A holiday book about Diwali! But I gave Sonya Lalli another go with this one and she just doesn't work for me. Sorry!

I think that this just may be my favorite Sonya Lalli book yet. In this story, we are introduced to Niki and Sam. Niki has always tried to live her life as the perfect Indian daughter, especially because her older sister, Jasmine, has kind of gone against the grain. Niki's parents moved to America when she was younger. Wen Niki gets let go from her job, she decides to go to her best friend's wedding in India. When she is there, she meets Diya's friend, Sam, who also happens to be a musician who usually resides in London. Sam and Niki meet, and it is definitely attraction at first sight. Over the course of the wedding festivities, Sam and Niki get to know each other, and there is no denying that the two of them have chemistry. Niki and Sam are both struggling with issues of their own. For Niki, there has always been that struggle of being Indian, yet not being Indian enough. For Sam, he has dealt with his dad basically disowning him for not pursuing a "respectable" career, but instead choosing to become a musician. I felt like Sonya Lalli hits on a lot of hard topics in this book, from India's caste system based on skin color to the expectations of Indian women. I loved the references to Indian culture; Lalli writes about things like Diwali, the clothing, the food, the music, etc. in such a way that it literally makes you feel like you were there. I am always a fan of books that seemingly transport me to another world or culture, and that is exactly what this one did. Sam and Niki are supported by a cast of colorful and entertaining characters, from Niki's best friend, Diya, and sister, Jasmine to the aunties and uncles that can't help but meddle in their life. Niki and Sam kind of have a whirlwind relationship in this book, but I am here for it. Thank you the publisher for giving me a chance to read a copy of this book and for my finished copy!

Very cute and very relatable being also of Punjabi descent like the main character. The writing was a bit dry and the characters felt a bit stereotypical to me but overall a nice story.

I adored this rom com, perfect for this time of year. This isn’t a plot heavy book; very much a character driven novel with romance, family, self growth and culture. I loved “traveling” to India and experiencing it through Niki’s eyes. Sam was such a good book boyfriend and I enjoyed their dialogue. Pick this one up!

🥰 really liked || 💗 low steam
🤟India, family, insta-love
📚First Love, Take Two
🎶Official by Charlie XCX

3.5 stars. Niki has worked hard to be a good daughter. She respects her Indian parents, has a good job in tech, and agrees to be set up on dates by said parents. But when she is laid off from the good job in question, she impulsively decides to go to a friend's wedding during Diwali in India and see what else is out there in the world. At the wedding she meets Sam, a cute musician who seems to have the creative life she wishes she had pursued. They're drawn together on a group honeymoon trip with the bride and groom, and grow closer over the visit. Niki considers that it might be possible to make a different life for herself.

I was excited to read a holiday book about Diwali, although it sometimes feels like Lalli is trying to educate the reader rather than tell a story. She has Niki ask everyone she meets in India, what is Diwali? What does it mean? Each person gives her a different answer, which is perhaps Lalli's point, but it feels a bit like Niki is the child asking the Four Questions for Passover. Also, Niki and Sam have some instalove, given their quick connection, and I had a hard time believing that they felt as deeply as they did, after so short a time knowing each other.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this South Asian American romance set mainly in India during the Diwali holiday as Niki takes a mini vacation to attend her friend's wedding. While there she meets enigmatic Sam and the chemistry between the two is on point! She also gets a chance to reconnect with her Indian culture, having been raised in a household where such traditions were not front and center.

More of a women's fiction, self-realization story with moments of romance, this heartwarming tale emphasizes Niki's relationship with her sister and her Indian roots. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of Sonali Dev, Sara Desai or Nicola Marsh. This will definitely go down as my favorite book by Canadian author Sonya Lalli and I love that it taught me so much about the Diwali holiday. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

I enjoyed this Rom-Com by a new to me author!

I was first interested in this story because of the cover its GORGEOUS! This book starts when we see Diya being pressured into dating and finding someone by her parents. She goes to India just in time for Diwali!! There she meets Sam who is a musician and they immediately have an attraction to each other.

My favorite part of this book was the romance and flirting. I loved the chemistry between Diya and Sam. But OMG Sam is so damn sweet.

