An absolutely captivating story with all the beauty and heartbreak that I associate with Dev's novels. The deeper I fell into these characters' lives, the faster I kept reading. Highly recommend!

Sonali Dev’s Lies and Other Love Languages has me speechless, yet again. Her writing has always been able to make my laugh and ugly cry, but this new book has touched my broken heart in all new ways. I want to thank her from the depths of my soul for writing for the fertility-challenged, and those of us that thought ourselves broken and ugly because of awful experiences.

This book has a few timelines and points of view to follow, in order to be able to understand all that has happened in the lives of the protagonists.

Mallika, daughter of the ideal couple of Vandy and Vir, is a dancer and choreographer who is always flitting from one thing to another, much like a real-life fidget spinner of a person. Her projects are well-received, especially after she embraces her culture and culture, but her extended family doesn’t always seem to take her seriously.

Vandy Guru has grown from her column and blog as an Agony Aunt to a successful guru with books of wisdom that she has shared with the world. But, she doesn’t realize just how successful and helpful she is.

To avoid giving spoilers, I will just say that this book is the hard paths that all of the protagonists have had to traverse to find their true selves, as well as to contemplate on true happiness and love. (And I am Here for it alllllll).


Thank you So much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this amazing ARC!

The book started lightly, with issues you could easily relate to, the text you could quickly go through, but as the story unfolded, even if the writing style didn't change, the story became more complex in a way I didn't expect. I have to say, I connected the dots about the plot pretty early in the book, but I was hooked on the way it was revealed to us.
Having read the book, I think I need to sit for a second with it. The relationship between the people in the story is complex and real. And that realness is why I have mixed feelings about the story. That doesn't change my opinion about the book, as the work, as a product itself.
There are some aspects, though, where I was not confused but a bit thrown off by the style or the description choices. Those choices felt like they didn't reach the full potential they needed to build the scene. I would've maybe omitted them.

Full disclosure - if Sonali Dev writes it, I'm reading it. Happily.

* The first chapter and I'm relating to Vandy as another worst case scenario worrying mom, regardless of the fact that my children are nearly adults (meditation has been very helpful).

Love as a mother
Love as a friend
Love as a spouse
Ms. Dev delves into the intricacies that come along with each of these loves. The characters (main and secondary) are vivid, and realistic

Compelling, complex, and richly written, Lies, and Other Love Languages pulled me right in and held on tight.

Recommended!


Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
I absolutely love Sonali Dev's stories and this was no exception!

Vandy Guru has build her career teaching others how to look within themselves to find the answers they're seeking. From what started as a weekly column in a newspaper, Vandy travels the world speaking to millions, helping make sense of their challenges. If only there was some way that her work could help her deal with the loss of her husband. Her grief barely allows her to function and she is in constant worry about losing her one and only daughter, Malika.

Malika loves to dance and is a wonderful choreographer that is currently working to choregraph dances for her families upcoming wedding. Her career is at a standstill as all opportunities seem to slip through her fingers and her one love is engaged to be married to someone else.

One fateful day, an opportunity for a genetic study appears and she that maybe she'll find the answers she's looking for only to discover a secret that she didn't see coming. With her whole world turned upside town, Malika takes off in search of answers, with her mom trailing after her, worried about what the truth will do to her family.

Rani Parekh, Vandy's childhood best friend, holds the truth in her hands and could be the one to put Vandy's family back together.

This was an absolutely wonderful story on the strength and power of friendship and love. I loved the characters, as each woman had her own personal strength and struggles. They each tried to work through their struggles on their own but in order for it all to make sense, in the end they all needed each other.

I love her books! Although I have enjoyed her books based on Austen more, this one had all of the emotion and drama.

"Lies and Other Love Languages" by Sonali Dev is a captivating and emotionally rich novel that explores the complexities of love, relationships, and personal growth. Dev's writing effortlessly immerses readers in a world filled with intricate characters and thought-provoking themes.

One of the standout elements of the book is Dev's ability to craft multifaceted and relatable characters. The protagonist's journey of self-discovery, as well as her struggles with trust and vulnerability, are portrayed with depth and authenticity. The supporting characters are equally compelling, each bringing their own unique perspectives and experiences to the narrative.

