Fun light read. A romance to take to the beach. I genuinely liked all the characters in the book and wanted each of them to find their own happiness. The author portrayed the characters in a way that showed their flaws but had you cheering them on anyway. In all romance novels, there's a part where you wonder if it will all work out and I definitely wondered if this was a lost cause. The ending was thoughtful and realistic in a way you sometimes don't see.

The Other Man was an entertaining read. I really enjoy coming of age stories, even when the the main character is 38 years old. Ved is a successful and good looking man in India who like so many, is lonely. His parents arranged a suitable marriage for him both personally and business wise, but the only issue is that Ved is gay and hasn't come out to his family.

Dadyburjor takes his readers on Ved's journey to self-discovery and happiness. He did a wonderful job showing how happy Ved could truly be when he found the love of his life. The question is, will he reveal his true self to the people around him before the wedding, and at what cost?

It was very easy to feel the frustration of Ved living in a country that did not support homosexuality. Dadyburjor nicely hit all of the cultural barriers, while still keeping the story on the lighter side. Ved was a frustrating character and not always that likable. I understand that his behavior and attitude came from his unhappiness, but there were so many times I wished he would have just stood up for himself instead of dragging out his misery.

For the most part, The Other Man was a quick read. I was invested in the story from page one. It did drag on a bit towards the end, but I imagine the author wanted to include the after math to the fullest extent possible.

Overall, The Other Man was a fun read!

I wasn’t a big fan. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. It was a pretty quick read, with relatively short chapters. It took me a while to get into, but if you read more than a few pages at a time you’ll fly through it. The book describes the lavish life of a rich heir to a tech company in India, trying to manage family expectations, a family that doesn’t know he’s gay. He gets stuck in a situation where he’s engaged to a great girl who he’s not attracted to, and dating a great boy who’s leaving town soon.

The premise was a good idea, but I’m not a fan of miscommunication as a plot, just personally. I understand there are more nuances to coming out, especially in a place where it’s illegal, and he was managing family pressures and expectations, but being afraid to come out is not an excuse to cheat. Ever. There isn’t an excuse. Or to directly lie about it with both people. I know Ved realizes this towards the end, but it made for a frustrating plot. I’m glad that it worked out in a way that both Disha and Ved were happy, however Ved messaging Carlos everyday with no responses is terrifying. Like, restraining order scary. I think it was supposed to be romantic and to prove how in love he was, but imagine you dump a guy who cheats on you and then he never leaves you alone? Even when you don’t respond to him? Big big yikes. I'm so surprised that it still works out with those two in the end.

Overall, a fine read with interesting descriptions, but the plot just didn’t work for me.

"38, single, discreet, well-educated, loves to cuddle, No Strings Attached...but surprise me." Meet Ved, a Mumbai-based heir to a multimillion dollar, family-owned company with looks like a "Punjabi Clooney." He is not The Other Man, but he is about to meet The One.

In this emotional yet hopeful novel by Farhad J Dadyburjor, Ved comes out of the closet to his family, his fiance, and society as he learns that life cannot happen when focused only on work. The supporting characters shine and truly support Ved through his journey. And much of the tension between self-expression and the status quo threaded through the novel feels so real and familiar.

I read The Other Man in one sitting. Though I thought that the novel could have been stronger if written from a first person perspective, the characters, the storyline, and the backstory of the book truly captured the attention and left me wanting more.

Thank you, @netgalley, @faerhadjd, and #lakeunionpublishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Other Man hits bookshelves on October 12th!

Genre: Romance | Romantic Comedy | Contemporary Romance

Release Date: Expected 12th October 2021

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Ved has everything - he's gorgeous, tall, wealthy, successful and he's getting married to Disha - a beautiful and equally as wealthy woman. There's only one problem - his overbearing mother pressured him into this marriage and he's actually gay.

Ved tries to commit himself to following through with his wedding for his family, and even finds Disha to be a wonderful friend, but then he meets Carlos. A handsome American businessman visiting Mumbai for a few weeks who is everything he didn't dare to dream about. Now, instead of getting ready for his own engagement party, Ved is falling in love. And he needs to decide whether he's ready to risk everything for a chance to finally be himself.

The Other Man takes place just before Homosexuality was finally decriminalized in India, where arranged marriages are still commonplace and even enforced in some cultures. So aside from having to worry about what his seemingly traditional family will think, Ved has to worry about actually being persecuted for falling in love.

