I loved this book! The Singles Table is book number three in the Marriage Game series and is my favorite of them all.

In this romantic comedy novel, you meet a free spirited lawyer who is determined to find the perfect match for a grumpy bachelor she meets during wedding season.

This one was the perfect enemies to lovers/opposites attract book. I found it to be very entertaining and it had some real laugh out loud moments.

If you’re looking for a fun, heart warming, and joyful read, make sure to grab a copy of this book when it releases on November 16, 2021!

This book is everything you want in an engaging, deep and diverse romance! Desai is able to weave a story that completely grips you from the beginning. She has a wonderful way of weaving serious topics and cultural expectations with humour and love. 5 stars!

Sara Desai is the queen of writing wonderful and deep romances! Absolutely ADORED this book. I loved Jay and Zara's story. And their first meeting? Something about paintball ... I just love it! Her books have wonderful representation and of course, the descriptions of food! I've shared some excerpts regarding the food to my South Asian friend, and she said she's never seen this sort of representation in books before! It reminded her of hometown with her family (she's moved to Australia), and almost all of her favourite dishes were in this book! I shared the title and she's going to pick it up! Diversifying my shelves was a goal this year and this book is truly wonderfully representative of culture and traditions.

Hello, season of romance!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this novel.

The Singles Table is a wonderful third book for this companion series. The family and friends dynamics in this novel are well developed and fun while the plot itself offers up so much humor. While this is not my favorite of the three books, I still enjoyed following this couple as they fell in love.

The Singles Table is where singles sit during the wedding. A place to find your next hook up or your potential new partner. Deciding she isn’t destined for love, Zara stumbles upon it unexpectedly. And, the grumpy career-focused Jay finds it in a similar way. Love sure does work in mysterious ways, right?

Let me preface this review by saying that I loved Desai’s previous books, and this one did not disappoint. I absolutely adored Jay and Zara, their personalities, their chemistry… and holy smokes did they turn up the heat in the intimacy department. My belly was filled with so much laughter and my heart with so much swoon! I recommend to fans of JOSH & HAZEL and those who enjoy a good grumpy-sunshine romance.

3.5 stars out of 5

This was my first Sara Desai book and I really liked it! I did not realize that it is the third book in the series, but luckily it can be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed the two leads (I'm a sucker for an enemies to lovers romance); they had great chemistry and their banter was fun to read. I thought the book kind of dragged near the end, but overall it was a fun read that I would recommend to people who enjoy modern romance novels.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

Sara Desai is always such a fun writer! I enjoyed reading this book a lot!

Zara Patel is a lawyer focused on her career and Jay is an up tight arrogant former military security specialist! This was a delightful read and I enjoyed the enemy to lovers trope!

Their bantering was my favorite part of the read! It was so lively and had me hooked to this book. All the desi aunties in the south Asian stories are always so adorable and
hard to not love!

Thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for the gifted galley of this cute romcom that releases on November 16, 2021

Four whimsical stars for this delightful love story. Zara is a free-spirited lawyer who dances through life following her passion and bringing joy to all those around her. When she clashes with former military turned security CEO Jay, it’s less of a shot to the heart and instead a direct hit to his rear on the paintball field. As wedding season progresses and the two continually find themselves together at the singles table, the strike a deal where Zara gets to practice her matchmaking skills on Jay and he agrees to introduce her to some of his celebrity clients. Through their adventures, they find how their differences compliment each other. Zara’s colorful chaos brightens Jay’s life while he offers her the steady security she didn’t know she was looking for. A delightful read filled with cultural wedding traditions, matchmaking aunties, chemistry, and character development. Loved this one as much as the previous two in the series and can’t wait to read more from Sara Desai. Thank you to Berkley publishing + Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

For everyone that’s ever been told they’re too much.

