Cute, cute, cute. What's not to love? Manny, business owner, protagonist, and slightly lost soul embarks on an adventure to find out more about her deceased parents, herself, and her Indian heritage. Mix in a dash of romance, a modicum of standing in her own way, and a healthy dose of fun cultural enlightenment and its a quick, clean, easy, feel good read!

I'm not a culture expert and am not one to pretend like I know about other cultures but this book just didnt wow me and had me confused through most of it. I felt the romance was rushed and there was alot of references to Indian culture that the reader is supposed to know. I was lost and felt myself skimming through to try and get to the meat of the book but really only got the fatty parts.

***This review is my own honest opinion and please do not let this deter you from reading this book if it's on your list.

Definitely enjoyed this book - recommended. I look forward to seeing what the author will write for her next book!
Copy was provided by NetGalley; review not dependent on that.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is a debut rom-com by Sonya K. Singh!
While it was pitched as a rom-com I’m not sure that I really agree with that. The writing was a bit awkward for me and while I liked the main idea, it just didn’t do it for me.

Manny Dogra, CEO of Breakup, who helps their clients break up with their significant others, finds herself lacking in her Indian culture. So she takes on Sammy Patel, who needs assistance to temporarily breakup with his girlfriend so he can attend his brother’s Indian wedding alone!

What I didn’t like, was the stereotypical characters. It just felt too predictable and didn’t offer anything different than what you would expect from the Indian culture itself. I almost found it insulting to the culture, with the puns, the broken English references.

I was all for Manny wanting to discover what it is like to really be Indian and not just have the name and looks.

I don’t want to go into any further details as the book has not yet been published.

Sari, Not Sari by Sonya K. Singh
Rating: ★
Genre: 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Format: 𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤
Length: 𝟑𝟎𝟒 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘢 𝘒. 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯 & 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

When I first read the blurb, I was very excited to get my hands on this book. But I had many issues with this book while reading.

1. I don’t get Manny’s business. I just don’t think that anyone would honestly pay to “professionally” break up with someone. If we’re too bothered to break up with someone then we will just ghost and move on. The fact that I’m supposed to believe Manny has turned this into a large successful company is just a challenge for me. I don’t buy it.
2. There is no developed romance. The two characters are thrown together but don’t actually share any romantic moments and in the end they behave completely out of character for a few minutes and then bam, they love each other. I knew that it was a short time window but there still has to be development between the two to make it believable.
3. One of Sammy’s relatives very seriously verbally attacks Manny and she just say a quick sorry later on and all is forgiven. This is not okay. Manny needs to work on her boundaries with others.

I think this book would have been better if it was marketed as a coming of age story where we focus on Manny finding herself and her Indian roots and just completely left out the romance altogether.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ok, so first of all - i am not Indian, so i can’t give any opinion for any cultural aspect of the book, so i will mainly talk on more general level.

Main thing is - i don’t think this is a romcom.
I see it more as a a lighthearted attempt of a “coming of identity” story, so to speak, with the main character trying to come to terms with her heritage after whitewashing and being whitewashed for some time.
I think that it might be interesting for those who grew up as children of immigrants to countries with cultures very different from their own.
I did find that a lot of it was very idealized and overall it was a very fairy tale like book. The most idealized turns out to be the entirety of Patel family where everyone is loving and accepting, yet somehow Sammy doesn’t know they are this loving and accepting, which kinda doesn’t compute.
I didn’t buy the romance itself if i am honest. At all. It felt like the main relationship was Manny’s bringing together her Americanized self and her Indian self and her feelings for Sammy came kinda out of nowhere. It felt like she fell in love with the idea of Patel family as a neophyte of her Indian heritage rather than for Sammy himself.
I also didn’t buy the way Manny reacts to information about her parents participating in their community - i think we all have gone through a “discovery” at some point of our lives that our parents are people too, but don’t think that anyone thinks of this as “they were lying to me”, this felt unnecessary.
Overall it was a decent light read but i think it’s important to treat it just as such - light read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off I am going to say I am white. That being said my overall knowledge about Indian culture is mainly what I have seen in the media and on TV shows and movies. Some of the reviews I read stated they had some issues with how it was all portrayed. So I want to say if I did not have an issue with that it might be just because I do not fully understand. Like people who think I am weird for saying offda. But to the book, I personally thought it was SUPER adorable. I enjoyed it. I really enjoy Indian culture and couture when I see it. I personally love how loud and bright it is. They are all so beautiful. I enjoyed the authors writing, the book seemed to flow really well. The only part I rolled my eyes at was how quickly things at the end went. But then again I am a bit more of a realist. But that being said still a super cute summer love read I think!

Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh is more than just a love story. It is about finding yourself in a world that wants you to all be the same. Manny is a CEO of a successful business, but things start to go wrong in her life after a magazine cover whitewashes her. Determined to learn what it means to be Indian, she seeks out Sammy to help her learn everything she missed growing up.

Beyond the author writing about such a cute love story, the topic of assimilation into a majority culture is one that needs to be brought to light more. Singh’s writing goes more in depth about what the American Dream actually is and what it means to be part of a culture. I found the writing easy to follow and the growth in the characters progressed at a good rate. It was not too fast and not too slow. The cast of characters were incredibly fun and they really added to Manny beginning to find her identity as an Indian woman.

The only things that should be looked at further would be the beginning. I was a little confused on how Manny met Sammy, but I loved their interactions so much that I was able to ignore it. I also with we could see more interaction between Sammy and Lisa to get more of a feel for their relationship.

This is a book I highly recommend reading for touching on important issues, while providing a unique love story.

Thank you Simon and Schuster for the arc of this WONDERFUL book in exchange for my honest review.
I especially enjoyed the letters to “Breakup” at the beginning of each chapter. In addition, I love how the main character found herself, discovered pride in her heritage and culture and grew as a person. As someone who used to live in India, I found the references to the Indian culture and heritage very nostalgic — in a good way.
The only thing I would change is the length of the book - it was a little too long for my liking.

There was a lot like about this Desi story.

I liked seeing how Manny was struggling with her identity and not feeling “Indian enough.” It is definitely something I can relate to. I loved seeing her connect to different elements at the wedding festivities. And I especially loved her realization that there isn’t one way to be Indian.

I am not sure I bought into Manny’s relationship with Sammy and how quickly they fell in love. It just felt weird to me. But I definitely liked him more than Adam (ickkk). I would have liked to see more of a conversation between Manny and Adam about what a jerk he is, but oh well.

In terms of the writing, I felt like it needed some editing. It just felt a little disjointed which left me not connecting with the story completely.

Overall enjoyable though. (3.5)

the most disappointing thing that happens when reading books is when the synopsis sounds so intriguing, but when you finally pick the book up, it falls flat. this unfortunately happened with me while reading sari not sari. this romantic comedy follows manny and sammy, the two protagonists who decide to enter a mutually beneficial arrangement to better themselves (sammy needs a breakup favor, manny needs a "crash course" into her heritage). while this premise sounds like a good read, i definitely had some issues with what developed along the way.

you can probably tell that i really, really wanted to like this book. i think what i liked most about it was learning about indian culture, and the relationships manny had previously developed with the people around her. what i liked about the book ends there. i had some issues with the pacing, as it takes a long time for the characters to initially meet, which took time away they needed to develop chemistry. although i was supposed to root for them, i found myself unable to because they were missing that necessary "spark." the fast happily ever after at the very end of the book did not help with this. i also had some concerns with manny's company. while i think the intent of a company like this in theory could be helpful, it didn't really sit right with me (especially as a woman). i lastly did not really like sammy as a character. there was something missing from his overall personality, which also made it hard for me to root for him and manny, because i thought manny deserved much better.

while there is definitely room for improvement, i still look forward to picking up other books from this author in the future. i just really wished i liked this one more. 2/5 stars.

thank you to netgalley and simon & schuster canada for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you net galley for the advance copy of this novel. This was a contemporary romance that was based on character Manny Dogra finding who she is in operation Indian.. it's of points to consider. The Patel family was awesome as we're supporting characters in Anjili.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sari, Not Sari is the story of Manny Dogra, a successful Indian-American CEO who feels disconnected with her heritage. Growing up her parents thought it would be easier to assimilate to American culture and didn’t raise her with any Indian traditions. So when one of her clients needs help at his family’s large Indian wedding she makes a deal to be his date in order to learn more about her roots.

Overall I thought this was a really strong debut from Sonya Singh! At times I thought the writing and the dialogue were a bit clunky but overall it was a sweet romcom. This is definitely a slow burn romance, with the two mains not realising their feelings and getting together until the very end. It’s also a clean romance, so if you’re looking for smut this is not the book for you. Personally I prefer my romances to have the characters be together for at least some of the book so that I was disappointing to me. Even if the romance fell a little flat I think where this book really shines is it’s depictions of family. Sammy (the male lead) has a huge loving family, which make for great background characters. Manny also loves her parents so much, and her grief after losing them in a car accident is central to her story. With the rich descriptions of the wedding events, food, and clothing it’s clear that the author is incredibly proud of her Indian heritage and wants to share it with her readers!

