Sonali Dev never disappoints. I love the writing and the way she tackles issues, the way her characters tackle big things. This one with Mira coming back around to her brother, finding herself even when she thinks she's already found, and going on this adventure to find the owner of a ring she found in Times Square NYC is captivating and I just couldn't get enough. Mira's journey was so lovely. The end was just perfect and I'm so glad they got there.

#arc
#netgalley
#theressomethingaboutmira

Mira honey when you end up going on an engagement trip alone that should be a sign to kick the guy to curb. She finds a lost ring and Krish Hale a journalist who acts like he just wants a story agrees to help her find the owner. Technically this one is a love tringle and I generally hate those but I don't consider this one a love tringle cause I'm pretty sure Mira's fiancé has one foot out the door. I found the banter between Mira Krish good and I did enjoy the story.

There is Something about Mira by Sonali Dev is a modern romance centered around a young Indian-American woman named Mira who is thirty years old and a physical therapist who specializes in pain management. She is engaged to an orthopedic surgeon named Druv. Both sets of parents, well, mothers, really, are thrilled and much more invested in the wedding than are the bride and groom. Druv wanted to introduce her to New York City, but here she was, rescheduling the flight for the last time. The airline would not do it again. Then, he announces he cannot go. She decides to go by herself. Her mother is aghast, but it is not that first time Mira has upset her. First on her list is the Empire State Building. On her way there, she trips and falls, and finds a ring on a chain. She becomes obsessed with finding the owner. She has gone to see her brother, Rumi, and his live-in boyfriend, Sak, which she has been forbidden by her mother to do. Gays is not OK. The boyfriend becomes just as interested; he is a high-end jeweler and introduces her to someone he knows, Khrish, who has already seen Mira’s post on social media, is a newspaper reporter, and all in. Mean while we are monitoring a correspondence between two women friends from thirty years earlier. There is a lot going on.

For Mira, this is a journey of discovery. She had been an old maid when the most handsome man around took and interest in her. Why would she not want that? Her mother did, but then she pretended Rumi was dead because he loved a man. The two women from earlier turned out to be important to the story as Krish and Mira traveled to India to find one of them. Mira was a strong young woman who hadn’t quite settled into her self yet. It was kind of a coming of age story for her. Several sets of eyes were opened throughout the process. It was a saga with a plot. Things changed for everyone during the years or so this story took place and the reader was on the journey. If anything, I would say it was a little wordy. Good book.

I was invited to read There is Something About Mira by Lake Unions Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #UnionLakePublishing #SonaliDev #ThereIs SomethingAboutMira

What a lovely, well written story. This book was a wonderful surprise and totally not what I thought it would be! I wouldn't call it a rom-com, but there is romance involved, certainly. I appreciated the way this book brought readers into the challenging dynamics of being born into a family structure that doesn't serve you or your true identity, and how to break out of that.

Would recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance copy of this novel.

This was so different than what I expected. By the cover and the description, I expected a light-hearted RomCom, but it was so much more. This book was filled with adventure, love, social issues, mystery and a dash of drama. It was a little slow at the beginning, but it did pick up. I think Mira’s struggles to be herself and be heard are relatable. The way of parents born in a different country are most times not the way of the world we grew up in. Mira is torn by her duty to her parents, her love for her brother and her need to be herself and do the right thing. You will be cheering for Mira through it all. Many social issues were touched upon, showing how far we’ve come and how much farther we need to go. The characters are all strong, all dealing with their own issues. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I look forward to reading her again.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Warm, engaging & tender.
Honestly, I think my favorite yet from the author.
So enjoyed the characters & story.

With thanks to NetGalley and Amazon/Atria Publishing for this e-ARC.

1/5 stars: This is Dev's stand-alone which is a BIPOC Romance that follows an Illinois woman who finds herself alone on her New York engagement trip as she unexpectedly teams up with a journalist to reunite a lost ring with its owner and ends up discovering herself along the way. Dev's writing and character work are nicely done; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. Dev does takes on some very serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me; leading me to DNF it at 11%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

“When you’re true to yourself , even when something hurts, it feels good. When you’re betraying yourself, even when something is supposed to feel good, it hurts.”

Mira Salvi hasn’t a thing to complain about with a fiancé everyone adores and a job she loves, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone. While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. Only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.

I didn't expect to be so into this story but from the first chapter I was hooked. The ring led them to places they didn't anticipate and with it came all the trouble they didn't see coming.

Along the way, Mira had some introspection of her own as she began to uncover parts of herself that she didn't know she had. I loved seeing her come into her own.

