whatever) and I love how boss Manny is when it comes to the work side of her life。 And the set up for her meeting Sammy worked for me at first。 I loved all her co-workers (they get their own books right?) and I loved her stylist。 I even really like Sammy。But overall the plot felt uneven at times and it felt like there was never the right amount of building up to the different major plot points。 Manny meets Sammy and just agreed to fly off to hang with his family for a week? I know she was in a place, but still, that seems EXTREME even for romance novels。 And she thinks she can discover her Indian heritage in a week at a wedding? Don't get me wrong, Indian weddings are a blast, but I found it hard to evaluate that storyline as someone who isn't Desi and would love to hear more from Desi readers about this, especially because it felt forced and inauthentic。 And the build-up to insta-love felt so off for some reason。In the end, this wasn't my favorite romance book set in and around Indian culture, but there were some great laugh out loud moments and it was a fun read on a rainy day。 。。。more

Elizabeth Mellen

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC of this! It was cute, and I loved Sari’s quest to find herself, as well as the family and friends that were there for her on her journey。 I just didn’t get the romance, it seemed both too slow (from a book perspective) and too quick once it did start。 I don’t want to spoil the ending but it seemed very rushed。 I hated Adam with a passion the entire time, so I was glad to finally see him go, honestly, the biggest let down of this book Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC of this! It was cute, and I loved Sari’s quest to find herself, as well as the family and friends that were there for her on her journey。 I just didn’t get the romance, it seemed both too slow (from a book perspective) and too quick once it did start。 I don’t want to spoil the ending but it seemed very rushed。 I hated Adam with a passion the entire time, so I was glad to finally see him go, honestly, the biggest let down of this book was that she didn't see all the red flags and end it before she went out to get in touch with her Indian culture, because the author was not subtle about how much was already going wrong (maybe so it wouldn't feel like emotional cheating when she started to fall for someone else?)。 He was racist and on top of that he just wasn't spending any time on her or with her to be calling it a relationship。 。。。more

Shannon

3。5 rounded upI really enjoyed this fake dating romance debut by a new Canadian author。 There are some truly talented South Asian romance authors writing today and their books always go straight to the top of my tbr。 This book is a great addition to that cadre and I'm excited to read what the author writes next!The story features Manny, a strong businesswoman and CEO to her own company that provides people with break up services。 After her parents' death she feels lost and wants to get in touch 3。5 rounded upI really enjoyed this fake dating romance debut by a new Canadian author。 There are some truly talented South Asian romance authors writing today and their books always go straight to the top of my tbr。 This book is a great addition to that cadre and I'm excited to read what the author writes next!The story features Manny, a strong businesswoman and CEO to her own company that provides people with break up services。 After her parents' death she feels lost and wants to get in touch with her South Asian heritage (something her India born parents never embraced as she was growing up)。 An opportunity with a new client, Sammy, provides Manny a chance to pose as his fake girlfriend while attending his brother's wedding and learn all about traditional South Asian culture。Full of delicious food descriptions, Bollywood dancing, traditional dress and the full gamut of Indian wedding customs。 Manny can't help falling in love with her heritage and the whole Patel family, including Sammy。 My only critique was that it took practically until the very end of the book for Manny and Sammy to admit their feelings for one another。This was definitely more of a women's fiction/sweet love story with kissing only。 Perfect for fans of Sonya Lalli, Sajni Patel, Sara Desai, Farah Heron or Sonali Dev。 It was also great on audio narrated by Avita Jay。 Much thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Vanessa Dennis

I give this a 3。5。 It was super cute but towards the end I felt it was rushed (the romance) or maybe I don't understand the Indian culture。 I felt like Adam was just (not really) there so he was an ugh character but I must say it was heartwarming and made me smile。 I wanted to cry when Sammy did what he did for Manny at the community center。 I was so happy for her as she started to bloom。 She was a beautiful butterfly by the end。 I mean she was pretty of course but the transformation within her I give this a 3。5。 It was super cute but towards the end I felt it was rushed (the romance) or maybe I don't understand the Indian culture。 I felt like Adam was just (not really) there so he was an ugh character but I must say it was heartwarming and made me smile。 I wanted to cry when Sammy did what he did for Manny at the community center。 I was so happy for her as she started to bloom。 She was a beautiful butterfly by the end。 I mean she was pretty of course but the transformation within her when she discovered herself is what I'm referring to。 A great debut novel! 。。。more

