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Sunshine and Spice
When two complete opposites agree to fake date in order to solve their cultural dilemmas, they find the only force more powerful than an immigrant mother’s matchmaking schemes might just be true love.
Naomi Kelly will do anything to make her new brand consulting business a success. When she lands a career saving contract to rebrand the Mukherjee family’s failing local bazaar, she knows there can be no mistakes. But as the “oops” baby of a free-spirited Bengali mother, Naomi’s lack of connection to her roots represents everything Gia Mukherjee disdains.
Enter, Dev Mukherjee.
Dev knows everything his mother wants…including her wish for him to get married, like, yesterday. When Gia hires a matchmaker (without, you know, asking him), Dev vows to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up in a cold, loveless marriage. When a potential match assumes Naomi is his girlfriend, the solution to both their problems becomes clear: Naomi will pretend to date Dev in order to sabotage his mother’s matchmaking efforts in exchange for lessons in Bengali culture. Flawless plan, right?
But as Naomi and Dev bond over awful dancing at Garba, couples cooking classes, and tackling the rebrand as a team, they start to realize while their relationship may be fake, their feelings for each other are starting to become very real. As the line between reality and rumor blurs, Naomi and Dev must confront what it means to fit the mold, and decide how much they’re willing to risk for love.
Naomi Kelly will do anything to make her new brand consulting business a success. When she lands a career saving contract to rebrand the Mukherjee family’s failing local bazaar, she knows there can be no mistakes. But as the “oops” baby of a free-spirited Bengali mother, Naomi’s lack of connection to her roots represents everything Gia Mukherjee disdains.
Enter, Dev Mukherjee.
Dev knows everything his mother wants…including her wish for him to get married, like, yesterday. When Gia hires a matchmaker (without, you know, asking him), Dev vows to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up in a cold, loveless marriage. When a potential match assumes Naomi is his girlfriend, the solution to both their problems becomes clear: Naomi will pretend to date Dev in order to sabotage his mother’s matchmaking efforts in exchange for lessons in Bengali culture. Flawless plan, right?
But as Naomi and Dev bond over awful dancing at Garba, couples cooking classes, and tackling the rebrand as a team, they start to realize while their relationship may be fake, their feelings for each other are starting to become very real. As the line between reality and rumor blurs, Naomi and Dev must confront what it means to fit the mold, and decide how much they’re willing to risk for love.
336 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2024
63 people are currently reading
12045 people want to read
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October 16, 2024
This turned out to be an unexpected hit for me! It had witty chemistry, great family dynamics, and the ever-relatable journey of finding and reconnecting with one’s culture and identity.
I’ve always been a fan of opposites-attract romances, especially when they’re blended with the grump/sunshine and forbidden romance tropes. And this book does it right! The main characters, Dev and Naomi, are as different as they come. Dev’s upbringing is deeply rooted in his culture and traditions, while Naomi’s is much more westernized. Their paths cross when Naomi is hired to revamp Dev’s mom’s store. The setting allows for plenty of hilarious and heartwarming family interactions such as a crazy matchmaking schemes common in many Asian families, something I found all too relatable!
Of course, things get even more interesting when Dev decides to fake-date Naomi to avoid his mom’s relentless matchmaking. You can probably guess where that leads, but the journey is still satisfying and filled with moments that made me smile.
One of the highlights for me was the exploration of cultural connection. Naomi’s yearning to rediscover her cultural roots resonated with me, as I’ve sometimes felt the same longing. Dev’s character is also portrayed with such depth, his internal struggles with being the overachieving kid, trying not to disappoint his family, and the way these pressures follow him into adulthood were beautifully handled.
While I enjoyed the story overall, I found the romance a bit underdeveloped. I wasn’t fully convinced of Dev and Naomi’s romantic connection, and it left me wanting more emotional build-up to truly root for them as a couple.
Despite this, Sunshine and Spice was a lovely debut read from Aurora Palit, I’m excited to see what she writes next, as this was a delightful introduction to her work!
Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I’ve always been a fan of opposites-attract romances, especially when they’re blended with the grump/sunshine and forbidden romance tropes. And this book does it right! The main characters, Dev and Naomi, are as different as they come. Dev’s upbringing is deeply rooted in his culture and traditions, while Naomi’s is much more westernized. Their paths cross when Naomi is hired to revamp Dev’s mom’s store. The setting allows for plenty of hilarious and heartwarming family interactions such as a crazy matchmaking schemes common in many Asian families, something I found all too relatable!
Of course, things get even more interesting when Dev decides to fake-date Naomi to avoid his mom’s relentless matchmaking. You can probably guess where that leads, but the journey is still satisfying and filled with moments that made me smile.
One of the highlights for me was the exploration of cultural connection. Naomi’s yearning to rediscover her cultural roots resonated with me, as I’ve sometimes felt the same longing. Dev’s character is also portrayed with such depth, his internal struggles with being the overachieving kid, trying not to disappoint his family, and the way these pressures follow him into adulthood were beautifully handled.
While I enjoyed the story overall, I found the romance a bit underdeveloped. I wasn’t fully convinced of Dev and Naomi’s romantic connection, and it left me wanting more emotional build-up to truly root for them as a couple.
