this is a bittersweet goodbye to a series that started with a bang and slowly descend into a downfall for me. but no matter what happened I will forever love this series for the representation it provided

I was very excited to read M&M after the epilogue of TLS. deepak and veera’s love story was a long time coming. and what better thing to provide angst than friends to lovers with a fake marriage added to the mix… but just TLS I ended up not being that on board with the romance

I might have been very excited and happy the first 20% of the book romance-wise but I rapidly lost interest. one thing about nisha, I feel like is that she tries to put spice as an marketing tool to make people read her books. which I can’t condemn bc the industry is ruthless to women of color and their stories. (no thanks to white supremacy and colonialism). but bc of this presence of spice, it counterbalance the romance. she centered their romance on their seggsual attraction and want of each other and didn’t developed the emotional connection both characters shared by being best friends. the spice was done in such rushed way, the first time they initiated they didn’t even talked about sexual boundaries or anything. and the more the spice came the more it solidified my belief that it was there for the reader better than the story and that really cheapened the romance to me, so much that ended up not even caring for their relationship

BUT, as much as I didn’t particularly enjoy the romance, one thing nisha knows how to do it’s implementing representation and diversity conversation in her stories and she does it well and I loved that in her story more than any romance parts. they are 4 focus points I absolutely loved in M&M

1. the fake marriage thing. it was so focused on the spiritual and cultural meaning and I LOVED THAT. it was so different from the usual white take we have on this trope. for many of us, marriage is a spiritual journey, it means a lot to our family and to our culture yes but it’s much more than that. it’s a personal journey to love, fate and evolution. and that was celebrated just so wonderfully in the book!

2. the generation trauma and generational sexist beliefs. it is known that a lot of BIPOC cultures are embedded in patriarchy no matter how spiritual they are. and as a MENA, I can attest that and I could see that too. in this book it was acknowledged, pushed back and opening a very sensible and interesting conversation about it all. it dismantled the idea that respect to your elders has to be at all costs. and showed that you should hold your stance and your boundaries no matter how close that person is to you

3. being a woman of color and being nice, caring and sweet makes you weak. that such a lame societal belief and veera shows her how it is the opposite. and as someone who tried everyday to be as lovely and respectful as I can, it was a great thing to witness. veera held herself with charisma, kindness, cleverness and shattered this stupid idea and I loved seeing her do that

4. single and married pees disconnecting as they go into their 30’s. losing friendship and communication as we move through life and lose each other’s pace is such a real thing and to see it on page validated this situation so much and I loved seeing how the girls navigated this spiky situation !

so yes, the romance part was not the thing that sold me this last book, but no matter what I will forever love the conversations nisha’s opened with the books in this series. maybe I’ll continue reading her books maybe I won’t but I would recommend them especially for BIPOC women. maybe I am too specific and critic with my romances but maybe you are not and you shouldn’t take my opinion too seriously and lose the opportunity to meet characters that could represent you and make you feel seen!

ratings:
overall: 2.75⭐️
spice: 3🌶️
tension: 3⚡️

💍𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞
🩵𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
💍𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬-𝐭𝐨-𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬

❤︎︎ Veera and Deepak's story has been brewing behind the scenes for quite a while. Our initial encounter with them was in "Dating Dr. Dil," where the seeds of their friendship were sown. And let me assure you, the wait was definitely worthwhile!

♡︎ Veera and Deepak shared a beautiful bond that was evident to their friends and family. Veera was deeply hurt when Deepak announced his engagement. He had taken their friendship for granted, but it only took one Hindu ceremony to make him realize that he yearned to be with her, even if it meant risking his CEO position.

❤︎︎ From the start, Veera had fallen head over heels for Deepak. It took him some time to comprehend his own feelings, but once he did, he made it his mission to win his wife's heart. Their love story was truly remarkable as they both encouraged and supported each other.

♡︎ Their chemistry was effortlessly electric, igniting some very intense and steamy scenes that genuinely left me in awe. I'm going to miss all these extraordinary characters brought to life by Nisha Sharma's amazing writing.

❤︎︎ All in all, if you enjoy the fake marriage trope, this is the perfect book to read! In fact you have to read the whole If Shakespeare Was An Auntie series!

