Thank you @BerkleyPub and @BerkleyRomance for the free book and thank you @PRHAudio for the #gifted listening copy of Sunshine and Spice! #BerkleyBookstagram #berkleypub #BerkleyIG #berkley #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #SunshineAndSpice #AuroraPalit #berkleyromance

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐤𝐡
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

𝟒★

This was such a fun one! It included some of my favorite trope all wrapped into one and Naomi and Dev had the most amazing banter. I loved how this book was full of cultural traditions, and it gave me the chance to learn more about another culture and I really enjoyed that aspect. I also really appreciated how this book wasn’t just focused on romance, but took a look at topics such as immigration and creating a sense of identity and community. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it!

🧡Fake Dating
🧡Grumpy x Sunshine
🧡Workplace Romance
🧡Dual POV
🧡Forced Proximity

🎧I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the talented duo, Soneela Nankani and Imran Sheikh. I thought both narrators were phenomenal. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and would highly recommend this one on audio!

Posted on Goodreads on September 17, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around September 18, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on September 17, 2024
**-will post on designated date

This was a quick and fun read with some laugh-out-loud moments as well as ones I cheered for Naomi as an underdog. My favorite part of this novel was the cultural aspects and how Naomi had been kept from her Bengali traditions because of her mom's decision. This added depth to the characters and plot and I wished for more of this part. I liked the friendship between Dev and Naomi and their banter and chemistry and thought the ending, although predictable, was sweet.

DNF @ 40%

I adored the FMC Naomi, and because I like her, I can't in good conscious root for her to have a relationship with Dev. I am a huge fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope. It doesn't bother me that he's grumpy. It DOES bother me that he is rude, particularly to women, and including Naomi.

In the beginning, his mother is setting him up on dates, and he basically igores his dates, and even treats them with disdain. Again, it's not a problem that he doesn't want to go on the dates with the women that his mom sets him up with, but since he is going on them, he should at least be somewhat kind to the women who have to suffer his presence.

He was completely rude to Naomi when he first met her. I got to the point where they have started fake dating - to benefit him - and he is just rude to her during a cooking class they take together.

I understand that in many communitites, it is still traditional for the women to do much of the cooking and caregiving for children, and as long as that's what the women want, that's totally fine. But Dev seems to look down on women's work.

I'm going to give this 3 stars, which may seem extremely generous for a book that I'm DNFing. I look at it this way - if I were in a situation where this was the ONLY book that I had access to, I believe I would finish it, and I would mostly like it and give it 3 stars. But the reality is that I have hundreds of books at my fingertips, and I would rather read something that I adored than something that I liked.

Reading this book made me happy. I enjoyed the story and the romance itself kept me captivated from start to finish. It’s heartwarming with characters that you root for and a plot that’s not repetitive and keeps you involved in the story from start to finish. Honestly, most of all I just loved the interaction between the hero and heroine as they were falling in love with one another.

This was a fun rom-com with a different kind of protagonist set than I typically see. I’ll admit I don’t gravitate most strongly to romance, but there is something about the fake dating trope that gets me and this book fit that. It also has grumpy/sunny which I thought was good but while Naomi was a little muted from a stereotypical sunny (Which I loved, way more realistic) Dev was a little exaggerated for me as a grumpy which detracted a little for me at times. I loved the cultural pieces of this book, both the details I’m not familiar with and the dynamics between generations with immigrants and a character completely cut off from her culture. Naomi is desperate to get the rebranding job of Gio’s Bazaar shop because since going on her own money is very tight. Dev, Gio’s son, is struggling to avoid the matchmaker and potential matches his mother is forcing his way. They decide to help each other Dev with advice on the bazaar and Naomi pretending to be his girlfriend to make prospective matches leave him alone. The beginning was a bit slow, but overall it was a fun, light, good debut.

Naomi Kelly has opened her own business, and she needs a new client fast, or it’s scrambled eggs and ramen for the next month. As a brand consultant, she knows how to take a struggling business and turn it around. But her passion is to help the small, family-run businesses, and in her town in Canada, that means fitting in with the local Bengali community. She’s Indo-Canadian herself, but her mother hasn’t been a part of the Bengali community for a long time, and Naomi grew up without much connection to her Bengali heritage.

She’s gotten a chance to pitch to Gia Mukherjee, and she has to get this right. Gia has been running a bazaar for many years, and it used to be community hub. But then her husband had a stroke, and she had to close the store to help him. Now she wants to build up her business again, but the store is filled with kitschy knickknacks that no one wants to buy. The other stores in the strip mall where she is have changed, and Gia’s needs a whole new plan. Naomi can see that immediately, from the tacky tchotchkes that fill the shelves and the layer of dust over them.

