This was an absolutely delightful finale to this trilogy.

I am obsessed with our MCs and how it all went for them.

Very sad to be saying goodbye to the friend group.

This was one of my anticipated reads this year. It is the third book within the trilogy, 'If Shakespeare was an Auntie'. 'Marriage and Masti' is a modern South Asian story with influences from Shakespearean play 'Twelfth Night'.

The dedication alone spoke so deeply to me. The entire series was just so fun to read. As a Punjabi woman, I haven't seen representation within books where I have identified with characters. In this book, I saw a lot of myself in Veera through her character and personality. I also felt happy to read a book where my mother tongue was a massive part within the novel, since I understand Punjabi (primarily I speak Urdu/Hindi).

The cultural representations through the celebrations and clothing were super important for me, and to see cultural clothing be such a massive part of Veera's character through her wardrobe within the book made this book super close to my heart. An example can be the romance between Deepak and Veera flourish (when he fixed her lehengha/dupatta).

I absolutely adored the trope 'marriage of convenience' and hands down Nisha Sharma wrote this one to justice. The slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance is something I will always love to read. The romance between Veera and Deepak was cute, and their communication was well written. If you like South Asian romances with modern-day influences, then I highly recommend picking up this book.

Thank you to Nisha Sharma and Avon books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I always love a good Nisha Sharma romance! She knows how to do South Asian-American romances so well!

This was a friends-to-lovers scenario so if that's your thing then I highly recommend it! I love a good fake relationship situation and the tension was there so if that's also your thing then I HIGHLY recommend.

As any Nisha Sharma book, there was a good amount of Spice and very well done as well. You also get your dose of a bit of Bollywood romance dramatics and I LOVED it!

Overall, I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a light-hearted and fun romantic comedy novel.

Veera Mathur and Deepak Datta, both struggling with personal and career issues, accidentally end up married after a series of mishaps. As they pretend to be in love for their own benefit, they start to wonder if their feelings might be real, risking everything.

Marriage & Masti is the final book in the If Shakespeare Was an Auntie series. I had mixed feelings about this installment. Deepak and Veera were likable as supporting characters in the previous books, but their personalities felt drastically different once they became the main couple. While I loved their friendship, the transition to a romantic relationship felt forced and I didn’t sense a real connection between them, especially when it came to the chemistry and attraction. Since they were best friends, I was hoping for a deeper emotional bond. I enjoyed Veera’s character, but it bothered me how easily she forgave others and how flexible she was with people who were often stubborn. I had mixed feelings about Deepak. He frustrated me by constantly acting like a victim in situations where he shared some of the blame. Another part that didn’t sit well was how Kareena and Bobbi handled Veera’s feelings of being left out of their friend group. Their conflict felt rushed and it seemed inauthentic for them to quickly reconcile as if nothing had happened. While I appreciated the author’s focus on how big life changes can strain friendships, the chemistry between the friends didn’t feel genuine. However, I did enjoy the reveal of Mrs. W.S. Gupta's identity towards the end which added an unexpected twist to the story.

**Five-Star Review for *Marriage & Masti* by Nisha Sharma**

Nisha Sharma’s *Marriage & Masti* is an absolute delight from start to finish! As the final installment in her Shakespeare-inspired rom-com trilogy, this book beautifully captures the essence of Twelfth Night while delivering a fresh, heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance.

Veera and Deepak’s story is packed with humor, emotion, and sizzling chemistry. Their accidental wedding, complete with meddling families and hilarious mishaps, sets the perfect stage for their journey from fake romance to real love. Both characters are relatable, each grappling with their personal challenges while finding solace and strength in each other.

The banter between Veera and Deepak is sharp and fun, and the emotional depth of their evolving relationship is captured so well by Sharma’s signature humor and heartfelt storytelling. The themes of identity, family honor, and love are skillfully woven into the plot, adding richness to the romance.

Fans of the series will not be disappointed by this satisfying finale. Sharma delivers on every front—romance, humor, and drama—leaving readers both entertained and moved. *Marriage & Masti* is the perfect blend of messy, spicy, and sweet. Highly recommended!