I cant wait to see what else this author has to offer!

Really fun rom com. Loved that this was a winter holiday romance that wasn't about Christmas.

Learned a lot about Diwali and overall really loved the festive feel of the book.

My first by this author and now I’m going to have to Go through the backlist because this was everything I wanted in a rom-com holiday book.

Truth bomb, I have a soft spot for South Asian authors and their books. I always get sucked right in to the richness of the Indian culture and the idea of a woman finding her voice within a caste system that has historically stunted them.

Author Lalli created both characters that were rich and a love story full of banter and fun. Sam and Niki were a contemporary love affair that just allowed me to sink into a book without watching the time go by.

I so enjoyed this one. Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the gifted copy in return for an honest review!

I wanted to love this book, but the writing just didn't hook me. It was a slog getting through it. There was nothing wrong with the book per se, but it was just a bit dull. I think it was more about the writing style than the content of the book itself.

The journey our heroine goes on in this book was lovely and sweet. I liked our hero overall, but this romance is definitely an instalove. Because of that, some of the things felt a bit too unbelievable for me to fully buy into the romance. It didn't necessarily do anything wrong. Just ended up not really being my taste.

Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli

Twenty-nine years old Niki Randhawa makes safe choices, practical ones that give her stability but no butterflies. When she's laid off from her boring but supposedly safe job, she throws caution to the wind and books herself a flight to her friend's Diya's wedding. This is where she meets free-spirited Sam, helping her get in-touch with herself once more.

Sonya Lalli is a wonderful writer, but to classify her books as romance isn't quite right. The focus isn't on the romance, it's more as self-discovery journey with romance interlaced. So there was definitely a lack of romance in this one for me. However I did love it! I love how the author crafts such interesting and complex character, full of depth. I think my favourite part was the relationship between the sisters, I loved how they worked through it together, understanding how complex their relationship had been up to this point and finally seeing each other. Sam was not as free-spirited as he first appeared, and I wish we had more time with him and his own character arc. I loved how they explored their compatibility and decided not to complicated things with sex, how they focused on building a strong foundation, even if the temptations were hard to resist. (This was a closed-door)

Thank you to @berkleyromance for gifting me an advanced reader's copy via @netgalley . As always all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

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I simply loved this book! Type A, always by the book and afraid to let her hair down, Niki has been let go from her job. She always looks to date the “right guy” not the guy who gave her any feelings. After her life plan is thrown off course she decides to throw caution to the wind for once in her life and impulsively books a trip to India for her friend Diya’s wedding.
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Arriving in India right in time for the festival of lights, she is transfixed with the beauty of it all and drawn to Sameer. As Sam and Niki join on the group honeymoon it is clear there is more going on here but can Niki veer off the careful course she has set herself?
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This is such a fun one! I loved these two and both sets of parents. I loved how type A Niki finds balance in easy going Sam, plus there is a pool scene with a famous celebrity which is downright hilarious. Add this to your holiday reading list!
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Thank you @berkleyromance for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute! Very vivid, loved the main character and loved the loved interest. It also still felt adult even though there wasn't a ton of steam.

Sonya Lalli’s new contemporary romance, A Holly Jolly Diwali, follows Niki Randhawa, a young woman who has just been let go from her job and is trying to figure out what to do with her life. Niki has always considered herself a rule follower and a very practical sort of person and is really bummed that living in such a way clearly hasn’t gotten her anywhere. She is also being gently pressured by her parents, who think she really needs to live a little and start dating. She reluctantly agrees to go on a date with Raj, a young man her parents approve of, and surprisingly, it is this young man who convinces Niki to do the most spontaneous thing she has ever done – pack her bags and head for Mumbai, India at the last minute to attend her friend Diya’s wedding.

I loved this journey for Niki because she really breaks out of her comfort zone by going on this trip. It’s also a wonderful time for her to connect with her roots and learn more about her Indian culture and particularly about the Diwali celebration since she doesn’t really know as much about it as she feels she should. Niki’s trip gets off to a bit of a bumpy start since she is so unfamiliar with Indian customs, but after a few awkward encounters, she starts to really embrace the experience and enjoy her time with family and friends. I really enjoyed this aspect of Niki’s journey since it allowed me to learn about Indian culture and customs right alongside her.