Thank you Avon and HarperVoyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows our two main characters, Deepak and Veera, after a night of drinks and a spontaneous wedding. They decide to keep up the marriage, as it could benefit both of them. As always, a romance ensues where they least expect it.

I really liked the other two books in this series, however, I think that this book is the weakest book in this trilogy. However, there are some things that I did like about this story. I liked the fact that it was friends to lovers. I liked that we saw their connection deepen throughout the novel. I also liked the communication that the couple had, like arguments and betrayals were prevented because they communicated with each other. A third good thing was that there was no third act break up! Which was great!

There are some things that I did not like about this book, however. I think that Deepak had a slight character change from the first two books. Some of his interests were left in the first two books, and I would have liked to see them in this book. This book did lose me in certain parts because of how much everything was, like how, I don't know how else to put it, not fleshed out and unrealistic some things were.

Overall, I would recommend this book for a no thoughts just vibes read!

“Sometimes the people we love can hurt us the most.”

Listen, I do not know how Nisha Sharma has gotten me so invested in this series. I have loved it the entire way through and I’m so incredibly sad that it’s over. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it absolutely did not disappoint.

Veera and Deepak. MY GOD. I’m obsessed with the friends to lovers trope where she falls first, but then he falls harder. Their chemistry just flies off the page. I loved the way their relationship goes from fake to real. It feels realistic and there is never a moment where it feels far-fetched. We don’t get a pile of miscommunication. Instead, they act like the adults they are and they communicate. It's really refreshing to see romance books without the third-act breakup. Even though that is such staple in romances, it feels more realistic for the couple to discuss what they've heard that could cause an issue in the relationship and resolve it together.

I particularly loved Veera’s arc, especially when she feels left out now that Kareena and Bobbi have partners. She feels like she’s looking in from the outside. It’s clearly hard for her to feel like she can’t go to her best friends, and I think that’s so relatable. Vera has been through so much and seeing her build herself back up is so satisfying. Her relationship with her father is strained and I loved that she holds her ground. She doesn't give him an easy out.

And Deepak! Even though his marriage to Veera is only supposed to help his career, the moment he realizes how much time he’s wasted by being engaged to someone else only as a formality made me absolutely giddy. I always love when a romance provides dual points-of-view and anytime we were with Deepak, I was swooning. His determination to not only stay married to Vera but also to help her get her business off the ground is amazing. He sees how smart she is and wants everyone around him, especially her father, to know it.

This series has gotten better with each book, which is not an easy feat.

4.5 Stars I'm so sad that the If Shakespeare Was an Auntie series is over, but I absolutely loved the third and final book, Marriage & Masti!

It's been eight months since Veera Mathur's best friends found their soul mates, the man she fell in love with got engaged to another woman, and her father fired her before merging the family business with another. And now that her twin sister, Sana, has gone back on her word about them starting a business together, Veera is stuck. Deepak Datta can't help but feel relieved when his fiancée announces their separation on social media, though it leaves him in a bad position as he tries to secure enough votes from the board of his family's company to succeed his father as CEO. Suddenly reunited with his best friend, Veera, and celebrating their misfortunes with lots of alcohol, the two end up accidentally married on a beach. But this may not be the disaster Veera thinks it is--it could be the solution to all their career problems. Veera knows it will be tough to be fake married to the man she really loves, but the two will fake it so the board votes Deepak in and Veera can start her own company. As Deepak realizes that his feeling for Veera are more than friendly, the line between fake and real begins to blur.

Veera is definitely my fave FMC from this series. She is an absolute BOSS, fiercely independent, whip smart, and a wonderful friend to all who love her. While it takes Deepak a while to realize his feelings for Veera and vice versa, he eventually gets there 😅 Deepak is adorable and supportive; a perfect partner for Veera with a strong foundation of friendship for their marriage. I wished we had had more of the aunties and their meddling, they are too funny!

Thank you Avon and Nisha Sharma for the ARC!