Meanwhile, there is one thing Gia wants more than the rebranding of her bazaar. She wants her son Dev to settle down and get married. She’s even hired a matchmaker, and the matchmaker jumps right in with several women who she thinks would be perfect for Dev. It’s all set. Except for one thing. Dev isn’t interested in getting married, and certainly not to any of the women the matchmaker has found for him. So when he’s at the store and Gia drops by to do some more research for her pitch, Dev takes her for one of the women he’d been set up with and tries to shut her down.

When Dev realizes his mistake, he apologizes. But it gives Naomi an idea. She can pretend to be his girlfriend, scaring off the women the matchmaker will send his way, if he helps her out with the rebranding of the store and helps her fit in better with the Bengali community. And Naomi has a great pitch—to turn the bazaar into a coffeeshop. It will bring the community back to Gia’s and give customers a much-needed cafe. It will take a lot of work to transform it, but Naomi is up for it. And she has to do a good job, to get referrals throughout the community.

But when the fake relationship stars to throw out real sparks, Naomi and Dev find themselves in a difficult position. They need to decide for themselves if their family expectations are more important to them, or if love is.

Sunshine and Spice is a sweet rom com that looks at the way social norms influence us and how love can disrupt the status quo. Aurora Palit’s story of love and family has spice and humor and lots of heart. It’s about finding your own voice in a family and chasing the dreams that mean the most to you.

I really enjoyed Sunshine and Spice. I liked these characters and couldn’t wait to see how things would turn out. I especially liked how they wanted something different than what their families wanted for them, but they found ways to balance their independence with their family obligations. Learning more about Bengali culture was fascinating, and seeing how their relationship played out is just lots of fun.

Egalleys for Sunshine and Spice were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I’ve been really looking forward to this one since I saw it on an email. It was so insightful and clever writing. It felt like I have read this book before, the characters were so wonderful to read about and it felt like this book was just MEANT to be loved

Aurora Palit was a new to me author and I went into this not knowing what to expect, but Sunshine and Spice was a quick, fun read! I enjoyed the characters, their cultures, and their personalities. I especially loved reading about Naomi and Dev’s family lives and the relationships they had with their parent. I always enjoy a fake-dating trope, but the addition of the South Asian cultural aspects of this story really made the book shine. Fans of Sonali Dev will like this book.

I love it when a romance is more than just a romance and gives the reader more substance! And this is one of those books! I love a diverse read, where I can learn about another culture. I wish more readers would be willing to read a book about a culture different from their own. When you don't, you are missing out on wonderful books!

This is a wonderful book! Dev is under pressure to get married, his mother has hired a matchmaker. Naomi is hired by his mother to help the family's ailing business. The two are thrown together, and fake dating ensues! Dev is under pressure to follow his family's Indian traditions. Naomi is also facing cultural dilemmas. Can the two find love, or are the cultural dilemmas so strong that they will keep them apart? Can Dev choose between pleasing his mother or following his heart?

I am a fan of Indian shows, including the Indian Matchmaking on Netflix. So I loved the matchmaking aspect of this story.
This a well-paced romance with the familiar tropes, including forced proximity and fake dating. But the cultural aspect enriches this romance.
Pick up this book, you won't be disappointed.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

While I loved Naomi from the first time we met her, I wasn't as sure about Dev the potential love interest, or that I would be able to connect with both of them throughout the story. I really loved Naomis' interest in learning all about her Bengali roots, and the traditions they hold, something she didn't get raised by a mother who ran from the expectations of her family and all the things that go along with being Bengali. She really immerses herself in Dev's family and loves every moment, while at the same time, Dev is bucking against what his family expects of him, and doesn't really feel like he fits in with his family. (this is the part that I could most resonate with, while I love my family lots of times I feel like the odd man out especially in group settings)

The romance was cute the grumpy/ sunshine trope is in full effect. I did enjoy seeing Naomi pull happiness and joy out of Dev, especially in the moments when he least expects it. Naomi's vision for the Bazarr was beautiful and heartfelt, and she pulled off the perfect place for Gia and the rest of the Bengali community to come together.

Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit is a cute romance focusing on different cultures. It was a unique read getting to learn and experience the Bengali and Canadian cultures. I love Naomi and her quest for adventure and learning about her roots. Dev is a strong male character who meet Naomi on this adventure. Their chemistry is addicting and made me want to know more and keep reading their story. This is an adorable read and I loved it! This author was great and I can't wait to read more from her in the future.

