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Recipe for Persuasion

(The Rajes #2)

Sonali Dev (Goodreads Author)

3.89 · Rating details · 1,315 ratings · 382 reviews

From the author of Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors comes another , clever, deeply layered, and heartwarming romantic comedy that follows in the Jane Austen tradition—this time, with a twist on Persuasion.

Chef Ashna Raje desperately needs a new strategy. How else can she save her beloved restaurant and prove to her estranged, overachieving mother that she isn’t a comple ...more

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Paperback, 464 pages

Published May 26th 2020 by William Morrow Paperbacks

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Mar 16, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it liked it

Nope, this is not sweet romcom that I’ve dreamed of and it is not also great example for retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

I actually have to admit that when I click the request button, I didn’t think it was retelling of one of the famous classics. I looked at the beautiful cover and read the blurb made me think it’s entertaining second chance romance with humorous enemies- ex lovers story with a sweet and romantic touch of Indian cultural motifs. But as soon as I got the book into my hands, Nope, this is not sweet romcom that I’ve dreamed of and it is not also great example for retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

I actually have to admit that when I click the request button, I didn’t think it was retelling of one of the famous classics. I looked at the beautiful cover and read the blurb made me think it’s entertaining second chance romance with humorous enemies- ex lovers story with a sweet and romantic touch of Indian cultural motifs. But as soon as I got the book into my hands, I found the story way too much tragic.

There are suicide, child neglect, alcoholism. But one thing I know: Ashna is definitely not Persuasion’s Anne! The things they’re in common: First letters of their names, rejecting the man they could have HEA, risk of poverty ( she can lose her restaurant that she keeps it open for the memory of his deceased father) and their ages.

And of course Persuasion is the wrongest choice to be retold in cooking reality show drama concept centered on a young chef suffering from anxiety and ex soccer star suffering from leg injury. The staccato way of story telling was too wordy, arduous, slow and made me lose my interest.

I didn’t have problem about characters but their tragic stories overshadowed their love stories at most parts and Ashna’s too selfish mother reminded me of soap opera villanelles.

Overall: I may sense the author has real talent by her word choices and the way of building stories but she gave so much details and descriptions that slow down the pace.
And the tragic events she developed for own characters were too depressing and heavy. So I go with solid 3 stars for this book because I felt like being deceived after reading enjoyable blurb and vivid cover of the book.

I expected something enlightening my dark mood. We’re locked down in our house! You may imagine my husband and me give each other our kill at the first sight glares. He just called steak with my name when he cut it into tiny pieces as if he’s planning the perfect mur... I mean cooking perfect stew. So all I need a perfect reading escape for getting through these stressful days! But unfortunately this is not my cup of Irish whiskey (happy St. Patrick’s Day quarantine Eve by the way! )

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers/ William Morrow Paperbacks for sharing this interesting ARC in exchange my honest review. I wish I could like it more.

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Jun 19, 2020 peachygirl rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020

This is not a romcom!

Calling Recipe for Persuasion fun and breezy is highly misleading. This book deals with a lot of serious issues that should have come with a big fat warning. Also, I'd have liked this a whole lot better if Sonali Dev hadn't called it a retelling.

Basically after a shitty childhood with an alcoholic father and absentee mother, Ashna Raje has abandonment issues, depressing and severe anxiety. As if that wasn't enough, she's on the verge of running her restaurant to the groun This is not a romcom!

Calling Recipe for Persuasion fun and breezy is highly misleading. This book deals with a lot of serious issues that should have come with a big fat warning. Also, I'd have liked this a whole lot better if Sonali Dev hadn't called it a retelling.

Basically after a shitty childhood with an alcoholic father and absentee mother, Ashna Raje has abandonment issues, depressing and severe anxiety. As if that wasn't enough, she's on the verge of running her restaurant to the ground, unless she takes up her bestfriend's offer to take part in a celebrity cooking reality show. But there's a catch. She'll have to partner with her ex-boyfriend from high school, who even after 12 years is pissed that she dumped him (which is kinda stupid because she's under the impression that he jilted her).

Anyway, there are residual feelings, sparks, tangled web of misunderstandings, ego clashes, a sad attempt at love triangle meant to confuse the readers and online fans dead set on seeing this couple together after a rather disastrous reunion goes viral. They even come up with a cute otp #Ashico! After 200 pages of family drama and heart to hearts, Ashna hears the guy's side of things and all is well in paradise.