At the beginning of this story, I didn't think I was going to love Ved - it felt like the first page was full of forced exposition and Ved seemed two-dimensional and stiff. But I was wrong, and happily so! I fell in love with him very quickly, he was highly flawed and made bad decisions, he didn't know how to take a break, he upset other people and himself, but ultimately he always tried to be there for the people he cared about. The other characters were wonderfully written and vibrant, especially Disha and Carlos.

This book was full of heart and warmth, with tonnes of charm. Brimming with utterly adorable romance, it definitely bordered on cheesy at times but it worked so well. Far too easy to read in one sitting and I will definitely be waiting to see what Dadyburjor does next.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Farhad J Dadyburjor, Lake Union and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Ved Mehra is handsome, heir to a multi million dollar company, and lives a dream life. Ved's mom has made it her mission to get him married to a girl with just as much money and status so he can expand his business and give her grandchildren. Only problem? Ved is gay. Aside from the fact that homosexuality is illegal in India, he is terrified of coming out to his parents and disappointing them. After a rough break up, he has given up on relationships. His mom introduces him to Disha, and before he knows it, he is engaged. He almost resigns himself to his fate, until he meets Carlos and falls head over heels for him..
What will he do now?
I really enjoyed this book. Ved was a bit annoying at times, but all the other characters made up for that. Carlos, Disha, and Ved's parents were the best characters and really made the story interesting. Having never read any LGBTQ fiction before, I wasn't sure how I would like it. It was a great story and well written. I'm looking forward to more by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book.

I always feel like some authors get it so wrong when writing a character that deals with issues as LGBTQA+ but this author really hit the nail on the head. As a person of colour, I related to the struggles and issues of the main character that was attached to his background.

A few times I did have to push on to read it but then as I carried on i soon got over the boring parts.

I do feel the stereotypes were a little annoying but I'm the kind of who can deal with that there was not anything extreme for me to get angry over..

A great story and plot :)

Homosexuality in India, still criminalized. An arranged marriage. And a meeting between two men who are immediately attracted to each other.

Ved has known he’s gay for a long time, he meets men via Grindr and even had a (secret) relationship. Then his mum sets up a date with Disha and at the same time he starts talking to Carlos through Grindr. These could be ingredients for a rom-com like the story is pitched, but in my opinion it’s more a romantic contemporary; a gay man who’s living in a country where arranged marriages are normal and where being gay is considered ‘unnatural’. A man who has to chose between marrying a lovely girl or being true to himself which could mean losing his family.

‘“Maybe things would be better if queer love weren’t criminalized in India. If these men could see that there are more options, that they don’t have to feel pressured to marry women”.’

Sometimes I wanted to shout at Ved, tell him to take responsibility for his own life, not to lead Disha and Carlos on, to stop lying to Carlos, to stop cheating on Disha, and I cringed many times. But on the other hand, this story takes place just before homosexuality got decriminalized (2018), and I found out that more than 80% (!) of the marriages in India are still arranged. So, who am I to judge Ved?

The Other Man is an easy and fast paced read, and I rooted for Ved to come out and finally be happy. I had some mixed feelings about Disha. Even though she seemed nice, I hated that she immediately told her mum about a conversation she had with Ved (and Ved’s mum immediately knew about it too), and I felt uncomfortable when she told Ved’s servant how to prepare food. It felt derogatory. Carlos was a cinnamon bun, so sweet and caring and talkative and lively. I loved it when the men were together and Ved was truly happy.

The ending felt like it was pitched, like a rom-com, a bit too ... cheesy? But overall I really enjoyed reading this story.

Cute, but I'm not sure what to call this. It's not romance so I would call it Women's Fiction, since it's about self-discovery and includes family, friend, and romantic relationships, but the main character is a cis male. So, Relationship Fiction? I've heard that used a bit but not aware that it's taken off, but it seems the best fit.

This feels like what The Marriage Clock wanted to be.

Recommended for general library collections.

This novel is a moment!

I did feel bad him though, the MC, but I'm glad everything worked out in the end.

This is the kind of book you read in one sitting.

The Other Man follows Ved, heir to his father’s business, successful and gay. However, having not shared this part of his identity with anyone, he is increasingly upset with how he is living his life and under pressure from his family, finally decides to get married. Yet, he also meets his perfect match in Carlos Silva at the exact same time. From there starts the story of ‘The Other Man’, where Ved must make critical decisions and learn to live with the consequences of decisions he makes, but most importantly find out who he wants to be.