This is such a sweet grumpy sunshine fake dating book! Dev and Naomi are the perfect match!

I really appreciated seeing Naomi’s experience and how different it is from most South Asian books. She didn’t have any real fire to her cultural identity, but she desperately wanted to. This is such a sweet story about finding yourself.

Thanks to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, PRH Audio and
for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for free in exchange for my review! I was also lucky enough to receive an ALC from the Penguin Random House Audio Influencer Program. @prhaudio #PRHAudio #PRHAudioInfluencer
All opinions are my own.

This was a delightful romance. I loved the fake dating premise. I also enjoyed learning about the Indian culture. I thought Dev and Naomi made a wonderful couple. I also loved that there were mixups about who Naomi really was in the beginning and how they were initally enemies but decided to (fake) date to appease Dev's overbearing Indian mother.

I also thought the audiobook was very well done. Soneela Nankani seems to be an up and coming talent in the audiobook world as I have seen her name listed as the narrator of many audiobooks recently. I was not familiar with Imran Sheikh but I thought he also had a great voice and he complimented Soneela Nankani's voice nicely.

Overall I thought this was a swoonworthy and cozy romance for fall. I look forward to reading many more books written by Aurora Palit in the near future!

Thank you again to Berkley and PRH Audio for granting me early access to the ebook and audiobook! I truly adored this book and highly recommend it for your romance TBR!

Naomi is a brand consultant hoping to get the opportunity to transform a local bazaar into something special. The problem is the owner is very in touch with her Bengali heritage and Naomi never grew up being taught the traditions of her culture. After Naomi gets the job, she makes a deal with the owner’s son Dev. Naomi will pretend to be Dev’s girlfriend and help fend off his mother’s matchmaking if he gives Naomi some help with the rebranding of the bazaar. As the two spend more time together their opposite personalities attract. But Naomi would never be a suitable match for Dev in his mother’s eyes. Will the culture clash keep the two apart or will their headstrong families find a way to come together?

I felt this grumpy/sunshine romance brilliantly delved into the topics of familiar pressures and expectations to be very relevant. Also how different generations of immigrants decide to connect to their heritage and culture. What a wonderfully enjoyable romance!

Great book for newbies to the romance genre!!!

Great fake dating and cultural identity. I appreciate the build to the spice and I do love open door spice.
There are great moments with family bonding as well.

It could have pushed more for someone who read romance so much like I do. It could have pushed more on the romance.

Naomi is a brand consultant, branching out her own and trying to gain trust and clients in the community. Naomi is a second generation immigrant with roots in South Asia, and despite her mom's reluctance and aversion to the culture, Naomi wants to rebrand local Indian Bazaar. Dev, the son of the owner (and first generation immigrant from South Asia), is heavily involved in the rebrand, and is also the victim of an unwanted matchmaking scheme. To avoid potential brides, Naomi and Dev pretend to date when the need arises. But Naomi's happy spirit starts to break down a stoic Dev and feelings develop. Naomi, seeking cultural acceptance, and Dev, wishing he had less cultural responsibilities, attempt to navigate working together and they discover important things about family, love, loss, and customs.

💭 This was a great debut novel and I can't wait to see what else this author has in store! Dual POV, a grumpy x sunshine, a new to me culture - I learned a lot and loved the contrast between someone trying to escape certain customs and someone trying to find acceptance with them. This book definitely gave me some insight into how immigrant families create community and support each other, trying to keep their customs and traditions alive. I loved how Dev was a stereotypical accountant who was willing to come out of his shell for Naomi.

4 ⭐️
This book was such a cute, easy read for me and I’m so glad I was able to get an ARC for it. I loved the premise: fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, but also I wanted to dive into stories that represented different cultures and I loved that I learned so much from this book and its storyline. Naomi & Dev were so cute and funny with their banter AND their denial lol. I also really loved the immigrant representation & the expectations that come from older generations. I definitely related to that and was so glad that there are stories where I feel validated. This is definitely on the contemporary romance side, so the spice isn’t THAT spicy but the story I think, didn’t need that. It stood on its own.

