Home has always been a temporary arrangement for Samara Mansingh, a wayfaring wedding photographer and the daughter of a diplomat. When her father is uprooted once again, Samara needs a place to stay in Delhi. Next stop: the Khanna family. Samara’s memories of the Khannas are vague at best, but she doesn’t remember their home feeling so much like a war zone. And the last thing their surly eldest son, Sharav, wants is a houseguest eavesdropping on the chaos.

Sharav has a melodramatic sister pushing back on an arranged marriage, a withdrawn lead-singer brother who won’t sing, and a widowed mother hiding her grief in the garden. Sweeping into the household like a tornado, irrepressible Samara is a practically perfect distraction. She has a mind to help a girl find true love, push a young man to find his voice, and bring a lonely and loving widow out of mourning. Maybe Samara can even get on Sharav’s ruggedly handsome good side.

The only sure thing is that the Khanna family will never be the same again. Neither will Samara, who may finally find what she’s been missing her entire life: a home.

I really enjoyed the story.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I loved the chemistry between Sharav and Samara, but I also thought everything surrounding it was well done. I absolutely loved Samara! The way she made the Khanna family feel like a family again. She was so kindhearted and I loved how she helped multiple different people get out of their shell. I’m not sure if I would classify this as a rom com but the humous moments that were there was great. I was really hoping that Sharav would come to his senses a little sooner than he did, but I liked that there was not a lot of miscommunications that usually comes with this type of romance. The feeling and theme of family throughout of this book made me just want to hug it at the end.

Thank you @amazonpublishing and @netgalley for the gifted copy.

I loved this fun, forced proximity, east indian rom-com! It was a humorous, feel good story that touched on serious subjects within a fractured family. I also I felt fully submerged in Indian culture with amazing depictions of cuisine, fashion, and family traditions.

Such a lively book and for me it was a great introduction to Indian culture that is done in such a great entertaining way. I loved the found family aspect of this book and it really drew me in. Would love to read more by the author.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC
I really enjoyed the writing. The story was different than the usual rom-coms. The characters are well liked, even the villains lol. As someone who is not completely familiar with Indian culture, there was a lot to learn. Highly recommended.

This was my first indian romance story and wow it was absolutely amazing. Loved reading about a different culture. Highly recommend this book.

4.5 ⭐️

There are few words in the English language to describe just how vibrant and beautiful this book is. Samara + Sharav’s relationship was funny, meaningful and so full of joy it was infectious! I absolutely adored the found family narrative woven throughout and was rooting for Samara the entire time. Absolutely adored this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a cute, fast read with just a enough spice and angst. I enjoy multicultural interest romances and based on what I know of Punjabi and other Indian family expectations, it felt accurate. The frenemies to soulmates plot was entertaining and I especially enjoyed the end of the book 'wedding' scene and chuckled quite a bit at a character meltdown and reversal.

I love meeting new characters and reading new authors so I was super excited to pick Never Meant to Stay up. I was immediately swept into the decadence and richness of Dehli society and the dysfunctional Khaana family. This story is perfect for readers who love big families and side characters who have their own storylines. This story is a fun and lighthearted romantic read. The story slow-burns to a dramatic end where you finally get the HEA you’ve wanted all along, with a little chaos and a lot of food. From the start, I enjoyed how this story unfolded and the chaos of this big family’s evolution with a little help from our FMC.

Samara is a wedding photographer in Delhi, staying with her father for the season before returning to NYC. When her father is transferred once again out of state and she needs a place to stay, Samara finds herself on the Khanna’s doorstep. Longtime friends of her father, the Khannas are in chaos and Sharav has no time for a houseguest. His sister is fighting an arranged marriage and his brother barely speaks to him. His mother attempts to put on a brave face but isn’t really able to hide her grief. Samara is a breath of fresh air and sunshine in a house where everyone is struggling to find their way again. And she might just discover a home she’s never had before.

I loved Samara. She is a dichotomy – both a strong independent woman and also a girl who just wants somewhere to belong. The daughter of a widower who works for the state, her childhood was spent moving around and also playing second fiddle to her father’s job. I adored her ability to read people and figure out how to solve their problems. I also enjoyed how this story dipped into other character’s POVs to keep the story going without distracting from the narrative. Samara was a delightful matchmaker and a well meaning and effective busybody. She is always trying to help others and then for her to get her HEA, it was extra sweet. This story had so many “will they finally kiss moments” and an ending that was sweet and so well deserved for Samara.

A very good book that I enjoyed very much.
I couldn't put this book down so I ended up in finishing it in one evening.
Great characters and a cool story.
This new to me author did a wonderful job in bringing them to life and I enjoyed in getting to know them.
Das made me grin and laugh out loud throughout this sweet story too. She's amazing.
The setting of this story is different than what I'm used to reading about but it was truly delightful and the food sounded delicious. It made me drool and sigh at the same time.
I loved Samara. She was a joy and I found myself rooting for her.
I found myself rooting for Samara and Sharav. What a cute couple!
Home really is a special place. I feel like Samara right now. No true place to call home. Maybe someday.
5 stars for this fun and cute read! I highly recommend
Cute cover too. It was what made me want to read it.
My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was such a warm and fuzzy read. When an always on the move Samara gets to finally put down roots with the Khanna family, she realizes the home life she has been missing out on.

