Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

This book had a lot of really fun elements and characters but ultimately, the plot fell a little flat for me. I loved the idea of Manny's business Breakup (though I, for the life of me, cannot figure out how this business is profitable or actually works, but whatever) and I love how boss Manny is when it comes to the work side of her life. And the set up for her meeting Sammy worked for me at first. I loved all her co-workers (they get their own books right?) and I loved her stylist. I even really like Sammy.

But overall the plot felt uneven at times and it felt like there was never the right amount of building up to the different major plot points. Manny meets Sammy and just agreed to fly off to hang with his family for a week? I know she was in a place, but still, that seems EXTREME even for romance novels. And she thinks she can discover her Indian heritage in a week at a wedding? Don't get me wrong, Indian weddings are a blast, but I found it hard to evaluate that storyline as someone who isn't Desi and would love to hear more from Desi readers about this, especially because it felt forced and inauthentic. And the build-up to insta-love felt so off for some reason.

In the end, this wasn't my favorite romance book set in and around Indian culture, but there were some great laugh out loud moments and it was a fun read on a rainy day.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC of this!

It was cute, and I loved Sari’s quest to find herself, as well as the family and friends that were there for her on her journey. I just didn’t get the romance, it seemed both too slow (from a book perspective) and too quick once it did start. I don’t want to spoil the ending but it seemed very rushed. I hated Adam with a passion the entire time, so I was glad to finally see him go.

I really enjoyed this fake dating romance debut by a new Canadian author. There are some truly talented South Asian romance authors writing today and their books always go straight to the top of my tbr. This book is a great addition to that cadre and I'm excited to read what the author writes next!

The story features Manny, a strong businesswoman and CEO to her own company that provides people with break up services. After her parents' death she feels lost and wants to get in touch with her South Asian heritage (something her India born parents never embraced as she was growing up). An opportunity with a new client, Sammy, provides Manny a chance to pose as his fake girlfriend while attending his brother's wedding and learn all about traditional South Asian culture.

Full of delicious food descriptions, Bollywood dancing, traditional dress and the full gamut of Indian wedding customs. Manny can't help falling in love with her heritage and the whole Patel family, including Sammy. My only critique was that it took practically until the very end of the book for Manny and Sammy to admit their feelings for one another.

This was definitely more of a women's fiction/sweet love story with kissing only. Perfect for fans of Sonya Lalli, Sajni Patel, Sara Desai, Farah Heron or Sonali Dev. Much thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Manny’s character. She’s strong, smart and great at her job as the CEO of her own company. After her parent’s death she feels the void they’ve left in many ways including her connection and lack thereof with her Indian roots. She has focused solely on her company and her easy relationship with her fiancé. However, with the help of a client, she learns about herself, her relationship, and her culture. I was disappointed that the ending wrapped up to so neat and quickly.

It was interesting to learn more about Indian culture and to see how Manny’s parents desire to make her feel American actually made her feel disconnected from her culture when she was older. This is something I can definitely relate to as I grew up very "Canadianized" and only as an adult with my own children am I learning about Chinese customs and traditions.

I give this a 3.5. It was super cute but towards the end I felt it was rushed (the romance) or maybe I don't understand the Indian culture. I felt like Adam was just (not really) there so he was an ugh character but I must say it was heartwarming and made me smile. I wanted to cry when Sammy did what he did for Manny at the community center. I was so happy for her as she started to bloom. She was a beautiful butterfly by the end. I mean she was pretty of course but the transformation within her when she discovered herself is what I'm referring to. A great debut novel!

Despite its clever title, Sari, Not Sari wasn’t my cup of tea. And I, for one, am sorry.

I loved the premise of this book, and was hoping to become immersed in the story of a woman learning about and falling in love with her culture and with a man. Unfortunately, I didn’t get swept up in the story. I felt held at arms’ length. Not only that, but there were many issues the author touched on that needed to be dealt with in a more nuanced and thoughtful way.

While liking a character is not everything, I believe you should want to root for your protagonist in a romance novel. But all I felt was frustration. Manny felt hollow as a character. I could, logically, why she would want to go to an Indian wedding to discover her roots, but I couldn’t feel that longing to be a part of something. That turmoil wasn’t presented on the page in a way that connected with me. I felt like Manny did what she did because the author decreed it, not because she had her own dreams.