After reading Tastes like Shakkar, I could not wait to read more about Veera and Deepak! So when I got a chance to read the ARC, I stayed up as late as I could to finish it.
I think this might be my favourite of the trilogy.
Things I loved:
He has money BUT SO DOES SHE! I hate it when books are all about MMCs rescuing the FMC by giving them their black Amex cards.
Veera is smart, independent and a boss AND she is a finance girlie!
Veera has a personality! I hate it when the FMC’s only real character traits are that she’s pretty and quirky :/
Deepak is all of the above too and he is adorable.
They make a great team.
Their friendship is so sweet!
She falls first but he falls harder.


Things that could have been better:
I wish we had more of the aunties lol
I wish we learned more about Deepak and what drives him.

Overall, this book was a 5/5 for me. I could not put it down.

Thank you Nisha Sharma, NetGalley and Avon books for the ARC!

Veera and Deepak are not having the greatest year. After Veera is fired from her dad's company, she and her twin sister decide to travel the world and end up stranded in Goa. Meanwhile, Deepak has just been dumped by his influencer fiancée in a viral Instagram video and desperately needs to escape the country, so he joins Veera in Goa. They drunkenly get married under the pretense of demonstrating a Hindu wedding ceremony, and they decide to pretend to stay married to restore their damaged reputations in the Desi community.

I really enjoyed the friends to lovers and marriage of convenience tropes in this book. Sharma did such a great job of developing the romance between the two characters. There was so much pining and it made me so giddy to see both of them admit their feelings for each other throughout the course of the book. Nisha Sharma always manages to weave in the cutest Bollywood-esque moments in her romance novels, and this book was filled with so many of these moments. I also loved how Sharma included the Punjabi wedding traditions in the book as well. There were several important themes touched on in this book alongside the romance, such as the importance of financial independence for South Asian women and how married women are more "respected" in the South Asian community, and how female friendships tend to change as people start to get partnered up. However, there were some things that I didn't quite enjoy in this book. I found Olivia's character to be a bit cringey, and at some points the business drama was a bit over the top for my taste. Overall, I felt that this was a very well written rom-com and a perfect end to the trilogy, and I'm sad that it's over.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Nisha Sharma for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

🪷Marriage and Masti by Nisha Sharma 🪷

Veera Mathur has had a rough year. Both of her best friends fell in love, her father fired her from her job, and the man she was crushing on got engaged to someone else. After traveling for eight months with her twin sister Sana, Veera finds herself face to face with her former crush in Goa. And before long, she finds herself married to said former crush after his engagement ended in a viral video. Deepak Datta is truly the only one who understands exactly the position Veera is in, but he’s never seen her as more than a friend until now.

Marriage and Masti is the third and final book in the Of Shakespeare Was An Auntie series and is a Twelfth Night adaptation. Twelfth Night has actually been the source material for two movies I unironically love way too much: She’s the Man (2006) and Just One of the Guys (1985). I also loved this book so this may just be one of my favorite Shakespeare plays to see in adaptation form!

This was a perfect book to conclude the series on. It was wonderful to see the Aunties again, and I love how much I learn about South Asian culture in each of these books.

This book is also one of the best executions of the “she fell first, he fell harder” trope because once Deepak falls he is down bad. And whew did I love that 👨🏽‍🍳💋

I recommend this series to all romance readers and all adaptation readers! It’s a really fun, funny, and heartfelt set of romances that also do a wonderful job depicting a unique and vibrant community!

Nisha Sharma has become one of my favorite authors and, not only do I love this series, I am so sad this is the final book in her If Shakespeare Was an Auntie series. This time, it's a Twelfth Night reimagining.

I think fake relationship/marriage of convenience is becoming my favorite trope because of all the PINING. And man, do they pine in this one. It also has a second chance feel, but more about their friendship and finding that again. I loved the pacing of it because they had to get back to being friends again, while also falling in love with each other. Finally letting themselves fall for one another.

I also really appreciated seeing the female friendship aspect and it's ebb and flow because it really does change us when we get older.

Overall, I loved it and will miss all of these characters terribly. At the same time, I'm excited to see what Nisha has up her sleeve next.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

4 1/2 Stars

I always knew Veera's story was going to be a special one, and Nisha Sharma did not disappoint!

