3.5 Stars

Jasmine knows how to keep up her appearances. She had to for the last few years. She hasn’t always made the best decisions, and her family has held that against her. Her recent breakup with her boyfriend is just the start of another potential upset. Now she is forced to take a break from her job.

Jasmine is determined to prove everyone wrong, so she joins her parents on a cruise to Alaska. She doesn’t realize the cruise is not for people in her age group. Then to see the same community she has been trying to avoid on the cruise is so frustrating. The only person on the cruise close in age is Jake, and he annoys her. But spending days on a ship in close proximity to someone has a way of changing how you see them.

This was an interesting story. I don’t know if it is my favorite, but I did enjoy it. I rooted for Jasmine the entire book. It is not easy to be on a cruise for ten days with all your senior peers. The aunties and uncles judging her every move. She really didn’t have anyone to turn to except Jake. She accepted all her issues and really tried to work on them and everything.

I did, however, dislike her attitude toward Jake at times. She is downright mean to him. I think it’s because of the biases that the aunties and uncles show him. Culturally it is accurate, but Jasmine didn’t need to act so immaturely about every situation.

The story is slow in parts if you are seeking a straight romance. However, I love these stories of family, culture, and community. I look forward to reading more by this author.

~ Samantha

Thank you @berkleyromance and @berkleypub for the free book and having me on tour!

TITLE: Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat
AUTHOR: Sonya Lalli
PUB DATE: 04.18.2023 Now Available
SYNOPSIS: Swipe Above

Enemies to Love
Closed Proximity

Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat is a fun read, with great banter, flawed characters, that is set in a ten day Alaskan cruise, was quite the enjoyable read. The heat level is low with fade to black, in a slow burn romance/contemporary women’s fiction.

What a wonderful enemies-to-lovers story in a honestly very prettily described setting. I love when the setting is important to a romance and this one rocks that.

Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat is the story of Jasmine and Jake who end up as the only young people on a seniors’ cruise to Alaska full of family friends. This was just pure fun. The bickering, the banter and tension between Jasmine and Jake was cute but what I really loved was the dynamics with the families on the cruise and I loved seeing Jasmine sort her life out during the span of the cruise and really grow into the person she wanted to become. It was heartwarming, funny and sweet. And it did make me want to go to Alaska.

A great diverse read with a MC who experiences growth in her persoanl life as well as her family life and work life. She learns to accept who she is - as does her family. Another solid read by Lalli.

I have mixed feelings on this book, there are things I really enjoyed, like the banter between Jasmine and Jake and their enemies to lovers journey and the aunties who had some of the funniest parts, but there were many times throughout the book where I just didn't like Jasmine and how immature she could be. I know that is a part of the story, watching her evolve and how she copes with spending a vacation with her parents who haven't treated her so well over the years, but she was so rude to Jake at times that I was shocked he was sticking around.

The ending felt a bit rushed to me and I wish some pieces were cut from the middle so the last few chapters could've been longer. I would've liked to have seen more conversation between Jasmine and her parents as they worked on their relationship. And while I liked the conclusion between Jasmine and Jake, I would have loved an epilogue to peak into their lives in the future.

When Jasmine tags along on her parents’ vacation, she finds herself unexpectedly on a seniors’ cruise to Alaska. The only other person her age is Jake, whom she knew from childhood.

With meddling family characters, cultural expectations, a beautiful cruise setting, and romance, this book was a lot of fun. I was dreaming of Alaska the whole time!

This was a really fun book and I will definitely be picking up more from the author!

The book follows the progression of a fling between two of the youngest members stuck on a seniors Alaska cruise. At first, Jake and Jasmine DO NOT get along, but somehow, they are able to come together and fall in love by bonding over... Outlander. LOL! Not what you would expect a romance to bloom from, but it could be weirder!

There was also a lot of emotional depth to this novel. I liked how Jasmine had to work through her reputation issues, growing up considered the 'fast girl' in her very conservative South Asian community. I like that we got to see her work through her issues with self worth and her relationship with her parents. It added more to the character than just the romance angle.

Jasmine's life has gone off course, in her mid 30s she's is in an on again off again relationship that is going nowhere and crashing at a friend's house with no place to call her own. She sinks to an all time low when she tags along on her parent's 2 week cruise.

On board, she meets Jake, and their relationship starts off a bit like enemies, but not quite, but definitely adversarial, and unfriendly. They both fight against the strong opinions, ecpectatiisnand ideals being forced upon them by their family and others in their Indian community.

