Five Reasons to Read This Book
One. If you’re looking to read books that aren’t set in the US/UK/Western Europe, then, as hopefully you already know, this book fits just that. It takes place in India, around the time when homosexuality was decriminalised. If you happen to see this review, and you’re craving a book like that, take this as a sign!

Two. The narrative never demonised Ved for not being out, and never judged him for his worries either. It lets Ved get around to things in his own time. But it does also show the hurt that not coming out can cause—I think it balanced this well: the fact that Ved was potentially not in a safe environment, versus the pain it caused Carlos that he was, effectively, lying to everyone (including Carlos himself). There was also the example of Ved’s ex, to further the point.

Three. It’s a book full of heart, but also a fair bit of drama. It’s more of a contemporary with a romantic subplot, but there’s plenty going on to keep your attention. It’s a book about relationships: Ved’s with Carlos, with his parents, with Disha. That’s what’s central to it all, and I really enjoyed that about it.

Four. If you’re looking for books with supportive parents, then this is one for you. For all that Ved worries about coming out, when he does, they’re with him all the way. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of stories where parents are supportive of their children.

Five. It’s one of those books that balances moments of lightheartedness with more serious moments and does it well. It knows when to get serious and when to make you laugh, which makes the whole thing a lot more fun to read.

The Other Man by Farhad J. Dadyburjor is a fun romance for readers looking to expand their horizons with a story of a Mumbai business heir and a forbidden love of a closeted gay man who falls in love with a visiting businessman. Full of self-discovery and the theme of admitting love no matter the cost, The Other Man is a sweet romance perfect for fall 2021.

October 7, 2021
*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

Here we have a cliché story, as soon as you start to read and understand the story you already know more or less where it is going, that's not something that bothered me because I like cliché stories but I'm not a big fan of this kind of cliché where the main character deceives/betrays another person.
Here we have Ved who is gay but has not come out yet, the book takes place at a time that being gay in India was still a crime.
I think it's very important to have stories like that, romantic clichés that aren't about white and straight couples, I can't talk about the representativeness of this book but I admit that if I were a straight couple in this story I would have stopped reading in the middle.
One thing that bothered me a lot about this book, was the fact that Ved was constantly talking about how he should tell people the truth, so as not to hurt anyone else and to be truthful, and I'll never understand how hard it must be to come out to people but it was really annoying to read every time about how much he wants to tell but doesn't and in the end, the author chose, in my opinion, a not very nice way to make it happen, but I liked some of the choices the author made to try to get out of the cliché.
I liked the book and I recommend it if you like clichéd stories!

I was intrigued by the premise of the story and think it has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, all of the characters ended up feeling pretty flat to me. I felt like Dadyburjor has a tendency to tell, rather than show, and it ends up feeling clunky.

DRC provided by Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: gay Indian protagonist, gay Brazilian secondary character, Indian secondary and tertiary characters.

Content Warning: overworking, drugs, mentions of fatphobia, body issues, anxiety, mentions of spousal abuse, alcohol, mention of death, mentions of bullying.

The Other Man by Farhad J. Dadyburjor is a contemporary novel about love, both familial and romantic, about living one’s truth in spite of adversities and the expectations of others, and the weight of lying; set around the time of the repealing of section 377 from the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised homosexuality.

Almost forty, Ved Mehra is a closeted gay man living in Mumbai, working in his father’s electronics company, who after the end of a steady affair four year before and the resulting heartbreak decides to only pursue one-night stands. His mother continuous meddling in his love life though forces him to go on dates with women he has no intention of marrying and when he cannot think of a reason to refuse his mother’s latest match, his already troubled life becomes even more difficult. The only bright spot being a friendly stranger on Grindr.

The Other Man was a quick and refreshing reading experience. I loved the fact that Ved was not the clichéd twenty-something that usually star in romantic comedies and that he managed to find love only later in life. I know this was predominantly due to the criminalisation of homosexuality in India, but I still liked reading about this kind of experience in spite of the reasons for it.

The only negative feedback I would give is related to the italicisation of words when there was not emphasis on them. It was a stylistic choice influenced by the fact that people from different cultures would not have been familiar with those words and it sort of irked me.

Another aspect I adored was how important for Ved’s parents was to see him finally happy. His father in particular, but they both were set on doing everything they could to see their son happy. Everything they did was for him (even when inadvertently doing something that would have made him sad) and I loved this so much.

