I didn't love Dating Dr. Dil, but I'm a sucker for Much Ado About Nothing, so had to give this series one more try.

And I have mixed feelings on it. One one hand, the way the craziness that is Much Ado About Nothing was integrated into a modern story in a way that made sense (if a guy in a book in 2023 were to shame and break up with his fiance at the alter because he thought he saw her making out with someone on her balcony without talking to her, there would be literally no way he could come back from it) and was fun. On the other hand, the way everything came together and the story itself was just okay for me.

The Aunties were still fun and the characters were good, but the writing overall just does a little more telling a little less showing that I like.

As has been the case with the last few books I haven't loved, I did like the last few chapters of the book more than the rest of the book which makes the rating hard. But the reality is, I don't have any interest in reading the next book, which leaves it at a 3 stars for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the advance readers copy. My opinions are my own.

LOVE! Another hit from Nisha Sharma. After Dating Dr. Dil, I was dying to read Bunty and Bobbi's story and it DID NOT disappoint. I'm seriously in love with this entire world. Can't wait for more from this author!

Nisha sharma back at it again!! I loved the chemistry between the characters and the characters themselves. Bobbi is witty and strong and confident. Bunty is hot and supportive and can COOK. This book was a good time. Thank you netgalley and Harper collins for this earc.

I seriously loved Dating Dr. Dil so I was so excited to start Tastes Like Shakkar! This picks up where Dating Dr. Dil left off and Bobbi is in charge of giving Kareena her dream wedding! Which is amazing until she realizes that she will be accompanied by the groom's best friend and the man she cannot stand, Benjamin. Benjamin knows he screwed up with Bobbi a year ago and regrets it so badly that he would do anything to get a second chance with her. Between planning the wedding and both Bobbi and Benjamin having family problems about taking over their respective family businesses , they call a truce to their feud to ease some of the stress. Only to be met with someone trying to sabotage the wedding! As their feelings grow, so do the obligations to their family and so does this physical distance between them as they both work on growing their futures.
The chemistry/banter/overall sass between Benjamin and Bobbi was TOP TIER. I found myself squealing and giggling at some of their interactions. I love how realistic their relationship seemed especially with some of the issues they were facing. Also I absolutely loved seeing the aunties again. They were one of my favorite parts. I loved seeing how they cared for Kareena in DDD and now for Bobbi in TLS.
Reading the love for the food (which had me drooling tbh) and the look into the culture and customs that Nisha has wonderfully described in this book felt so intimate and beautiful.
I am hoping the epilogue is setting up for a next book and if so, I already cannot wait to devour that one as well!
Thanks Netgalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my review!

I was a huge fan of the first book, so I went in with high expectations.
It seemed on par with the first book. Not any better or worse, so that’s a good thing. I loved their dynamic and their banter was top notch. I’ll keep reading this books as long as Nisha Sharma keeps writing them!

If Shakespeare Was An Auntie has quickly become one of my favorite romantic series, and not just because Nisha Sharma has now used two of my top Shakespearean plays as her retellings. So, you can imagine my excitement when TASTES LIKE SHAKKAR hit my inbox.

And my excitement never waned because oh my gods...this book has me for life. My laughter from the quick-witted MCs was constant. I loved the glimpses of the play's original dialogue and how Nisha reshaped it to fit the circumstances (masterful). Then, of course, the Aunties. They are the ultimate squad who I would gladly go to war for.

Bobbi Kaur is determined to prove herself worthy of taking over her family's event planning business. However, an unfortunate meeting with Benjamin "Bunty" Padda (one of the best chefs around) set her back and on her uncle's failure list. Now with her bestie Kareena getting married, and she's chosen the esteemed Messina Vineyards as the venue.

The Good News: Bobbi has a chance to redeem herself and give Kareena the wedding she deserves.
The Bad News: Unfortunately, this plan includes working in close proximity with Benjamin who is helping create the delicious menu for the wedding as a favor to Prem (the groom)
The Worst News: As the planning commences, Bobbi discovers someone is trying to sabotage the wedding!

Cue the Aunties and the mission to unveil the Shaddi Saboteur!