Despite this, Sunshine and Spice was a lovely debut read from Aurora Palit, I’m excited to see what she writes next, as this was a delightful introduction to her work!
Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
October 5, 2024
**Many thanks to Berkley and Aurora Palit for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**
Naomi Kelly knows how to bring out the best in any space...but this time, she might be in a bit over her head. As a brand consultant, she goes into different businesses and helps them rebrand, and she has landed her most important, career defining contract - to help rebrand a local bazaar run by the Mukherjee family. But the head of the bazaar, Gia Mukherjee, can't help but look down her nose at Naomi. You see, Naomi is Bengali, but growing up in Canada with a (somewhat absent) mom who does not honor the culture in any way, she is far removed from the traditions of South Asia, and doesn't know what she 'should' in Gia's eyes...but there might be a slightly grumpy cute Bengali guy who could change ALL of that.
Enter Dev, who just so happens to be Gia's SON...and who is under immense pressure to get married. The aunties et. al have arranged for matchmaking to begin...and let's just say Dev is less than thrilled. But when he happens to meet Naomi and some 'are we enemies or do I find you attractive' sparks begin to fly back and forth, Dev has an idea...if the pair can convince everyone they are dating, he can keep the matchmakers at bay AND help Naomi get up to speed on Bengali culture to please Gia...and help the rebrand become a smashing success. After every culture-fueled, couple-y activity from dance classes to cooking classes, the two begin to realize their initial snarky banter and pretend dating MIGHT be heading in a different direction. But can they keep up the ruse long enough to make it to the finish line? Or will Naomi's lack of cultural competence be her ultimate undoing?
When it comes to tropes, I have to admit grumpy/sunshine AND fake dating are both sort of hit or miss for me...and it really all comes down to the characters. This is Aurora Palit's debut, but I was genuinely intrigued by the premise and excited to learn more about the cultures explored in this one, and hopeful that Dev and Naomi would be the sort of sugar and spice mixture akin to cinnamon toast. (And if you've never had sugar and cinnamon with butter on toast...there's a reason I long for those simple days!) 😋
But when it came to this debut, Palit's hyper-focus on a very specific message about heritage and the criticism surrounding it not only took me out of the romance, but left ME feeling as excluded as Naomi did...and wishing for just ONE ray of sunshine!
It's very obvious that this was a passion project of sorts for Palit, and I completely understand wanting to provide this sort of rep, even in the romance space. In this case, though, rather than feeling enmeshed in the culture and being able to treat most of the story as a learning experience, I just felt like Palit kept finding different ways for characters to persecute Naomi with their words and actions for not being 'true' Bengali or Bengali enough...while simultaneously acknowledging that she was not brought up with any opportunity to know and live her heritage fully. So much time was spent on the fact that Naomi didn't know how to dress correctly, dance correctly, cook correctly, that much of her ACTUAL character exploration got lost. I didn't get to see her as the 'sunshine' to Dev's grump, and the whole ruse of fake dating hinged solely on Gia and her disapproval of Naomi, rather than 'conflict' between Naomi and Dev.
And unfortunately, Dev's character didn't quite have the depth I was hoping to find either...and I'd hardly call him grumpy. Based on the premise of matchmaking alone, I couldn't blame him for not exactly being thrilled by the prospect of that, but at the same time, he didn't really give it a chance either. On at least one occasion, the aunties wanted to match him up with someone he didn't seem to find repulsive by any means, but he still balked at the thought...and it still wasn't clear to me WHY. Not to mention, once Naomi and Dev DO take the uh, romantic plunge, things go from zero to one hundred pretty quickly. One minute they are kissing...and the next minute, well, GOODBYE outer garments! 😱 The tone of their romance just sort of felt all over the place, and was constantly overshadowed by all of the family problems and conflict going on throughout the book. There is a bit of redemption towards the end, but without the proper investment in the romance, I ended up being more concerned with the family drama than the romance.
And frankly, perhaps this is the direction the book should have gone instead. While it may have been more 'fun' for Palit to write more of a rom-com, I think a coming of age story (with maybe some REAL dating thrown in) had plenty of conflict and potential for the sort of emotional impact Palit was going for all along. I do hope this story makes those who find themselves in Naomi's shoes (or Dev's, for that matter) feel seen, heard, and known. I also have every confidence that hopefully this book will serve as a conduit for inner work and healing to so many; I just wish rather than trying to shoehorn a romance into its pages, Sunshine and Spice was more of a bildungsroman story for our heroine Naomi.
While I won't spoil the lessons learned as she stumbles toward a greater understanding of herself, her culture, her family, and her heart, the sentiment perhaps can be best summed up by an African proverb: "When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind."
3 stars
Naomi Kelly knows how to bring out the best in any space...but this time, she might be in a bit over her head. As a brand consultant, she goes into different businesses and helps them rebrand, and she has landed her most important, career defining contract - to help rebrand a local bazaar run by the Mukherjee family. But the head of the bazaar, Gia Mukherjee, can't help but look down her nose at Naomi. You see, Naomi is Bengali, but growing up in Canada with a (somewhat absent) mom who does not honor the culture in any way, she is far removed from the traditions of South Asia, and doesn't know what she 'should' in Gia's eyes...but there might be a slightly grumpy cute Bengali guy who could change ALL of that.