The Other Man is an emotional roller-coaster of a novel that made laugh and cry in tandem with its protagonist, which I absolutely recommend.

I enjoyed this lively take on learning to live your true life and love yourself. Thirty eight year old Ved seems to have it all- wealth, looks, and so on- but he's in the closet. He's finally agreed to an arranged marriage to the wonderful Disha but then he meets Carlos and all bets are off. You know how this is going to turn out but it's a nice twist on the rom com. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I loved every single second of this book. I was rooting for every single character and with a well developed and nuanced plot this was one of the best books I've read this year.

LGBT History Month 🌈
October 2021

In September 2018, India Supreme Court legalized gay sex in landmark ruling overturning a colonial-era law, known as section 377. The 157-year-old law criminalized certain sexual acts as "unnatural offenses" and was punishable by a 10-year jail term.

Human rights groups say police used the statute to harass and abuse members of the LGBT community.

It is important to understand that laws play an pivotal role in changing mindsets and by recognizing the community's right to love, the Supreme Court in India restored the dignity denied to them for a very long time.

The court also ruled discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a fundamental violation of rights.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION
The Other Man
@farhadjd
Publishes October 12, 2021

An endearing romantic comedy set in Mumbai about finding your happy place to be you. Ved Mehra has it all - gorgeous, wealthy and wildly successful. He’s also living a life as closeted gay man. Heart broken after a four-year hidden relationship, he finally agrees to marry to please his mother and her meddling ways.

At the sometime he meets a man who restores his heart to be able to love again. Carlos has a carefree lifestyle, challenging Ved to rethink his choices to pick him.

Please give me more of Ved and Carlos as the ending felt a bit rushed. Thank you NetGalley and @amazonpublishing (Lake Union Publishing) for the complimentary copy.

#lovewins #books #book #read #booknerd #bookstgram #reading #reader #pages #pages #bookporn #lgbt #lgbtq #lgtbqbooks #lgbtqreads #pride #loveislove #lgbthistorymonth #newrelease # comingsoon #romancebooks #romancebookstagram #romcombooks #romancereader #bookstagrammer #bookreview #arcreviewer #romancestagram #romancestagrammer

DNF @25%
I had high hopes going into this book as I was ecstatic over reading a gay rom-com set in Mumbai. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with Ved and the info dump in the beginning turned me off. The constant inner monologue was frustrating after a while. The main character sounded more like a teenager than a 38-year old man. I couldn't read any further because of my disinterest and it was tiring seeing the stereotypical representation of the characters.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Lake Union Publishing and #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A quirky little read with lovely characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake union publishing for an e-arc in exchange of an honest Review!
This was a fun reading an interesting story told in a perspective we don't see much in media. However, the writing was not good and that got in the way of my reading experience.

I really, really, really wanted to love this book. GREAT premise! Important topic. Totally on board with this romance! However, it was not as good as it could have been. Disappointed. :(

Interesting Romance In (Arguably) Underserved Setting. Maybe there are more gay romances set in India written in Hindi and/ or marketed to Indian audiences. This American that doesn't know any human languages other than English can't say. But *in my experience* as someone for whom this was Book 189 on the year and who has read over 600 books since Jan 1, 2019 alone... this was unique in setting and primary characters.

Further, as someone in tech (who actually manages - and thus interacts near-daily with - teams of Indian nationals), the workload described here sounds realistic. (For better or for worse. My guys are *awesome*, but they *do* tend to work quite a bit.) The interfering family dynamics are something Nicola Marsh has written of fairly often in her straight romances involving the Indian diaspora (such as July 2021's The Man Ban), and the struggles of coming out vs submitting to familial and societal expectations are well known and told quite often in American literature and culture at minimum. Hell, even in the US gay sex was officially illegal even this Millennium!

All of this to say, as a romance, I think this book actually works in showing a (mostly) seemingly realistic view while still falling into the standard rules of the genre. Yes, there is a fair amount of sex, on screen though not erotica level explicit. Yes, there is a happily ever after. And yes, there is a fair amount of angst getting there, culminating in a massive fight that splits the couple up before finally coming together - fairly standard stuff for the genre, and yet filled with details specific to its setting. While I don't know if the Indian law that plays a fair role in the background of the story was ever actually overturned and I have no idea when this fight was going on, it doesn't play enough of a role to detract from the story not knowing when this was - though those that *are* more familiar with that particular fight may be able to identify a bit more with the book just from seeing what was happening in their own lives at that time. While I'm not sure that I personally would classify this book as romantic *comedy*, there were a few funny moments and it could well be that there is more humor to be found here for those more familiar with Indian culture.