I have loved every main character of Sara’s that I’ve met, but Zara holds a very special place in my heart. I’ve been made fun of my entire life for being “too much”. Too talkative, too loud, too energetic, etc. Zara’s outbursts were painfully relatable for me even at their most cringeworthy. I’ve truly been there.

I adore this interconnected standalones series as a whole and will always recommend it, but I didn’t love the writing in The Singles Table as much as The Marriage Game and The Dating Plan. Some of it felt a little too LifeTime Movie cringe.

You could certainly read these books separately, but I don’t think you should because they’re all so worth it! Funny, lighthearted, and still wrapped with important undertones to hit your soul. This one touches on PTSD and toxic family dynamics.

I was obsessed with the chemistry between Zara and Jay almost the entire book. How protective he immediately became over her? UGH! The best. Again though, some of their dialogue was just a bit too much cringe.

Overall - very much enjoyed this book as I have this series.

The Singles Table
by Sara Desai
Pub Date: November 16, 2021
Berkley

Opposites attract in this romantic comedy about a free-spirited lawyer who is determined to find the perfect match for the grumpy bachelor at her friend’s wedding.
Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.
* Contemporary Romance
Fun romance that will bring you a lot of enjoyment. I recommend it.
4star

I am so sad that this book didn't work for me. I LOVED her first book in this series. Loved. But book two and three just didn't land. I think the heroine was too much for my own personal type A. Thank you for letting me try.

3.75 stars

This rom-com series features not only humor, improbable get togethers and steamy chemistry, but slips in some real life challenges as well. Quite readable.

Zara is a bigger than life figure -- she's funny, loud, extroverted, colorful, clumsy and super smart. Seemingly not a perfect fit for the unsmiling buttoned up PTSD veteran Jay. Both are extremely commitment shy, Jay because of his issues, and Zara due to her parents' divorce when she was 11 which left her convinced true love doesn't last.

But they can't deny the spark. Zara makes a deal with Jay that he will introduce her to some high profile celebrity legal clients and she agrees to come up with a match for him for social occasions.

Things don't work out as either of them planned but they do work out as we predict from the first chapter. Very fun ride with some short serious detours into how counseling can fix some serious problems. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

TW: Cancer, car accident, PTSD, war flashback and self-esteem doubt.

I didn't know this was the 3rd in a series, but luckily you can pick up any of these titles, and you will be completely fine!
I love the idea where it becomes a game to see how many matches you can make between people during wedding season, I wish I could do that or was good at it, and that premise made the book fun to be. Of course, it also didn't hurt that Zara had the best banter and I adored how outgoing and talkative she was - as someone who doesn't know when to stop talking, I loved that about her and wished for her confidence.

I didn't connect to the story as much as it took me a while to like Jay. He was such an asshole initially, and then as he changed, I didn't notice it enough until his episode towards the end and then I could see the growth. And then, I noticed how I couldn't see Zara's development until the end. So it through me a little. However, it was a fun read!

SHOUTOUT to incredible friendships in this book, her friend was on it to tell her that the ML was shit if he made her doubt herself or think of herself as too much - he was a dick at the beginning.

This was my first Sara Desai and I don't understand what's taken me so long to read her book! This was fantastic!

Hot Takes
- Zara is a hot mess and I lived for every second. Romance heroines can often start to feel very similar and Zara was that fresh take on an independent woman who happens to be chaos. And as a chaotic person, I lived for her!
- Jay is sexy af.. Very Zaf feeling. Like a huge guy with a sense of humor who is also a bit sensitive. UGHHHHH
- I love a meddling family situation and this was perfection!

Read If You Like
- Brown sister's series for sexy broody men and hot mess (in a good way) women.
- Boyfriend Material for banter
- Dial A For Aunties for a ridiculously funny family situation.