Enter Dev, who just so happens to be Gia's SON...and who is under immense pressure to get married. The aunties et. al have arranged for matchmaking to begin...and let's just say Dev is less than thrilled. But when he happens to meet Naomi and some 'are we enemies or do I find you attractive' sparks begin to fly back and forth, Dev has an idea...if the pair can convince everyone they are dating, he can keep the matchmakers at bay AND help Naomi get up to speed on Bengali culture to please Gia...and help the rebrand become a smashing success. After every culture-fueled, couple-y activity from dance classes to cooking classes, the two begin to realize their initial snarky banter and pretend dating MIGHT be heading in a different direction. But can they keep up the ruse long enough to make it to the finish line? Or will Naomi's lack of cultural competence be her ultimate undoing?
When it comes to tropes, I have to admit grumpy/sunshine AND fake dating are both sort of hit or miss for me...and it really all comes down to the characters. This is Aurora Palit's debut, but I was genuinely intrigued by the premise and excited to learn more about the cultures explored in this one, and hopeful that Dev and Naomi would be the sort of sugar and spice mixture akin to cinnamon toast. (And if you've never had sugar and cinnamon with butter on toast...there's a reason I long for those simple days!) 😋
But when it came to this debut, Palit's hyper-focus on a very specific message about heritage and the criticism surrounding it not only took me out of the romance, but left ME feeling as excluded as Naomi did...and wishing for just ONE ray of sunshine!
It's very obvious that this was a passion project of sorts for Palit, and I completely understand wanting to provide this sort of rep, even in the romance space. In this case, though, rather than feeling enmeshed in the culture and being able to treat most of the story as a learning experience, I just felt like Palit kept finding different ways for characters to persecute Naomi with their words and actions for not being 'true' Bengali or Bengali enough...while simultaneously acknowledging that she was not brought up with any opportunity to know and live her heritage fully. So much time was spent on the fact that Naomi didn't know how to dress correctly, dance correctly, cook correctly, that much of her ACTUAL character exploration got lost. I didn't get to see her as the 'sunshine' to Dev's grump, and the whole ruse of fake dating hinged solely on Gia and her disapproval of Naomi, rather than 'conflict' between Naomi and Dev.
And unfortunately, Dev's character didn't quite have the depth I was hoping to find either...and I'd hardly call him grumpy. Based on the premise of matchmaking alone, I couldn't blame him for not exactly being thrilled by the prospect of that, but at the same time, he didn't really give it a chance either. On at least one occasion, the aunties wanted to match him up with someone he didn't seem to find repulsive by any means, but he still balked at the thought...and it still wasn't clear to me WHY. Not to mention, once Naomi and Dev DO take the uh, romantic plunge, things go from zero to one hundred pretty quickly. One minute they are kissing...and the next minute, well, GOODBYE outer garments! 😱 The tone of their romance just sort of felt all over the place, and was constantly overshadowed by all of the family problems and conflict going on throughout the book. There is a bit of redemption towards the end, but without the proper investment in the romance, I ended up being more concerned with the family drama than the romance.
And frankly, perhaps this is the direction the book should have gone instead. While it may have been more 'fun' for Palit to write more of a rom-com, I think a coming of age story (with maybe some REAL dating thrown in) had plenty of conflict and potential for the sort of emotional impact Palit was going for all along. I do hope this story makes those who find themselves in Naomi's shoes (or Dev's, for that matter) feel seen, heard, and known. I also have every confidence that hopefully this book will serve as a conduit for inner work and healing to so many; I just wish rather than trying to shoehorn a romance into its pages, Sunshine and Spice was more of a bildungsroman story for our heroine Naomi.
While I won't spoil the lessons learned as she stumbles toward a greater understanding of herself, her culture, her family, and her heart, the sentiment perhaps can be best summed up by an African proverb: "When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind."
3 stars
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February 24, 2025Romcom with Canadian Bengalis. Dev is the son of a very traditional family and feels deeply stifled and oppressed by the weight of culture and expectation. Naomi is the daughter of a woman who broke away and wanted her daughter to have nothing to do with Bengali culture or faith. She feels excluded, deracinated, and lesser for her lack of cultural connection. Naturally Naomi and Dev start fake dating.
It's a very interesting set up. I can't comment on the depiction of Bengali desi culture as excluding and oppressive, but it comes across as pretty judgy, stifling and hard to live with, and for me the positives of close cultural bonds, amazing food etc didn't come across as strongly as they might well do for someone with that or similar lived experience.
Naomi's sense of inferiority and shame over her family background and her struggles with deracination was really well done and the strongest element of the book. for me. This was partly because I intensely disliked the hero. His inability to stand up for himself and his willingness to throw the heroine under the bus and expect more from her then he was prepared to give were bad enough, then he tops it will a Grand Public Gesture *at the opening of his mother's cafe that Naomi designed*. Way to make two women's hard work all about you.