Now, moving on to what I really wanted to talk about, was the story of Ashna's mother, Shobi. Seeing everything from Ashna's perspective, initially we get the feeling that her mother is a cold, career oriented opportunitist who doesn't care about her only child. And I did find it childish that Ashna chooses to believe her diabolical, dead beat dad over her mum every time and that even after his death she clings to the notion of what he wanted her to be. Try as she might, pleasing her dead father doesn't bring her nothing but a big bunch of bills from her therapist, a crippling anxiety if she so much as attempts to do something on her own and increasing levels of unhappiness over the years.

Once Shobi reveals her story of being forced into the marriage by her dad and the guy she considered her friend, the horror of her wedding night, forced to see her child being taken away and so much more, everything is crytal clear for Ashna. So much that all her issues are magically sorted. First stop is her boyfriend's hotel room, and then she's on her way to happily ever after. Um, sorry? Anxiety doesn't work like that.

I understand that she feels like she's got a parent back, but did it actually take the story of her mom's rape to convince herself that her dad was a douche? He blackmails her into staying with him when she was just ten! He literally waves a gun in her face and tells her that he'll off himself if she thinks about going back to her mom. And this is just one of the many times he's been a shitty dad. This guy would probably win the "Vilest Parent Ever" title on his good day.

I'm even made mad at Ashna's kaki for not being honest with her about the true state of her parents' marriage, seeing she had the front row seat to all of Shobi's misfortunes.
I can't put it in words how much I admired Shobi for changing her life around after being dealt with such shitty cards. Not to say I'm unsympathetic toward Ashna, but sometimes I couldn't help but feel that she purposefully wanted to be alone and miserable. Because unlike her mom, she's got a huge family by her side and a guy, even at 18, who's ready to worship the ground she walks on, which I must confess, is kinda stupid. I couldn't see past their mutual attraction to a deeper relationship.

Almost 40 percent of this book was rather depressing to read. I did like the hero, but he's not someone I'd fangirl over after DJ and the like. I'm sorry to say I didn't like this as much as the first book, because I was pretty excited when the blurb was out. Still, I'm going with 4 starts because Sonali's writing style is awesome as ever and the way she handles touchy subjects like marital rape, child neglect and alcohol abuse was commendable. Maybe for the next time, some more research on mental health issues wouldn't hurt. ...more

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Apr 16, 2020 Renaissance Kate rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, read-in-2020, books-i-own, kindle, arc

Ashna Raje is struggling. Her restaurant could use some major renovations, and she can barely fill thirty of the dining room’s one hundred tables on a good night. She never seems to see eye-to-eye with her very successful mother, who lives in India and rarely makes time to visit Ashna in the San Francisco Bay Area. And now, Ashna’s cousin and best friend want her to star on a celebrity cooking show, where she’ll be paired off with a famous partner and have the chance to win enough money to turn Ashna Raje is struggling. Her restaurant could use some major renovations, and she can barely fill thirty of the dining room’s one hundred tables on a good night. She never seems to see eye-to-eye with her very successful mother, who lives in India and rarely makes time to visit Ashna in the San Francisco Bay Area. And now, Ashna’s cousin and best friend want her to star on a celebrity cooking show, where she’ll be paired off with a famous partner and have the chance to win enough money to turn her restaurant around. The restaurant is all that remains of her father, so determined to hold onto it, Ashna reluctantly agrees.

Frederico “Rico” Silva is also struggling. A recent knee injury led him to an early retirement as a world-renown FIFA player. At his teammate’s bachelor party, Rico begins reminiscing about all the women he’s ever dated and finds himself fixated on the one girl with whom he never found closure. A quick internet search reveals she’s to be a contestant on the Food Network’s upcoming celebrity cooking show, and before he allows himself time to reconsider, Rico picks up his phone and asks his agent to book him the gig.

Despite this lighthearted premise, Recipe for Persuasion is not the romantic comedy its description makes it out to be. While it contains some upbeat moments, including Ashna and Rico’s TV cook-offs or Ashna’s close relationships with her cousins, the book explores several heavier topics that better categorize it as a drama. Ashna and Rico’s romance is one of rekindled love that forces them to reexamine their past relationship as they fall for each other again; however, in doing so, they must revisit the severe traumas they respectively faced as children that impacted their breakup.