I am a huge Sara Desai stan. She's an auto-buy author for me, so when I was accepted to read the Arc of her new book, I was ecstatic. She has such an amazing way of weaving together a story that you can't put down (seriously, i read this in two days and only stopped bc of work 🙄).⁠
⁠
This book is absolutely amazing. Zara and Jay have such witty banter and they had me cackling since the beginning. Although it has the hated miscommunication trope, it has so many other redeeming qualities. ⁠
⁠
*pulls up notes*⁠
⁠
🍒Zara and her roommate Parvati's dynamic is so healthy and amazing, everyone needs a relationship like theirs because it really centers you but also shows you where you're messing up⁠
🍒Desai incorporates a lot of talk of casual sex within the family but also in life, which is wonderful because it's not a hush about it in public but spice in the sheets type of story.⁠
🍒the. witty. banter. and. snarky. remarks. Absolute love⁠
🍒It has a grumpy - sunshine relationship that is wonderfully crafted⁠
🍒the side characters are WONDERFUL. They push the story along, keep you intrigued and aren't just there to bolster the main love interests but I can definitely see them each having their own lives/stories outside of Jay-Zara's relationship⁠
⁠
Overall, absolute love and I can't wait for it to come out (BookoftheMonthClub I hope it'll be in your monthly selections so that I can have the whole set😏)⁠
⁠
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️⁠
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⁠
Diversity: 🌈🌈🌈🌈⁠
⁠
Triggers: divorce, war stories that lead to death, cancer, alcohol use (pretty heavy but not excessive), car crash (not main character)⁠
⁠
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Romance/Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review and the opportunity to read this work of art, it made my month and I can't wait to read more from this author.

The Singles Table is an enjoyable enemies-t0-lovers romance! It put a big smile on my face! Sara Desai continuously provides readers with rich and loveable romance novels including this one. I very much recommend it!

This was a super fun read! Jay and Zara are a classic example of opposites attract. I loved how Jay embraced who she was and she did the same for him. They both confronted what was holding them back, and the result was a delight. Plus, Indian aunties always make a book better!

The Singles Table by Sara Desai is the 3rd book in the Marriage Game series. Zara Patel is a vibrant energetic lawyer who is obsessed with celebrities and the entertainment industry. She meets Jay Dayal an ex Air Force grumpy CEO of a security company. Zara and Jay dislike each other and are stuck on the infamous Singles Table for the wedding season. They make a deal, Zara sets Jay up with a partner and Jay introduces Zara to a few celebrities. Despite disliking each other, they need to spend time together for Zara to find Jay's perfect match. Zara's energy and vibe throws Jay off his game and Jay may not be the mean grump Zara thought he was?

I absolutely loved The Singles Table, the book is a great continuation of the Marriage Game series. Sara Desai gets better with each book in the series. This is an awesome opposites attract trope with a lot of steam. The chemistry and bickering between Zara and Jay was super cute, funny. Zara and Jay felt like real people facing real problems. I loved the representation of Indian culture in Sara Desai's book without stereo typing the protagonists based on ethnic descent. Overall would rate the book 4.5 stars. I can't wait to see what Sara Desai writes next.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for sending me the eARC of The Singles Table in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great addition to the Marriage Game series! It was charming, funny, and cute, and I was rooting for the couple the whole time. I loved it as much at the Marriage Game and the Dating Plan.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I was very excited when this book was announced because I loved The Dating Plan. That being said, I was disappointed in this one.

The story follows Zara, who doesn't believe in love following her parents divorce, and Jay, a former Marine battling PTSD. The story was good but I could not get myself to believe that Jay and Zara would have ever liked each other. This book followed the typical romance themes and plots where the girl and boy have a love/Haye relationship and then something bad happens to make them realize they love each other but there was something about it that I did not enjoy. Maybe it was the job aspect or that Zara was so obsessed with celebrities. I was hoping for some appearances from Daisy but there was only a quick mention of her.

This book will appeal to others and for readers who enjoyed the two previous books in the series. Good news is you do not have to have read the other two books to read this one without confusion. I personally, just couldn't get myself to love this book as much as I did the other two.