This is not to say it's a bad romance -far from it; the characters are strong and the emotional oomph is powerful in a lot of ways. Dev is a jerk, but I believed Naomi wanted to be with him, and sometimes that's just other people's romantic choices for you. A really interesting debut with a ton to say, and I will look out for more from this author.
It's a very interesting set up. I can't comment on the depiction of Bengali desi culture as excluding and oppressive, but it comes across as pretty judgy, stifling and hard to live with, and for me the positives of close cultural bonds, amazing food etc didn't come across as strongly as they might well do for someone with that or similar lived experience.
Naomi's sense of inferiority and shame over her family background and her struggles with deracination was really well done and the strongest element of the book. for me. This was partly because I intensely disliked the hero. His inability to stand up for himself and his willingness to throw the heroine under the bus and expect more from her then he was prepared to give were bad enough, then he tops it will a Grand Public Gesture *at the opening of his mother's cafe that Naomi designed*. Way to make two women's hard work all about you.
This is not to say it's a bad romance -far from it; the characters are strong and the emotional oomph is powerful in a lot of ways. Dev is a jerk, but I believed Naomi wanted to be with him, and sometimes that's just other people's romantic choices for you. A really interesting debut with a ton to say, and I will look out for more from this author.
September 12, 2024
This was a fun rom-com with a different kind of protagonist set than I typically see. I’ll admit I don’t gravitate most strongly to romance, but there is something about the fake dating trope that gets me and this book fit that. It also has grumpy/sunny which I thought was good but while Naomi was a little muted from a stereotypical sunny (Which I loved, way more realistic) Dev was a little exaggerated for me as a grumpy which detracted a little for me at times. I loved the cultural pieces of this book, both the details I’m not familiar with and the dynamics between generations with immigrants and a character completely cut off from her culture. Naomi is desperate to get the rebranding job of Gio’s Bazaar shop because since going on her own money is very tight. Dev, Gio’s son, is struggling to avoid the matchmaker and potential matches his mother is forcing his way. They decide to help each other Dev with advice on the bazaar and Naomi pretending to be his girlfriend to make prospective matches leave him alone. The beginning was a bit slow, but overall it was a fun, light, good debut.
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August 26, 2024Hi everyone,
It's Aurora, the author of Sunshine and Spice, popping in to leave some content warnings so you can proceed with whatever caution your head and/or heart may need:
- Death of a parent (off page and in the past).
- Family estrangement (off page and in the past and mentioned in detail several times).
- Open door sex scenes.
I think it's important to add that the FMC and MMC are second and first generation South Asian Canadians (respectively) and the unique experience of growing up in immigrant families is discussed in depth throughout the novel. When writing S&S, my intention was to provide thought-provoking introspection that, I hoped, would inspire hope and empowerment in my readers; however, culturally-charged emotional childhood traumas are pain points for many of us and can be difficult to revisit. Please take care of yourself as you see fit.
-Aurora
PS. No brown Jesuses were harmed in the making of this book. I hope you enjoy the read!
content warnings
It's Aurora, the author of Sunshine and Spice, popping in to leave some content warnings so you can proceed with whatever caution your head and/or heart may need:
- Death of a parent (off page and in the past).
- Family estrangement (off page and in the past and mentioned in detail several times).
- Open door sex scenes.
I think it's important to add that the FMC and MMC are second and first generation South Asian Canadians (respectively) and the unique experience of growing up in immigrant families is discussed in depth throughout the novel. When writing S&S, my intention was to provide thought-provoking introspection that, I hoped, would inspire hope and empowerment in my readers; however, culturally-charged emotional childhood traumas are pain points for many of us and can be difficult to revisit. Please take care of yourself as you see fit.
-Aurora
PS. No brown Jesuses were harmed in the making of this book. I hope you enjoy the read!
content warnings
January 7, 2025
“Calculators improve dexterity” got me good I laughed for like 50 pages after that
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September 8, 2024I chose this romance because of the setting--second generation immigrants, and how the young generation deal with elder generation expectations and the new setting and its social and cultural rules.
There's a good quote in the middle of the book that kind of sums up why I liked that aspect so much: The heroine's mother has a talk with the heroine, saying, "There's no handbook for immigrants and the generations that follow. I think they did the best they could. They raised me according to what made sense to them. And I did the same for you."
The romance is a grumpy/sunshine romance, and it's perfectly fine, but where the writing really shines, for me, is Naomi's quest to find herself between these conflicting cultural expectations. Even when you seem to belong to one set of people, one can still feel an utter outsider for so many reasons.
There's a good quote in the middle of the book that kind of sums up why I liked that aspect so much: The heroine's mother has a talk with the heroine, saying, "There's no handbook for immigrants and the generations that follow. I think they did the best they could. They raised me according to what made sense to them. And I did the same for you."
The romance is a grumpy/sunshine romance, and it's perfectly fine, but where the writing really shines, for me, is Naomi's quest to find herself between these conflicting cultural expectations. Even when you seem to belong to one set of people, one can still feel an utter outsider for so many reasons.