And if the main character, the who’s point of view we see, doesn’t have any kind of emotional development or nuance, you can guess how the secondary characters were treated. They all seemed flat and like caricatures.

In addition, there were so many issues touched on in this book and all of them seemed to be treated unkindly and without much thought. So much so that it kind of boggles my mind that this is going to print and had someone okay it. The characters made fun of people for everything, it seemed. A character shames Manny for eating naan, another shames her for not knowing about her culture, Manny makes fun of someone’s plastic surgery, and she doesn’t use the correct pronouns (or even ask) when she’s at a drag club.

As for the romance, when Manny realizes she’s in love, another character says something like, “About time you figured it out.” And honestly, I agree…if we’re looking at how much of the book was left. But I didn’t feel it. The love interest kind of came and went from the book in a way that made me think, “Oh, yeah! The book’s almost over. Shouldn’t they be getting together?” But also like neither of these people had any care for their partners they were with at the time.

Something, I wish had been discussed more because I think it was wonderful is the note Anjali puts in Manny’s suitcase. In it, Anjali tells her that she’s always been Indian. That’s the kind of emotion I was looking for.

There was definitely promise in this book. There bones of the story are there, but the heart isn’t. Unfortunately, there are also many problematic elements that would need to be fixed before I would consider spending any money on this author’s work

I was intrigued by the concept of this book. A woman who had lost touch with her heritage rediscovers what being Indian means to her. I had a lot of hope, but I also had a few preconceptions of how this story could go, and I have to say – I was disappointed.

The characters felt two-dimensional. I felt no emotional connection to either of the main characters and the secondary characters seemed more like stereotypes than fully formed characters. Some of them to the point of being problematic.

Most of the characters at some point shamed someone else – from people shaming Manny for not knowing more about Indian culture to Manny shaming people for botox and enjoying video gaming. It made me not like or root for anyone.

The themes of this book incorporated some of my least favourite tropes, specifically infidelity and insta-love. Both Manny and Sammy ended up cheating in some way on partners of multiple years who they had initially intended on marrying. This hugely cheapens their romance for me. If their partners were that awful, they should have ended their relationships of their own volition before it reached this point.

The whole plot of this book made no sense as anything other than a plot device to force closeness between the two mains. If Manny had actually wanted to learn about Indian culture she has two much closer Indian friends who would have made much more sense. It really seemed as though the only Indian culture she had interest in learning was wealthy American Indian culture.

I was hoping for emotional growth and character development and instead I got characters with no motivation and a romance I was not rooting for.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy of this book!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Sari, Not Sari was such a cute, light read! Following CEO of the go-to Break-Up app, Manny Dogra has made a living helping other people break up with their significant others. Her one rule? No temporary breaks. She is the one stop shop for your final goodbye.

When Manny finds herself in the middle of a personal identity crisis about her Indian heritage, a new client who needs a temporary solution might just be the fix Manny is looking for.

Sammy Patel can't introduce his non-Indian girlfriend to his very Indian family ate is brother's wedding, and he needs Manny's help to temporarily break up with his girlfriend, Lisa.

When Sammy and Manny team up, will they both find the answer to the problems they're facing or maybe even more?

Like I said, this was pure, joyous fluff. I read it in a day and it was a great palate cleanser between books. Would be perfect for your next beach day or vacation getaway. Definitely recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Canada, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

• review •
sari, not sari | sonya singh

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I was so excited to get my hands on this one.

while reading, I thought this was going to be a four star read for me, but I ended up feeling like the final scene (although cute) was missing something. I think maybe it just seemed a little rushed. There was such a beautiful growth in the relationship between manny and sammy throughout the book, and then it felt like it went from 0 to 100 in the matter of two pages. like maybe let’s date for sec, ya know?

but outside of that little hiccup, I think it was a great book. manny’s journey to finding herself and learning more about her parents and their culture, was inspiring. it did seem to overshadow the growth sammy experienced, but that is to be expected since it wasn’t a dual pov.

(also: side note..
although breakup sounds like a one of a kind business…. I feel like there’s no way in heck it would become a multimillion dollar company. I refused to believe that that many people get dumped via email)

also, let me just say… I knew from their first interaction that I did NOT like adam. like sorry pal, but who do you think you are?
shoo fly, don’t bother me.

