“There’s Something About Mira” by Sonali Dev is an engaging blend of enemies to lovers and self-discovery. Mira embarks on a journey to return a lost ring, which takes her from New York to India. The story is filled with mystery and adventure, especially as Mira, Krish, Rumi, and their partner reluctantly team up.

The FMC and her sibling, who come from a South Asian household, learned to break the negative patterns stemming from their parental trauma. If you appreciate cultural connections and Asian weddings, this story offers a behind-the-scenes look at Indian weddings. The exploration of love beyond the physical is vividly explained in the relationship between Vasu and Reva.

I am a long time Sonali Dev fan, and this book was beyond beautiful.

I loved this, absolutely loved it. The story flows, it’s emotional, I found Mira relatable due to parental manipulation and guilting (certain types of parents transcend nationality), and I loved her journey to her true self.

Writing anything else feels too spoil-ery, so I will simply implore you to read this - it’s a gorgeous story of finding (and claiming) yourself, finding love, and finding home - and so much more ❤️❤️

Stunning and absolutely recommended.



Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, 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. With everyone trying to claim the ring, 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. As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life.

Beautifully written story that weaves history and romance into a powerful narrative about finding yourself and learning to stand up for yourself. I also appreciate how Sonali Dev always incorporates South Asian culture into her books. Pick this one up. You won't regret it! 5⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I’m a huge Sonali Dev fan, so it’s no surprise that this was a five star read for me. Dev writes closed door romance with such good character and plot development that I never miss the spice. In There’s Something About Mira, Dev explores tender topics like sexuality, family estrangement, and forbidden love with an almost reverent sense of care and wonder. I love the way Dev writes multigenerational stories. A decades old forbidden love affair and a lost ring lead Mira and Krish on one heck of an adventure that spans from NYC to India. It’s incredibly moving, heartbreakingly beautiful, and oh so tender. It’s easily in my top 3 romances of the year.

Thanks to Netgalley & Lake Union Publishing for access to this E-ARC! Really enjoyed this. Liked the characters & the writing style. Will definitely try The Rajes series by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

Mira, 29, is a pain management therapist living in Naperville, Chicago. She is of Indian descent, and like all first-generation immigrants, her parents held her and her twin brother Rumi to impossibly high standards. She is supposed to do extremely well to justify the sacrifices her parents made for her, fulfil their dreams and never disappoint them and their narrow view on what a good life constitutes. When Rumi confesses he is gay, he is immediately disowned, teaching the siblings that love is conditional to them.

Mira has reacted by trying to be a good daughter and keeping the peace, especially after some initially undisclosed trauma when she was 17 and for which she was unfairly punished. She has managed to secure fiancé Druv, an ever so handsome and busy orthopedic surgeon, and preparations for the wedding in four months' time are in full swing.

When Druv is too busy to make their "engagement moon" to NYC, he suggests she go on her own. From the reactions of her parents one could think she'd left him and eloped, but Mira goes anyway, because her estranged brother lives there with his lovely fiancé Saket, and she wants to see him again and make up, even though her horrible, controlling parents try to forbid it.

On her way to the Empire State Building to relive a scene from Sleepless in Seattle, she falls and finds a ring on a broken chain, lost underneath a park bench. So begins an adventure spanning two continents and a lot of discoveries, trying to reunite the ring with its owner and learn its story. She is helped by Krish who got in touch after her social media appeal, and who seems to have a secret private reason for getting so involved and unlock secrets that have been kept for 40 years.

In interspersed chapters, we get a beautiful and sensitively handled lesbian love story via 40 year old letters, that is connected to the ring which is one of an interlocking pair. Suru and Vasu lived in India, and homophobia was (still is?) very strong. I was soon rooting for those two to escape their narrow lives and disapproving, violent families.

The topic of "not having the life you wanted to have" is strong, whether it's because of frowned upon love, adoption or your own cowardice. Krish has been adopted 38 years ago in India, and he was taken out of his culture by a well-meaning white couple and transplanted into New York. His struggles with a feeling of abandonment and his loss of culture are evident. The search for the ring owner is very personal to him, and we find out why during the course of the search.

We learn a lot about Indian culture as well. I never knew how opulent weddings can be and how many clothes and bridal gowns are needed! The road trip through rural India is adventurous, and shows a real contrast to the diamond-encrusted opulence of wedding planning.

I thought this would be a light romance but it was so much more. It touched me deeply and I couldn't stop reading until I had finished this, until deep into the night. I loved Suru and Vasu and their heartrending letters, I loved Mira and her attempts to stand up to her parents, reunite with her deeply hurt brother and find out what she wants in life and going for it, and I loved Krish, trying to make sense of his beginnings and his feelings. Rumi was harder to love, as he lashed out when Mira tried to reconcile, but it was borne out of grief for the loss of his family.