January 5, 2025
this was cute! this is was the first time i’ve read a Bengali romance book and i loved seeing my language peppered throughout this story! i find stories about children of immigrants rejecting their culture and family and traditions to embrace the West to be tired and boring so this was refreshing to read Naomi in search of that and to reconnect with her background. my only issue is that i didn’t really root for Dev for most of the book, i think he was disrespectful to his culture and himself and Naomi for a lot of the book which made the third act breakup very annoying 😀
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July 19, 2025DNF at 75%
July 5, 2025
Another one bites the dust to the five star hangover. I couldn’t connect with the characters, it was a bit too quick paced, and it all felt shallow.
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC.
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC.
June 10, 2024
This was an okay read, it was cute and very fast-paced. This book is unique because it follows the fmc who is Bengali but is disconnected from her south asian culture. In the book, she is often looked down on by other Bengalis because she doesn't speak the language and isn't familiar with the cultural aspects. I thought that part of this book was actually the most compelling and interesting. The romance was cute and steamy it just felt like there wasn't a lot of depth to it. Overall I would recommend this especially if you like a grumpy mmc and Desi/southeast asian romance.
November 15, 2024
i wanted to like this so badly and hated it instead...two stars instead of one solely bc i feel too guilty shitting on a debut desi author with a one star
edit 11/14/2024: i am ready to speak my truth
the general premise of the book was nice. it features this girl Naomi, who is a second generation Canadian-Indian (Bengali) woman who has no touch with her culture because her mom experienced the most tiger of tiger parenting from super strict Indian parents, which made the mom rebel and have a kid at 18. after the parents cut the mom off, the mom never felt any attachment to Indian culture and subsequently never taught her daughter anything. this could have been an interesting premise because this fully Indian girl is raised by a Russian/Ukrainian (it was one or the other i think, i can't remember which) white stepdad and knows a lot about that culture.
Naomi goes to Gia as a potential lead to redesign Gia's shop and Gia immediately starts judging Naomi for not being cultured and i understand that's a first generation immigrant thing to do but it was so in your face and preachy when paired with Naomi's thoughts that i feel like it didn't get the message across. even if we assume Gia had good intentions and that this is a plausible real life interaction, the dialogue felt stilted and comical at best.
Gia is also looking for matches for her son because he's in his early 30s now and he doesn't want to get married because he doesn't want to get cut out of his family for marrying out of his culture. why is he worried? he's never been interested in marrying within the culture because he doesn't want to date and marry someone that blindly obeys their parents. so while Naomi is doing a redesign for Dev's mom she is also pretending to be dating him which is a terrible idea because who dates their client yk? which i know is the point of the novel so don't yell at me i'm just explaining everything. i guess what makes it comical is that Gia can't know and so Gia is setting up her son on all these arranged marriage dates while Naomi is supposed to save Dev's ass and pretend to be his scary and in love girlfriend. it's like she and Dev are supposed to have chemistry but you can't see it. suddenly, there's a line about him being attracted to her and i'm like where did that come from??
this book was clearly supposed to be a grumpy x sunshine book but they both sound grumpy as hell. i'm supposed to (as the reader) think that she's sunshine just because i'm told to feel that even though nothing about her being bubbly is ever shown in the text. i was not convinced that her smearing gulab jamun syrup on Dev's beard was supposed to be hot. Dev is supposed to be an accountant but quits his job because he wants to go into sports but they never talk about what he actually wants to do with his career, it's just kind of mentioned as ~sports~
very confusing and very boring. i think a lot of the book issues could have been resolved if it were a little longer in length.
edit 11/14/2024: i am ready to speak my truth
the general premise of the book was nice. it features this girl Naomi, who is a second generation Canadian-Indian (Bengali) woman who has no touch with her culture because her mom experienced the most tiger of tiger parenting from super strict Indian parents, which made the mom rebel and have a kid at 18. after the parents cut the mom off, the mom never felt any attachment to Indian culture and subsequently never taught her daughter anything. this could have been an interesting premise because this fully Indian girl is raised by a Russian/Ukrainian (it was one or the other i think, i can't remember which) white stepdad and knows a lot about that culture.
Naomi goes to Gia as a potential lead to redesign Gia's shop and Gia immediately starts judging Naomi for not being cultured and i understand that's a first generation immigrant thing to do but it was so in your face and preachy when paired with Naomi's thoughts that i feel like it didn't get the message across. even if we assume Gia had good intentions and that this is a plausible real life interaction, the dialogue felt stilted and comical at best.