My review wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t touch on the romance. While watching a band perform, Niki becomes somewhat infatuated with one of the musicians. When an Auntie offers to set her up on a date with her son, Sam, Niki is about to refuse until she realizes that Sam is actually the hot guy from the band she was watching. Sam and Niki cross paths later that same evening and it becomes clear that the attraction between them is mutual. Their connection only grows when they join the married couple on the group honeymoon they have booked in beautiful Goa. By the end of the vacation, Niki is so invested in her relationship with Sam that she’s conflicted – does she follow her head and go back home to Seattle where Raj, the perfectly nice guy her parents already like, is waiting? Or does she follow her heart and do the less practical thing – move to London where Sam lives and start a new life there? Niki and Sam were really cute together so I was rooting with all my might for her to follow her heart. I always enjoy stories that involve that head vs. heart debate since it’s such a relatable situation for so many people.

I’ve been hearing good things about Sonya Lalli’s novels for a while now and was eager to try them for myself. I’m so glad I did too because A Holly Jolly Diwali is an absolute delight!

This book has all the hallmarks of a great romcom with aspects of self identify, growth, and reconnecting with your roots also thrown in. As a fellow first generation American Indian, I related a lot to Nikki even though I'm a lot more in touch with my roots than she is. I see a lot more of Nikki in my younger sister. I think Sonya Lalli handled the conversations of classism, socioeconomic status, colourism, and rape culture extremely well and had some extremely nuanced conversation about these issues and how it shaped Nikki's life and identity.

I personally felt as though a lot fo the facts about Diwali, history, culture, and language was unnecessary. I've never applied the term "info dumping" to a contemporary romance but that's honestly what it felt like to me. I think it might feel less like "info dumping" to non Desi people/ Desi's that aren't as in touch with their roots, but it was definitely something I unfortunately could not get past. I also wish the emphasis on Diwali night was heavier. The only significance Diwali held was that it's the day that Nikki and Sam meet <spoiler>and at the end, it's the day they tell their parents they're moving in together</spoiler>.

Despite that, I do think this was a solid romcom and would still highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fast, cute read.

A Holly Jolly Diwali was an instant request for me! I love Christmas books and love India couture and book so i was so excited to read.

Sonya Lalli did an amazing job with this book! The story was perfect and just what I was looking for! It was sweet, magical and just plain amazing! I literally wanted to jump into this story. The characters were perfect and just so entertaining. Sonya Lalli literally had me rolling. I can not wait to read more from Sonya!!!

After sticking to her conservative no-frills life plan all her life, getting a nudge from her folks to live a little on the romantic front and a hard shove out the door from her employer sees a woman chucking the life plan and living a little. I’ve seen this author’s books before and thought they looked like fun romantic comedies with a South Asian flavor so I grabbed up this latest set during an Indian holiday in Mumbai.

Niki is the good, rule following younger daughter and her sister Jasmine is the one to tout the rules and do what feels good. Niki never questioned their roles in the family until losing a mid-level management job after doing everything right rocks her back on her heels. It is her blind date with a parent-approved doctor who gets her to loosen up and change her mind about her best friend’s wedding. So Niki goes for it, taking a plane by herself from Seattle to India for the first time, and lands in Mumbai just in time for Diwali celebrations and Diya’s wedding.

Little time separates the moment Niki reluctantly agrees with Asha Auntie to see her son, Sam and falling head over heels for him. Sam’s in a traveling band and made the decision early on to follow his dreams by moving to LA with his sister and giving his music a go. They are opposites it seems. In truth, it was a fast moving romance, but I adored Sameer and wanted them together. They really clicked especially in the beach resort city of Goa. Sam was a charmer and brought Niki to life.