Overall a strong and interesting book, and very much recommended.

While I am intrigued by the premise and got almost halfway through the book, I was not able to finish this book. I like the main character and really felt for him, but I do not like the main love interest which made it not as compelling to read. Still, the story it tells and the gay Indian adult representation is super important and comforting to see. I hope to see more in this genre!

Reading the blurb for this book, I felt I really wanted to read it. an LGBTQ romance, based in recent years, in Mumbai. It's not something that is written about often, so I was excited.
Ved Mehra is the son of an affluent businessman, from a wealthy family, and wants for nothing.
Except for love and acceptance.
Finding himself forced into an engagement with the delightful Disha, Ved thinks it must be for the best.
Only... he's gay.
Then he meets Carlos.
The story is set around the time when Section 377, a law set in British colonial times, criminalising homosexual activity, amongst other things is due to be overturned.
While I really wanted to love the story, I found the characters to be underdeveloped, and there were areas that the story almost went too fast, or felt a little unbelievable.
I mean, considering Ved hadn't come out to his parents, would he still have brought a man back to the house, so brazenly, indulged in such loud physical pleasure, and have none of the house staff batting an eyelid, nor his father asking questions?
But, there was a HEA, so, I was happy!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Other Man was an okay read, unfortunately though it just wasn’t for me. It was fast and easy to get through, which was great as the chapters were short and quick

It was an interesting plot but the characters were just not ,likable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Other Man was an okay read, unfortunately though it just wasn’t for me. It was fast and easy to get through, which was great as the chapters were short and quick.

The overall storyline was very interesting as it dealt with some heavy issues including: coming out, social and family pressures, and the repel of Section 377. However, I did feel that the plot wasn’t as fully developed as it could have been as there were moments that felt a bit rushed.

Unfortunately, the main character, Ved was a bit frustrating and annoying at times. Some of his actions were just not the greatest and while it was understandable that he was struggling with family pressure, it wasn’t an excuse for his behavior.

There were a few enjoyable aspects of this book that I did like which included, the friendship between Ved and Disha, the insight and discussions regarding the LGBTQ community in South Asia, and the Mumbai culture and cuisine.

Overall, I think the idea of this book was decent. It just didn’t hit the mark for me.

This book unfortunately wasn’t really my thing. The pacing just felt off. It took a while before the story took off and I didn’t like the pacing of the ending.
I did really enjoy the way the characters interacted. Especially in the early stages of their relationship for both Vad’s relationship with Disha and with Carlos. It was clear why they liked each other and it was really fun to read.

I've been on a mission to diversify my reading and want to read as many books set in other countries as possible, so when I saw this was set in India when being gay was still a crime I knew I had to read it. And I'm so glad I did!

It was a nice short read that I flew through thanks to the short chapters. The writing was great, characters all believable and I was rooting for them all.

Five Reasons to Read The Other Man

One. If you’re looking to read books that aren’t set in the US/UK/Western Europe, then, as hopefully you already know, this book fits just that. It takes place in India, around the time when homosexuality was decriminalised. If you happen to see this review, and you’re craving a book like that, take this as a sign!

Two. The narrative never demonised Ved for not being out, and never judged him for his worries either. It lets Ved get around to things in his own time. But it does also show the hurt that not coming out can cause—I think it balanced this well: the fact that Ved was potentially not in a safe environment, versus the pain it caused Carlos that he was, effectively, lying to everyone (including Carlos himself). There was also the example of Ved’s ex, to further the point.

Three. It’s a book full of heart, but also a fair bit of drama. It’s more of a contemporary with a romantic subplot, but there’s plenty going on to keep your attention. It’s a book about relationships: Ved’s with Carlos, with his parents, with Disha. That’s what’s central to it all, and I really enjoyed that about it.

Four. If you’re looking for books with supportive parents, then this is one for you. For all that Ved worries about coming out, when he does, they’re with him all the way. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of stories where parents are supportive of their children.

Five. It’s one of those books that balances moments of lightheartedness with more serious moments and does it well. It knows when to get serious and when to make you laugh, which makes the whole thing a lot more fun to read.