The book also heavily focuses on Ashna’s strained relationship with her mother, Shobi, and includes many chapters from Shobi’s point of view, past and present. This element serves well to tie-in the series’ overarching theme of the Raje family’s intricate relationships and offers a revealing look at the older generation who came before Ashna (and Trisha, for those who read the first book in this series).

Fans of Trisha’s story will not be shocked to hear that Ashna’s tale also contains somber topics, nor will they be surprised to know that Sonali Dev‘s beautiful and poignant writing will take you on an emotional roller coaster. It was lovely seeing how Ashna and Rico found home in one another after being lost for so long. Although the Raje family drama overshadowed their romance, Ashna’s heart-wrenching, vulnerable examination of herself and her relationship with Shobi and even with her father is where this book truly shines.

Lastly, I’m looking forward to Dev’s retelling of Sense and Sensibility, as I don’t think the appearance of sisters China and India Dashwood in this book was simply a coincidence.

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers via Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. ...more

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May 05, 2020 Sophia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley-reads, 2020-literary-pickers-challenge, contemporary-romance, 2020-new-release-challenge, 2020-coyer-quarantine, jane-austen-austenesque, 2020-austenesque-lovers-tbr-challen, 2020-romanceopoly

Jane Austen’s Persuasion gets a modern face lift Desi-style in this standalone sequel as Indian American chef, Ashna Raje, and Brazilian footballer, Rico Silva, encounter each other once again as acrimonious cooking partners on a reality TV show. I love that the Sonali Dev has cooked up the Raje series of modern retellings of Austen’s classical works including this second entry, Recipe for Persuasion, giving members of the Raje family their chances at romance.
Ashna’s family are convinced a real Jane Austen’s Persuasion gets a modern face lift Desi-style in this standalone sequel as Indian American chef, Ashna Raje, and Brazilian footballer, Rico Silva, encounter each other once again as acrimonious cooking partners on a reality TV show. I love that the Sonali Dev has cooked up the Raje series of modern retellings of Austen’s classical works including this second entry, Recipe for Persuasion, giving members of the Raje family their chances at romance.
Ashna’s family are convinced a reality cooking show is just the jumpstart her dying restaurant needs and she is willing to do anything to preserve this last bit of her father who opened the restaurant.
As a pro footballer at the top of his game, Rico thought he had moved on from Ashna’s rejection. That is until he is injured badly and yet another relationship didn’t work out. He decides he has to do something about not being over his teenage love so signs onto the show to be Ashna’s partner. He vents his long smoldering anger, but also understands as an adult what his teenage self couldn’t when he learns the true state of Ashna’s affairs. Understanding her leads to understanding of the past.
Ashna had a difficult childhood. Her father, a prince, was forced out of India for some trouble he got into and lost the lifestyle he was accustomed to making him a bitter, angry man. Her parents were stuck in a loveless marriage where abuse and alcoholism were rife and Ashna was physically abandoned by her mother while the father’s issues were just as unhealthy for her so that, even after his death, she works to please a father who was never going to be pleased.
It was his dream to go to Paris and become a superb chef. Ash pursued it for him Now she can’t even create her own dishes without bringing on an anxiety attack. She can only keep his restaurant just as he had it and cook only his dishes which is why the restaurant is failing. Others see the problem, yet she refuses to heed them because honoring her father is all she has left.
Into this situation steps the boy become man from her past and she hasn’t gotten over him. When I chose this book, I was enchanted at the thought of the Persuasion story being set in a modern Indian-style setting. I loved the lavish descriptions, the traditions, cultural background, and, oh my stars, the food. I was so hungry reading this one that I had to whip up some hummus. The connection of family was strong including Ashna’s cousin Trisha who had her story in the first book.

I thought the author did a good job making Austen’s classic plot the bones of this story and filling it in with modern characters and modern concerns. I glanced at the blurb and noticed it describes Recipe For Persuasion as a Romcom. Personally, I think that gives the wrong impression. This had some humorous moments, but it was not a light story. It read closer to women’s fiction for me because so much had to be addressed before even the romance could grow.