It all came to a head when she had to make a decision on whether to upend her life or stick to the status quo. I loved how it all ended. Such an amazing read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 5⭐
Steam level: 1🌶️ Kissing only

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book but omg I loved it. I literally felt I couldn't put it down and I needed to follow Mira.
I did cry, it made me cry a few times, but that's good!!!
Will definitely read more from this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"There's something about Mira" is the first book I ever read where the main protagonists, nay, the whole cast, was Brown. I found this incredibly refreshing, and the fact that it was written by an Indian-American author made it feel very authentic.

The main story is about Mira's engagement trip to New York (alone, as her fiancé is busy with his career as a doctor), the mysterious ring she finds in the street, and her quest to find her owner. The secondary story though, is how Mira went from a dutiful daughter to finding her true self. By the second half of the book, Mira was sometimes selfish, moody, irritably, egoistical, which didn't endear her to me — but at the same time, that's the whole point of the story. She went from hiding herself behind the perfect façade of a devoted daughter that her parents moulded her into; to being someone who's allowed to feel a whole range of emotions and live her own life rather than fulfil others' expectations.

While there is an element of romance with the brooding and arrogant journalist Krish Hale (who I didn't love much either, I think I prefered Druv!), it wasn't the main point of the story. Several secondary stories intertwine with the main narrative. I loooved Sasket (his character was spot on!) and although I didn't expect to find queer love in this book — I loved that it wasn't marketed as such — it was actually a really pleasant surprise. I also grew to love Vasu and Suru's story, which we mainly discovered through letters. At first, I thought their correspondance interrupted the story, but then I ended up really appreciating them — the last one was particularly touching. I'm just disappointed we didn't see much of the end of their story.

I found the final chapters a little rushed, the resolution is a little too easy — let's tie all the loose ends with a neat little bow —but the epilogue was necessary without being too final.

To me, the strength of the story is in the depiction of the secondary characters — Mira's parents and Sasket seemed so realistic they must have been based on real people — and the portrayal of the struggle to find one's own identity, beyond family, race and culture.

*I received a free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion*

I really enjoyed this latest from Sonali Dev that has Mira Salvi, an engaged Desi woman visiting her estranged gay brother in NYC finding a ring and trying to track down its rightful owner with the help of Krish Hale, a reporter with his own mysterious connection to the ring. Part family mystery, part romantic suspense and full of drama, romance and action.

This book really had it all and I loved seeing Mira stand up for herself against her homophobic parents and find the true love of her life where and when she least expected. Great on audio narrated by Soneela Nankani and perfect for fans of authors like Sara Desai. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The description of this book sounds just like a fun Hallmark movie so I thought this would be a nice light read. While it does have some of the elements of the Hallmark story, it’s so much more than that. I loved everything about this book, the search of the ring’s owner, the truth about why they are searching, and the fun adventures (and some harrowing) they have along the way. But where this novel really shines is in the character development and the people Mira becomes as she continues through the book and how she learns to be her true self. Highly recommended for a heartwarming read with just the right amount of romance.

This book had me in a chokehold the entire time. It's a bit different from the books I usually read, but I ended up loving every minute. Mira is getting married to a sweet and wonderful man who is also a busy surgeon. They are supposed to go on an engagement trip to New York. However, he has to stay behind because his business partner gets hurt and he has to perform the surgeries. Mira goes on her own where she meets up with her brother and his fiancee. Mira and her brother have a complicated relationship with their parents. Mira is the pleaser and because her brother is gay, her parents have disowned him. While Mira is in New York, she finds a necklace with a ring on it. She is dead set on finding the owner. She feels like this is why she's here in New York. She posts a video on social media. The video goes viral. One of her brother's friends, a journalist, finds her and offers to help her find the owner. She declines at first, but her quest turns complicated when someone tries to steal the ring. The journalist, Krish, and Mira set off on an adventure. In the process, Mira figures out a whole lot about what she actually wants in life.

This book was fantastic. The writing and conflict were amazing. Mira's character ARC was absolutely beautiful. I couldn't get enough of this story. Huge thanks to Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

DNF at 22%. This wasn't bad by any means I just really wasn't connecting with the characters and the long letters in between some chapters pulled me out of the story. I might try this one again via audio but I wasn't interested enough to continue reading this one with my eyes.

This is a coming of age story. Even though the heroine, Mira, is 28, she's never lived a life of her own. When her twin brother acted up as a teen and then finally came out as gay, he was cut from the family as though he never existed. Mira then had to become the perfect child. She made one mistake at 17 and has never been able to live it down.
Now, at 28 she has managed to bring great favor on her family by becoming engaged to Druv. He's an important surgeon with rich parents. The perfect Indian husband. However you can see his work will always come first. He's not a bad guy just and Mira was happy to fit into the traditional Indian wife mold.
Then she went to.NY. They were supposed to go together but of course his job got in the way. He encouraged her to go alone not ever thinking she'd be changed forever.
In NY her whole life takes a turn. Like a moth changes into a butterfly, she begins to let the real Mira emerge. Her quest brings her a partner in the search - Kitch. He's an Indian but was adopted by white parents and so didn't share her heritage.
As the search takes them around NY and then into India. They each begin to open up. As each layer unpeels like an onion they each reveal things that have been hidden forever. They both grow internally.and together as they continue their quest for the owner of the ring.
The ending has some tears before finally there is a shining happy ending. It takes a while to get there but it is worth it in the end.

