This is easily one of my favorite contemporary romances of the year!

Is has EVERYTHING on my checklist:

Sizzling romance: YUP
Witty Banter: YUP
A main character I want to be best friends with: YUP

I couldn't ask for more with the Bollywood references, the unique plot, and the all around amazing writing!

This is a cute rom com infused with Indian culture, a sexy CEO and sarcasm. I really enjoyed the two main characters Layla and Sam and their banter together. I also really appreciated the POC represented in this book and that it took place in San Francisco which is where I grew up a lot of my childhood. Overall this was a really fun romance and if your looking for rom com with POC, I definitely recommend picking this one up!

This was fun! I liked the banter, and while it was serious at some moments, and touched on a lot of hard topics and such. it was fun! I liked the characters, and I thought they were really well written! Layla was a great character, and I liked her a lot, and I thought that Sam really added a great deal to the storyline too! Overall this was just a fun novel, and the romance was great, and the overall storyline was unique! Desai did a great job writing this book! Her writing was phenomenal!

Okay, here’s the thing. I really want to like this book, to the point that I begged myself to just let go of the stuff bothering me. But I just couldn’t continue anymore. It was too much!!!

First of all, let me just say how much I like Sara Desai’s writing. Her writing made me continue to read the book until my brain cells exploded from all those unnecessary sexual innuendos. Her writing AND that pretty cover kept me going for a short while, sadly though, they’re not enough. The premise of the book is not entirely new, however, indian main characters really lured me in.

Okay I don't really wanna drag this anymore so I'll just say it right away: The characters are AWFUL! I can't remember disliking any characters I've read this year until this two came along. Look, I enjoy sexy, playful banter okay? I live for them. But the exchange of these two and even their thought process are just..

The only thing I liked at this story is the family of Layla, they're very entertaining. I enjoyed the references regarding indian culture here and there. But sadly, not enough.

Veena’s review of The Marriage Game by Sara Desai
Multicultural Romance published by Berkley 09 Jun 20

In her debut novel, Ms. Desai treats us to a fresh, sparkling romance sure to brush off any doldrums left over from sheltering in place. Layla is pure chaos, a modern-day Indian-American who inhales donuts with her morning chai, while Sam Mehta is a neat freak with an aversion to all things Indian. Never shall the twain meet. I believe Layla’s father might have the truth of it when he tells her that relationships work because the differences between two people make each day new and exciting.


Layla is done with her rebellion. She’s done looking for that perfect romance, her Westley to sweep her off her feet like the Princess Bride. Other than the left-over blue streaks in her hair, she’s back home, ready to conform to an arranged marriage and jump start her own recruiting business. Her father offers her the office space above the family-owned Indian restaurant which he has, unfortunately, also leased to Sam Mehta, a downsizing consultant who is definitely not an office mate who fits in with her personality. Between Layla, her cousin Daisy, who fills in as their receptionist, and Sam, you’re in for a treat that will keep readers on their toes in anticipation of what the next chapter might bring.

Sam lives for revenge. His one goal is to win a contract that will put him in the position to downsize the staff in the the hospital where his sister’s ex-husband works. Layla’s plan to go through a series of dates with the arranged marriage candidates that her father has shortlisted raises the specter of bad arranged marriages, forcing him to accompany her to all the dates that she sets up. Each arranged marriage candidate will start you smiling and each date is like laughter beads strung together in an effervescent necklace that will leave you chuckling.

Despite their differences, the chemistry between Sam and Layla is off the charts and they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other, even in a public elevator in Sam’s apartment building. Sam’s neighbor gets quite the eyeful when the elevator opens and Layla has to shelter behind Sam’s broad back as she gracefully accepts the clothes that she left on the floor of the elevator.

Being Indian myself, I absolutely relate to all the cultural tropes in this story. The large extended friends and family circle, the shopping for Indian clothes, the fascination with matchmaking, particularly to an engineer or doctor, and let’s not forget all things Bollywood.

I can’t wait to see what delicious treat the author will serve up next.