What I loved most about this book was the family, blood or not, and the connectedness between everyone because of the shared culture. The arc of Jasmine's relationship with her parents was probably my favorite part of the book. It was so fulfilling

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley for the E-Arc in exchange for my honest review. I loved the taboo / age gap / forbidden romance so so much i would have liked a bit more spice to it. I loved how her family / family friends rallied behind her towarda the end. I enjoyed tge character development. I enjoy Sonya Lalli books and love shes a Canadian Berkley author.

Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat

Happy publication week to this Alaskan adventure! Thank you to the #joyfulchaosbookclub and @berkleypub for this ARC!

Jasmine sets off on an Alaskan cruise with her parents, only to realize it’s a cruise for seniors with the South Asian community she felt judged by growing up. There’s only one other young person on the boat - a childhood acquaintance, Jake, who immediately rubs her the wrong way. However, you can only get so far away when you’re trapped on a boat!

Check this one out if you’re looking for:
🚢 Forced proximity
🚢 Enemies to lovers
🚢 Reverse age gap
🚢 South Asian rep
🚢 Complicated family relationships

Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat is on shelves now!

Read If You Like:
🇮🇳 Reading Diversely
💔 Enemies to Lovers
🚢 Cruise Ships
🔐 Forced Proximity
🐻 Alaskan Vacations
⏳ Age Gap Romances
📚 Outlander Series

This one was so much fun and soooo good! I loved all the little things included in the plot from the breakup and seeing a hookup coming from the exes place, to ending up on a seniors cruise to Alaska to the enemies to lovers, to the growth!

I loved how through all the crap, that Jasmine was able to face some demons and work through trauma related to slut shaming and her negative reputation within her south Asian community.

I loved that this was more than a romance as it was also an opportunity to read about healing your heart and relationships with family.

This one truly gave so many things and I throughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to go back and read more from this author! Thanks so much Berkley Romance for my ARC in exchange for my review!

When Jasmine agrees to join her parents on their Alaskan cruise after a breakup, the last thing she expects is for the cruise to be a seniors cruise. However, there is one other young person on the cruise, and he is very attractive. But then she realizes Jake is the boy she babysat at an event years ago, and to make it worse they cannot stop butting heads. Being on a cruise, they can’t help but spend time together, and as they do, they realize they may have more similarities than they first expected.

First, let me start by saying this book made me want to go on an Alaskan cruise. The descriptions of the setting were incredible! While the romance in this one wasn’t my favorite, I really enjoyed the family dynamic in the story. The large extended family added a lot of character and fun to the story, as well as a commentary on sexist standards that women face. Overall, this was an enjoyable read!

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for the advance copy and to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for the buddy read!

✨ Book Review ✨

A big thank you to @berkleypub @netgalley for the #gifted ARC #JasmineAndJakeRockTheBoat !!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat by Sonia Lalli

Two millennials get stuck on a seniors cruise surrounded by their families and reluctantly find themselves pairing up.

What it has to offer:

💋 Romance
🌱 Growth
💛 Friendship
🧬 Meddling Families

Quick thoughts:

✨ Loved the character growth.
✨ Slow burn romance.
✨ Older woman younger man dynamic.
✨ Meddling families stirred things up.

Overall thoughts:

📝 I loved the writing style. The pacing was perfect. I kept thinking about the story while I wasn’t reading.

💋 This was a slow burn romance. I was surprised by the title bc it kind of eludes to a lot of spiciness but it was pretty mild. Also, the romance really takes a back seat to the character growth.

🌱 There was a tremendous amount of character growth in this one. I didn’t really like the FMC in this in the beginning but as she grew I started to like her.

💛 There were so many supportive side friendships that I loved.

🧬 I also loved all the meddling family members. Some were meddling in a good way and others were nefarious which was interesting.

💔 Miscommunication and misunderstandings played a role in this story which was frustrating at times.

💜 My favorite part was how the FMC really tried to learn from the red flags displayed by her ex. She actively tried to do things differently which was encouraging.

⚠️ Trigger warning: there is quite a bit of community based slut shamming.

If you like watching characters grow and change mixed with a dollop of romance then pick this one up!