While this is a delightful Rom-Com, I also felt it was a bit Chick Lit because it’s Niki’s late-blooming journey to find herself. Does she go back home, take the good job offer, and date the doctor who was also a decent guy or does she chuck it and follow her heart? Plus there was a rich, complex layer of Niki getting in touch with her roots. She’s never been to India, can barely speak her family’s language or the other local languages, and she is constantly encountering customs that surprise or confuse her. India is as complicated culturally and socially as America in its own way. It might seem like the author was bashing it, but I felt she was showing the balance between the beauty and the part that needs to change to show an authentic picture. The Diwali holiday was in the background and felt like the Indian version of Christmas with the celebration, time with family, and gift-giving as part of it.

All in all, it was a fun, heartwarming, and sometimes thoughtful read. I enjoyed the author’s writing and descriptions, and now I’m sad I waited so long to pick up one of her books. I can recommend it to those who want diversity and holiday atmosphere in their romcom.

Sonya Lalli sweeps readers away from rainy Seattle to bustling Mumbai to the beaches of Goa in A Holly Jolly Diwali. More than a romance, this is a story of our heroine, Niki Randhawa’s personal journey. It’s a love story, yes, but also a story of family, friends, culture, and finding your own path.

Niki is at a crossroads in her life at the beginning of this story. She just lost her stable, unexciting job, and is wrestling with wanting to be the “good daughter” while resenting the life her sister has by not tying herself to their parents’ expectations. After being laid off, Niki impulsively books a trip to Mumbai for her best friend’s wedding. She arrives just in time for Diwali and it’s then that her journey begins. A Holly Jolly Diwali is very much about Niki’s personal journey. She’s doesn’t know that much about her parents’ homeland and when she travels to India she’s full of questions and observations. She’s bright, inquisitive, and – most importantly – imperfect. Her experiences in Mumbai and Goa are colored by her own biases and I liked that Lalli showed Niki’s growth and recognition of that.

On Diwali, Niki is swept off her feet by Sam, a handsome musician based out of London. I liked Sam and the glimpses we saw of his character. He was funny and perfect, but Lalli kept giving out bits and pieces of Sam’s own journey and family history that made me want more. The book is exclusively in Niki’s point of view which didn’t always work because we missed out on some much-needed depth that Sam’s perspective could have helped provide. The romance was where A Holly Jolly Diwali faltered for me. Niki and Sam have instant attraction and the sweeping, rom-com type situations they find themselves in don’t necessarily made the “I love yous” feel organic. Parts of the love story felt shallow (even though I liked Niki and Sam together) and it’s possible this was on purpose to show how Niki building castles in the air was a problem. I liked that it was presented as such but there was still something missing for me in the resolution of the romance; I wanted a bit more depth to mix in with the fantasy. Still, even with this issue I liked A Holly Jolly Diwali. Lalli ended the story with a great mix of following your passion while keeping a foot in reality. I really liked where Sam and Niki ended up and I’m looking forward to Jasmine Randhawa’s story.

When I found out there was a new South Asian romance featuring both Diwali and Christmas, I knew it was the perfect book to get me ready for the holidays, albeit a little early.
What I really appreciated in this book is how the main character explores why we celebrate Diwali in different cultures and religions in India. Our MC Niki is Punjabi and Sihk and when she asks her mom why they celebrate Diwali, they end up Google-ing it. I found this scene so relatable because as I was starting to read this I asked my mom why Bengalis don't celebrate Diwali, and she told me that in Bengal we call it Kalli Puja. Funny enough, when Niki in the book meets her Bengali love interest Sam, he tells her the same thing!
I was definitely a little concerned when I first starting reading that Niki worked at a tech start-up in Seattle (since I actively avoid interacting with those girl bosses irl), but I liked how the book explored her journey of being laid off and questioning if she even liked her job. And of course, at the heart of this story is a romance that takes place when she attends her best friend's wedding in India. So we quickly escape her girl boss lifestyle and get immersed in wedding festivities and beachy vacations in Goa.
In terms of the romance, I was definitely rooting for Niki and Sam. I do think there was a bit of insta-love, but I found their challenges of being long distance very realistic and relatable. Since Sam is from London and Niki is from Seattle, Niki is constantly questioning if their time together is a fling or not.
I actually have a lot of thoughts on this book, so I'd love to talk about it if you've read it. Overall, I breezed through this book, especially after we meet the love interest, and I'm so glad this South Asian romance during the holidays exists.