THE MARRIAGE GAME was sweet, sexy, and a wonderful, diverse contemporary read! I really recommend it for romance lovers because the romance is super sweet and I loved the resilient main characters, as well as their family dynamics. I also adored the Desi representation, and the super yummy food descriptions and fun Bollywood references. Overall, this was a great addition to the contemporary romance genre, with super smart and sexy characters that had amazing character development.

“Layla made him feel things he wasn’t ready to feel. She made him think about things he’d buried years ago. She was redemption made real. But was he worthy of being redeemed?”

The story starts with Layla breaking up with her media star bf and getting fired from her job. She goes back to her family’s restaurant where they cook traditional Indian cuisine and starts to work her own recruitment agency upstairs. The problem is, she finds herself having to share an office with another businessman whose job is to FIRE people. Cue sparks, and the marriage game is on. While Layla’s father is recovering from a heart attack, he sets her up with 10 Desi men, which she goes on dates on... with Sam (the hero) as a chaperone, hehe. Sometimes the story seemed a tad silly and unrealistic, but overall it was all-around fun and chaotic good energy.

“‘Having you in the office, watching you run your business, is inspiring. And instead of wanting to chase you out …’ Her cheeks heated. “I want to let you in.’”

Both Sam and Layla are really sweet characters who are trying to do good in their lives. Layla is trying to start over after seeing her cheating boyfriend and getting fired from her job. This time, she’s ready to embrace her family, whether that’s helping them at their restaurant or going on blind dates per her father’s will, while setting her life to rights. Sam, on the other hand, doesn’t feel like he deserves the love of his family after failing to save his younger sister from an abusive arranged marriage. He’s on a quest for vengeance against his ex-brother in law, which becomes a large point of conflict. I think he should have opened his eyes earlier to his obsession with revenge, as it dragged more than it should have and really halted the relationship development. Nevertheless, readers experience a good grovel as Sam realizes that his life is more than revenge.

THE MARRIAGE GAME is sweet, fun, and has the exciting energy of a Bollywood bop! I really recommend this #ownvoices contemporary romance as it explores two lost souls and the culture and shenanigans that bring them together.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title The Marriage Game

Author Sara Desai

Description from Amazon

After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…

As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he’s forced to share his space with the owner’s beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.

As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.

Release Date June 9, 2020

Initial Thoughts

I was really excited to read this book. I love enemies to lovers and being of Indian descent myself, I totally loved the setting above an Indian restaurant. This book sounded like it was going to be hilarious.

Some Things I Liked

Layla’s father. He was such a treasure. I wished we could have seen more of him during the actual story but I loved all the memories that Layla shared of her family and how she admired him so much.
Layla as a modern Indian-American woman. I loved this. She wasn’t traditional, she didn’t really cook or clean, and, most importantly, she wanted to be more than someone’s wife. I loved her as a character and I really connected with those ideas.
Laugh out loud funny. This book was hilarious. Not to brag, but I was totally right. I knew it would be funny and it totally was. I loved it.

Series Value

Layla and Sam’s story feels complete but I’d like to see a spin-off about Daisy. I feel like there is a lot more to her story and I’d like to read it.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this story. The banter and comedy were perfect and I really connected with the characters. Some elements were a bit sad but I liked that this story had a spectrum of emotions. Overall, a solid five stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Well Met by Jen DeLuca – if you like enemies to lovers and down-to-earth quirky characters, try this series by Jen DeLuca. The second book is coming out in September.
The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward – if you’re looking for an audio recommendation, look no further. Also, this one is holiday themed but who doesn’t love a good holiday book? Anyway, if you like that enemies to lovers vibe, try this one on Audible, it’s phenomenal and hilarious.
The Move by Whitney Dineen – if you liked the “starting over in a new town” vibes that The Marriage Game had, try this book by Whitney Dineen. There are three books so far in this series, but this book (the second), would be the closest.

OMG! OMG! My cheeks hurt! My tummy aches! My eyes filled in tears! I haven’t laughed so hard since my husband request me to cook a simple dish for him! I had great time!

Witty dialogues-CHECK

Amazing, hot, sizzling, earth shattering chemistry- CHECK

Creative, unique, awkward, humorous situations that the characters find themselves into-CHECK

Best of best supporting characters: Those aunties, their children and DAISY (she already earned her own book and I think we should see that hot firefighter and big hose for the next book!)- CHECK

Angst, drama, discovering your true self and awakening parts with lots of family dramas-CHECK!

