08/30/2021
A whirlwind vacation affair deepens into an unforgettable connection in this unsteady holiday rom-com from Lalli (Serena Singh Flips the Script). After uptight Niki Randhawa is laid off from her data analytics job, she does something uncharacteristically impulsive, taking off to Mumbai for both her best friend’s wedding and Diwali, the Festival of Lights. While attending the luminous wedding, she locks eyes with Sam Mukherji, the live band’s bassist. Their mutual attraction is instantaneous and intense: Sam is “literally copied and pasted from wildest fantasy,” and Niki soon discovers there’s more to him than meets the eye as he opens up to her about his past. But their romance can’t last forever—Niki will return to Seattle for Christmas in three weeks, while Sam will go home to London. They must decide if what they have is worth preserving across the distance. Lalli enriches her tale with rich, vibrant descriptions of South Asian culture and a gentle exploration of the cultural differences between Indian Americans and India natives, but the pacing of the love story itself feels clunky, dulling the emotional impact. Readers looking for a holiday escape will enjoy the scene-setting, but may long for more substantive romance. Agent: Martha Webb, CookeMcDermid Literary. (Oct.)
"A sweeping global romance that epically showcases India's festival of lights."—Entertainment Weekly
“Author Lalli's prose is deft, her characters are delightful and her book is the just-right holiday romance.”—USA Today
“A delicious holiday romance, cozily wrapped up in a story about rediscovering your roots and taking a chance on newfound love. Niki’s decision to attend her friend’s wedding in India provides a compelling exploration of family, reinvention, South Asian culture, and newfound love. What a fun read!”—Uzma Jalaluddin, bestselling author of Hana Khan Carries On
“Funny and heartwarming, with lush descriptions of Indian beach resorts and chaotic city streets, Lalli’s latest multicultural romance is extremely satisfying; her characters are refreshingly relatable. Highly recommended for fans of Sonali Dev and Sophie Kinsella.”—Booklist (starred)
Praise for Sonya Lalli
"Sonya Lalli offers up a tale of familial pressures, cultural traditions, and self-discovery, that is equal turns heartbreaking and hilarious...Lalli tears down stereotypes with humor and warmth."—Entertainment Weekly
"An engaging love story that delivers on the promise of true love forever."—NPR
"A light-hearted yet perfectly-complicated read with several strong characters. It had many relatable laugh-out-loud moments, many cultural eye-roll and deep sigh moments, and many wholesome I-need-to-call-my-best-friend moments.”—Brown Girl Magazine
“Sonya Lalli's savvy novel puts relationships in all of their forms—family, friends, and romance—on even footing as a young woman works to find happiness.”—Shelf Awareness
“Sonya Lalli's charming novel explores how our relationships define us. Through honesty, humor, and vulnerability, Serena Singh reminds us that new, fulfilling connections are possible at any age. This equal parts relatable and entertaining story is a delight from start to finish!”—Saumya Dave
“Heartfelt and forthright, Lalli’s culturally rich work of women's fiction is exceptional.”—Booklist (starred)
"From yoga studios to finding oneself in trips abroad to online dating, Lalli gives readers a wonderful novel about love and belonging and meaning of happiness and home."—Soniah Kamal, award-winning author of Unmarriageable: Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan
"Anu's struggle to find herself is wrought with obstacles and sometimes frustrating, but the resolution of her story is both satisfying and realistic. A moving look at one woman's journey between her family and her desire for independence."—Kirkus
"Lalli's sharp-eyed tale of cross-cultural dating, family heartbreak, the strictures of culture, and the exuberance of love is both universal and timeless."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Bright and vivid, and fresh and funny—I was utterly charmed by this insight into Raina's struggle to be the perfect Indian daughter. A delightful debut."—Veronica Henry, author of How to Find Love in a Bookshop
"A riotous odyssey into the pressures of cross-cultural modern dating that will chime with every 20-something singleton"—ELLE (UK)
"A funny and moving exploration of modern love."—Balli Kaur Jaswal, author of Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows (A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick)