Though outspoken and meddling, she touches each family member in a special way. At the top of this list is Sharav, the hot oldest son, who she can’t stop thinking about, despite him being engaged. Though on their own paths, they are drawn to each other in an undeniable way and need to figure out if there is a chance for them to be something more than roommates.

I really loved the fact that there was so much culture in this book! I felt completely immersed in the country and all of it’s wonderful traditions. Plus the food made me immediately want to explore some of the named cuisine throughout!

Such a cute story of found family and true love.

Thank you Get Red PR and NetGalley for this copy!

I absolutely loved "Never meant to Stay." Set in Delhi, it tells the story of Samara Mansingh, the daughter of a world-travelling diplomat with a BFA from NYC temporarily living in India as a wedding photographer. When her father is transferred, she moves in with friends of the family and meets Sharav Khannas, the hot designated driver at a recent wedding shoot.

The Khannas are in a bit of a crisis, with the widowed mother and adult children having their own problems, not to mention Sharav is engaged to every romcom favourite – the bitchy, clueless other woman.

Absolutely nothing unexpected happens in this book, but it was funny and I was highly entertained. I loved Samara, I loved the development of her relationship with the Khannas, I loved the inconvenient attraction between her and Sharav.

Written in third-person from both Samara and Sharav’s point of view, the writing breezes along. A few chapters focus on Diya, Sharav’s sister and these are a bit strange in that there are only two or three chapters, and none from Dhruv (the brother) or Jyoti (the mother). I loved having Diya’s story told in a bit more detail, but because it was so few it stood out as odd.

It was a short book, filled with lots of food, desi moments and Bollywood weddings. There is some very light social criticism (the rampant consumerism at weddings and veiled dowries in the guise of gifts, etc.). I thought Das did a good job of writing for a non-Indian audience by explaining some country / cultural specific items, while also not totally pandering or whitewashing the story.

If you want a light romcom, I would strongly recommend this book. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley but the review is my own.

I enjoyed this book! I liked reading about a culture different from my own & I found the characters (both main & side characters) to be likable. I do with the main characters could have communicated a bit better so that the ending would have felt less rushed. I would recommend this to others who enjoy reading romances!

Classical Bollywood and Indian weddings, what’s not to love!

Samara Mansingh, a wedding photographer, is willing to do anything to stay in Delhi, even if that means moving in with Sharav Khanna and his mess of a family.

This book definitely plays out like a classic Bollywood film. A messy family, plenty of drama, and genuine connection found through love and hardship. It’s very entertaining, although the actual love story should have been focused on a bit more. Nonetheless, if you want a rom-com fix with a Bollywood twist, this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for this ARC.

There’s always that person who lights up a room and sees the best in everyone, and that’s Samara. She’s a wedding photographer who has moved around a lot in her younger years, and now has the opportunity to stay rooted a little longer for once. You can feel her glow straight off the pages and she brings out the best in everyone around her. Even when they are struggling to be true to themselves.

This book examines what really makes each of the characters happy, and how they navigate it when the expectations of parents, family members, and friends are contradictory.

If you’re looking for a slow burn romance with a vibrant main character, and characters who are truly just trying to navigate life the best they can, Never Meant to Stay is it.

Thank you to GetRed PR and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own opinion.

This romance doesn't exactly fit any popular tropes but the closest it gets to possibly is opposites attract. Samara, the heroine comes to live with her father's friend's family while she pursues wedding photography in Delhi. Sparks fly between her and the family's eldest son Sharav in more ways than one, but circumstances make it difficult for anything to blossom between them until it's almost too late. I absolutely love how the author uses the city of Delhi as a backdrop, family traditions but also highlighting the lives of the upper class. The book made me laugh out loud in so many places, the dialogue as well as the narration and inner monologue of the characters had the most effortless and natural humor. The book could do better with emotional depth, it touches upon serious issues about grief, loneliness of the protagonists, as well as other family members dealing with anxiety, self esteem issues etc but it all gets resolved rather neatly. The book does have some convenient villains, but they're also rather comical and their bollywood style stereotypical depicting doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the book.

As someone dating an Indian man, and who is not Indian myself, but has learned much of the culture, I very much enjoyed this book and everything in it. Love the descriptions and the story of different Indian characters.

I really loved this one! I love how firmly rooted in the Indian culture the dialogue and events of the novel were. I was rooting for Samara and Sharav the whole time and was extremely pleased with the ending. Dhruv, Diya and Yash were the perfect side characters too. Never Meant to Stay is definitely worth a spot on your 2024 TBR!

Samara has always been more of a nomad with no real place to call home as her father is a diplomat. When he announces he’s moving onto Africa and Samara still has weddings to photograph for her job, he ends up suggesting she stay with an old well off friends of the family, the Khanna.

Upon arriving she notices this family has a lot of unresolved baggage. It’s made worse by the oldest son, Sharav who is now the man of the house, not wanting her around. Despite it all Samara is exactly what this family needs to heal and come back together.

I really enjoyed this romantic comedy. The culture of Delhi was so rich and fascinating to learn more about. I fell head over heels for the secondary characters almost more so than the main characters at times. I did enjoy our main couple but they spent most of the book pining for each other and there was very little in romantic payoff. I did enjoy the epilogue though and felt it really did pull everything together well.

If you’re looking for a great rom com in the comedy of errors style with a cast of characters you’ll adore then I think you’ll really enjoy this one too!