Gia is also looking for matches for her son because he's in his early 30s now and he doesn't want to get married because he doesn't want to get cut out of his family for marrying out of his culture. why is he worried? he's never been interested in marrying within the culture because he doesn't want to date and marry someone that blindly obeys their parents. so while Naomi is doing a redesign for Dev's mom she is also pretending to be dating him which is a terrible idea because who dates their client yk? which i know is the point of the novel so don't yell at me i'm just explaining everything. i guess what makes it comical is that Gia can't know and so Gia is setting up her son on all these arranged marriage dates while Naomi is supposed to save Dev's ass and pretend to be his scary and in love girlfriend. it's like she and Dev are supposed to have chemistry but you can't see it. suddenly, there's a line about him being attracted to her and i'm like where did that come from??
this book was clearly supposed to be a grumpy x sunshine book but they both sound grumpy as hell. i'm supposed to (as the reader) think that she's sunshine just because i'm told to feel that even though nothing about her being bubbly is ever shown in the text. i was not convinced that her smearing gulab jamun syrup on Dev's beard was supposed to be hot. Dev is supposed to be an accountant but quits his job because he wants to go into sports but they never talk about what he actually wants to do with his career, it's just kind of mentioned as ~sports~
very confusing and very boring. i think a lot of the book issues could have been resolved if it were a little longer in length.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 31, 2025DNF 51% in. You couldn't pay me enough to care
June 1, 2025
A cute little sexy Romance.
October 1, 2024
Thank you #partner @berkleyromance for my #gifted copy #BerkleyPartner #BerkleyIG #PenguinRandomHousePartner
Sunshine and Spice
Aurora Palit
Available now
I had the immense pleasure of attending the Booked with Berkley Fall Event and hearing Aurora talk about her debut; I knew it was one I'd enjoy, and I certainly did!
📖 Here we meet Naomi and Dev, two South Asian Canadians who enter a mutually beneficial fake dating arrangement. Our sunshine, an up-and-coming consultant named Naomi, is disconnected from her South Asian roots, while Dev, a grumpy accountant, has deep ties to his Bengali culture. Naomi's lacking knowledge proves potentially detrimental to her contract to revamp Dev's family's bazaar. Meanwhile, Dev's mother is determined to pair him up and marry him off, and he wants no part of it. So the two form a reciprocal agreement: Dev will help Naomi connect to Bengali culture, and Naomi will pretend to date Dev's to thwart his mother's matchmaking attempts. But before long, things go from make-believe to very, very real.
💭 This sexy, swoony, banter-filled, dual-pov contemporary romance is a great take on the fake dating trope! The stakes were just high enough to make it fully believable. I really appreciate the complex family dynamics and ensuing character growth. The inclusion of two opposing second generation immigrant perspectives made for a nuanced, multilayered, culturally-rich story. With a perfectly-paced story, engaging plot, well-developed characters (including the wonderful cast of side characters), I really enjoyed my time in Aurora Palit's Sunshine and Spice!
📌 Available now!
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Sunshine and Spice
Aurora Palit
Available now
I had the immense pleasure of attending the Booked with Berkley Fall Event and hearing Aurora talk about her debut; I knew it was one I'd enjoy, and I certainly did!
📖 Here we meet Naomi and Dev, two South Asian Canadians who enter a mutually beneficial fake dating arrangement. Our sunshine, an up-and-coming consultant named Naomi, is disconnected from her South Asian roots, while Dev, a grumpy accountant, has deep ties to his Bengali culture. Naomi's lacking knowledge proves potentially detrimental to her contract to revamp Dev's family's bazaar. Meanwhile, Dev's mother is determined to pair him up and marry him off, and he wants no part of it. So the two form a reciprocal agreement: Dev will help Naomi connect to Bengali culture, and Naomi will pretend to date Dev's to thwart his mother's matchmaking attempts. But before long, things go from make-believe to very, very real.
💭 This sexy, swoony, banter-filled, dual-pov contemporary romance is a great take on the fake dating trope! The stakes were just high enough to make it fully believable. I really appreciate the complex family dynamics and ensuing character growth. The inclusion of two opposing second generation immigrant perspectives made for a nuanced, multilayered, culturally-rich story. With a perfectly-paced story, engaging plot, well-developed characters (including the wonderful cast of side characters), I really enjoyed my time in Aurora Palit's Sunshine and Spice!
📌 Available now!
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August 31, 2024
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS
-m/f contemporary romance
-hard one and soft one
-idiots to lovers
-desi rep
-forced proximity
-workplace romance
-great banter
Aurora is a darling writing friend and I was lucky enough to read a very early copy of this. It is incredible to get to read a book that I know is so near and dear to her heart and something she has worked so hard on. Her incredible humor and heart in real life has translated so well on the page in a way only a few of the most talented authors out there can do.
How she juxtaposed Naomi's yearning for community and family with Dev's desire to get away from the traditions that have kept him feeling so trapped, yet both leaned into each other figuring their own path. The family dynamics, the desi traditions, the wisecracks, this is an effortless read that will have you cheering on these two as the stumble through major denial that they are into the other. Stoic, grumpy and hard Dev and softie Naomi were perfect for each other.
I will read anythign Aurora writes and I can't wait to pick up whatever she writes next.
I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS
-m/f contemporary romance
-hard one and soft one
-idiots to lovers
-desi rep
-forced proximity
-workplace romance
-great banter
Aurora is a darling writing friend and I was lucky enough to read a very early copy of this. It is incredible to get to read a book that I know is so near and dear to her heart and something she has worked so hard on. Her incredible humor and heart in real life has translated so well on the page in a way only a few of the most talented authors out there can do.