Sarah

Despite its clever title, Sari, Not Sari wasn’t my cup of tea。 And I, for one, am sorry。 I do appreciate being given the opportunity to review and arc copy by Simon & Schuster though。I loved the premise of this book, and was hoping to become immersed in the story of a woman learning about and falling in love with her culture and with a man。 Unfortunately, I didn’t get swept up in the story。 I felt held at arms’ length。 Not only that, but there were many issues the author touched on that needed t Despite its clever title, Sari, Not Sari wasn’t my cup of tea。 And I, for one, am sorry。 I do appreciate being given the opportunity to review and arc copy by Simon & Schuster though。I loved the premise of this book, and was hoping to become immersed in the story of a woman learning about and falling in love with her culture and with a man。 Unfortunately, I didn’t get swept up in the story。 I felt held at arms’ length。 Not only that, but there were many issues the author touched on that needed to be dealt with in a more nuanced and thoughtful way。While liking a character is not everything, I believe you should want to root for your protagonist in a romance novel。 But all I felt was frustration。 Manny felt hollow as a character。 I could, logically, why she would want to go to an Indian wedding to discover her roots, but I couldn’t feel that longing to be a part of something。 That turmoil wasn’t presented on the page in a way that connected with me。 I felt like Manny did what she did because the author decreed it, not because she had her own dreams。 And if the main character, the who’s point of view we see, doesn’t have any kind of emotional development or nuance, you can guess how the secondary characters were treated。 They all seemed flat and like caricatures。 In addition, there were so many issues touched on in this book and all of them seemed to be treated unkindly and without much thought。 So much so that it kind of boggles my mind that this is going to print and had someone okay it。 The characters made fun of people for everything, it seemed。 A character shames Manny for eating naan, another shames her for not knowing about her culture, Manny makes fun of someone’s plastic surgery, and she doesn’t use the correct pronouns (or even ask) when she’s at a drag club。As for the romance, when Manny realizes she’s in love, another character says something like, “About time you figured it out。” And honestly, I agree…if we’re looking at how much of the book was left。 But I didn’t feel it。 The love interest kind of came and went from the book in a way that made me think, “Oh, yeah! The book’s almost over。 Shouldn’t they be getting together?” But also like neither of these people had any care for their partners they were with at the time。Something, I wish had been discussed more because I think it was wonderful is the note Anjali puts in Manny’s suitcase。 In it, Anjali tells her that she’s always been Indian。 That’s the kind of emotion I was looking for。There was definitely promise in this book。 There bones of the story are there, but the heart isn’t。 Unfortunately, there are also many problematic elements that would need to be fixed before I would consider spending any money on this author’s work 。。。more

Corinne Riendeau

I was intrigued by the concept of this book。 A woman who had lost touch with her heritage rediscovers what being Indian means to her。 I had a lot of hope, but I also had a few preconceptions of how this story could go, and I have to say – I was disappointed。 The characters felt two-dimensional。 I felt no emotional connection to either of the main characters and the secondary characters seemed more like stereotypes than fully formed characters。 Some of them to the point of being problematic。 Most I was intrigued by the concept of this book。 A woman who had lost touch with her heritage rediscovers what being Indian means to her。 I had a lot of hope, but I also had a few preconceptions of how this story could go, and I have to say – I was disappointed。 The characters felt two-dimensional。 I felt no emotional connection to either of the main characters and the secondary characters seemed more like stereotypes than fully formed characters。 Some of them to the point of being problematic。 Most of the characters seemed to at some point shame someone else。 From people shaming Manny for not knowing more about Indian culture to Manny shaming people for botox and enjoying video gaming。 It made me not like or root for anyone。 The themes of this book incorporated some of my least favourite tropes, specifically infidelity and insta-love。 Both Manny and Sammy ended up cheating in some way on partners of multiple years who they had initially intended on marrying。 This hugely cheapens their romance for me。 If their partners were that awful, they should have ended their relationships of their own volition before it reached this point。The whole plot of this book made no sense as anything other than a plot device to force closeness between the two mains。 If Manny had actually wanted to learn about Indian culture she has two much closer Indian friends who would have made much more sense。 It really seemed as though the only Indian culture she had interest in learning was wealthy American Indian culture。 I was hoping for emotional growth and character development and instead I got characters with no motivation and a romance I was not rooting for。Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy of this book! 。。。more