The Other Man was truly a South Asian rom-com written for a South Asian audience, which I absolutely loved. I appreciated how it referred to so many small cultural things, places in Bombay, food etc. that weren’t followed by explanations and translations (although the book did include a little guide at the back which is super handy in case you’re unfamiliar with some words). I actually found so many dialogues and comments made throughout the book so relatable, simply because I've heard them in society or in my own family, clearly showing the attention to detail which made this book truly relatable- and portrayed elements of so many South Asian families.

It was well written, with an easy to follow plot and writing style. I find the book gripping and enjoyed the different dynamics covered across the book.

One of the most important elements I really appreciated in this book however was that it wasn’t just your typical romcom. As much as there need to be more LGBTQ rom coms, this rom com also blended in the current state of the LGBTQ community in India. It reflected bits of the concerns, worries and frustrations of this community as well as the repealing of section 377 of the Indian penal code in 2018- which criminalized consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex. I was happy to see this was included as part of the plot providing a much needed commentary of these issues across the country, through fiction. This, for me, added a very important element to the book, making me want to recommend all the more. Beyond this, I appreciated that the book also touched on more beyond this, in terms of finding your true passion in life, valuing and making efforts to maintain important relationships in your life, and finally, just valuing where you are and so being able to see your "mundane" life in a completely new light.

My only drawback would be that by the end of this book, I did feel that things did play out rather perfectly for Ved, and that he was able to make a lot of decisions relatively easily because of his general privilege in society. I felt that for a lot of the LGBTQ community in India, this isn’t really the case as they face a whole host of other issues not necessarily highlighted here. This book was the account of a very well to do person, who living in India already has much fewer issues to deal with, making it potentially easier for them to come out to their families/friends but also having the financial backing in making such a decision, in which case if things go south you have enough to cover your expenses if you loose your main source of income due to this, for instance. Having said that, I do understand that this was a rom com and not a 100% commentary on the state of Indian affairs, and that the ending did tie in perfectly with the story- but this was just a small observation, given the book does work to include the current state of affairs and concerns of the LGBTQ community.

What a interesting and enjoyable read. A beautiful love story made more special by the fact it involved a gay Indian man. Very insightful and a happy ending all round.

I thought The Other Man was going to be a feel-good gay romance story but I couldn't have been more wrong.
I have a lot of issues with this book, starting with the fact that it has the worst possible Indian stereotypes. One-dimensional characters and an uninspired plot. This book is sexist and homophobic at every level. The portrayal of women and gay men is horrible. I'm appalled that the author called the main character hooking up with someone as 'having an orgy'.
Do not recommend.

Loved this read, really was a good read and loved all characters within the story! The romance between Ved and Carlos is beautiful and loved the input from Disha too .

An interesting book with quite a few twists and turns , easy to read which was ok if not a bit boring at times.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available Oct 12th

To say that the repeal of Section 377 had a major impact on modern day Indian society is an understatement. It changed the lives of many, including "The Other Man" main narrator Ved. Dadyburjor's first venture into fiction follows an upper middle class man as he struggles to navigate his sexuality in the midst of a changing society. It is heartwarming and tenderly written.

Overall, I found the pace of the book to be difficult. At times, it felt like we were speeding through Ved's daily interactions and at other times, we lingered for far too long on a single scene. This could also be that there are too many scenes.

Heartwarming story and overall, an interesting read, and definitely an author I'd want to read more of.

My thanks to NetGalley and to Lake Union for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting insight into the LGBT world and the agonies of gay men in India before decriminalisation of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. The relationship between Vedu and Disha, was one of mutual admiration and respect which survived a major turning point when their marriage was called off. Many aspects of the novel have relevance in the timeline but I found the continued wealth and riches references made the story somewhat unpalatable as the mega rich lifestyles are worlds apart from the common people.

An enjoyable, well written read with a quick guide to the most expensive sites in Mumbai. Oh, and a happy ending for everyone!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read. I thought it was an interesting story.

This was a high stakes queer romance, given that their relationship was both illegal and would feel like Ved was betraying his parents and what they wanted for them. It sucked that he was lying to everyone, continuing to date Carlos while going forward with wedding preparations with his fiancée Disha - who is AMAZING - sweet, clever, and a great friend, but not an amazing choice in a life partner for Ved, given he won't love her the way she deserves and he can't even handle the idea of kissing her. The end was a little shaky for me as it felt like it both dragged in the falling action and then wrapped up too quickly in the resolution. But overall, an interesting read, and definitely an author I'd want to read more of.