This post contains affiliate links. In addition, I was provided with a free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher, who also happens to my publisher. All opinions are my own!
Title: The Shaadi Set-Up
Author: Lillie Vale
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Release Date: September 7, 2021
So Lillie and I share an editor, which of course means I was super stoked to read this book. She did her cover reveal a couple of days before I signed my deal, and I remember being so excited because not only was the cover gorgeous, I could tell it was the kind of book I would love to read. And spoiler alert, I totally did.
Rita has maybe one of the coolest jobs ever: she finds and refinishes old furniture (seriously, sounds so amazing). Business is not exactly booming, but despite having an offer to move into full on interior design, she doesn’t feel quite ready to make the leap. Which is kind of how she feels about multiple things in her life. She has been dating Neil for a couple of months, but doesn’t want to tell her parents about him because of a long-standing family feud so they basically hide their relationship, making it hard to take things to the next level. So Rita comes up with a brilliant plan. She and Neil will each put up profiles on a dating website called My Shaadi and when they match with each other, it will serve as proof to her mother that they are meant to be. It’s a plan destined to succeed, until Rita’s high school/college sweetheart Milan comes back into the picture. Rita’s mother offers her up as a designer for a house Milan is trying to sell, and suddenly the two old flames are thrust back into one another’s lives. Rita has a lot to figure out, about herself, her relationship with her parents, and her feelings for Milan, before she can really open up for a second chance at love. But it’s a romance, so she does, and they live happily ever after :o)
I have been very into second chance romances lately (possibly because I’m writing one), and this might be one of my all-time faves. Lillie has a super distinct and witty voice and I immediately was captured by her writing. Rita felt so relatable, and again, I’m seriously into her job. It was a lot of fun reading about her hunting for treasures and turning them into brand new pieces. I loved that aspect of the story. Milan is everything I want in a hero, but what I loved the most about him (in addition to his relationship with Rita, obvs) was how he interacted with Rita’s dogs. Who isn’t a sucker for a hero who loves dogs? The relationship between Milan and Rita is clearly the heart of this story, but I also really enjoyed Rita’s relationship with her mom. It felt very relatable, and I loved how they finally came to a resolution on some long-standing issues in a way that you might not expect. Overall, this is a book full of humor and heart, and I loved every second of it!
Overall Rating: 5 stars
Comentarios