Speaking of the romance, I was underwhelmed. I liked the characters, especially Rico, as individuals and cheered for them to find peace and their happy. However, I wasn’t feeling their adult reunion romance. I couldn’t see what maintained it over the years to that strength since, in this version, they were teens who fell in love and this is way longer a gap in years. In addition, I wasn’t feeling it between them as adults.
Ash was a hot mess and she was content to stay that way. She was wilting and so down on herself. I struggled with her parts of the narration and even preferred her mother Shobi’s narrative sections about her miserable past and inability to connect with her own child as a result. So, Ash, as a woman to capture the confident and handsome adult Rico’s interest? Um, no.
And, that brings me to Rico’s prickly anger. Just after they broke up, sure, be angry, but it makes no sense to me that he still feels it so strongly and places so much blame this many years later. Turns out like the original character, his anger was masking something else. I liked the process of his eyes being opened and grasping this new chance. Rico did end up being rather romantic when he got over it. Spoiler alert. Sorry Captain Wentworth fans, no romantic “You pierce my soul.” letter to Ashna, though he did find a different way to be swoony.
In summary, I liked, but did not love this book. To be fair, my personal mood and my struggle to read this style book is also a factor. I found the heroine and her romance only mildly engaging, but on the other hand, there was a richness to the setting and background that drew me in, a hero who caught my interest, and the author’s writing style was solid. Again, I would recommend this more to fiction than straight romance fans and those who enjoy modern retellings.

I rec'd this book via Net Galley to read in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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May 27, 2020 Stacee rated it it was ok

Shelves: rape-or-molestation-or-sa, skimmidy-skim-skim-skim, read-in-2020, netgalley

2.5 stars

Well. Here we are again with another book blatantly being called a rom-com and there’s a small serving of rom, but definitely no com. And I’m extra disappointed because not only was PP+OF one of my top 10 books the year it released, but Persuasion is a dear favorite of mine.

I liked Ashna and Rico well enough. They’re both good people who are still hung up on each other; however for me, it wasn’t charming. I didn’t quite see the chemistry between them and more often than not, was told t ...more

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Oct 02, 2019 Sally Kilpatrick rated it it was amazing

Wow.

You should all be very, very jealous of me right now because I got to read an early version of this book, and you're going to want it. Of course, now I have the unenviable task of putting down my thoughts before I forget them while not spoiling the book in any sort of way. I will say that many Kleenexs were lost in the reading of this book. If you would like to have your innards turned inside out and then put back to rights thus leaving you with a happy but weary glow, then this is the book ...more

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May 23, 2020 eyes.2c rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, netgalley, multicultural-fiction

Chef reality show gets very REAL!

A very loose nod to Austen's Persuasion. Ashna Raje is trying to hang onto her beloved father's once successful Indian restaurant at all costs. The restaurant is in crisis, millions of dollars were embezzled. Now she is doing all she can to lower overheads and rebuild the restaurant, her father's dream. And that's the crux, Ashna needs to discover her own dream.
Her cousin persuades as her to take part in a reality tv cooking show. Grand prize of $100,000
Little d Chef reality show gets very REAL!

A very loose nod to Austen's Persuasion. Ashna Raje is trying to hang onto her beloved father's once successful Indian restaurant at all costs. The restaurant is in crisis, millions of dollars were embezzled. Now she is doing all she can to lower overheads and rebuild the restaurant, her father's dream. And that's the crux, Ashna needs to discover her own dream.
Her cousin persuades as her to take part in a reality tv cooking show. Grand prize of $100,000
Little did Ashna know that the former love of her life would be her partner. Soccer star Rico Silva has used his influence to ensure this. Being thrown together, in the spotlight and off, forces Rico and Ashna to re-evaluate themselves, their reactions and other aspects of their lives.
Devastating secrets are forced into the open. For Ashna that includes reassessing her relationship with both her mother and her father. Ashna's father was an Indian Prince sent by his family to the United States to build a new life for himself and his family. Her mother had deserted the Prince and Ashna many years before, returning to India to advocate for girls sporting rights that developed into female empowerment in other areas of life. To say Ashna and her mother's relationship is fraught is a massive understatement.
Although Ashna's mother's story raises interesting issues about relationships between generations. Including the idea that current generations accept the status quo of women's rights as they are now without appreciating previous generation's historical situations and the cost to them. Those forgotten battles are the legacy that current generations move forward from.
On the surface this story is a very readable modern love story, but underneath, with its richly woven background, darkness hovers, resentments simmer, and redemption possibilities hide around the corner, if one is brave enough.
I loved the title. Talking, being open, and forgiving are necessary ingredients for persuasion to happen in this situation.
Rethinking this novel, I came to appreciate even more it's depth. I decided this is actually a five star read and not the four star I was originally going with.
There are comic moments, but Recipe for Persuasion is far from a romantic comedy.

