Sometimes stubborn FMC irritate me, the inability to give the benefit of the doubt or see reason leads to me not enjoying the read, such is the case with this book. In the end, I got past it and appreciated the character growth. The pacing was good, albeit a bit slow in the middle, however, overall I enjoyed the read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! I loved the sexual tension; it was very well done so I recommend this! Adorable!

Such a strong debut from Canadian indie author Lindsay Maple!! I thought this book did a great job exploring the complexities and challenges of interracial relationships as white Canadian Becky meets Sikh Canadian Dev while on a Mexican vacation.

These two have immediate chemistry but have to figure out if their strong connection is enough to overcome their cultural differences. I would have liked if this was a dual POV romance but the author still did a good job presenting both perspectives as Becky and Dev figure out how to compromise and reconcile their differences in order to make a life and marriage work.

Great on audio narrated by Ellie Gossage. I'm really excited to read what comes next from a new auto-buy indie romance writer! Much thanks to NetGalley and the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This one just didn't work for me, unfortunately. The writing felt a bit clunky at times and while I did like some of the chemistry, the friendships felt shallow and it all moved entirely too quickly in a baffling unrealistic way.

This book ended up being a DNF. Rating is based solely on the content I did read. I ultimately found the pacing and development of the story and/or characters not engaging enough to continue on and finish the complete book.

What a great debut by this Canadian author! This was such an interesting book and it’s set in Vancouver. It’s always fun to find a book set in Canada.
Becky and Dev don’t have a lot in common at first glance except for their great emotional and physical chemistry. They both come from very different backgrounds. I loved learning about Dev’s Sikh heritage and culture along with Becky. Can two people from such different backgrounds make it as a couple? You definitely should read this romcom to find out. I really enjoyed the writing and the characters. If you love romcoms be sure to check this one out. I’m looking forward to the next book from this author after this awesome debut!!

Thank you so much NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I thought about giving this book a chance after reading the authors note, cause I do think if we are gonna get a story about South Asians it should be written by a South Asian. You can do all the research you want, but it still not the same.

Other people might like this book, but it's not for me.

2.5 stars

Despite the title, Not Your Basic Love Story is a pretty basic love story.

Rebecca's attitude is pretty annoying for most of this; very 'not like other girls' with an inconsistent feminist attitude. She likes to claim loudly she's a feminist to others but seems very concerned about not being married at the age of 29. Her motives are tied up in her friends getting married and having children, and you never see her actual goals or desires.

I didn't appreciate the assumption that Fight Club is an obscure reference that girls wouldn't get - are there really people in the world that haven't heard of Fight Club? We're back into 'not like other girls' territory - especially when Rebecca mentions not bringing up her chick flicks for fear of what Dev thinks. She does this a lot, claims one thing to Dev and then thinks about how she'll tell him the whole truth later. Not to mention, I made it to 7% and was already annoyed at how often Rebecca gets caught up in her thoughts, ignoring the people around her she's actively interacting with.

Even without all the instalove and misunderstanding tropes, I doubt I would've loved Not Your Basic Love Story ... Nothing is ever fully addressed, and a lot of big issues are swept under the rug. (view spoiler)

I liked parts of this book, but there weren't enough of them, and they weren't good enough, to overcome a lot of huge issues.

Seems to mostly be trying to avoid basicness by throwing so much detail at the reader and including undignified moments and situations. Still kinda basic, but the characters are sweet enough that you still want to know what happens and root for them even when you're not sure if they should or will end up together.

Netgalley and Rising Action Publishing Co. Provided this Arc in exchange for my honest opinion..

This romcom includes cross-cultural relationship dynamics that can be used in the classroom to analyze interactions, both good and bad. There could have been more depth to some of them, but it was interesting to read, even if the characters sometimes fell flat.