The third instalment of this series proves that Shakespeare could have indeed been an aunty. Whilst it has the usual romance tropes (friends to lovers, accidental marriage), it's written in a refreshing way and each chapter had my attention. Deepak and Veera had the right amount of chemistry and I loved seeing their character development throughout the book.

One of the themes in the book is the change in friendship dynamics, especially when you start getting older and the people around you start settling down. I like that I was able to see that transition from Veera's POV. When you're in your late 20s/early 30s, you start seeing changes in your friendships and this is one of the few times that I've seen it covered in a novel.

I loved the element of humour the aunties bring to the book, and I think a spin off series based on them would be amazing. The reveal in Chapter 10 was not what I was expecting.

Thank you, Nisha, for writing books about brown girls like me. I've never felt so seen before, and reading about Bobby, Kareena and Veera had me feeling like they could be me and my friends.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my arc copy

I will read anything Twelfth Night at this point. And combine that with second chance romance and I'm absolutely in love. Being dual POV, I was in love from the start. I adored how it's a combination of second chance romance and he 'thinks' he falls first. We also love a good fake marriage with two characters who have a lot of history. How it's definitely a great PR move, but how there's a real instant connection between them. Marriage & Masti is a loose retelling which has some elements I wish had a bit more space, but in general, I adored this book!

Thank you to Avon and NeGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-marriage of convenience
-friends to lovers
-it's always been you
-pining
-she fell first but he fell harder

Please know I am devestated this series is over. I have adored everything about it. This is the third and can be read enirely as a standalone but I think it i smuch more appreciated in the buildup of watching these two finally FINALLY get together. Veera being the final single one in the friend group, the world giving up on her business prowress, her best friend she's been in love with for a long time constnatly friendzoning her. I just wanted to hug her.

Deepak was a bit oblivious, and definitely not looking for love until an accidental marriage with his best friend wakes him up (did I SAY FINALLY). I loved watching this man just crumble in love for Veera, his best friends laughing around him as it was his time to become a simp. I loved all of the glimpses of our favorite couples, and all of the glimpses of the desi marraige traditions. But most of all I loved watching these two risk their friendship for the love that they both deserved.

Read This Book If…you love a Shakespeare retelling!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Marriage and Masti by Nisha Sharma

Genre: romance
Series: If Shakespeare Was an Auntie # 3
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Setting: New Jersey, Brooklyn, and India
POV: dual, 3rd person, past tense
Tropes: accidental marriage, friends to lovers, longtime crush, fake marriage, billionaire, one bed, exhibitionist kink

My Thoughts:

I always love a Shakespeare or Jane Austen retelling, especially through the gaze of a culture I’m not as familiar with, and this Twelfth Night retelling was no different!

It had so many of my favorite tropes woven seamlessly, as well as a few I don’t typically read. I really appreciated how each of the main characters were trying to protect their own hearts, as well as their partners.

It’s tough for me to pick a favorite from this series, but I think M&M squeaked out the win from me! Overall, it’s a very satisfying ending to this series.

Memorable Quote: “They were both caught up in each other’s arms, holding on like they’d finally found each other, even though they’d been right there the whole time.”

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

I just finished this book and omgg it was so good. There was never a dull moment. I enjoyed reading it so much. The friendship between Deepak and veera was so precious and watching it turn into something more was everything. I liked how Deepak realised that veera was the one for him from his POV. Also the family dimension was realistic in this book. Being myself from a desi family I definitely related how some people in our family understimates women and don't acknowledge their worth. But veera was a resilient woman and watching her fight for her rights was satisfying. The bond between mathur sisters was messy yet full of support and love. Being a elder sister myself I could see where sana was coming from and how she wanted to protect veera. It might feel suffocating sometimes but it was pretty realistic.
I really loved the friendship aspect in the book. The friendship between prem, kareena , Bobby, bunty, Deepak and veera was wholesome. Olivia and sana were added bonus. They are perfect together. I ship them so hard.