Through surprise meetings, a Vegas trip and a masquerade Bobbi and Bunty call a truce on their war of wits and acknowledge their fierce attraction to one another. Will they unveil the saboteur? Can the Aunties help save the day? Will Bunty and Bobbi woo peacefully, or will their family obligations tear their truce apart?

This book will forever live on my bookshelf and not just because of the nonstop laughing and gushy feelings but also due to the SPICY scenes. *fanning my face repeatedly with heavy breathing* The tie me down, yes daddy, more please....you get the point.

.....also, I am so hungry now.

Pre-ORDER this book ASAP!!!!

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this extraordinary ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

Nisha Sharma does not disappoint with this one. I absolutely adored Dating Dr. Dil and couldn’t wait to pick up Tastes like Shakkar. Nisha’s writing shines through the banter, the tension and the subtle nods to the Shakespeare inspiration. Also the sexy scenes? Wow. Okay Bunty. You might beat Dr. Dil.

Anyways, it’s a joyful fun ride. I loved every minute of it and will continue to buy her books. She’s an auto-buy romance author for me.

I love Much Ado About Nothing, so I was excited but also nervous starting Tastes Like Shakkar. Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about - it was delightful! The bickering, sassiness, and relationship development were all done beautifully. It really captured everything that is to love about Much Ado About Nothing. I loved Bobbi, and all of the friendships in this book. Excited to read the next book about Veera and Deepak.

A new spin on Mch Ado About Nothing featuring a wedding planner and her sexy nemesis chef who both have to come together to save their best friends’s wedding from a secret saboteur. Bobbi Kaur is a wedding planner who loves what she does, she’s determined to give her best friend the perfect wedding, the only glitch is that she is forced to spend time Benjamin “Bunty” Padda. The hot and grumpy chef who might have said the dumbest thing to her when they met one year ago and now they both can’t stand to be in a room together. Bunty is a chef who doesn’t want a serious relationship, in fact he’s vowed to remain a bachelor for life... except for the fact that he can’t help but be completely wrapped around Bobbi Kaur’s fingers. He knows he’s messed up when he met her a year ago and is willing to do anything to get a second chance to make it right with her. Yet the more time they spend together the more their growing attraction grows... yet Bunty knows he has to focus on his chef career and taking care of his family business.... but he’s finding that Bobbi is making him reconsider everything. On top of that they both have to work together to find out who is trying to ruin their best friends’s wedding before it’s too late. Can Bobbi and Bunty work out their relationship or was it doomed from the start? This was such a cute and sexy read. I loved Bobbi and Bunty as a couple and how much they really fit together. They really support and take care of one another and my goodness it was so sweet and I mean Bunty sure knows his way around rope hahaha. This was a very unique and fun take on the classic shakespeare story and I enjoyed getting to see where the couple from the first book went in this one as well. Overall, it was such a fun read and I can’t wait to see where the third book goes with the newest couple!!!

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Bobbi Kaur, wedding planner extraordinaire, is excited to finally get to plan the wedding for her best friend Kareena. However, she’s not excited that it means working with the groom’s best friend Benjamin, whom she has a rocky past with. Benjamin will do anything he can to change Bobbi’s opinion of him after he royally messed up. Fate intervenes in the form of a saboteur attempting to put a stop to their friends’ upcoming nuptials and forcing Bobbi and Benjamin to put their past aside and call a truce. Will they be able to figure out who is to blame? Will the close proximity break down the walls they’ve put up?

This was such a fun take on “Much Ado About Nothing”. It primarily likens the story of Bobbi and Benjamin to Beatrice and Benedick, however, it merges with parts of Hero and Claudio’s stories to provide a more original narrative. I actually enjoyed this much more than I did “Dating Dr.Dil”, which is saying a lot because I love “Taming of the Shrew”. This is just a joyous romp filled with mystery and drama that manages to maintain a sense of humor despite tense situations. I also really appreciated that despite being a retelling of a classic work, the relationship progression feels realistic to a modern environment. Additionally, I think the supporting subplots relating to meeting and addressing parental expectations, be they reasonable or unreasonable, is really important for a lot of people to read so that they can feel seen and maybe gain the confidence to address their own familial relationships. Finally, I love the meddling aunties and was so excited to see them back from the first book.

CW: sexual content, discussions and portrayal of fatphobia, death of a parent (prior to events of book), portrayal of mild racism and bigotry

We return to find Prem and Kreena are planning a wedding with the help of Bobbi (wedding planner extraordinaire!).