Grade: A

I really enjoyed this book! Layla has returned home after her relationship ends and she’s looking for a new start. Her Dad convinces her to start a new business and work above his restaurant. (He also sets her up on a dating website, which she doesn’t know until her first date knocked on the door!) Layla has to share her new office space with Sam, and they immediately get off on the wrong foot, though they have chemistry right away!

Overall this book was really cute and I enjoyed it a lot! Sam and Layla had sizzling chemistry and it jumped right off the page. I loved all the secondary characters, especially Layla’s family, and her relationship with her father was especially sweet. I would definitely recommend this book to any rom-com lover out there!

4.5-stars.

The Marriage Game by Sara Desai was such a fun and delightful read. I laughed so much and just lost myself in the story. Layla comes back home for a fresh start. Intent on starting a new business, she is shocked to learn due to some miscommunication and unexpected events, she is sharing the office with Sam. Sam who does not want to share with her. Add to that, her father, who I just loved, is determined to see her happy, decides to create an online dating profile and set her up on dates. What follows is story full of witty banter, laugh out loud scenarios and some steamy chemistry. I truly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it.

Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!

My Thoughts:

The Marriage Game was a fun, sexy, and sizzling rom-com! I love venturing in to stories that immerse me in another culture, delectable cuisine, a large close, boisterous, and entertaining family, and of course a romance where the individuals know how to exchange witty, sarcastic, lively, and snarky banter as a form of verbal foreplay!

Layla Patel leaves the big apple, and returns to San Francisco, when things don't work out with her boyfriend and her job. Her father promises her the upstairs office, as she aspires to get her new business up and running. However, before he knew that she was coming home, he had already promised the office to Sam Mehta. Unbeknownst to Layla, her father had set up ten blind dates for his daughter, because he wanted her to be happy. Love hasn't worked out for her thus far, so she doesn't see the harm in arranged meetings.

Now Layla and Sam have struck a deal. Sam will help her vet her dates, and if he can assist her in making a promising match, he can have the office to himself. If he isn't successful in this endevor, then Layla will get to have the office to herself; and so the Marriage Game begins...

I loved the whole "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," feel when it came to all of Layla's interfering, but well-intentioned "aunties." Layla and Sam were opposites in many ways. Layla was fun, warm, loyal, impulsive, passionate, and liked to fly by the seat of her pants. She had curves, which gave her a more realistic and relatable feel. Sam was quiet, conservative, and a lot more rigid in his behavior and thinking. He was very loyal to his family, especially younger sister, Nisha. He had a lot of guilt for feeling like he had not protected her, and therefore, he kept everyone at arms length, and didn't think he deserved happiness. As much as Layla drove him crazy, as he did her, the attraction these two had for one another, began to grow in to something more!

In The Marriage Game, we got sparks, heat, laughs, and a whole lot of fun, in a story that is sure to entertain!

3.5 Stars!

I really did enjoyed this book!

Okay, so Layla returns home after a disastrous break-up with her ex-boyfriend where she ends up losing her job and a bit of her dignity. After returning home and being convinced by her dad to start her own business, she now has her own office upstairs from her Father’s restaurant…. The only issue, she has to share it with Sam, the man whom her dad had already promised the space too and who has his own thing going on….Ya’ll, queue the hilarity. Layla soon finds out that her dad has set up a marriage contract for her on a Desi website and Sam in an attempt to get her out of the office they now share agrees to be her “escort” as she sets up to meet the ten men her father had initially approved. But for both Layla and Sam, their strong dislike of each other soon turns into a sparkling heat neither one of them can deny.

Strong points in this book for me was the strong sense of family and duty. The relationship between Layla and her Father was wonderful to see on page. And her family…my gawd today; nosy aunties and all, I loved every minute of reading. And I really and I mean I really did enjoy Layla and Sam on these pages. They were so perfect together. Sam with his serious self and Layla was like that silly burst of sunshine that he desperately…and I mean desperately needed. I feel like the author did an amazing job of sticking to the theme of The Marriage Game although, I do feel like she dragged it out towards the ending.