Overall I really enjoyed the book. Thank you so much to nisha Sharma and her team for sending me an ARC of this book.💗

What a perfect way to end the If Shakespeare Were an Auntie series! I LOVE Deepak and Veera! In Marriage and Masti we find my favorite trope in romance: marriage of convenience. I mean the perfect way to fall in love/get together in my opinion. Deepak and Veera meet through their friend Prem and Kareena. They form a beautiful friendship but when Deepak gets engaged without telling Veera it puts a strain on their relationship. The thing is Veera has been in love with Deepak for a while and she can’t reconcile him getting married to someone else. But when she needs help Deepak flies to her rescue ending in them married instead. This marriage makes Deepak realize that maybe just maybe Veera means more to him than anything. Can they make this marriage work? Can they convince themselves that these feelings are more than just getting carried away? Veera my sweet Veera! She was such a wonderful character to read about. She is both vulnerable and strong and I loved seeing her find her strength with the help of her loved ones. Deepak is wonderful too! A little bit of a workaholic he believes he will never love anything the way he loves his job but when this man falls it’s hard and true. Just like in business he fights with everything to keep his girl. This was my favorite pair out of the three and again I may be bias but these two have such a wonderful foundation. It only grows and gets stronger as time passes. Nisha knows how to write sweeping romance. It is definitely a favorite romance of 2024. I am so happy to have read this ahead of publication. You are all in for a grand finale! 5⭐️

I was most excited for Veera and Deepak’s story which makes this book all the more disappointing to me. These were not the Veera and Deepak that I knew from the first two books. They were caricatures of themselves and this read more like a billionaire romance than a romcom.

The reason Deepak was engaged to someone else at the beginning of the novel made no sense, him not seeing Veera in a romantic way until the beginning of this book made no sense, the fake marriage made no sense (and not in a good way), Veera’s sister made no sense, Veera’s dad made no sense…. Yeah…. It was very sloppy writing.

For two people who “loved each other so much”, their relationship had no meat to it. It was all lust and “I need you” “I want you” and absolutely no substance. Deepak was no longer a nerdy sweetheart but a strong finance bro…. I just did not understand what happened to his character from book 2 to this one at all.

Anyway…. This is definitely my least favorite of the series and has made me reconsider if this author’s writing is for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc copy of this book.

Easily the best out of the three If Shakespeare Was an Auntie books! I loved this one and I really loved Deepak and Veera. I'll miss Mrs. Gupta!

“Of course, she didn’t blame her. Who wanted to go back to New Jersey.”


First- let me just preface this by saying that this is one of my favorite series, ever. Since moving to VA from NJ, I used this series to help me feel a closeness to the state I grew up in. I laugh at the jokes, know exactly what they’re discussing when they’re in the jersey cities and suburbs. I love it.

Next, if Veera and Deepak aren’t your favorite couple in this series, I KNOW you’re lying. Friends to lovers with an accidental marriage? Swooon.

Veera is such a complex character dealing with SO MANY different emotions and she handles her shit with such grace, even if she has a meltdown in the comfort of her own home. I think we can ALL relate to her feelings towards Karina and Bobbi and the feeling of being left out, hell my heart BROKE for her, but to see them make up was such a sweet moment.

Her dad is also a huge tool and I’m so glad in the end he got what he deserved.

Deepak is such a typical NYC business bro. He can’t see what is right in front of him. He genuinely loves Veera and did so not just as a lover but also as a friend in the beginning. Seeing that transition was special.

The scene at Deepak’s parents house was hot🥵🥵

Overall, one of my favorite books of the year. I am deeply upset this series is over.

Superb installment of this series!

I didn't think that I could love a new book in this series more.

I am obsessed!

Rated 4.5 Stars

Marriage and Masti was a great read. It was a fun, intense, sweet at times, steamy and feel good read with angst and drama. I loved the relationship dynamics as well as the way the fake marriage between Veera and Deepak unfolded. I loved the authors spin on this trope. It was well done. Another thing I loved was the chemistry between the main characters. It was intense yet calm. These characters really surprised me especially Deepak, he had some hidden layers I wasn't expecting but was very much onboard with. I loved them together, they were the perfect foil, the perfect complement to each other. This book overflowed with found family and even biological family goodness. I absolutely loved it. I loved being fully immersed in this reimagined Shakespearean world steeped in South Asia culture once again. It was truly a masterpiece that I highly recommend.