This was one of my most anticipated books of August. And while it was good, I’m not a huge fan of marriage of convenience. I THINK that has to do with my love for weddings and marriage. I LOVE weddings, so to see them there and they’re not as big in the story as they could be irks me I think. But this was fine. I liked it all the same.

Ok so in this one we get the classic marriage of convenience “What have I done?!” scene. After a night of drinking and fun, they know what they’ve done, but they keep calling it fake. It was hilarious because literally no one believed them. They didn’t even believe them. It was clear from the beginning that they were in love and I was terrified because I just knew that meant someone was going to get really hurt. (The third act is still painful tho, don’t get me wrong lol) But I just always have trouble with these because I guess I just don’t understand how in the world they didn’t know they loved each other. It was evident as soon as you met both of them. (Through their POVs of course) However, I DID like all the information we get about weddings in the Indian community tho. I am a sucker for cultural ties in books because I like to know and celebrate all people. This one was no different.

The retelling part I’m not sure about. I could see where the likeness came from, but I just wasn’t as big a fan as I was of the others. Maybe it’s a me thing because I don’t necessarily like Twelfth Night, but still. The little pops of it I did see was fun. And someone else pointed it out because I didn’t even notice it, but the Gupta lady is “W.S” like William Shakespeare. I just want to say I didn’t notice it because I was always thinking “Awwww, she said Avon, New Jersey” I was assuming that they meant the publisher, but I’m guessing it means the actual Avon, New Jersey that I just found out was a thing lol Womp Womp

I think the characters were the worst part of this tho. I don’t want to say which ones because spoilers, but yeah. None of them besides Veera’s mother in law were actually ones that I liked lol And the one “villain” in the story that was there, I don’t know what to even say about that. They were terrible and I just don’t like how they let them go. They said the whole time they didn’t care if that other person was blood, this one shouldn’t matter either.

The spice in this one snuck up on me tho. I caught on when he kept calling her a certain name, but I didn’t think it was going to be LIKE THAT. He kinda caught me off guard. If you’re wondering, its not too much, and I don’t think it was bad. It was more just a surprise lol The romance tho? My GAWD, I wanted to jump into that book at one part. I bet you can guess which one. Because any partner that listened to someone about their wardrobe?! Lordt. That’s all I’m going to say.

I hate that this was the ending to this series. I have loved it so much and I hate to see it gone. Their friend group was one for the books. I remember meeting them in the first one. To get to the epilogue and see all of them together again was so heartwarming. I loved to see them altogether one last time. I do hope we get to see them in another book somewhere again. This group was fun!

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My god, Nisha can write STEAMY and SPICY and still make you feel your feels. Veera and Deepak were a phenomenal end to this series.

Veera fell first, but Deepak fell HARDER and that ONE BED SCENE? Thank you for that Nisha 🫶

If you’re looking for Shakespeare inspired romances, start here and then follow up with Chloe Liese’s Wilmot Sisters.

I typically don't love friends to lovers books, but this definitely worked for me. Veera and Deepak were best friends until one day he's engaged and she's been fired from her job and her world just falls apart. She leaves to travel the world with her twin sister and after one little shipwreck, the only person she can think to call is Deepak.
Deepak's life just blew up. His "fiance" dumped him via social media and there is a PR nightmare, so when Veera calls him, he hops on a plane because he just wants to be close to her. After too many shots they are getting real fake married and both of them have a hard time trying to understand why they weren't together all along.
I love a good drunk married trope, especially in Vegas, but India totally works for me too. Especially when these characters were so obviously obsessed with one another. My whole body would swoon everytime Deepak would talk about his heart hurting and his panic attacks and not realizing he was just so deeply in love that his whole body ached with it. I loved that there was no third act break up and no miscommunication here. They didn't let anyone tell them that thier connection wasn't stable and they were totally committed to one another. Another great Desi book for me to be obsessed with.
Thank you to Avon, Netgalley and Nisha Sharma for this early copy.

Did I finish this book or did this book finish me? This book was everything I needed!
But for real, this book was perfecttttt! Literally had everything I love: marriage of convenience, desi romance, found family, billionaire romance, & so many I can't think of it my head is spinning
Absolutely NO critiques
I just knew I'd love it l'm so sad to see this series come to an end

I loved this so much. I am a big fan of Nisha Sharma and this one was a highlight. It reminded me of Colin and Penelope from Bridgerton season 3 but fake dating and Indian version. I remember Sharma saying the book was like that on Tiktok earlier this year. I will be purchasing a physical copy.