Still, TMG was a joy to read. It’s a great feel good story and will have its readers smiling… and laughing through the read. Highly recommend it.

There's one major problem with this book and it's pretty easy to decide what it is: Sam, the love interest. I'm tired of overprotective alpha men over sexualizing women and authors attempting to write them off as "manly." I could only make it about halfway through this book before I was fed up with the constant thread of "BOOBIES" running through Sam's POV, and the general erratic nature of the entire plot.

I typically love a book with Indian representation. I love a book that can turn an arranged marriage on its head, while still shining a light on Indian-American culture. The Marriage Game initially caught my attention with a concept that seemed fun, plus I usually can't resist an enemies-to-lovers plot...

Right away, Sam turned me off. There wasn't just innuendo, but full-on sexualization of Layla happening right to her face...on the first day they met. And then about a week into their friendship? enemy-ship? - whatever you want to call it - he decides to (unprompted) list all the alternative names for sex. Like a 12-year-old. And this is in front of another person who is interested in marrying Layla, who both main characters seem intent on ignoring. It's clear the intention was to be funny and over the top, but their dynamic was just plain weird.

It was about at this point that I turned to Goodreads to see if I was the only one who wasn't feeling this book. I wasn't alone, and a lot of reviewers pointed out an event that happened at the 75% mark, so you know I had to skip ahead. I don't want to spoil it, but yeah, Sam is not a redeemable romance novel hero, he's just kind of an asshole.

I'm sure a ton of people will like this book. I would recommend it for people who love alpha male romance tropes, but as I devour one romance book after another, I'm learning that's not me. All of these "protective" men just feel like walking red flags to me. If you meet a guy like Sam in real life, run - no matter how big his biceps are.

If you want to know one thing about my romance reading preferences, you should know I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers – aka hate to love – romcoms. Like I literally cannot get enough of one of the genre’s most beloved tropes.

The banter between Layla and Sam is off the charts. I loved how quick they are with their comebacks and jokes. You could see their verbal sparring slowly changing from actual anger to them having fun and having delicious sexual tension. It’s easy to grow to ship them and look forward to their interactions. The sex scenes are on point; they became a true highlight of the book.

What helps make the characters, and therefore their relationship, compelling is how real and flawed they are. Layla is dealing with the aftermath of a series of life changes, and looking to build a new life for herself all the while trying to figure out what she wants her life to be. Sam is coping with his own family’s tragedies, and working a soul-sucking job.

I think what initially gave me pause is the way grief is handled in the book. It really upsets me when grief is just used as a plot device to make a character seem interesting or give them emotional baggage. Layla literally says she’s “over it”…”it” being the death of her brother. That jarred me so much I had to put the book down for a bit. She also constantly compares herself to her brother, and always finds herself lacking. I lost my older brother, though at an earlier age than Layla did. And I found the way it was handled to be less than stellar. It was an unnecessary subplot, too. Please note the book also raises curvy bodies over smaller ones, which doesn’t sit right with me.

What I did love was also the family. Layla’s family is so vividly written and full of heart, it’s easy to smile when they’re in a scene. I’m so glad we got to see them support each other, and also add comedy. Layla and her father, in particular, have such a lovely dynamic.

The ending was sweet and a little surprising, but I adored it. I do wish, however, that the pacing of the book overall had flowed a little smoother. There are scenes that seem to be cut so fast they felt unfinished, whereas others were longer than they needed to be. The ending itself was very rushed. Despite that, the way the story wraps up felt right for the characters.

This book was so delightful.

Layla moves back home with her parents after a bad breakup and getting fired from her job. She decides to start her own business in the office above her parents’ restaurant, but she runs into a snag when she finds out that her dad has already rented it out to Sam. When Layla’s dad has a heart attack before he can cancel Sam’s lease, Layla is left having to fight Sam for the space. After finding out that Layla’s dad had put her on a marriage website, they make a bet that if Layla doesn’t find a husband, then she gets to keep the office.