Lots of references to Hollywood and Bollywood’s famous products (As a movie geek I watched all of them so I enjoyed the references so much more than a regular reader. Yes, even I watched Salman Khan’s Dabang! I cannot believe in myself either!)- CHECK

I have to warn you there are so many under belly and naughty jokes, especially Daisy has a real dirty mouth! And our heroine Layla has Fifty Shades of Brown slash Fatal Attraction fantasies take place in the elevator. So you gotta prepare yourself before starting this book.

Here’s our plot: Layla returns back to San Francisco to her family’s house, jobless, evicted, humiliated by social media with her viral video on youtube, being cheated by her scumbag boyfriend. And as soon as she tells her family about her job and house situation and her plans about opening a new business for her recruiting job and asks for using the office located upstairs of their family restaurant, his father gets excited way toooo much! Yes, he just collapses on the floor because he’s having heart attack and last thing he told his daughter, he made a lease agreement for the place but he would call and cancel it.

Yeap, father is in hospital, he didn’t make the call he mentioned and charming, sexy, over confident, narcissistic and partly douchebag Sam Mehta appears at the office as Layla starts to throw her entire office equipment to his face and scream!

Yes, our MCs meet and they start to feel the undeniable sexual chemistry as soon as they lay eyes on each other. Wow! Yes the room, the room, the room is on fire! (Normally it should be roof but you got what I meant.) You just patiently wait them tear each other’s clothes and wait for the genre’s changing into erotic romance.
There are so many hotness and naughtiness in this story but it is sooo much fun!
Sam says he has his contract and she gotta leave the place. Layla says he should show some respect! Her father is in coma at the hospital, she has nowhere else to go and family comes first.

Well, Sam’s family, especially his sister comes first, too. He still blames himself what has happened to her at the hospital (he also quits his residency and dreams of being doctor and starts working at downsizing business management, yes instead of saving lives now he is ending people’s career dreams but he has a reason: her sister got married with drunk and abuser scumbag/ a famous doctor in the hospital he works. The worst thing is: he was the one who introduced them and that human waste doctor might have hurt her sister and been the reason that she will never walk again!!!)

And when they continue to their shouting contest, a guy comes to their office asking for Layla and he tells her he is the one she is going to marry. WHAT? Yes, I didn’t mention the book starts with the letter, written by Layla’s father, added to the dating site, indicating that Layla looks for husband and the candidates will be evaluated by him.

As Layla enters his father’s email account she finds out he evaluated the guys and chose 10 special candidates and 10 blind dates for her daughter. Layla wants to cancel the meetings but then she realizes those blind dates can be her father’s last wish. And she makes an offer to Sam to join her dates with her. If she finds the ideal groom, she will leave the office for him. But if she cannot find, Sam will look another place. They shake hands and MARRIAGE GAMES begin.

But both of them know neither Layla nor Sam wants to find the perfect candidate because they’re head over heels in love with each other.
By the way my favorite candidate was CIA agent! When I’m reading his parts, I laughed too hard and fell down the couch. It was HILARIOUS!

I enjoyed this whirlwind and entertaining book so much but last parts and too much angst and Sam’s obnoxious attitudes made me so much pissed ( I even thought to lower my points) but OVERALL this is unique, hot, funny, vivid reading and I cannot deny how much fun I had so I’m giving 4.5 and rounding them up 5 stars!
But I still want to punch hero and I’m big fan of brave, sassy, smart, ball of fire, impulsive, witty, sexy Layla! Atta girl! Those stars come for you!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazingly funny ARC in exchange my honest review. I personally congratulate Sara Desai for her fantastic debut and I cannot wait to read her future works. ( P.S. Please right about Daisy and her adorable dog!)

This might be my favorite rom-com read of the year. A high stakes wager, an abundance of delightful banter, and a series of blind dates (set up by our leading lady’s father, no less) — this one had me hooked within a few chapters.

After life falls apart, Layla moves home to live with her boisterous & shamelessly devoted family to rebuild her career and start fresh. Enter Sam: a ruthless CEO who’s given up on love, has a chip on his shoulder, and now… has been thrown into sharing a small office space with Layla. From there it’s a beautiful blend of Indian tradition and modern romance.

This is the kind of book you stay up late reading while simultaneously not wanting it to end. A feel-good debut, without lacking any depth.