What a fun romantic treat, with an enemies to lovers vibe I truly dug. Perfect for RomCom fans who adore South Asian flair and characters you grow to care about in their quest to find themselves and heal family hurts. Recommended!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This was a fun new romance. After being told she needs to take vacation time at work, Jasmine agrees to join her parents on an Alaskan cruise. But unbeknownst to her, it is a seniors cruise filled with their larger Indian community of aunties and uncles. No one from her generation has joined. Except Jake. Jake is a book boyfriend who loves rom-coms. What more do I need to say?

I really appreciated the characters of both Jasmine and Jake. Both feel like outsiders in their family and put on a front. It was truly enjoyable to see a couple that fit together so well. The book was first person POV from Jasmine's perspective. I missed seeing Jake's perspective, especially when his personality seemed to flip flop a lot early on. I came to like him and the book more, as it continued.

And wow, the descriptions! They made me want to go on an Alaskan cruise, even though I generally am afraid of cruises. Additionally, the book incorporated many themes of the different expectations for girls and boys. But I especially appreciated that the book also explored the increasing beauty and sexist standards that men face.

Each chapter started with a series of text messages. While I loved those in the eARC I read, I found them confusing when listening to the audiobook. It wasn't clear what they were or who they were from, so I often went back to reading. This is one book where I recommend the paper or ebook formats instead.

This books stands alone, but it does follow from A Holly Jolly Diwali by featuring Niki's sister Jasmine. Thus, I recommend reading both books.

Short synopsis: Jasmine has a bad reputation in her Indian community and has been at odds with her parents. When the opportunity comes for her to join them on an Alaskan cruise she jumps at the chance, only to find out it’s a seniors cruise and the only other person under 60 is Jake.

My thoughts: This was a cute second chance romance. Jake and Jasmine knew each other from when they were younger, but haven’t seen each other since. They’ve both had some experiences that have shaped their adulthood. Jasmine was living with some very high expectations from both her parents, and the community as a whole. I really enjoyed seeing some great personal growth for both Jasmine and Jake as the story progressed.

The cruise ship was a fun setting, especially in Alaska, somewhere I’d love to visit sometime. In fact seeing the Northern Lights is on my bucket list!

I loved the South Asian representation and getting to know a tiny bit more about their culture. I think reading a couple more of her books are in my future to add to that small insight into we got from Jasmine and Jake.

Read if you love:
- Second chance romance
- Forced proximity
- Personal growth
- AAPI representation
- Alaskan and cruise ship setting

Thank you to Berkley and PRH Audio for complementary copies of this book!

In the middle of another break in her on-again-off-again, longterm relationship and forced to take vacation time away from work, 33-year-old Jasmine Randhawa makes a rash, last-minute decision to join her parents on an Alaskan cruise with other members of the South Asian community. The South Asian community of aunties and uncles who judged and gossiped about her and her bad reputation growing up. The South Asian aunties and uncles who are still judging Jasmine, despite her attempts to project a put-together and highly successful image.

And, as it turns out, the cruise is for seniors. The only other young passenger on the boat is 28-year-old Jake Dhillon—hot, handsome, cocky, about-to-become-a-lawyer, favorite son Jake Dhillon. And their first encounter on the boat does not go smoothly. Nor does their second. And so on.

As the two spend more time together, however, they learn that they may not be so different after all, and those enemies vibes from early in the cruise start to turn into something else entirely.

I enjoyed the chemistry and sizzle between Jasmine and Jake—especially during the cruise—and appreciated the family reconciliation aspects of the novel and the depiction of the disparity between how males and females are treated and the expectations placed upon them in the South Asian community.

If you pick this one up, be aware that Jasmine has a lot of growing up to do, and she is just starting to realize that—at age 33. And while we do see character growth in the novel, there are definitely growing pains.

Overall, I appreciated the deeper themes but did not always enjoy or connect with Jasmine, her behavior, and her choices—even with the knowledge of the history and culture that shaped her.

I received an advance copy from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Review: I really enjoyed reading this romance! Jasmine was a fantastic main character, and I loved watching her grow throughout the book. Her relationship with Jake was really nice. I loved the last chapter of the book! (And the cover is really pretty!) Overall, I would definitely recommend checking this book out!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat is a contemporary romance novel with the interference of well-meaning aunties. This captivating story follows Jasmine and Jake's journey as they navigate their relationship's ups and downs while confronting their own personal demons. Lalli's writing style is engaging and professional, drawing readers in with her vivid descriptions and relatable characters. Overall, "Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat" is a must-read for anyone looking for a heartwarming and thought-provoking love story.