Book comes out tomorrow!! Sept 10 🫶🏼
Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. :)

Matchmaking, fake dating, a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, and Desi culture: All that and more is in Sunshine and Spice, the debut novel by Aurora Palit. I was first drawn to this book for its cute cover and the title, but the joy only grew as I began reading it. Set in Kelowna, British Columbia, it’s about a Bengali-Canadian named Naomi who recently started her own business as a brand consultant. Her newest client is Gia Mukherjee, also Bengali-Canadian, who is looking to relaunch her store. But Gia is unimpressed by Naomi and her lack of cultural identity. Meanwhile, Gia’s son Dev is in his 30s and still single, which means it’s time for a matchmaker. Dev doesn’t want to be pushed into marriage, and Naomi needs more cultural knowledge to do her job. So Naomi and Dev decide to fake date while he teaches her about Bengali customs. It’s a win-win, right?

Tropes & Narrative Devices:
- Fake dating
- Opposites attract
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Matchmaking hijinks
- Dual third-person POV (Naomi and Dev)

What I Liked:
- Culture and discussions about immigrants and identity. I loved getting to know more about Bengali culture and how it fits within the greater Desi culture. From the food to the community celebrations, it was fun to learn about it as a non-Desi person myself, but also from the perspective of Naomi. She’s Bengali-Canadian, but due to events in her mom’s past, she’s been raised completely outside of that culture. She knows very little about Indian and, more specifically, Bengali customs, yet she longs to learn more. I loved getting to see Naomi’s perspective as being part of yet separate from such a major part of her identity. There are some great examinations of expectations based on immigration and first- or second-generation family.
- Family relationships and disagreements. Speaking of, I loved exploring the various family members on both Dev and Naomi’s sides and the very different attitudes they have. Dev’s mom, Gia, comes at things from the opposite end of the spectrum compared to Naomi’s mom, Sue. Naomi, Dev, and his siblings all fall somewhere in the middle in terms of cultural identity, views on roles within a family, and what kind of marriage makes sense for them.
- Matchmaking! Gia hires a matchmaker for Dev, but he does NOT want to be part of this. Naomi posing as his secret fake girlfriend seems like the perfect solution. He doesn’t want a marriage of any kind, let alone an arranged marriage… yet the more time he spends with Naomi, the less a long-term relationship seems like something to avoid.
- Naomi and Dev’s opposite personalities. She’s sunshine, he’s grumpy. She’s good at talking to people, he tends to put his foot in his mouth. Underneath his rough exterior, Dev is caring and sweet and always helping others, but he’s also afraid to rock the boat. Naomi is independent and curious, but she needs to learn to genuinely open up to others. I enjoyed seeing how they each bring out the best in each other.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- Nothing, this was great!

Final Thoughts
Sunshine and Spice is a wonderful debut! I loved all the cultural discussions, the main and secondary characters, and the overall cute vibes. I definitely want to read more from Aurora Palit! And is it just me or was there some setup for a second book? Cynthia and her coworker? Let it be so, because I would love to read that.

Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit is a fast paced and fun Desi, Hindi, romance that explores the themes of belonging, identity, and the challenges of being an outsider looking in. This is a story about finding your roots and embracing your blessings. It's about finding out who you want to be, even if it's almost exactly the opposite of what you always thought it was. It's about following your heart and deep connection. It's about hard work and paving your own way. It is a rich tapestry of themes, layered with flavor and spice, just like almost any meal in traditional Indian cooking.

Naomi Kelly, a brand consultant, teams up with Dev Mukherjee, a man caught in his mother's matchmaking schemes, to fake-date in order to help each other with their predicaments. In exchange for trying to shield him from his potential matches, Dev agrees to give lessons in Bengali culture to help her rebrand his family’s local bazaar. The author does a great job in weaving together the characters' personal journeys while also shedding light on sensitive topics and cultural expectations. Sunshine and Spice is a heartwarming and thought-provoking debut novel that explores the complexities of identity, belonging, and love; with no shortage of family, food and tons of fun.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#NetGalley #Berkley

Sunshine and Spice was a sweet book. I liked that the book focused around culture, heritage, and identity. I enjoyed Naomi and Dev's characters. I thought Naomi and Dev were great matches for each other. It was cute how Naomi pulled Dev out of his grumpy shell. Their juxtaposition was fun to read. Palit did a wonderful job with Dev and Naomi's chemistry and banter. I liked that they had alternating chapters. Surprisingly, I didn't mind the author's writing style. I usually struggle with third-person narrative, so kudos to Palit for creating a well-written narrative. My biggest gripe with this book was the ending. I felt like the ending could have been resolved better. Gia and Naomi's ending felt too cookie cutter for me. Overall, this was a fun and easy read! Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.