I have to say I struggled to find much fault in Druv other than he's a workaholic, but he seemed to be patient, kind and understanding. Mira could have done a lot worse but it's not always about that. Sometimes you just want the grumpy journalist who doesn't even know his own culture and grapples with deep-seated feelings of abandonment, who takes you on a motorbike tour of New York, opens MoMa for you after hours and really SEES you.

“If returning to your old life will make you happy, I will be okay. As long as you feel seen and cared for, I’ll be okay. As long as no one makes you feel like you’re lucky to have them, I will be okay. As long as you promise to never put yourself away again, I will be okay....As long as I know you’re happy, I will be okay.”

However, I found the gay relationships portrayed with more conviction and feelings - Mira and Krish had a slow and kind of tame coming together, which was nice but it didn't convince quite in the same way as Suru and Vasu did.

Whoever designed the blue cover should be proud of themselves - the two rings and the couple on the motorbike riding through New York are spot on and very atmospheric. Such gorgeous artwork!

This is my first book by Sonali Dev but it won't be my last. If you are after a "brown" desi culture romance with depth, mystery, secrets, adventure and queer representation, this is for you. This book needs to have an LGBTQIA+ tag!

Mira Salvi thinks she is lucky to be engaged to Dr. Druv Kalra. When he is too busy doing surgeries to go on their twice postponed "engagement-moon" to NYC, Mira decides to go alone (the trip is non-refundable after all). As she looks up at the Empire State Building with visions of Deborah Kerr and Meg Ryan dancing through her head, Mira is literally knocked off her feet and finds an unusual ring. Something about this ring speaks to Mira and she becomes determined to reunite it with it's owner. Her social media post to locate it's owner goes viral and she finds herself quite alone in navigating the devious nature of the internet (and the world at large). Her brother's fiancé helps her connect with moody investigative journalist Krish Hale. The journey to find the ring's owner leads them both on a surprising journey of self-discovery.

I really enjoyed this book. Sonali Dev has a lyrical writing style that is engaging and smart. Mira is an understandable heroine and her character is fully explored and developed as you progress through the story. I enjoyed Mira's stubborn determination to help reunite the ring with it's owner. Mira is struggling with several demon's, a big one being navigating being born in America to immigrant south Asian parents. The juxtaposition of her experience as a "brown" person vs. Krish's experience adds an interesting extra dimension to the story.

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is that I found it a bit predictable. I'm always hoping a book will surprise me, take a twist that I wasn't expecting. As enjoyable as this book was, the story beats went exactly as I anticipated, which left me the teeniest bit disappointed.

There is a a lot of depth to this story; it is definitely not a rom-com! I would recommend this heartfelt, endearing book to anyone who loves a heroine with inner turmoil who finds herself through a scavenger hunt/mystery.

I appreciated the South Asian representation in Sonali Dev novels! Besides that I thought it was just an average read. I found the characters to be OK and the plot line to be lacking...it felt very YA and that was not what this novel was advertised as.

Thank you to the publisher, Sonali Dev, and Net Galley for the ARC!

This is one of Sonali's best. No question. I was lost in the story and in each character, who were so nuanced, human, and relatable (even the infuriating ones!). The pacing, story, and magic in it were captured so beautifully.

This book grew on me very quickly! At first, it felt kind of slow, but it quickly picked up with the action and character development. The plot driven romance and various twists were captivating. Mira’s growth, her complex immigrant family dynamics, and the romance were very realistic.

Join the journey of Mira Salvi as she reluctantly teams up with local journalist Krish Hale, in order to return a lost ring to it’s rightful owner during her ‘engagement-moon’ trip to New York City.

Mira’s perfect fiancé is unable to head to New York with Mira, and encourages her to go alone to fulfil her dream of seeing the city. What follows is a voyage of discovery, not only of the lost ring and her new acquaintance Krish, but also of herself, her reconnection with twin brother Rumi, and of her complex family relationships.

In addition to this, there are some lovely flashbacks to 1983 so the reader can uncover the origins of the lost ring as Mira pursues her quest.

There are themes of cultural awareness and homophobia throughout this book.

It did take me a while to get into this book, but it was an enjoyable read when I did. 3.5/5.0

Thanks to NetGalley for this electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my gosh, I LOVEEEEEED this book! I really connected with it and it tugged at my heart. It was a book of self discovery and navigating an Indian family’s expectations for their children. I would highly recommend this to all south Asian young women! It was soooo good. I connected even more with this because I am adopted and born in India.