Dev's exploration of love languages adds an intriguing layer to the story. Through her nuanced portrayal of different communication styles and emotional needs, she highlights the challenges and rewards that come with understanding and connecting with others on a deeper level. This theme adds depth and complexity to the relationships depicted throughout the novel.

The book also excels in its ability to balance heartfelt moments with moments of levity. Dev's writing style is witty and engaging, providing a refreshing and enjoyable reading experience. The pacing is well-managed, with the story unfolding at a steady pace, keeping readers invested and eager to discover what happens next.

Additionally, the book delves into thought-provoking social issues, such as cultural expectations, family dynamics, and the power of honesty. Dev navigates these topics with sensitivity and grace, offering insightful commentary and fostering empathy in the reader.

If there is any room for improvement, it could be in further developing certain secondary characters or subplots to enhance their impact on the overall story. However, this is a minor observation in an otherwise engaging and well-crafted novel.

Overall, "Lies and Other Love Languages" is a captivating and heartfelt read that showcases Sonali Dev's talent for crafting intricate characters and exploring complex themes. It is a compelling addition to the contemporary romance genre, and fans of Dev's previous works will undoubtedly find themselves enthralled by this latest offering.

Sonali Dev's books are always a treat! I loved her other series. But this one was really good. I would recommend for a quick summer romance read.

If you have never read Sonali Dev, first off - why not? And second off, run and read all of her books if you haven’t! This book is told through alternating perspectives of 3 women whose lives are intricately tied together. It tells the story of love, loss, trial, friendship and ultimately familial love! I could not put this book down! I had to slow myself down and re-read sections because I found myself skimming ahead just to find out what would happen!

A wonderful novel about love, loss and lies. The three narrators are the strong Indian women Mallika, Vandana, and Rani and they all have distinct voices. Vandana and Rani tell their story from past to present and Mallika tells her story from about a week prior to present day.

Vandana (Vandy) and her daughter Mallika are reeling from the recent death of their beloved husband and father, Vir. Vandy is a successful advice guru and Mallika is a talented dancer trying to find herself and break into the Hollywood scene. When Vandy is unable to locate Mallika, she fears the worst. With the flashbacks to Rani as a child and how she and Vandy became friends we also learn what led to Mallika being unreachable. The truth takes is from California to India and really weaves a great tale of true friendship, true love, and the pain that secrets and lies can cause. Excellent novel.

Thanks the NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

4 stars.

This was fun to read! I don’t necessarily mean it was a fun book, it was very deep, touching, bittersweet, and loving, but not really funny per se. But I had a lot of fun reading this book because I loved the reading the different stories of three women navigating life, revealing long buried truths, and figuring out their new future. There is a lot of “uncovering” in this book, and the suspense that comes with that, it was very compelling for me.
I didn’t love some of the deception & narrow-mindedness of some of the characters but I appreciated the contributions to the story.
Thank you for the ARC!!!

Oh my goodness this book was absolutely un-put-downable and I was hooked from the very first chapter! Really enjoyed it.

I absolutely loved Sonali's first book so I had to have this. I enjoyed this story but definitely not to the extent I loved her first. Some things I’m still just confused about and felt that some parts of the story were rushed or thrown together. Some random info just tossed in with no explanation.

Lies and Other Love Languages was the first book that I have read from Sonali Dev. Family and their relationships within is the main theme here, and along with multi generational and cultural viewpoints and dual timelines, make this a very colorful read. I don't want to spoil the plot by revealing too much but it is a charming and light-ish story, not quite a rom-com, but still an easy read.

One issue about the writing is that the pacing in the first half of the book felt off. It felt like slow dancing to a super fast disco beat. I think when Vandy kept looking for her daughter, that idea became so repetitive and tedious that it slowed down the new info that came along. It was a struggle to get through the first part.

I loved Vandy and Rani's friendship and how it developed became the heart of the book. I would have loved more details and stories about Rani, which to me seemed to carry more weight than the discord between Vandy and her daughter, which feels like it should have been the back story and not taken so much space.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Loved this book.
What a great love story! If you are looking for something that warms your heart with friendship, love and parenting this is it.
All the characters are heart warming and you can easily connect with each one.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced reader's copy.