Layla and Sam hooked me from the start. There was an immediate attraction and I loved that their dislike for one another wasn’t really character based but situation based. Their banter was a delight. I also really liked that the chapters were written in alternate perspectives. You don’t often get to see both perspectives when romance is involved, so I really appreciated that. It allowed you to understand both sides of the story and not get too angry at either character.

One of the other fun aspects of this book was Layla’s family. Her parents, aunties and cousin were a riot. They each had their own personalities and you could see how much they loved and cared for each other. I did find it hilarious that given how thoroughly Layla’s dad supposedly vetted these marriage candidates they are truly terrible.

Sam’s character arc was also well developed. I got very irritated with him a lot of the book, but never to the point where I disliked him. Just to the point where I wanted to smack him upside the head from time to time.

This book had all of the elements I love in a romance novel. Likeable characters, fun banter, and delightful side characters. I would gladly read a sequel about Layla’s cousin Daisy. This does fall more on the contemporary fiction with a splash of romance side of romance novels, so if you get nervous hearing me call it a “romance novel” you have nothing to worry about. This book is such a light and I think it’s something we could all use right about now.

I don't think I gave this book the attention that I should have. With everything going on with Covid-19, I kept getting distracted and would put the book down and wouldn't get back to it for a few days. When I did read it, I enjoyed it.

I like the explanation of the Indian culture and customs, without getting too preachy and dry. It was interwoven into the story. Layla, the main character, is very strong willed and the best I can describe her is as Kate, from Taming of the Shrew. All of the characters were likable.

Even though it took awhile to get through the book, I'd still recommend it, and would read future books by this author.

I have such mixed feelings about this story! I loved the heroine, and her family was just fantastic, but I had big, BIG issues with the hero's choice of career, and was troubled at the way the domestic violence abuse subplot was handled.

My full review for this book will appear on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, and I will provide a link at that time.

This was pretty enjoyable and definitely had its witty moments. It did open with a bit of a poor start though, and I found myself getting annoyed with the really unnatural dialogue and all the telling rather than showing. It is one of my pet peeves when authors don't give the readers a bit of credit and the ability to work things out for themselves. We are a fairly intelligent bunch. But, it did grow on me and I loved the witty banter between Layla and Sam, even if he was constantly putting everything before Layla. I also really liked the insight into Indian culture too and the massive family and it is not something I have ever read before. I’m trying to diversify my reading going forward, as many people are, and this is a fun place to start. They made me laugh a lot, particularly the auntie that could 'smell' men nearby when Layla tried to hide Sam. All in all, it had its ups and downs for me but a pleasant enough read and a good way to pass a day.

This was such a fun read! I loved the cultural aspects and the characters. This story is truly hilarious sometimes and I laughed out loud a couple of times.

The writing style was great and I flew through the book. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes so that was a big plus.

The ending was a bit dramatic, but it suited the story. I didn't love all the drama in the middle part and hated the miscommunication but that were just soms minor inconveniences.

Sam and Layla were great and I loved their banter.

This was such a good debut and I'm really curious to see where this author is going to end up.

Oh, The Marriage Game was a whole lotta fun! This cute, romantic story gets four stars from this reader.

Layla returns home to her family after some bad luck with men, work, and life in general. Because of miscommunications, she ends up sharing an office with Sam who becomes a friend who ends up looking after Layla as she blind dates ten men. This part of the story is really great and very cute as Sam helps Layla escape some losers. There's great banter between them that will have you smiling.

Because of the time they spend together, Sam and Layla end up falling for each other. But Sam's agenda to help his sister puts some roadblocks in their relationship, and carrying through with his downsizing plan knocks Layla's family in a major way.

I love reading stories like this that describe families and their cultural customs. Not only was The Marriage Game entertaining, it was also diverse and that's so very important in our world today. I adored Layla's family, and the sweet ending was absolutely lovely with everyone in attendance.

Sam does screw up, but he does make it right. I will admit his actions are brutal, and he does suffer the consequences, but he also gets a clue about dealing with his sister's situation which was a major upheaval in his life. Like Layla, he finds a way to move forward with his life, with a little help from the patriarchs from both families. There's really satisfying character growth and development in this story.