Sonali Dev does it again...

Mira has the perfect life. A doctor for a fiancé, a successful career and a close knit family. On a trip to New York without her fiancé, Mira finds a lost ring a some one she never saw coming. Krish. Mira has this happy, perfect life. She's in a great place. It only takes one lost ring, the guy writing about her search for its owner for her to rethink her perfect life. I really liked that Mira was in a healthy good place and had a chance at something even greater.
Well done.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I have enjoyed reading other books by Sonali Dev and was excited to get this one. I am going to be honest...if I had known originally that a large portion of the book was about "gay love" I may not have started it. I wish the book blurb mentioned that. However, I am glad that I continued beyond that discovery because the writing was lovely and so emotionally charged.

Mira had what appeared a full life with a loving fiancé, good job...living the kind of life to make her Indian parents proud as they planned an elaborate wedding celebration to Drev. When Drev cancels an engagement trip (again) due to work, he encourages Mira to go to NY without him. A place where her twin (gay) brother and his partner live. The brother that her parents have disowned. I was really not a fan of her brother, Rumi, for most of the book. Yes, he had a hard road to travel and many unkind situations that happened, but his anger was so misguided toward his sister. The last part of the book I felt a little better about his character after their heart to heart.

The mystery to discovering the owner of the ring and the addition of Krish to the storyline was so good. Mira and Krish, their relationship as well as their journey to self-discovery was beautiful and also painful. The letters between Vasu and Suru and the unveiling connection to the ring brought everything full circle.

The author did a good job of not vilifying Drev, the fiancé. Mira truly had two lovely men who wanted her, but only one would be the one to let her truly be her real self. And a special shout out to the potential mother-in-law (Drev's mother). While she was only a side character, she was genuine and wanted what was best for Mira. Unlike Mira's mother...grrrr. We do get a little bit of reconciliation at the end, but I wish there was an honest, heartfelt apology with a true understanding of how horribly Mira (and Rumi) were treated. Especially with what happened to Mira as a teenager.

4.5 stars

I love Sonali Dev’s books. They are so layered and beautiful. There’s always something deeper going on and sometimes we have to get through the hard moments that the character has gone through to come out happy on the other side, it’s a beautiful journey. I know this book was featured as an Amazon first read and I’m sure that led to some new readers condoning Sonali. That’s great but I also imagine they might have expected something lighter with the book description. The storyline starts off with Mira going to NYC without her fiancée because he can’t get away from work. He is a good guy but he is very busy as a doctor and he has rescheduled the trip so many times that they will lose the money if Mira doesn’t go alone. And Mira really wants to go, she’s built a NYC up from Nora Ephron movies (who can blame her!) and more than that, her brother lives there. But we’ll get back to him.

When Mira arrives, she isn’t there long before getting bumped and falling onto her butt. She finds a ring on a chain near her. And that’s where the course of this book changes because now Mira’s path is different, now Mira must reunite the ring with its owner.

First Mira posts a video about the ring she the post goes viral. Lots of creeps reach out to Mira. And then she meets Krish. He claims that he wants to write a story about the ring and that he will help Mira find the owner but it becomes obvious pretty quickly that Krish is there for other reasons.

This journey doesn’t just take Mira and Krish all around NYC, it will also take a path to India! Fortunately, Mira already has a wedding related trip planned to India.

There’s so much going on beneath the surface. Is there a romantic storyline? Yes, absolutely! More than one! But there’s also a story about learning who you are yourself. And there’s a story about a gay character (or more than one!) who are completely mistreated by their family simply for being gay and loving who they loved. And I’m warning you now that when the content warnings say homophobia that is putting it mildly, is there another word for what happens when homophobia goes beyond fear and non-acceptance and turns into violence?

Also a trigger warning for rape and abortion. Both happen in the past and are not mentioned in any detail but I want you to know about them.

And despite all of the dark parts I loved this book. It’s partly about loving yourself and loving someone else enough to let them see the parts of you that aren’t healed.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

Love it love it love it! It’s the first book I read by Sonali Dev but I instantly fell in love and I want to read everything she is written.
This story is so funny and so poignant and I’m in love with everything: the writing, the characters, the plot… everything.

Thank you Netgalley anche the publisher for the arc.

Happy endings aren't always what you expect then to be. This novel explores whether life is really as perfect as you think it is, amud the backdrop of New York City. Interesting story although it took me a bit to get into as I didn't like several of the secondary characters.