Angie

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it, click here。 Manny is the CEO of a company that will help you through your breakup。 Her parents moved to America from India and raised her as American as they could。 She is very ignorant about Indian traditions and culture and she wants to learn more。 Sammy is a potential client who wants to break up with his gf for a week so he can go to his brothers wedding。 Manny agrees to help him pause his relationship if he agrees to take her to the wedding as his friend。 Manny is also engaged to a guy named Adam who i Manny is the CEO of a company that will help you through your breakup。 Her parents moved to America from India and raised her as American as they could。 She is very ignorant about Indian traditions and culture and she wants to learn more。 Sammy is a potential client who wants to break up with his gf for a week so he can go to his brothers wedding。 Manny agrees to help him pause his relationship if he agrees to take her to the wedding as his friend。 Manny is also engaged to a guy named Adam who is an idiot。 Predictable。 Instant love。 Really rushed ending。 And included every single Indian stereotype you can think of。 The dialogue was really bad too。 Only giving it two stars because it has potential, and it’s a great no substance romance if that’s what you’re looking for。One more thing and this is just something that bothers me in real life so I really don’t like reading it in books。 There is a lot and I mean a lot of fabulous displays of wealth in this book。 The female protagonist, Manny, is the head of a huge company that yes she did create and worked really hard to get and she deserves all the money she’s got sweat and blood and hard work。 But it’s so clear throughout the book that money isn’t a concept that either protagonist worries about。 It felt over the top to me。 ***minor spoiler*** There’s a party where Manny needs a dress and she doesn’t have something appropriate so a stylist is sent to her hotel room with a bunch of dresses and she tries them all on and gets a makeover and the cost of all this and all the dresses she gets isn’t even mentioned。 And there are quite a few moments like that in the book。 Overall it was just alright。 It was interesting to read about the culture and traditions of an Indian wedding but there was too much that I didn’t like。 Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for my early copy。 。。。more

Emma Schmid

Netgalley ARCManny is the rockstar CEO of Breakup, a company made famous for breaking up clients the right way - politely, honestly, and without any mess。 But when a white-washed Manny appears on a best selling magazine cover, Manny has an identity crisis。 Indian by birth but American raised, she doesn't know the first thing about her heritage, and it sparks a curiousity in her so fierce she decides to take on a new client - Sammy, who offers an exchange - temporary break up with his girlfriend, Netgalley ARCManny is the rockstar CEO of Breakup, a company made famous for breaking up clients the right way - politely, honestly, and without any mess。 But when a white-washed Manny appears on a best selling magazine cover, Manny has an identity crisis。 Indian by birth but American raised, she doesn't know the first thing about her heritage, and it sparks a curiousity in her so fierce she decides to take on a new client - Sammy, who offers an exchange - temporary break up with his girlfriend, and he'll take her to his brother's Indian wedding and teach her about their shared culture。 This book has a great premise and has a ton of great moments。 Manny is a certified bad ass, and I loved how skilled she is and how compassionate she can be in her business。 She's realistic and well written, and I found her very relatable。 I think the self-discovery part of this book was wonderfully written。 Manny's relationship with her parents was so special and I thought her journey through grief was expressed well。 I loved Sammy, and I really enjoyed their relationship - however, the only thing I didn't enjoy was how fast the book went。 As in, things were less described as they were smoothed over。 Scenes jumped around so fast that I felt like I had whiplash, and I thought the book ended too fast that it made me confused。 The love confession was great, and I didn't feel that it came out of nowhere, but I did think that it was too sudden。Overall a really fun read and so well described。 The emotions were so real, you could feel Manny's grief throughout the book and that really stuck with me。 Would absolutely recommend! 。。。more

sathvika

3。5/5 for Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh I truly connected with this book on another level。 Manny's struggles as an Indian growing up around and adopting while culture is my story as well。 While I am more in tune with my Indian culture because of my parents, there are still some things that I wish I knew more about。 One thing that has especially hit me the hardest is western beauty norms。 Women are told to either be tan or pale, but with a darker skin tone, either is not possible。 I had hyperpigm 3。5/5 for Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh I truly connected with this book on another level。 Manny's struggles as an Indian growing up around and adopting while culture is my story as well。 While I am more in tune with my Indian culture because of my parents, there are still some things that I wish I knew more about。 One thing that has especially hit me the hardest is western beauty norms。 Women are told to either be tan or pale, but with a darker skin tone, either is not possible。 I had hyperpigmentation, thick hair and a different body structure than white women。。。the struggle is real。 I have other Singh books that I enjoyed more, but like the rest, I did get a little teary eyed :)Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy, but these opinion are my own。 。。。more