I can’t wait to see what you guys think of this one!

thank you to netgalley and simon & schuster for the advanced copy of this book

3.5/5 for Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh

I truly connected with this book on another level. Manny's struggles as an Indian growing up around and adopting while culture is my story as well. While I am more in tune with my Indian culture because of my parents, there are still some things that I wish I knew more about.

One thing that has especially hit me the hardest is western beauty norms. Women are told to either be tan or pale, but with a darker skin tone, either is not possible. I had hyperpigmentation, thick hair and a different body structure than white women...the struggle is real.

I have other Singh books that I enjoyed more, but like the rest, I did get a little teary eyed :)

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy, but these opinion are my own.

okay, hear me out: when I started this, I was loving it. I love that Sonya Singh is a debut, CANADIAN author, and because this is her first, honestly who am I to judge??? I may change my rating but the last half of the book really annoyed me, LOL. let me tell you what I loved:

🔸 the fact that I was instantly laughing in the first few chapters
🔸 learning about Indian culture along with Manny
🔸 the Breakup emails, like, brilliant

this would make the perfect hallmark movie, I just struggled with the banter towards the end. coming off of a book with such relatable characters, I found that this one fell flat and moved waaaaay to fast almost to the point it didn’t make any sense.

Sari, Not Sari follows Manny, who runs a company that helps people breakup, and Sammy, a potential client who needs to briefly breakup with his non-Indian girlfriend before attending his brother's wedding. Instead, Manny goes to the wedding with Sammy, so she can learn more about her heritage and being Indian.

This was a fun book. It had some pretty cute moments. It was a quick read and I liked the characters.

Chicklit with substance

This debut novel hides serious questions about identity and true love under the cloak of a chicklit novel. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to another book from this author. As an immigrant myself, I can identify with some of the characters' dilemmas. A true feel-good novel that you shouldn't miss, an easy, quick read.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me an e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

I love a strong hard-working female protagonist and Manny is all of that, plus she’s kind-hearted and a good friend to her co-workers and friends. Her search for her heritage was colorful, fun, and dazzling. She fit right in and found herself, which was a really neat thing to read about and explore through her eyes. I liked her story a lot. I don’t usually love plots where our main character has a boyfriend, or is engaged to another man and then finds a new one before ending the old relationship, but Sonya Singh does a great job of making Adam somewhat unavailable to both Manny and the reader so you never build a connection to him. When Sammy enters her life and fills it with color you don’t feel too bad and that’s before you catch on to plot details and character defects that sway your decision one way or the other. So, nice job Ms. Singh on taking that trope and making it work. Other authors have made me cringe but this book didn’t at all. Whew!

The story definitely took off when you got to Sammy’s family and Manny’s eagerness to fit in. I fell in love with all of the characters, the clothes, and how Manny finally found herself. I do wish there had been more scenes between Manny and Sammy so that I could feel like she fell in love with him as well as falling in love with her heritage and subsequently him because of that but there were enough subliminal feelings to convince me that this could be a love story. The heat factor was very mild to almost non-existent the moments between our two main characters were more sweet and supportive than sizzling chemistry. For those of you who like a light (less heated) romance Sari, Not Sari will be a perfect hit. While I am not an erotica reader, I do like a bit of chemistry and heat in my romance novels and I was a little bit disappointed.