I hate to DNF a book, but I couldn’t relate to the characters all. The not so cute meet cute set the tone for me and the story never recovered. DNF at 40%.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Rising Action Publishing Co. for this ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book just didn't do it for me. I didn't feel like there was any chemistry between Rebecca and Dev. I liked that there was a lot of culture in this book and learning about Dev's culture. But the insta-love just wasn't there for me.

Thank-you NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing Co., Rising Action for the chance to review this ARC.

I wanted more from this.
I liked the premise it had a lot of promise.
I want o highlight that the cultural differences were made in a good way.
But the characters often fell flat.
I think the author has potential and I would give more of her books a try.

Thank you Net Galley for a copy on (Not) Your Basic Love Story. Dev and Becky met on a plane going to Mexico. Their love story unfolds in the pages. I thought there were some problems with the story line. I give this 3 stars.

DNF at 55%

I do not like to give reviews to DNFed books nor to DNF a book but in this case I had to, even though I didn't like to do it. The book itself is okay, but honestly the most remarkable part is the racism that is represented here, the main character noticing her privilege and all this cultural exchange. Outside from that both of them have been very immature in many areas of the relationship and it got to a point that I couldn't bring myself to finish it, it felt more like a chore than something I enjoyed so I wasn't liking that anymore.

The writing is good and the message is good, but these characters were so immature and stressing at some point that I just couldn't do this

The book had its highs and its lows, for me high was that the way the author introduced and mixed the cultures because it happens a lot, now the lows, i rather not to tell you because it are more about the female character that maybe are just me, i recommend this book because the story is interesting and constantly has you wondering how is it going to end.

4.5 stars rounded up
Becky is on the plane about to go to a destination wedding. There's an empty seat where her ex-boyfriend was supposed to be. But now it's empty and she's wondering who will be her seatmate. When a tall dark and handsome man sits down. She's elated. They start off great and it ends on a sour note. They end up meeting up again and things escalate in a good way.

This is definitely not your normal love story but still wonderful. I enjoyed the characters and learning about Devs culture. This was a great read. I couldn't put it down. I laughed and cried.

I was really intrigued by the premise but I just couldn't connect with the story and it didn't capture my attention so I chose to DNF.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read the book in advance.

I love that this book was set in Vancouver - just a different setting for me it was almost like another little escape!

This was s different story for me as our MMC is Indian and comes from a very traditional family. Yet the FMC is white and doesn’t know much about the Indian culture. It was nice to see different cultures mixing together.

It most definitely wasn't a basic love story and yet somehow that made me enjoy it even more! This book really shows the reading the challenges and compromisations that have to happen in real life relationships.

QOTD: Have you ever made a friend on vacation?
My A: Me, no. My Husband? It feels like everyone he meets is a friend. 🤣 He even made friends like a group of 5 one mile underground on a cave tour once 🤣🤦🤷
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While the meet cute was nasty, I still kinda loved what it led up to. 😅 I thought their chemistry was already starting to simmer and I was into it. The culture representation throughout was fantastic. I love learning new traditions or dishes through the characters I'm reading. A lot of this book focuses on cultural differences, especially when it comes to living environments and relationships. I'll be honest, once they got home I didn't feel that chemistry anymore. They fall into the "this couple will date for a few years and break up amicably" category for me!
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BLURB:
Stubbornly independent Becky isn't looking for love, but when sparks fly on a flight to Mexico she learns her carefully planned life might be the opposite of what she needs. What begins as a fun vacation fling with a tall, sexy stranger turns into so much more. The problem? Dev and Becky couldn't be more different. Back home in Vancouver, Canada, their relationship grows, and their two worlds collide.

Can a roommate-hating city girl with a diet of chicken nuggets and cheap wine make it work with a vegetarian, non-drinking, Sikh man who lives with his rambunctious multigenerational family in the suburbs?

As Becky navigates her way through a culture she knows nothing about, she is faced with one of the most important decisions of her life: change her plans for how she'd imagined her happily-ever-after, or walk away from love.