Marriage and Masti is everything I've been wanting in romances lately: heat, chemistry, pining, and friends to lovers! This is a book I'm proud to have on bookstore shelves.

I loved the opening with a “yacht-wreck” and from there the action was always moving. I tore through this book in just a couple days, eager to see where the story was going. The examination of what it means to be the last single person as all your friends are entering committed relationships and particularly the family dynamics around the expectations for “life milestones” were very impactful for me personally. Sometimes I find friends to lovers overwrought, but here I understood how the cultural factors made it more difficult for the leads to express their feelings for each other. I also enjoyed the spice - no one writes a bedroom scene quite like Nisha!

I absolutely devoured Marriage & Masti. This is definitely my favorite of the series (even though I think all 3 are great). Veera may have fallen first, but damn is Deepak down bad lol. Their love felt so genuine and true, even though their relationship started a bit unconventionally and despite Deepak being absolutely clueless a while lol.

I also really loved that this book touched on how it feels to be a successful, single woman and how that can feel both exhilarating and lonely at the same time. I loved seeing Veera stand on her own merit and show her brilliance.

This whole series is so well done. From the romance, to the culture, to the friendships- I love everything about these.

Highlights:
- Romance: MF
- Accidental marriage
- Friends-to-lovers
- She falls first, he falls harder
- Only one bed
- Romcom

Thank you to Harper Collins & Avon Books for a review copy. Decision to read/review was my own. Opinion is my own.

I hate that this series is ending. This was such a good conclusion to the Aunties were Shakespeare series. I think tis FMC was certainly my favorite. I love a forced marriage of convenience....

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Overall, I enjoyed the book and very much appreciate the representation of South Asian characters in a space where they have been underrepresented. Marriage & Masti was a fun and lovely end to the trilogy. I only wish we would have learned more about Deepak, including how and when he realized he was in love. I also found the emotional evolution of Veera and Deepak's relationship from friends to lovers to be somewhat rushed and wished for a bit more insight on their thoughts as they navigated this transition.

Audience: Adult
Plot: 4.5 out of 5
Characters: 4.5 out of 5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ out of 5
Keywords: Romance, Friends to Lovers, Fake marriage, Billionaires, South Asian women, LGBTQIA representation
Tea Pairing: Classic Chai, with a Blueberry scone for Deepak

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley from Avon and Harper Voyager. Thank you! All opinions are my own.

This is the third and final book in the ‘If Shakespeare Were an Auntie’ series. And I’m kind of sad that this is the last one — I loved this series so much!

Marriage and Masti is inspired by Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. It tells the story of Veera and Deepak, who were introduced to readers in the previous two books. Veera, a smart savvy business woman is traveling with her twin sister Sana, and they are shipwrecked. Veera calls the last person she wanted for help—the handsome billionaire, and former best-friend, Deepak Datta. Deepak flies to her rescue, which sets off a chain of events where sparks fly, and hearts are mended.

I enjoyed this book so much — I loved how the relationship between Veera and Deepak progressed throughout the book. I felt that Veera’s relationship with her sister was so relatable, especially how sisters can bring out the best and worst in each other.

Since this is the story of Veera and Deepak, readers don’t necessarily have to have read the other two books before reading the third. However, all three stories are interconnected, and they do provide some context with regard to Veera’s friends Kareena and Bobbi.

Loved the Aunties—we got the same fun banter like the other books, which was great. I really enjoyed reading about the cultural and religious ceremonies that were featured throughout the novel. I would definitely recommend this to fans of contemporary romance, and to anyone who may have read and enjoyed Dating Dr. Dil, and Tastes Like Shakkar. Nisha Sharma is such a fantastic writer, and she is one of my absolute favorites.