I went in expecting your typical Desi style romcom but instead got so much more.

You have the heart and emotion of a romance but also the power of an author fighting society. This book has everything and there’s nothing more I can say except read it!

One of my favorite reads this year - this book has everything, humor, love, romance, mystery and a deeper feeling.

When Mira's fiance isn't able to go on their engagement trip to NYC, she goes alone on his urging and has an adventure of her life. She reconnects with her estranged brother, finds a ring and decides it's her mission to return it to it's rightful owner. That's the adventure - and her path leads her to meet Krish who wants to help her with her new mission. Their story is just beautiful. The whole book is well crafted and enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Poor Mira! Though born and raised in California, her Indian born parents have raised her as if they were in India and have treated her cruelly based on events beyond her control. At thirty, Mira is cowed and imprisoned, if only in her own mind and emotions. There is a strong underlying theme about homophobia and its effects on the victims of such hatred. There are also several storylines that deal with family relations. I liked this book by Sonali Dev but I didn’t love it. Three stars

Sonali Dev just doesn’t miss. I loved this story and the perspective of the FMC. I loved that Sonali is unapologetically true to culture. She doesn’t try to explain she just plops you in their lives.

Mira Salvi is always mindful of not upsetting her parents or indeed everyone else. She thinks she leads a fulfilling life doing a job she loves and is planning her wedding, that is her mother and mother-in-law are doing all the planning and she is there to try things on. Her fiancé is a catch everyone keeps telling her that, she's lucky not to be left on the shelf at her age. Unfortunately saving lives makes him incredibly busy, she has already had to rearrange her engagement trip to New York and can't change it again. She decides to go alone to do all those touristy things but mostly to visit her twin brother who is estranged from her family. Whilst in New York her trip takes a strange turn when she stumbles across a ring on the sidewalk and she decides to reunite it with its owner. An amazing read, the plot twists as Mira finds her way along the storyline of the ring's owner taking her to places she never imagined going discovering herself along the way.


Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, 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. With everyone trying to claim the ring, 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.

As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason…right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn’t been written yet either.

Mira is hitting 30 and has snagged the best catch in "brown town." She's marrying the perfect guy, and she can't quite believe it.
She ends up on a solo trip to NYC during the engagement, where she finds a lost ring. After Krish offers to help her find the owner, Mira goes on a journey of self discovery, and she can never go back.

What was great: Mira is a wonderful character, always thinking of others and doing the right thing. That changes a bit as she gets to know herself better throughout the story, learning that it's also ok to do what's right for her. I enjoyed watching her blossom. I also loved the cultural references to the Indian community, although I confess I'm still not quite sure what a lahenga is.

What was ok: Most of the plot was predictable, but it was still interesting and told over well. It's a heartfelt story, and I was definitely invested in Mira's growth trajectory, which happens gradually and beautifully. I don't know if I found her relationship with Krish to be credible. It's a coming of age story, and it had a bit of a YA feel, even though the characters are almost/in their 30's. I don't know if I loved the main character's choices at the end.

What was annoying: Some of the dialogue didn't sit totally right, like there were some unusual phraseology choices. (Do they sell Axe deodorant in America? Maybe in Chicago?) Also, Mira and Krish were zipping around NYC's boroughs at speeds I would like to get in on. Leaving Brooklyn at 10 and making a 12 pm flight? Wow.

Ok that was a bit harsh. I really did enjoy this and recommend it. It's a solid 3.5 stars.

A side point, it's the second book in a row I've read that does not have an LBGTQ tag but should.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Sonali Dev for an advanced copy for review.

Mira finds a ring by chance in New York. She is on the trip alone and visits her brother and partner. she meets krish who is writing a story and helps her find the owner of the ring. She follows the ring and meets people and realizes that she doesn't love her fiance . she also ends up going to india and finds the owner of the ring and more secrets come out.

Sonali Dev’s There’s Something About Mira is a charming blend of romance and self-discovery, though it doesn't quite hit the mark on all fronts. Mira Salvi’s journey to return a lost ring takes her from New York to India, bringing some unexpected moments of introspection and romance along the way. The story is intriguing, especially as Mira and Krish, a brooding journalist, find themselves reluctantly teaming up. Their bickering dynamic has sparks, but sometimes it veers into predictable territory, and their chemistry lacks the depth to make it truly compelling.

While the plot's twists offer some engaging surprises, Mira’s reflections on her “perfect” life and looming marriage don’t feel fully explored. Readers who enjoy a thoughtful romance and Dev’s characteristic exploration of cultural ties will find much to enjoy, but it may leave some looking for a bit more substance behind the romance.