A HarperCollins ARC via NetGalley ...more

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May 25, 2020 Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews rated it it was ok

Shelves: guiltypleasures-slick

Reviewers note: Trigger warnings – Rape, Alcholoism, Suicide

Recipe for Persuasion is billed as a desi retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, I’ll have to take the publisher and author’s word on that because I haven’t read the original and I wasn’t impressed with the retelling. Billed as a rom-com, there was nothing funny about this story and it wasn’t particularly romantic. The hero and heroine had a forbidden teenage romance in high school for about 1 year; she is Indian, his is Brazilian and Reviewers note: Trigger warnings – Rape, Alcholoism, Suicide

Recipe for Persuasion is billed as a desi retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, I’ll have to take the publisher and author’s word on that because I haven’t read the original and I wasn’t impressed with the retelling. Billed as a rom-com, there was nothing funny about this story and it wasn’t particularly romantic. The hero and heroine had a forbidden teenage romance in high school for about 1 year; she is Indian, his is Brazilian and they both remember their parting in very different and vivid ways and apparently over a decade later they still have strong feelings of hate for one another which has affected their romantic lives up until now (hello, can we say therapy needed).

Ashna’s early life was lived in India until her father was a prince but banished to California for various reasons where he became a famed chef of a high touted and popular restaurant. Her mother was absent, preferring to devote her life to a foundation that supported equal rights for girl’s education and right to play sports. Ashna’s memories are of her parents fighting with her mother visited and a father who struggled with alcoholism and depression which she believed stemmed from her mother’s refusal to live full time with them. While her parent’s relationship played a huge part in shaping Ashna into the woman she is today, it bogged down this book and failed to allow the romance between Ashna and Rico to bloom.

Rico’s parents were killed when he was young and he gave up football (soccer) because it’s what his father did for a living, but after moving to California to live with an aunt, meeting Ashna, getting his heart broken he went to England and picked it up again becoming a star player until an injury forced his retirement at age 30. I gleamed from the story that Rico had abandonment issues, he was high intelligent and knew how to work the media, and he harbored a grudge against Ashna and her father that made him sign up for a reality cooking show so he could be partnered with her and make her miserable.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the heat between Ashan and Rico, if anything it felt more like a sibling type relationship than a romantic one. I enjoyed watching them discover each other as adults and seeing how their teenage relationship came about but so much of this story was weighed down by Asha’s strained relationship with her mother and the relationship between her mother and late father.

For me this book was just a big fail all the way around, I found it to be bloated with too much information in some ways yet lacking in others. The romance floundered and I found it difficult to like a single character in the story.

Review copy provided for a voluntary review. ...more

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Apr 11, 2020 Sahitya rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, romance-and-or-relationships, 2020-read, classics-myths-retellings

CW: talk of past alcoholism, suicide and rape; ptsd and panic attacks

I have a thing for desi Jane Austen retellings, so as soon as I saw the announcement for this book, I knew I was going to read it. Second chance romance on the other hand is not my favorite trope, but because I knew how Persuasion turns, I thought I would love this one too. It didn’t end up working that way though.

The bare bones of the story is quite close to the original, but I was actually excited for the reality cooking sh ...more

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May 30, 2020 Lisa Wolf rated it really liked it

Shelves: austen-inspired, san-francisco, contemporary-fiction, romance, india, foodie-books

Persuasion is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels, so of course I was going to read this modern romance that riffs on Persuasion‘s themes!

Recipe for Persuasion is a loose follow-up to last year’s Pride, Prejudice & Other Flavors. The Raje family is still the center of the story, but here, the focus shifts to Ashna Raje, who was a supporting character in the previous novel.

