Tastes like shakkar A novel

Review by Booklist Review

In Sharma's latest delectable rom-com, a chef and a wedding planner butt heads over the details of their best friends' over-the-top nuptials. Bobbi Kaur, New Jersey's up-and-coming event planner extraordinaire, is determined to control every detail of her best friend's wedding, but there's a shaadi saboteur afoot trying to destroy her carefully laid plans. Restaurateur Benjamin Padda is working towards a Michelin star and is excited to see his best mate happily wed, but he's reluctant to cater a thousand-person Indian wedding with Bobbi, the full-figured temptress who is making him reconsider his confirmed bachelorhood. Their chemistry sizzles as they spar over the little stuff, but as the wedding-sabotage attempts mount, they quickly join forces to ferret out the culprit before the shenanigans can ruin the big day. This tale is the second in Sharma's If Shakespeare Was an Auntie series, following Dating Dr. Dil (2022), and her fans will be thrilled to welcome back the large cast of colorful characters that are so realistically drawn within this privileged Punjabi community.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Sharma loosely riffs on Much Ado About Nothing in this hilarious and red-hot sequel to Dating Dr. Dil. Wedding planner Bobbi Kaur is determined to knock it out of the park for her best friend's nuptials, especially since a promotion at her uncle's wedding planning business is riding on the event. Two things stand in Bobbi's way, however: someone is sending mysterious notes that threaten to derail the wedding, and she's forced to work with the attractive yet infuriating chef Benjamin Padda. Beneath Benjamin and Bobbi's constant bickering is the memory of a flirtatious moment they once shared, which could have led to more if Benjamin hadn't put his foot in his mouth. Working together is difficult, but with Bobbi striving to prove herself to her uncle, and Benjamin wanting to step out of his father's shadow, the pair agree to a truce to ensure the wedding goes smoothly. One thing may still get in their way, though: their undeniable attraction. With a charming (and lovingly meddlesome) supporting cast and plenty of glamorous pre-wedding events along the way, this exhilarating rom-com hits all the right notes. Readers will have no trouble cheering on these sparring hearts. Agent: Joy Tutela, David Black Literary. (Aug.)

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Review by Library Journal Review

Benjamin Padda and Bobbi Kaur do not get along--every time they're in the same room together, the snark and insults fly. Despite their feud, they now have to work together to help pull off their best friends' wedding, with Bobbi doing the planning and Benjamin taking care of the menu. If it wasn't enough to have to be in close proximity to each other, there seems to be a saboteur trying to ruin the wedding, and it's up to Bobbi and Benjamin to work together to ensure their best friends' perfect day. And maybe their own happily ever after as well. In this fun and flirty contemporary romance steeped in South Asian culture, author Sharma will delight readers with playful banter, steamy scenes, and a love story that will leave readers eager for more. Fans of the author's previous novel, Dating Dr. Dil, will be delighted to see their favorite characters return, and of course, plenty of shenanigans from the Aunties. VERDICT Libraries can't go wrong by adding this book to their shelves.--Amanda Toth

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