When planning the wedding, Bobbi has to work along side Prem’s best friend Benjamin. He also happens to be Bobbie’s arch rival!

They agree to call a truce but just for the wedding. You can guess what happens next…enemies to lovers!

This one was ok. I do love all of the cultural elements and traditions found in this book. The spice was too much for me and a little over the top. But if you loved the first one I think you will love this one. It also sets the stage for a third book in the series.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC!

Nisha Sharma really got on my radar last year with Dating Dr Dill last year. I was so excited to see the second installment in that "series" and be able to read an ARC. Her writing is just so relatable and funny. She writes complex, complicated and beautiful characters. I also really enjoy reading about her culture and the culture of the characters and learning how that helped to shape them. If you read and loved Dating Dr Dill, this title lives up to the hype that created!

I LOVED this story. What’s not to like? You got a modern retelling of the greatest comedy of all time. Beautiful descriptions of mouth drooling food. And a big girl getting railed! Which is my personal favorite genre of book.
On top of all of it a lovely story of friendship and the South Asian immigrant child experience.
Genuinely such a treat.
Nisha Sharma has become a must read author for me.

Dating Dr Dil was one of my top reads last year! This story is one of my top reads this year!! Nisha did it again! I can’t wait for Veera’s story! Hoping she will have one!! What a romance! This is like her first book but kicked up a notch! There was forced proximity and found family which are two of my favorite tropes! Lee them coming Nisha!!

This sequel to Dating Dr. Dil focuses on Kareena & Prem's best friends, Bobbi and Benjamin, who are forced to work together, despite hating each other, to ensure their friends' wedding goes off without a hitch. I really enjoyed Bobbi and Benjamin's chemistry together, and this book turned the spice up a few notches. It read very similar to the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series by Mia P. Manansala, and for much of the book, the romance took a backseat to the mystery surrounding the Mann-Verma wedding. I wish we'd gotten more of Bobbi/Benjamin, and less of a focus on Kareena and her family– to be fair, she already had an entire book, and most romance series don't require that you read the first book to enjoy any of the others, but you definitely have to have read Dating Dr. Dill to understand any of what's going on here.
I did enjoy it. A cute, fun, spicy read. I'm looking forward to whatever Sharma writes next.

4.5 stars

I think it's fair to say that I enjoyed Tastes like Shakkar even more than Dating Dr. Dil! Bunty and Bobbi set the pages sizzling with all their banter and spicy flirting sessions while making roti. But what I loved most about this story is the open communication between Bunty and Bobbi. I was very impressed with how mature their relationship was despite the long distance. Even with the third act conflict I could empathize with Bunty trying to find the balance between familial expectations and personal goals/dreams. This was such a treat to read!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

It's always an absolute pleasure to return to the captivating world of "If Shakespeare was an Auntie Universe"! Once again, I find myself eagerly diving into the pages of a perfect modern Indian retelling of Shakespeare's comedic masterpiece, "Much Ado About Nothing." If you, like me, respond with an enthusiastic "hell, yes," then prepare to be utterly enthralled by this book! From the very first page, I found myself succumbing to fits of uncontrollable giggles and experiencing bouts of breathlessness, all thanks to the delightful naughtiness and scorching heat that emanated from the electrifying chemistry between the main couple.

This enchanting tale brims with the timeless appeal of the enemies-to-lovers trope, as well as an abundance of quick-witted banter that is guaranteed to elicit hearty laughter. I couldn't help but wholeheartedly root for the determined, confident, and quick-witted Bobbi Kaur, a workaholic and efficient wedding planner who exudes body positivity and carries her beautiful, curvy, and healthy body with unwavering pride. Opposite her stands the skilled, perfectionist, and charismatic chef, Benjamin "Bunty" Panta, a man torn between honoring his family's needs and pursuing his own dreams of owning a restaurant on the East Coast.

From the unfortunate incident that unfolded during their initial encounter at a friend's house—an encounter that ended with a tantalizingly close kiss and Benjamin's regretful rejection, accentuated by the words "you're not my type" (which he desperately wished he could retract and for which he incessantly apologized)—Bobbi had declared him her archenemy. Little did they know that their paths would once again intertwine, as destiny thrusts them into the role of organizing the much-anticipated wedding of their closest friends, Prem (Benjamin's bestie) and Kareena (Bobbi's bestie), who coincidentally serve as the central characters in the enthralling "Dating Dr. Dill."

However, amidst the flurry of wedding preparations, they find themselves grappling with the mysterious presence of a shadi (wedding) saboteur, whose relentless mission is to sabotage the joyous occasion. Bobbi and Benjamin, compelled to set aside their differences for the sake of their dear friends' happiness, forge an unlikely truce. Yet, what they never anticipated was the scorching, irresistible chemistry that sparks between them, igniting flames that set their very souls ablaze. As they succumb to the depths of their burgeoning love, they must also navigate the treacherous waters of their demanding families and the constraints imposed by their busy schedules. Will their love prevail against all odds? Can they sustain a long-distance relationship, or is their passionate love story fated to meet an untimely end?

In conclusion, I must confess that if it were possible to die from excessive laughter, these aunties would undoubtedly be the death of me!

This book has provided me with an absolutely perfect reading experience, brimming with unadulterated entertainment, and I am eternally grateful to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for graciously sharing this wondrous digital reviewer copy with me. It has been an honor to immerse myself in the pages of this enchanting story and offer my honest thoughts in return.

Thank you Avon for sending me the advanced reader copy in return for my honest review! I was very excited, especially after reading Dating Dr.Dil..

I devoured the book in a day and I loved the banter between the two love interests and how she brought back characters from the first book. Dare I say I enjoyed reading this book greater than Dating Dr. Dil?? The spice level definitley increased and was very fun to read.

As an Indian woman raised in Jersey, Tastes Like Shakkar was so nice to read and to be able to really connect with each of the characters and relate to similar stories in my own friend groups. I read a lot of romance novels and find it hard to relate to some characters just becuase of family dyanmics but this book really hit the spot, from the languages, food, wedding preparations and Edison references.

I will definitley be reccomending this book to my friends and will be picking up a physical copy as well! I cannot wait for the third book!

NISHA!!! I loved Dating Dr. Dil last year, but I absolutely am a Bobbi/Bunty stan for LIFE. These two were just so fiery and headstrong and perfect for each other!

I absolutely adore Bobbi as the main character. She is so fierce in her love for her friends and family. She is a Type A people pleaser whose love language is Acts of Service. She also struggles with asking for help and omg I felt so deeply for her!!

And Bunty!!! All the little ways that he showed Bobbi that he was thinking about her and taking care of her were just so top tier. (No spoilers, but find you a man that uses your geolocation for THIS)

The entire plot around them working together on Prem and Kareena’s wedding and all the hijinks that ensued was so fun. I loved the meddling aunties. And mostly, I just adore the clear love that Nisha has for her community and culture. It was such a joy to read about the food, the traditions, the family dynamics- everything!

Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about this book. And the way that I am already FOAMING at the mouth for Veera and Deepak’s story?!?! I loved the little tidbits we got with those two.

This is one of my favorite rom-com reads this year. It had everything I needed in a rom-com. Bobbi(f) and Benjamin(m), our main characters, have been enemies since their first meeting when Benjamin causes Bobbie to lose a potential client. Now they're working on planning their best friend's weddings, so they call a truce to plan an amazing wedding. As they work, they get closer and realize that someone is sabotaging their friend's wedding. They enlist the help of their Indian aunties to assist with finding this person and try to plan a wedding without everything falling apart.

I really liked both Bobbi and Benjamin, their banter and chemistry was immaculate. I love good enemies to lovers. The romance came together so well, and there were some really kinky scenes here. I think their personal struggles were valid, and I like how the author wove it into the story. I liked the friend group and the found family aspect of it. I think I may be obsessed with Indian weddings because they seem like so much fun, from the food to the planning and the role of the aunties, it was great. The plot aspect, where they were trying to find out who was sabotaging the wedding, was a nice addition to the story and helped move the story along.

Overall I think this book is fantastic, this is my first book by this author, so I will be checking out her other books. This book has:
-Indian wedding planning
-Punjabi main characters
-Plus size fmc
-Enemies to lovers
-Good banter
-Close-knit friend group
-Swiftie fmc

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager, for this arc for an honest review.