I'm a big fan of this author's prior titles under a different pen name, and I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with The Marriage Game. The writing is terrific, the story is told in a way that kept me engaged, and I'm looking forward to more from Sara Desai. The Marriage Game is an entertaining, diverse romance that I really enjoyed.

An ARC was provided. This is my honest review.

I adored Sara Desai's "The Marriage Game," a sweet, heartwarming, and laugh-out-loud funny story featuring endearing, well-developed characters and an engaging plot. The enemies-to-lovers, slow burn relationship development between main characters Sam and Layla was a tremendous amount of fun, and I loved their snarky banter. They bickered a lot, especially when they first met, but the attraction between them was palpable even though they both refused to recognize it for some time.

The story's secondary characters were phenomenal as well and added so much depth and humor to the narrative. I especially loved Layla's cousin Daisy and the way she teased Sam by messing up his freakishly neat desk and through other means. I laughed so hard at some of the things Daisy said and did! I would love to read more about her in a future book.

I really can't say enough positive things about this book. I highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy and look forward to whatever Sara Desai publishes next!

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Layla Patel returns to her family’s home, tail between her legs. Not only did she walk in one her boyfriend with two ladies, but her reaction made its way to the Internet. As if that wasn’t enough of a gut-punch, she was fired. With no job and nowhere to stay, Layla went back to her parents’ arms – and their restaurant. Determined to make a fresh start, Layla decides to go into business for herself, putting her recruitment consultant know-how to good use. Unbeknownst to Layla however, her father uploads her marriage resume to an online dating site, hoping to find his daughter a husband.

Not much frightens Sam Mehta. After all, when you’re the CEO of a corporate downsizing company, thick skin and a no-nonsense attitude are a must. When he finds an available office for rent above an Indian restaurant, it seems perfect. Unfortunately a miscommunication results in his new landlord’s daughter also moving on in to the space. Once potential suitors begin responding to Layla’s profile, Sam realizes this is a win-win: he’ll play the dutiful chaperone and help Layla find a husband. No more yapping dog in the office, no more hideous furniture, no more Layla.

It’s no wonder Sam does MMA with his buddies at 5am every day. If my sole job was to tell people they were fired I’d want to be able to throw a punch or two too. Sam has an ulterior motive, however. His latest contract could be huge…and give him the revenge he’s been seeking. His younger sister had been married to a doctor – Sam’s mentor. Not long into the marriage Nisha was found at the bottom of a flight of stairs (with no memories other than the belief it was her husband who pushed her). Now bound to a wheelchair, Nisha’s a shell of her former self and Sam’s awash with guilt. He walked away from a promising career in medicine; if he couldn’t save his own sister, how could he possibly be expected to save others? Now, however, it looks as though the hospital is in seriously need of downsizing…and Sam knows who’s first on the chopping block.

I don’t have much more to say other than The Marriage Game was so fun. The food! The Bollywood references! The disastrous dates! I was here for every single moment and would 100% watch this as a movie. Sam and Layla had amazing chemistry and their banter was excellent (to the point where I read their solo scenes a bit faster because I wanted to get back to them together in the office, together interrogating a CIA spy or bodybuilder).

There’s a cast chock-full of POC characters and I really can only think of one or two white characters – and they were relegated to the background. If there’s one tiny disappointment I had with The Marriage Game, it’s that there was a secondary romance involved that seemed like it was being set up for a potential sequel. Everything seemed to wrap up with that here, but I would still love to revisit these characters!

With its pages bursting with characters and food and the best banter scenes, The Marriage Game had me tearing through it. This was such a fun read – the only downside was my stomach was growling the entire time!

Layla and Sam are such relatable characters -- they seem like such opposites, but they truly have so much in common. Both are from traditional Indian-American families who believe in modern arranged marriages. Both are struggling with recent family tragedies, and both just want to find love in our crazy world. Great romance, with a well-paced plot that makes it hard to put down!