"Absolutely charming."—Woman's Day
"A warm and refreshing look at cultural identity, unexpected romance, and unbreakable family bonds."—Kirkus
"Lalli's debut is a delightful, multicultural romantic comedy full of humorous banter and loads of life lessons about family, happiness, love, honesty, and acceptance."—Booklist (starred review)
"A knockout romantic comedy debut."—Washington Independent Review of Books
09/01/2021
In the latest from Lalli (Serena Singh Flips the Script), Niki Randhawa decides to attend a friend's wedding in India after she is laid off from her job unexpectedly. While there she meets Sam Mukherji, whose life isn't going according to plan either, and they form a connection. However, her life is back in Seattle, and his is in London, so they must decide what matters to them most. A major part of the story is Niki's relationship with her family and her sibling rivalry with older sister Jasmine; she questions whether she wants to always be the practical and dutiful one. There's some discussion of colonialism and colorism and one scene of street harassment, but it's a light read overall. VERDICT Suggest to readers looking for holiday fun along with their romance.—Sydney Ashby, Metropolitan Lib. Sys., Oklahoma City
2021-08-18
A Seattle woman finds herself on the journey of a lifetime.
Niki Randhawa has always tried to be a good daughter to her immigrant parents. She studied computer science and took a safe job as a data analyst rather than pursuing her passion for music. She’s 29 and living at home to save money, but her parents suspect that she’s stuck in a rut and even offer to play matchmaker in a gambit to push her into dating. After she's laid off due to budget cuts, Niki decides to stop playing it safe. She books a whirlwind trip to Mumbai for her best friend’s wedding and plans to travel afterward to Punjab to visit distant relatives. Even though her parents were both born in India, they were never able to take Niki or her sister there because of financial constraints. Sharp, observational prose highlights Niki’s attempts to reckon with her own stereotypes and internalized prejudices about India. At the wedding festivities, Niki meets London-based musician Sam Mukherji. He’s struggling with the weight of familial expectations and the dissolution of his band. They’re attracted to each other, but Niki knows that, since they live on different continents, a vacation fling is more realistic than a long-term relationship. Their romance is gentle, sweet, and underdeveloped. Lalli focuses on Niki’s journey to find herself, which means learning more about her culture, reevaluating her career, and deciding to please herself instead of her family.
A warm, low-stakes story about the power of love and family obligations.
Narrator Richa Moorjani energetically portrays 29-year-old Niki, who books a last-minute flight to India for her friend’s wedding after realizing that being practical hasn’t gotten her anywhere. Trying to be “sensible,” she became an analyst instead of a musician. But a lot of good that did her—now she’s been laid off. Niki embraces her Indian roots while celebrating Diwali and her friend’s marriage. When she meets Sam, a musician, they connect instantly. As her trip home nears, Niki must decide between returning to her old life or forging a bold new path. The sharp interrogative tone of a judgmental auntie contrasts with the soft, motherly voice of a caring one. Both characters display Moorjani’s range. The drawn-out enunciation of a Punjabi word as Niki learns it exemplifies her feeling of being a fish out of water while on her journey. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Narrator Richa Moorjani energetically portrays 29-year-old Niki, who books a last-minute flight to India for her friend’s wedding after realizing that being practical hasn’t gotten her anywhere. Trying to be “sensible,” she became an analyst instead of a musician. But a lot of good that did her—now she’s been laid off. Niki embraces her Indian roots while celebrating Diwali and her friend’s marriage. When she meets Sam, a musician, they connect instantly. As her trip home nears, Niki must decide between returning to her old life or forging a bold new path. The sharp interrogative tone of a judgmental auntie contrasts with the soft, motherly voice of a caring one. Both characters display Moorjani’s range. The drawn-out enunciation of a Punjabi word as Niki learns it exemplifies her feeling of being a fish out of water while on her journey. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