Rachel

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Manny Dogra, CEO of Breakup, is all work and not much else。 Her parents died a few years ago and her fiancé is always away on business。 So she throws herself into other people’s relationship issues。 She realizes this is a problem when she is white washed on a magazine cover and her fiancé shows her that he doesn’t really get her。 She wants to feel connected to her culture and her par Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Manny Dogra, CEO of Breakup, is all work and not much else。 Her parents died a few years ago and her fiancé is always away on business。 So she throws herself into other people’s relationship issues。 She realizes this is a problem when she is white washed on a magazine cover and her fiancé shows her that he doesn’t really get her。 She wants to feel connected to her culture and her parents who never taught her about it。 So she strikes up a deal with Sammy, a client who needs to break up with his non-Indian girlfriend so he doesn’t have to take her to his family wedding。 He takes Manny instead so she can connect with her culture。 This book was just not for me。 The title and cover gave me high hopes but I couldn’t fully get into it。 There was a lot of telling and not enough showing for me。 Instead of showing me Sammy’s personality and how much he loves his family, it told me。 I felt like a lot of the emotional moments were unearned。 They were either too quick for me or falling flat because I didn’t feel the build up。 And there were several premises and parts of the dialogue that I felt were clunky and unrealistic。 (A big one being that breaking up with people via email is somehow nicer and more socially acceptable。) I just found it hard to buy in。 There were a lot of explanations for aspects of Indian culture but some interesting choices about what to explain and what not to。 I felt there were some basic things that were explained and some non-basics that were left to the reader to know。 We live in a world with Google so I can always find out if I need to but I just found some of the choices confusing。 It makes sense to explain things because Manny is supposed to be learning but there were some misses imo。Also I could never figure out if Sammy’s new sister in law was really royalty or just rich enough that his siblings joked about it。 It wasn’t the worst book I’ve read。 I liked some of the aspects of Sammy helping Manny learn her culture。 I liked several of the characters in Manny’s circle。 I liked the little plot twist about her mom。 The general plot points and premise I liked but I feel like it could have been more。 。。。more

Shayla Moffatt

This book was so close to being 5 stars。 I think I'd give it a 4。5。 I loved the characters, and that while it's a romance book, it was also about Manny figuring out where her identity as an Indian woman fits into her identity as an American, given her upbringing。 I thought she and Sammy were great together, and the way his family was portrayed was very insightful, for someone like me who is not Indian。 I found myself learning alongside Manny, and I thought having Sammy's family also be secretly This book was so close to being 5 stars。 I think I'd give it a 4。5。 I loved the characters, and that while it's a romance book, it was also about Manny figuring out where her identity as an Indian woman fits into her identity as an American, given her upbringing。 I thought she and Sammy were great together, and the way his family was portrayed was very insightful, for someone like me who is not Indian。 I found myself learning alongside Manny, and I thought having Sammy's family also be secretly accepting of his relationship with a Non-Indian was also important, even though he ends up with Manny。 The one thing that keeps it from being a 5 star read for me is that I almost found the relationship on the verge of insta-love。 I understand that it is certainly possible for people to fall in love that quickly, and they even address it in the book, but I thought it was a little fast to go from strangers to fiances in just over a week。 I think I would've liked it more if perhaps they got engaged in an epilogue or something, to give them time to be a couple together, but that's just me。 Overall, I very much enjoyed this book。 。。。more

Krista Mattis

okay, hear me out: when I started this, I was loving it。 I love that Sonya Singh is a debut, CANADIAN author, and because this is her first, honestly who am I to judge??? I may change my rating but the last half of the book really annoyed me, LOL。 let me tell you what I loved:🔸 the fact that I was instantly laughing in the first few chapters 🔸 learning about Indian culture along with Manny🔸 the Breakup emails, like, brilliantthis would make the perfect hallmark movie, I just struggled with the b okay, hear me out: when I started this, I was loving it。 I love that Sonya Singh is a debut, CANADIAN author, and because this is her first, honestly who am I to judge??? I may change my rating but the last half of the book really annoyed me, LOL。 let me tell you what I loved:🔸 the fact that I was instantly laughing in the first few chapters 🔸 learning about Indian culture along with Manny🔸 the Breakup emails, like, brilliantthis would make the perfect hallmark movie, I just struggled with the banter towards the end。 coming off of a book with such relatable characters, I found that this one fell flat and moved waaaaay to fast almost to the point it didn’t make any sense。 。。。more