How she juxtaposed Naomi's yearning for community and family with Dev's desire to get away from the traditions that have kept him feeling so trapped, yet both leaned into each other figuring their own path. The family dynamics, the desi traditions, the wisecracks, this is an effortless read that will have you cheering on these two as the stumble through major denial that they are into the other. Stoic, grumpy and hard Dev and softie Naomi were perfect for each other.
I will read anythign Aurora writes and I can't wait to pick up whatever she writes next.
November 25, 2024
Decently written and definitely liked it for the difference in experiences between first-gen immigrant dunked in the vat of culture vs a second-gen immigrant who grows up completely oblivious to it and longs for it.
The female lead, Naomi Kelly, comes across as a bit naive with her longing for being part of a big desi community. Even when the male lead talked about how suffocating all those expectations were, her inference seems to be that atleast he has a community/family. *insert eye roll*
And I did not like how Naomi's mom was characterized ( even by her own daughter). Not all who run away from their home & throw away certain parts of their culture are evil parents taking away roots/history from their kids. Naomi could have still been curious about her mom's history once she grew older instead of making her as a villain. I felt there was no need considering her mom shows up when she thinks her kid is in trouble in the conservative/gossipy desi community.
They become a couple a bit too easily and I feel the whole 'love' part was a huge leap based on just a few months of casual dating.
The female lead, Naomi Kelly, comes across as a bit naive with her longing for being part of a big desi community. Even when the male lead talked about how suffocating all those expectations were, her inference seems to be that atleast he has a community/family. *insert eye roll*
And I did not like how Naomi's mom was characterized ( even by her own daughter). Not all who run away from their home & throw away certain parts of their culture are evil parents taking away roots/history from their kids. Naomi could have still been curious about her mom's history once she grew older instead of making her as a villain. I felt there was no need considering her mom shows up when she thinks her kid is in trouble in the conservative/gossipy desi community.
They become a couple a bit too easily and I feel the whole 'love' part was a huge leap based on just a few months of casual dating.
September 18, 2024
I loved it! The characters, the drama, the spin on fake dating (fake dating, but behind your parents back, and also all the secrets). The spice!! I love how this book focuses on how the "grass is always greener" and how both MCs seem like their upbringing and family situations disappoint them, but grow so much throughout the book. I could viscerally feel Naomi's longing for her ancestral culture, a feeling of belonging that she has never had, always feeling alone in the middle. I loved seeing Dev's culture through her eyes and learning so much alongside her. (I had tears from some of her wide-eye revelations, happiness, and at a scene at the end where she was told she does belong and will learn!) Such a fun and spicy romance!
Audiobook note: I love these narrators and they did an amazing job with this book; highly recommend!
Note: thanks to the publisher for a free copy; my review and thoughts are my own!
Audiobook note: I love these narrators and they did an amazing job with this book; highly recommend!
Note: thanks to the publisher for a free copy; my review and thoughts are my own!
September 8, 2024
This was a standout debut by a new Canadian author and I really enjoyed it!
A fake dating, dual POV, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine romance between two South Asian Canadians who meet while they work together to revamp Dev's family cafe and he uses Naomi to ward off his mother's matchmaking schemes. Feelings turn real quickly though and Dev and Naomi have to figure out if a 'real' relationship between them is actually possible.
Spicer than expected and full of cultural traditions and pressures, this is perfect for fans of authors like Farah Heron, Uzma Jalaluddin or Sarah Desai. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: open door!
A fake dating, dual POV, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine romance between two South Asian Canadians who meet while they work together to revamp Dev's family cafe and he uses Naomi to ward off his mother's matchmaking schemes. Feelings turn real quickly though and Dev and Naomi have to figure out if a 'real' relationship between them is actually possible.
Spicer than expected and full of cultural traditions and pressures, this is perfect for fans of authors like Farah Heron, Uzma Jalaluddin or Sarah Desai. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: open door!
Read
December 11, 2025always love a good south asian rom com! this was cute but i was definitely more interested in naomi as a character than her and dev’s relationship (which isn’t a bad thing!)
September 14, 2024
im sick and tired of reading diaspora struggles especially the pain of being 'whitewashed' yes that was the word used
January 14, 2025
Accountant mention 🤩. Perpetuates the boring personality stereotype :/
September 11, 2024
I love it when a romance is more than just a romance and gives the reader more substance! And this is one of those books! I love a diverse read, where I can learn about another culture. I wish more readers would be willing to read a book about a culture different from their own. When you don't, you are missing out on wonderful books!
This is a wonderful book! Dev is under pressure to get married, his mother has hired a matchmaker. Naomi is hired by his mother to help the family's ailing business. The two are thrown together, and fake dating ensues! Dev is under pressure to follow his family's Indian traditions. Naomi is also facing cultural dilemmas. Can the two find love, or are the cultural dilemmas so strong that they will keep them apart? Can Dev choose between pleasing his mother or following his heart?
I am a fan of Indian shows, including the Indian Matchmaking on Netflix. So I loved the matchmaking aspect of this story.
This a well-paced romance with the familiar tropes, including forced proximity and fake dating. But the cultural aspect enriches this romance.