Sari, Not Sari is the debut novel by Sonya Singh. I loved her writing style which was very easy reading. The plot flowed really well and the characters had depth so the reader understood them very well. The only thing missing for me was a little heat so that their love didn’t feel so much like insta-love. Despite that, I would still highly recommend this novel for the fun South Asian parties, clothes, and characters. Sari, Not Sari is sweet and so easy to like. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley or my honest review and it was honest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Manny Dogra, CEO of Breakup, is all work and not much else. Her parents died a few years ago and her fiancé is always away on business. So she throws herself into other people’s relationship issues. She realizes this is a problem when she is white washed on a magazine cover and her fiancé shows her that he doesn’t really get her. She wants to feel connected to her culture and her parents who never taught her about it. So she strikes up a deal with Sammy, a client who needs to break up with his non-Indian girlfriend so he doesn’t have to take her to his family wedding. He takes Manny instead so she can connect with her culture.
This book was just not for me. The title and cover gave me high hopes but I couldn’t fully get into it. There was a lot of telling and not enough showing for me. Instead of showing me Sammy’s personality and how much he loves his family, it told me. I felt like a lot of the emotional moments were unearned. They were either too quick for me or falling flat because I didn’t feel the build up. And there were several premises and parts of the dialogue that I felt were clunky and unrealistic. (A big one being that breaking up with people via email is somehow nicer and more socially acceptable.) I just found it hard to buy in.
There were a lot of explanations for aspects of Indian culture but some interesting choices about what to explain and what not to. I felt there were some basic things that were explained and several non-basics that were left to the reader to know. We live in a world with Google so I can always find out if I need to but I just found some of the choices confusing. It makes sense to explain things because Manny is supposed to be learning but there were some misses imo.
Also I could never figure out if Sammy’s new sister in law was really royalty or just rich enough that his siblings joked about it.
It wasn’t the worst book I’ve read. I liked some of the aspects of Sammy helping Manny learn her culture. I liked several of the characters in Manny’s circle. I liked the little plot twist about her mom. The general plot points and premise I liked but I feel like it could have been more.

This book was so close to being 5 stars. I think I'd give it a 4.5. I loved the characters, and that while it's a romance book, it was also about Manny figuring out where her identity as an Indian woman fits into her identity as an American, given her upbringing. I thought she and Sammy were great together, and the way his family was portrayed was very insightful, for someone like me who is not Indian. I found myself learning alongside Manny, and I thought having Sammy's family also be secretly accepting of his relationship with a Non-Indian was also important, even though he ends up with Manny. The one thing that keeps it from being a 5 star read for me is that I almost found the relationship on the verge of insta-love. I understand that it is certainly possible for people to fall in love that quickly, and they even address it in the book, but I thought it was a little fast to go from strangers to fiances in just over a week. I think I would've liked it more if perhaps they got engaged in an epilogue or something, to give them time to be a couple together, but that's just me. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book.

As a woman of South-Asian descent I found the story relatable and light. I enjoyed the culture (naan, shout-outs to Indian celebrities, Bollywood dancing, family values) but I did feel the story was paced unfairly. The beginning was on the slow side while the last third of the book seemed rushed. I felt an uneasiness of how everything ended and the story as a whole did not capture my heart as I though it would. If you are looking for a light read that involves Indian culture then this is a good one.

This was a very interesting book for me, mainly because I admit to being ignorant regarding Indian culture and it seemed like a great intro to it as well as a new to me author.

In general, I loved Manny’s character. She’s strong, smart and great at her job as the CEO of an online break up company. After her parent’s death she feels the void they’ve left in many ways including her connection and lack thereof with her Indian roots.

I liked that Manny seized the opportunity to learn about her culture by fake dating one of her clients attending parties thrown to celebrate an Indian wedding that seemed to be taken straight of a Bollywood movie. Although I know this is only surface level cultural knowledge, I enjoyed every bit of it.

On the romance side, I feel as though the relationship between Sammy and Manny would have benefitted from a longer exploration as opposed to the rushed feeling it provided. I would really like to read more from this author in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sari not Sari by Sonya Singh. A special thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a super cute rom-com! Manny is the CEO of Break Up. A company that sends out break up emails when someone wants out of a relationship. Manny is engaged to Adam, a workaholic who is constantly in Europe.
When along comes Sammy, he needs to break up with his girlfriend for a week in order to attend his younger brothers Indian wedding. His girlfriend isn’t Indian and he’s afraid his family won’t accept her.
Manny, whose parents didn’t raise her in the Indian culture decides to trade services to be able to attend the wedding and learn more about the culture. Along the way she learns more about herself than anything else.
The extra characters really bring the funny to the book. I loved the banter between several of them. This is Sonya’s debut novel, I can’t wait to read more from her

I really liked the general concept of this book - a successful Indian female CEO who realizes she wants to get in closer touch with her culture. She's approached by a client who offers her the opportunity to do so in exchange for taking on his business. Sparks fly, and they fall for each other.

Unfortunately, the approach and details around this story didn't do it for me. Parts felt rushed and others not fully fleshed out. I found it hard to get very invested in Sammy and other side characters. The dialogue didn't feel particularly authentic either.