This full review is posted on Goodreads and StoryGraph

2.5 rounded to 3

I was excited when I got this book, and there were aspects that I liked; the story was strongest when presenting examples of whitewashing in media and advertising, etc. Except that this was not supposed to be an issues book, but a romance.

Sadly, the romance felt tacked on (though there were some lovely descriptions of the love interest once it finally got going), and overshadowing all of it was a strong sense of discomfort at the heroine having made pots of money inventing a breakup app. Really, who thinks this is a good idea, being dumped by app? The author did her best to make it believable, but it tended to reinforce some of the other uncomfortable impressions, such as "Indian" being used too frequently as if all of Inda was one monolith of culture, custom, language, and religion.

Finally I don't think the book knew what it wanted to be. A stronger editor and a few more passes might have brought it better into focus. Though again, it did have some lovely elements, and I will certainly look for more from this author.

When I read the description for this book I immediately was intrigued, a rom-com that also touches on cultural issues. Unfortunately, I really wanted to like this book more than I did but this just wasn't up my alley. I considered DNF'ing the book about 30% in but stuck it out hoping I'd fall in love with it more. I did enjoy her writing style and the idea behind it but I just felt the romance was rushed and hated the breakup company aspect. I will say however, despite feeling like the romance was rushed, I could feel the chemistry between Manny and Sammy and did believe that they were falling in love. Overall, this book wasn't bad by any means but just not what I was looking for.

I wanted to like this more than I did and I’m sad about it. I absolutely loved the important culture issues discussed, especially the whitewashing that goes down in magazines. But the plot itself was lackluster. I reallllly didn’t like the main character. She came off as really stuck up and whiny and I found I wasn’t rooting for her. Also the whole premise of a breakup app was really far fetched and annoying. Overall I’m glad I read it but this wasn’t for me

A quick read about Manny Dogra, CEO of a company called Breakup, dealing with the loss of her parents by dedicating herself to the company. After an incident with a magazine cover that lightened her skin tone, she sets out connect with her Indian roots.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

This book was everything I wanted & more. It was such a wonderful way to get a glimpse into Indian culture. The wedding week festivities sounded beautiful & entertaining. The premise of Manny trying to find her Indian roots & Sammy trying to hide his nonwhite girlfriend made for an intricate plot. I enjoyed all of the characters in the book & wanted to hang out with them daily. This is a great read if you enjoy a good story. Highly recommend this one!
Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Set in the world of Bollywood dancing, mehndi and matchmaking aunties, Sari, Not Sari is a debut novel by Sonya Singh, a former entertainment reporter turned PR expert.

Full Review: March 1: Booklist

Sari, Not Sari was a cute and quick read that I ended up giving a solid 3 stars! The main character, Manny Dogra, is CEO of the company Breakup, who one day gets a persistent client named Sammy Patel requesting a temporary breakup. Despite being against company policy, Manny agrees to help him out, in exchange for him taking her to his brother’s wedding and giving her a “crash course” of what it means to be Indian.

Being the daughter of an immigrant living in Canada, I could strongly relate to the cultural identity crisis Manny faces. It was very wholesome reading about how traditional food, clothing, and events can make you feel more connected to your culture. I loved the found family aspects of the book as well, and so many of the side characters had such lovable personalities.

Certain parts of the book, especially the ending, could have been more flushed out. The romance aspect was very rushed, and I find it difficult to imagine these events happening all in the span of just over a week. The twist at the end was sweet, but just a tad predictable and extremely coincidental. There was LGBT representation in the book, but it did seem stereotypical at times. On the topic of stereotypes, India is a huge country that has many different religions, languages, traditions and cultural norms, and the book seems to paint all things Indian with the same brush. Many stereotypes are brought up and were enforced in the book, which some readers could find offensive.

Despite this, I was invested in Manny’s story; she was a strong female lead and I would love reading more about her journey, or reading more about the Patel family! As a debut novel the story was fun, sweet, and a very wholesome read about finding yourself. The cultural aspects were awesome to read about, and I know many Americans and Canadians alike can relate to trying to balance both your nationality and ethnic background. In regards to the romance, this story was a cute twist on the fake dating trope, in which the character’s aren’t together but everyone thinks they are! Overall the cultural mentions, character development and romance made this a pretty good read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with an ARC, I can’t wait to see more from Sonya Singh!

CW: death of parents, mentions of grief, racial discrimination