Pick up this book, you won't be disappointed!
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!
4.25 STARS overall!
This is a wonderful book! Dev is under pressure to get married, his mother has hired a matchmaker. Naomi is hired by his mother to help the family's ailing business. The two are thrown together, and fake dating ensues! Dev is under pressure to follow his family's Indian traditions. Naomi is also facing cultural dilemmas. Can the two find love, or are the cultural dilemmas so strong that they will keep them apart? Can Dev choose between pleasing his mother or following his heart?
I am a fan of Indian shows, including the Indian Matchmaking on Netflix. So I loved the matchmaking aspect of this story.
This a well-paced romance with the familiar tropes, including forced proximity and fake dating. But the cultural aspect enriches this romance.
Pick up this book, you won't be disappointed!
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!
4.25 STARS overall!
Read
September 10, 2024This was so fun, I raced through it in a day. Naomi Kelly is Bengali-Canadian, but she doesn’t know much about Bengali culture. Her mom got pregnant as a teenager and ran away from her family to raise her kid in Canada, in a small mostly white town where Naomi would be cut off (or protected, depending on who you ask) from her roots. Naomi always wanted to learn more, and as an adult, being hired by a Bengali-Canadian family to revitalize their small Indian imports/convenience store is a tantalizing opportunity for her. She doesn’t want to reveal her whole life to them, but she wants very badly to belong. Meanwhile, the middle son of said family, Dev, is chafing under his mom’s strict, traditional expectations. Dev and Naomi make a secret pact: she’ll help him fend off potential brides and he’ll help her successfully rebrand his mom’s store. This is fast-paced and sweet and really captures Naomi’s yearning as an outsider who wants to be invited in. And it has a mean-girl rival who is more than she seems, which I always love.
September 10, 2024
4 ⭐️
This book was such a cute, easy read for me and I’m so glad I was able to get an ARC for it. I loved the premise: fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, but also I wanted to dive into stories that represented different cultures and I loved that I learned so much from this book and its storyline. Naomi & Dev were so cute and funny with their banter AND their denial lol. I also really loved the immigrant representation & the expectations that come from older generations. I definitely related to that and was so glad that there are stories where I feel validated. This is definitely on the contemporary romance side, so the spice isn’t THAT spicy but the story I think, didn’t need that. It stood on its own.
Book comes out tomorrow!! Sept 10 🫶🏼
Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. :)
January 29, 2025
The biggest flaw of this book: having sex does not mean two characters are in love!
I picked this book up randomly from the “new” section at the library because I was looking for an easy read. And that is the only reason I finished the book - it was simple. But, there was no substance to this story. Also, (as you can see from the first sentence of the review) the author had the characters magically fall in love after hooking up. That’s not relationship development. That’s just lazy.
Also, the resolution of this story did not align with the choices and options of the characters along the way, so it wasn’t really believable.
Maybe I’ll be nice and say this book was 1.5 stars
I picked this book up randomly from the “new” section at the library because I was looking for an easy read. And that is the only reason I finished the book - it was simple. But, there was no substance to this story. Also, (as you can see from the first sentence of the review) the author had the characters magically fall in love after hooking up. That’s not relationship development. That’s just lazy.
Also, the resolution of this story did not align with the choices and options of the characters along the way, so it wasn’t really believable.
Maybe I’ll be nice and say this book was 1.5 stars
November 11, 2025
Honestly I started the audio book earlier on in the day and just finished it! I loved this book! The romance and everything was so cute. I enjoyed Dev and Naomi’s chemistry. I hated how Gia was so on top of Dev and judgmental of Naomi but in the end it gets better. I truly enjoyed the Bengali representation as a fellow Bengali myself. I also could relate to Naomi and her mother as a lot of southern Asians do struggle with themselves culturally since there can be judgment in the community. Overall the spice was good, the romance was great and this was a really enjoyable read.
May 27, 2025
This MMC is too close to real life men. I'm looking to ESCAPE them when I read romance. First of all, he's telling everyone that wants to listen that FMC is not the type "you take home to mom." Then proceeds to just stand there when his mom YELLS at her. But then he wants to sweep in at the eleventh hour with a little dry 2 sentence speech? Is that supposed to be Thee Grand Gesture? What a waste of a cover & premise
December 9, 2024
3.5 stars
I really loved the first half of this book and fell in love with Aurora's writing style, the second half is where it fell a bit flat for me. A few choices that the characters made rubbed me the wrong way, but for a debut novel, I was very impressed with this story and will be reading from this author in the future.
I really loved the first half of this book and fell in love with Aurora's writing style, the second half is where it fell a bit flat for me. A few choices that the characters made rubbed me the wrong way, but for a debut novel, I was very impressed with this story and will be reading from this author in the future.
June 11, 2025
An unexpected hit for me! I liked the story’s exploration of what it means to not fully belong in either Western or Indian circles—paired with silly romance plotlines 🤪. If I have kids someday, this is definitely a book I’d want them to read as an adult for fun and growth. Beyond its thoughtful take on mixed-race identity, it also delves into intergenerational expectations, love, and Bengali desserts (rasgulla is superior)
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