Wow, what an emotional toll this book was for the characters. Although slightly predictable, it was well written to keep the reader engaged to watch the story unfold. This story is a classic example of why you should treat people with kindness because you never know what they are struggling with behind closed doors. My one complaint is the first half or so the few comments about ‘colonizers’ in reference to white people. That was uncalled for and took from the story, As a white woman I enjoyed reading the book, stopping to google things to learn about Indian culture. The colonizer remarks made me feel.like Sonali Dev didn’t want white readers.
I read this during my bed rest recovery period after having to undergo a hysterectomy. I do have two children but I also miscarried a baby. It’s been seventeen years since I have spoken to my mother because I didn’t want her to have the opportunity to treat my children the way she treated me, even laughing in my face saying “you probably deserved it” when I told her I was raped. - I mention all of this because these are all things mentioned in Lies and Other Love Languages so I has several parts that I could relate to.

I'm sad to say that, unlike Sonali Dev's last book (The Vibrant Years), I didn't love this one 😕. In the first part of the book, when the flashback chapters were about how Rani and Vanny met and their friendship through their teen years, I loved both characters and was anxious to find out what led to them not having a relationship in their current lives. I liked Rani, in particular. Reading the perspective of Rani as a child, coming from an impoverished and abusive situation in India and learning to trust people in a new country through the relationship she develops with "Vinny" was really moving. As the relationship progressed through time, though, I started to guess how things were going to play out with them and I started to kind of hate Vanny.

The more we learn about Vanny's life, the more we learn about how MUCH she has always had. Her entire life was built upon a large amount of embedded privilege -- she grew up never having to worry about money, had present and loving parents, found a career she loves and that pays her big money, and married the first guy she fell in love with (and the author definitely wants us to know that they were the happiest of all couples, super in love). Apparently, Vanny is this intensely compassionate person who always thinks of others before herself, but she was in a position of power over Rani from the moment they met, and she eventually takes advantage of that position. I just couldn't be okay with that. Some of the ick I felt about Vanny's use of her privilege was magnified when I read Mallika's chapters, and never really came around to liking her character. Her reactions to not having things in her life go 100% perfectly veered toward histrionic, and it made it hard to buy into her as someone who would inspire so much constant, sincere compassion from others and supposed romantic devotion from her love interest. I definitely will give Sonali Dev another shot, will keep snapping up her books as soon as they come out, but this one was just a miss for me. Womp womp.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for letting me read an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

If you are looking for an engaging, heart-warming story with heart, humor, love, loss, and secrets, this book is for you! I’ve read (and greatly enjoyed) The Rajes series, where Dev reimagines Jane Austen’s works featuring an immigrant Indian family descended from royalty. Lies and Other Love Languages explores deeper issues. Will getting what we want make us happy? Will you do anything for someone you love? What is family?

Nearly a year after losing her husband, Vandy Guru is still reeling from the loss. Vir was everything to Vandy and their 27 year-old daughter, Mallika. Vandy, a bestselling advice columnist and motivational speaker, returns from her latest tour to an empty house and no sign of her daughter. She knows that Mallika, a dancer/choreographer, had a big audition for an international movie project and was waiting for a callback. As Vandy tries to figure out where Mallika is and what made her leave, she thinks more and more about her estranged best friend, Rani Parekh.

As the story moves between the present and the past, it is told from three points of view, focusing on Vandy, Mallika, and Rani. The history of Vandy’s and Rani’s deep friendship slowly unwinds while Vandy finds more clues leading to Mallika’s whereabouts. Dev manages to create a beautifully cohesive narrative, with side stories and secondary characters providing additional context and humorous relief, while allowing the reader to experience Indian American culture.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are mine.

Frustratingly I just felt really meh about this book when I finished it.

For the most part, I felt this was a good book. I loved seeing the three strands of the story come together and the truth slowly unfurl.

But, I felt some things were just thrown in. I didn’t understand the relationship with Rex (particularly when they suddenly reveal they’d been together in the past).

This one just wasn’t fully for me. It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t love it.

this was really interesting to read.

i loved the multiple perspectives however i did feel that some of the narration was a bit weak and it felt tedious to read.

i liked the ending for all the characters but some of the way to get there was weird however i didn't really understand why rani had to leave because it wasn't fully clear why. it was explained but i still don't really understand.

i thought all the familial realtionships were really nice to read about it and sometimes, provided comedic relief.