I have loved every book in this series from Dating Dr Dil to Tastes Like Shakkar. I think this one may be my favorite. I just adore friends to lovers. Deepak and Veera have been friends and were very close into he got engaged without telling her. He didn’t realize she had feelings for him. I love her fake marriage trope where one is very much real married and trying to woo the other. The romance was so on point and very specific to her which confused her since was trying to keep it fake cause she didn’t want to be hurt again.
This was just so good. They were so good together once he convinced her he was serious. Loved this!
Also we finally find out who the gossip columnist is. Don’t worry there was a lot of family drama and the aunties are never far.

I am not a diehard Shakespeare stan. I cannot insult you with Shakespearean quotes, I haven't read the majority of his tragedies (or even most of his comedies), and my understanding of the Shakespeare historical era are weak at best. However, none of that is true when it comes to Twelfth Night, which is the only play I've read multiple times, and for my own personal enjoyment. And I've got to be honest, while I love a good fake romance/marriage of convenience set in the modern era, this didn't deliver that Twelfth Night goodness that I wanted. I was entranced and reading it because I loved Veera and the assorted cast of characters we've met since the start of this series, but somewhere around the grand declaration of love I just wasn't having it anymore. Certainly recommended if you enjoyed the first two books in this series, or Nisha Sharma books in general, but it wasn't my favorite.

3.5 stars

I am thankful for the arc! I haven’t read the other books in the series so my review is only based on this book.

This book was a really fast, one sitting read. I have really mixed feelings about the story. I really adored Veera and Deepak but I disliked every other character to some degree (except Deepak’s father - his mom was likable until she pulled the do this for my son move that reminded me of mother in laws in every show that will sacrifice their daughter in laws in a heartbeat for their sons). They all irritated me by their actions that lacked any actual empathy or sympathy for Veera beyond words. So much of this, in fact, every bit of this book was extremely predictable. Almost every scene felt like it was plucked out of a Hindi show or movie and then was sprinkled with sex. Even the ending was so Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai coded with how easily everyone forgives each other and are a happy family.

I think I’m so annoyed because the characterization of Veera is so perfect for a great storyline of growth and development but the story was just filled with cliche after cliche. Her situation with her dad is such a common experience that could have been so nuanced but it was treated like a Disney villain arc. A lot of the romance scenes once or twice would have been swoonworthy but being able to predict/clearly visualize which movie/show every scene came from ruined the effect of this being Veera and Deepak’s love story. It felt so generic. Veera was also giving every “bahu” (daughter in law) in every daily soap that was honestly a disservice to her characterization. She forgave everyone at a drop of a hat for hurting her every five minutes when they had done nothing to earn it (specially her twin, who I despised every second of the book).

Deepak was a highlight easily for me, it’s so easy to like him but he also falls victim to the every moment is taken from a show/movie where his actions feel fake and overly trying to be the “men written by woman” vibe which lessens the romance impact but this is probably only a issue if you are also a desi grown on bollywood content. I wish he had been firmer and stayed a bit more the authoritative businessman from the beginning of the book at the end instead of randomly turning into this golden retriever cheerleader for Veera, Sana, and Olivia (which Sana specially did not deserve at all).

I liked the book overall but I wish it hadn’t been so predictable and overdone. I wish we had explored more of Veera’s emotional struggles instead of them being throwaway lines said to Deepak that made him coo at her. I wish we had also gotten to see more of Deepak’s struggles as the expected heir that caused him to be so oblivious for so long. His sudden switch for Veera felt unearned. His forgiveness of Sana and Olivia also felt the same.

Marriage and Masti by Nisha Sharma is a standout finale in her hugely popular If Shakespeare was an Auntie trilogy. A creative retelling of Twelfth Night, this book sees two best friends, Deepak and Veera, getting married on a whim while abroad in India and using the arrangement as a way to advance both their career goals.

Filled with humor, heart and heat, this spicy friends to lovers, dual POV romance was entertaining and lighthearted with cameos from other couples in the series. Great on audio narrated by two standout South Asian narrators, Vikas Adam and Soneela Nankani, this is one not to be missed and is sure to satisfy fans of authors like Sarah Desai and Sanji Patel.

Highly recommended to libraries looking to diversify their romance collections and for fans of contemporary romance told from South Asian perspectives. This book also contains some parental neglect and open door scenes, which may be difficult for some readers. Regardless, romance lovers who have enjoyed the first two books in the series will not want to miss this outstanding conclusion which contains a heartfelt author’s note at the end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!