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qgg's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
I really want to give this book a higher rating. It’s a gender bent retelling of P&P with Indian-American culture. Trish Raje is a brilliant brain surgeon and she knows where her talents lie. She plays an excellent Darcy. DJ, in the Lizzie Bennet role, is a gifted chef giving the whole story a Indian foodie flavor. There is a truly wicked Wickham in the mix. What’s not to love?
Unfortunately, the Raje family dynamics are toxicblaming Trish for things out of her control The HIPAA violations between Trish and her family are unforgivable. The resolution between DJ and Trish at the end seemed rushed and lacking in true chemistry AND it was another medical ethical violation unless Trish turned Emma’s care over to another surgeon.
Other reviews mention the length of the book and the side plots. I really liked the author’s writing and I think they helped develop Trish’s character.
I have two more issues.
1. Trish seemed to be written as autistic-coded. The book already was ableist AF. (Full star deduction for that.) Limited special interests, difficulty making friends, intense loyalty, strong *personal* ethical code (not necessarily aligned with laws like HIPAA), hyperfocus to the point of excluding sleeping and eating…. The only marker not explicitly stated was stimming. So, DJ’s dislike of her is even more ableism in this book.
2.Maybe this is because I am a physical therapist who has worked in hospitals, but there is no way a surgeon would be researching a program, facility or artist like in this book for a patient. A social worker would call a meeting and SW, OT or PT would probably suggest changing artistic mediums to an artist. Resources would be suggested for the patient and family to look up on their own. Patients get autonomy at all times including the choice to stay sick and die with the dignity of their own choice.
Unfortunately, the Raje family dynamics are toxic
Other reviews mention the length of the book and the side plots. I really liked the author’s writing and I think they helped develop Trish’s character.
I have two more issues.
1. Trish seemed to be written as autistic-coded. The book already was ableist AF. (Full star deduction for that.) Limited special interests, difficulty making friends, intense loyalty, strong *personal* ethical code (not necessarily aligned with laws like HIPAA), hyperfocus to the point of excluding sleeping and eating…. The only marker not explicitly stated was stimming. So, DJ’s dislike of her is even more ableism in this book.
2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Cancer
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Medical content, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Rape, Death of parent, Classism, Racism, and Terminal illness
thenymphsvoice's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Very cute. Love these adaptions so much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
I would say my only minor/major complaint is the refusal to call SA, any of the words for SA. So many times they dedicated a whole sentence to detailing it as being drugged and the person having sex with them while they were oblivious but never called it sexual assault or rape. Which is just… a weird choice to mepuffy_'s review against another edition
2.5
It’s cute and fun enough I suppose, but comparatively not really. I did like Trisha’s and her families relationship with one anther. Trisha’s and DJ’s relationship? Not so much. It was okay I guess. Maybe it was because I was not particularly interested in DJ’s story, though there were some moments here and there. His logic, in my opinion, was a little harder to follow than Trisha, which makes it harder to empathize with him.
Also the way politics is used here is a little eh??? It gives me “we are progressive but not too progressive” kind of vibe. Not as bad as it was in books like RWRB, but still kind of there. This is more of a minor complaint, since it isn’t necessarily very significant to the overall story.
Th beginning was strong enough, but it does slowly become more and more of a drag to get though until you reach the middle. It does pick itself back up a bit and get more interesting after the middle. Either way, I’ll probably still consider picking up other books by the author when I need something lighthearted to read.
Also the way politics is used here is a little eh??? It gives me “we are progressive but not too progressive” kind of vibe. Not as bad as it was in books like RWRB, but still kind of there. This is more of a minor complaint, since it isn’t necessarily very significant to the overall story.
Th beginning was strong enough, but it does slowly become more and more of a drag to get though until you reach the middle. It does pick itself back up a bit and get more interesting after the middle. Either way, I’ll probably still consider picking up other books by the author when I need something lighthearted to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Medical content, and Death
Minor: Bullying, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Racism
imds's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Classism, Confinement, Death, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Police brutality, Racism, Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a fun take on Pride and Prejudice. This book provides a completely new and original feeling story built off the tropes and plot elements of the original Jane Austen work. I did have problems with Trisha's attitude at certain points in the book, however as the "Darcy" character that is too be expected to a point. Overall this was a really great read and I can't wait to make it through the other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Miscarriage, Medical content, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Rape, Gaslighting, Infertility, Death, and Drug use
Minor: Racism, Police brutality, Sexual content, Rape, and Sexual assault
This book does have a lot of heavy content. DJ's sister is dealing with a cancer prognosis that will leave her changed forever, even if she does survive it. Trisha feels abandoned by her family after a toxic friendship led to her brother being put in an awful situation (bookswithbront's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I thought this book was going to be a lighthearted rom com with some cheesy Pride and Prejudice references, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Somali Dev’s writing is gorgeous, the characters were fascinating, and I’m already so invested in the Raje family after just one book. At times, however, I did really struggle with this book. It did a great job and addressing certain complex topics like intersectional identities, class, and trauma, but I also felt like it yada yada’d some of the biggest issues its characters dealt with. Throughout the whole story, DJ’s biggest grievance with Trisha is that she said she wouldn’t be interested in a member of “the hired help,” something that is borderline unforgivable and that she never really apologizes for. Trisha and DJ both apologize for certain things, but the book acts as though the hurtful things they said to each other were equal, and I don’t think that’s the case at all. The book also made a bit of a straw man of the very complex issues of disability, the right-to-die movement, etc. While Emma’s case was unique, no one else acknowledged the validity of some of her perspective, treating it like a temper tantrum that needed to be resolved. However, I didn’t feel that Dev was pushing any sort of agenda on either of these complex topics, which would be difficult to address at a deeper level in a book like this. And though I was so frustrated by Trisha’s character, I’m hoping that’s a one-off, and I’m excited to read the rest of the Raje family series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual assault, Dementia, Police brutality, and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs
lawsam's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Medical content and Miscarriage
Minor: Rape, Drug use, Police brutality, and Sexual assault
saukittome's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Infertility, Stalking, Dementia, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Miscarriage
taibreakfast's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Fun retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in modern times, with the genders switched. The love birds are a guy and a girl, and the girl is the Darcy character this time (even though the guy is named Darcy, fooled ya!). She is the rich one with painful social skills and too much pride while he is the one from a working class background and prejudice against her because she's rich. The author does a good job of translating the plot to modern problems that convey just how life-ruining things could be. And it's very fun to have the story with an almost entirely POC cast of characters. Lots of fan service: some key scenes can almost be mapped directly, at least to the 2005 movie 😁. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for an easy but smart story. Check the content warnings though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Death, Death of parent, Infertility, Medical content, Miscarriage, Toxic friendship, Cancer, and Sexual assault
Minor: Sexual harassment
fatkidatheartreads's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
This was a lot more slow paced and character based than I'd have liked. We should have gotten a lot more of them being in a relationship and all lovey dovey. They were adorable.. and this story was emotional.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault