My Big Fat Desi Wedding ed. Prerna Pickett

Pages: 282 

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 

Released: 18th of January 2024 

Romance. Drama. And plenty of spice. You are invited to . . . MY BIG, FAT DESI WEDDING.

A prophecy of disaster.

A world where your soulmate's thoughts appear on your skin.

A boy forbidden from attending his brother's wedding.

A supernatural love that spans centuries.

And one particular auntie who loves to meddle.

So, send in your RSVP, put on your best outfit, and take a front row seat as enemies become friends, friends become lovers, sceptics are convinced by the power of romance, and guests fall head over heels - even if they're not the ones saying 'I do'.

Lose yourself in eight swoon-worthy and dreamy stories guaranteed to bring out the hopeless romantic in every reader. With a never-ending buffet of mouth-watering food, extravagant outfit changes and lots of drama!

What I Have to Say 

This was such a lovely read. It was a short story collection where I enjoyed pretty much every story. It was very relaxing and romantic and it was honestly just such a joy to read. I don't know why but desi teen romance is one of my favourite genres to relax to, with most of the stories in this book revolving around teenagers or people in early adulthood. 

Two of my particular favourite stories were Fate's Favourites, which played very much with the idea of soul mates and the idea that the thoughts of your soul mate would end up manifesting on your body and A Very Bloody Halyanam, which brought vampires into the mix. 

I really liked exploring the mix of cultures and the differences and similarities between the different marriage ceremonies. 

In all, it was a good, fun, relaxing read. 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hodder Children's Books for providing me a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

Pages: 336 

Publisher: Quercus 

Released: 17th of October 2023 

One woman risks everything to end her family's centuries-old curse, solve her mother’s disappearance, and find love in this mesmerizing novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Spells for Forgetting.

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line for as long as anyone can remember. But June is determined to be the last of her name, and in turn, be first Farrow to never find love. The whole town knows of the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving her daughter, June, to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors. Everyone in Jasper is certain that it's only a matter of time before she finds the same end, but June hasn't told a single soul that it's already begun.

After her grandmother’s death, a series of clues linking her mother's disappearance to the town's grim past emerge, leading June to a mysterious door. Behind it may lay the answer to the mysteries that have always lingered like a dark shadow over Jasper and the Farrows, but the further into the unknown she goes, the more her mind seems to unravel. Upon crossing the threshold, June embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but entangle her fate and her heart in a star-crossed love.

With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant story with romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.

What I Have to Say 

I love magical realism so much because with it you can do something like this! I loved the plot and idea behind it, how June was having to deal with such a mysteries and trying to get away from the curse that plagues her family. 

June's character was so great. I loved her determination and stubbornness, how determined she was to end this curse once and for all, but the best thing about this story was the mysteries and how it all came together in the end. It was so many things but at it's heart was the murder mystery. It fit so well with the rest of the plot. 

The ending of this was so clever. It all fitted together so neatly. I guess one plot point and there's a bit more that is hinted at from the start, but the way it all worked out was unexpected and thrilling. 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Quercus for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao

Pages: 512 

Publisher: Titan Books 

Released: 13th of June 2023 

This Hindu philosophy-inspired debut science fantasy follows a husband and wife racing to save their living city—and their troubled marriage—high above a jungle world besieged by cataclysmic storms.

High above a jungle-planet float the last refuges of humanity—plant-made civilizations held together by tradition, technology, and arcane science. In these living cities, architects are revered above anyone else. If not for their ability to psychically manipulate the architecture, the cities would plunge into the devastating earthrage storms below.

Charismatic, powerful, mystical, Iravan is one such architect. In his city, his word is nearly law. His abilities are his identity, but to Ahilya, his wife, they are a way for survival to be reliant on the privileged few. Like most others, she cannot manipulate the plants. And she desperately seeks change.

Their marriage is already thorny—then Iravan is accused of pushing his abilities to forbidden limits. He needs Ahilya to help clear his name; she needs him to tip the balance of rule in their society. As their paths become increasingly intertwined, deadly truths emerge, challenging everything each of them believes. And as the earthrages become longer, and their floating city begins to plummet, Iravan and Ahilya's discoveries might destroy their marriage, their culture, and their entire civilization.

What I Have to Say 

This book was fascinating. The setting of this book and how it embraced the Hindu themes of reincarnation was fantastic, the philosophy and themes of the book left me with much to think about, but the main thing that had me interesting in this book was Iravan and Ahilya's marriage and how each one viewed the other so differently. 

Iravan and Ahilya have problems, big problems. They aren't communicating properly and it's having an impact. This book really leaned into the the biases that people can have and how they can affect the way they see one another. Actions that are understandable for Ahilya to make from her perspective, are completely different for Iravan and vice versa. It gave me so much to think about! 

The only problem with this is that when being introduced to Iravan it was through the lense of Ahilya's pain and anger. He made a huge mistake and it came across as controlling and manipulative. So I just didn't warm to him. I'm honestly still not sure what to feel about his actions at the start of the book. I wasn't rooting for this couple at all. 

That was only a minor thing to me, but if you need a really strong romance to get behind this isn't the book for you. 

4 star 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Titan books for providing me with this copy for review. 

And Then We Ran by Katy Cannon

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 352
Publisher: Stripes Publishing
Released: 6th of April 2017

A road-trip story about following your dreams and embracing the unexpected.

Megan knows what she wants out of life and she intends to get it, whatever her parents say.

Elliott has given up on all his plans for the future – but then Megan bursts into his life with a proposal that could change it forever.

Together they embark on a road trip to escape their hometown and chase their dreams. But life is a journey and not even Megan can control where theirs will lead…

What I Have to Say 

I wasn't sure about this book. It was a good enough story and there were moments that I really liked, but it didn't leave much of an impression on me. The character's were cool. I liked Megan and her wild ideas. I liked the way that Elliott knew how Megan was with her crazy ideas and how willing he was to go along with her idea. 

I liked the way it ended too. It was such a desperate scheme that I knew it probably all work out the way they planned it to. So I'd guessed pretty much how it would end, at least for Megan. But I like the way it came together quite neatly, even if I was rooting for them to pull it all off. 

I wasn't sure about the treatment of grief in the book. I guess that most of the grief really takes place before the book starts. Megan has reach a point where she's ready to move on and become her own person, even if her parents still weren't. 

So basically, I enjoyed reading this book, but it wasn't one that is especially good or especially bad. It was interesting but not anything special. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Stripes for providing me with this copy for review.