Trish

Rating: 4/5 StarsSari, Not Sari was such a cute, light read! Following CEO of the go-to Break-Up app, Manny Dogra has made a living helping other people break up with their significant others。 Her one rule? No temporary breaks。 She is the one stop shop for your final goodbye。 When Manny finds herself in the middle of a personal identity crisis about her Indian heritage, a new client who needs a temporary solution might just be the fix Manny is looking for。 Sammy Patel can't introduce his non-Ind Rating: 4/5 StarsSari, Not Sari was such a cute, light read! Following CEO of the go-to Break-Up app, Manny Dogra has made a living helping other people break up with their significant others。 Her one rule? No temporary breaks。 She is the one stop shop for your final goodbye。 When Manny finds herself in the middle of a personal identity crisis about her Indian heritage, a new client who needs a temporary solution might just be the fix Manny is looking for。 Sammy Patel can't introduce his non-Indian girlfriend to his very Indian family ate is brother's wedding, and he needs Manny's help to temporarily break up with his girlfriend, Lisa。 When Sammy and Manny team up, will they both find the answer to the problems they're facing or maybe even more? Like I said, this was pure, joyous fluff。 I read it in a day and it was a great palate cleanser between books。 Would be perfect for your next beach day or vacation getaway。 Definitely recommend!Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Canada, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! 。。。more

Angela Weimer

I really enjoyed Manny’s character。 She’s strong, smart and great at her job as the CEO of her own company。 After her parent’s death she feels the void they’ve left in many ways including her connection and lack thereof with her Indian roots。 She has focused solely on her company and her easy relationship with her fiancé。 However, with the help of a client, she learns about herself, her relationship, and her culture。 I was disappointed that the ending wrapped up to so neat and quickly。It was int I really enjoyed Manny’s character。 She’s strong, smart and great at her job as the CEO of her own company。 After her parent’s death she feels the void they’ve left in many ways including her connection and lack thereof with her Indian roots。 She has focused solely on her company and her easy relationship with her fiancé。 However, with the help of a client, she learns about herself, her relationship, and her culture。 I was disappointed that the ending wrapped up to so neat and quickly。It was interesting to learn more about Indian culture and to see how Manny’s parents desire to make her feel American actually made her feel disconnected from her culture when she was older。 This is something I can definitely relate to as I grew up very "Canadianized" and only as an adult with my own children am I learning about Chinese customs and traditions。 。。。more

Sarah Cotton

I really liked the general concept of this book - a successful Indian female CEO who realizes she wants to get in closer touch with her culture。 She's approached by a client who offers her the opportunity to do so in exchange for taking on his business。 Sparks fly, and they fall for each other。Unfortunately, the approach and details around this story didn't do it for me。 Parts felt rushed and others not fully fleshed out。 I found it hard to get very invested in Sammy and other side characters。 T I really liked the general concept of this book - a successful Indian female CEO who realizes she wants to get in closer touch with her culture。 She's approached by a client who offers her the opportunity to do so in exchange for taking on his business。 Sparks fly, and they fall for each other。Unfortunately, the approach and details around this story didn't do it for me。 Parts felt rushed and others not fully fleshed out。 I found it hard to get very invested in Sammy and other side characters。 The dialogue didn't feel particularly authentic either。 。。。more

Stephanie

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Sari not Sari by Sonya Singh。 A special thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC of this book。 I voluntarily read and reviewed this book all thoughts and opinions are my own。 This is a super cute rom-com! Manny is the CEO of Break Up。 A company that sends out break up emails when someone wants out of a relationship。 Manny is engaged to Adam, a workaholic who is constantly in Europe。 When along comes Sammy, he needs to break up with his girlfriend for a week in order to atte ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Sari not Sari by Sonya Singh。 A special thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC of this book。 I voluntarily read and reviewed this book all thoughts and opinions are my own。 This is a super cute rom-com! Manny is the CEO of Break Up。 A company that sends out break up emails when someone wants out of a relationship。 Manny is engaged to Adam, a workaholic who is constantly in Europe。 When along comes Sammy, he needs to break up with his girlfriend for a week in order to attend his younger brothers Indian wedding。 His girlfriend isn’t Indian and he’s afraid his family won’t accept her。 Manny, whose parents didn’t raise her in the Indian culture decides to trade services to be able to attend the wedding and learn more about the culture。 Along the way she learns more about herself than anything else。 The extra characters really bring the funny to the book。 I loved the banter between several of them。 This is Sonya’s debut novel, I can’t wait to read more from her 。。。more