Review: Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

Book Review

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev
(The Rajes #1)
Romance, Retelling
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Synopsis
It is a truth universally acknowledged that only in an overachieving Indian American family can a genius daughter be considered a black sheep.

Dr. Trisha Raje is San Francisco’s most acclaimed neurosurgeon. But that’s not enough for the Rajes, her influential immigrant family who’s achieved power by making its own non-negotiable rules:

Never trust an outsider
Never do anything to jeopardize your brother’s political aspirations
And never, ever, defy your family

Trisha is guilty of breaking all three rules. But now she has a chance to redeem herself. So long as she doesn’t repeat old mistakes.

Up-and-coming chef DJ Caine has known people like Trisha before, people who judge him by his rough beginnings and place pedigree above character. He needs the lucrative job the Rajes offer, but he values his pride too much to indulge Trisha’s arrogance. And then he discovers that she’s the only surgeon who can save his sister’s life.

As the two clash, their assumptions crumble like the spun sugar on one of DJ’s stunning desserts. But before a future can be savored there’s a past to be reckoned with…

A family trying to build home in a new land.

A man who has never felt at home anywhere.

And a choice to be made between the two.

What I thought
I am going to be 100% honest with you I went into this book with no expectations of it being good and the possibility of it being a DNF. I picked up this book in 2019, and to be honest, I think it was just because it was a Pride and Prejudice retelling and it was based on Indian culture. I am a sucker for books based on other cultures. Plus just look at that cover. So I really was not sure about it when it comes to the content since I picked it up based on so many factors that were not the actual story. So I guess this is one of those rare times that buying a book for all of the wrong reasons worked out for me.

This is a loose retelling so you don’t have the overdramatic mom shoving her daughters at every available man, and to be honest that made me like this story that much more. This allowed the story to be its own and not just another rehashing of the original story. It is able to stand on its own.

You get random backstories about the family that I think will be important as she writes other books based on this family. To my understanding, they are companions with different family members being the focus.

I really appreciate how you get both perspectives throughout the story. I also liked when you get to see them realize how they have been acting. I like the “oh I’ve been a horrible human to…” moments, especially when they seem real. This book started off slow for me and just coasted for a little bit but when things started coming together I did not want to stop. I was sucked in and invested in these two realizing that they should be together.

If you like hate to love books you should give this one a try.

My Rating: /5

4 Stars