Before getting too far into discussing Recipe for Persuasion, I want to get one thing straight, which is that the blurb abo ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 Sheena ☆ Oh, the Sheenanigans! rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: diverse-or-poc, millionaire-billionaire-romance, enemies-to-lovers, netgalley, tigger-warning, single-or-divorce-parents, arcs-ebook, death, romance, second-chance-romance

This Jane Austen inspired contemporary romance novel was a decent, uniquely written diverse-filled read that left me pleasantly surprised on how much I didn't completely hate it. Sure Ashna estranged mother Shobj annoyed me like no other but the rekindle romance between Ansha and Rico made up for it. Overall, it was not a bad read and would definitely keep this author on my radar for future releases.

...more

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Mar 16, 2020 Obsidian rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley

Please not that I received this via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

Trigger warnings: Rape

I loved the first book in this series so much. Sonali Dev did a great job with retelling Pride and Prejudice and with her next re-telling I went, oh no. No. No. This book was too all over the place. Reading the description you think you would be focused on the heroine (Ashna Raje) and the hero (Rico Silva) but nope, we also get into Ashna's mother's life prior to her marrying Ashna's fa Please not that I received this via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

Trigger warnings: Rape

I loved the first book in this series so much. Sonali Dev did a great job with retelling Pride and Prejudice and with her next re-telling I went, oh no. No. No. This book was too all over the place. Reading the description you think you would be focused on the heroine (Ashna Raje) and the hero (Rico Silva) but nope, we also get into Ashna's mother's life prior to her marrying Ashna's father. I ended up being more fascinated about her life than what went on with Ashna. No one was developed very well due to the flopping back and forth. And honestly, I didn't like the final resolution with Ashna. I still don't think she's passionate about being a chef. I wish that she had acknowledged that and did something else. FYI, the book does quote Persuasion, but even my favorite line ever in the history of literature was enough to save this book.

"Recipe for Persuasion" follows Ashna Raje. Ashna is running her late father's business, "Curried Dreams." Too bad the business is about to fail. Unable to cook anything besides her father's recipes, Ashna is not able to do much in the kitchen. When her sous chef quits she doesn't know what she will do. When her cousins nag her to do a celebrity cooking show, she thinks she may have figured out how to save her father's restaurant.

Rico Silvia is recovering from a career ending sports injury. He is celebrating his best friend's upcoming wedding. During that, he starts to realize that his latest relationship ended because he didn't let himself fall in love. And he realizes he didn't because of his first love who turned him away. When Rico hears about Ashna being in a celebrity cooking show, he makes sure that he appears on the show as her partner.

The third character in this book is Ashna's mother, Shobi. Shobi was married to the former prince (Bram Raje). We slowly find out how awful the marriage was and how Shobi's life turned out the way it did. She wants to get closer to Ashna, but doesn't know how.

I have to say that Ashna bored me and got on my nerves. She blindly ignores everything she knows about her father and then somehow gets a realization about things. Girl you should have been woke up. We find out that she used to love sports (just like her mother) until she didn't and why. I wish that Dev had did a bit something different with her in regards to the ending.

Rico was a head scratcher. I honestly didn't get why he was into Ashna at all. I think that's the biggest problem I had. Dev writes them as teenagers, but there's nothing there. I saw zero chemistry between them as teens to make them be this decades long love story that just had to get together. I was also perplexed about some of Rico's past, but Dev doesn't delve into it enough. Heck she barely delves into Ashna's all the way through. We just hear things piecemail.

Shobi's backstory was more developed, which pushed me to thinking that this book should have been her story more than Ashna's. It would have set up nicely with a Persuasion type setting. Heck maybe even set it up to be retelling of Mansfield Park. Parts of the book would have worked for that maybe. I don't know. I was just frustrated and saddened when we get the full storyline here.

We get prior characters showing up in this one which was nice, but I found myself caring more about them than Ashna.

The writing was solid, the story was not. The flow was awful. Juggling through characters, different time periods and then the present day was too much.

The ending tied things up in a much too tidy bow to be believed. ...more

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May 11, 2020 Julie (Jewlsbookblog) rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, 2020, arc, giveaway

Ashna’s story really should have been two books! One about Ashna’s mother Shobi-and her hellacious relationship with Ashna’s dad- and another about Ashna and Rico. For me, the story fell short. The content was simply...too much to process.

At this point, I can tell you more about Ashna’s family drama more than I can about her and Rico, much less their second chance together, because the family drama consumed all the space. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if the book was advertised differentl ...more

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Feb 06, 2020 Janelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, netgalley, cbr12

As much as I love Pride & Prejudice, the book just doesn't update well. (I'm posting a review soon of a spectacular P&P fail.) So many of the elements of the story don't work out of context. Seduction of underage girls, the importance of one sibling's marriage on the family's fortunes, how many families one dines with, fine eyes... stuff just hits different now.

Persuasion, however, is, in many ways, a much easier tale to update. A young woman too sensitive to her family's censure, a young man wh As much as I love Pride & Prejudice, the book just doesn't update well. (I'm posting a review soon of a spectacular P&P fail.) So many of the elements of the story don't work out of context. Seduction of underage girls, the importance of one sibling's marriage on the family's fortunes, how many families one dines with, fine eyes... stuff just hits different now.

Persuasion, however, is, in many ways, a much easier tale to update. A young woman too sensitive to her family's censure, a young man whose wounded pride demands satisfaction, and a second chance to regain what they'd once lost. The challenge with Persuasion is to reproduce one of the great, if unsung, romantic heroes. If your Wentworth doesn't make a reader swoon, what even is the point?

All this to say, Sonali Dev gets this one right. I was half in love with both Ashna and Rico by the end of the first quarter.

Ashna Raje, cousin to Trisha Raje, is struggling to save her late father's once glorious restaurant. The shy Ashna is running out of options, so when her friend is looking for a chef to fill in on a pro-am reality cooking show, Ashna goes for it.

Frederico Silva has suffered an IT band injury that has put an end to his outstanding football (soccer, you heathens) career. Casting about for something to do with the rest of his life, he decides it's time to get closure from the girl who broke his teenage heart. What better way to do that than to use his fame to force his way onto the reality show?

Like Anne Eliot before her, Ashna's childhood was anything but happy. Her father was an irresponsible alcoholic prince kicked out of his country for breaking the law too many times. Her ambitious mother chafed at her loveless marriage and abandoned the family when Ashna was young. Throughout the book, Ashna is trying to find a way to heal from these traumas. Rico's return is one more wound on the pile.

Dev tells the story from multiple perspectives, and across the years. We see Ashna as a child, witnessing her parents dysfunctional relationship. Shoban as a young woman forced to marry a spoiled prince, then as an older woman trying to reconcile with the daughter she left behind. Rico gets the short shrift: he still hurts from Ashna's youthful rejection, but the story is less concerned with his past than his present.

If I had a complaint, and I truly don't, it would only be that Rico doesn't write his Wentworth note. However, I don't blame Dev one bit for not wanting to compete with that.

This might be my absolute favorite Austen retelling. It makes me want to re-read both the original and this version. I'm definitely recommending pre-ordering this to read as soon as it comes out.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in order to facilitate this review. ...more

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May 27, 2020 Aly is so frigging bored rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, hh-2nd-chance-romance, hh-food-industry

I really liked this book, but it was emotional draining

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May 26, 2020 Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: persuasion, jane-austen

A Complex Flavor Profile

Following her stellar modern-day Pride and Prejudice adaptation, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, Sonali Dev’s second book in The Rajes Series, Recipe for Persuasion combines the flavors of Jane Austen’s novel about second chances with complicated family dynamics and cultural diversity. In this standalone story, readers see Ashna Raje, the reserved and timid thirty-year-old chef and owner of Curried Dreams – her father’s restaurant – do the unthinkable and compete i A Complex Flavor Profile

Following her stellar modern-day Pride and Prejudice adaptation, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, Sonali Dev’s second book in The Rajes Series, Recipe for Persuasion combines the flavors of Jane Austen’s novel about second chances with complicated family dynamics and cultural diversity. In this standalone story, readers see Ashna Raje, the reserved and timid thirty-year-old chef and owner of Curried Dreams – her father’s restaurant – do the unthinkable and compete in a reality cooking show competition. Ashna isn’t one to do put herself on public display and her feelings about cooking are complicated, but her restaurant needs saving and Ashna has the determination to prove all the naysayers in her life wrong.

Ashna’s misgivings about participating in Cooking with the Stars intensifies exponentially when she learns the celebrity teammate she is paired with is…Rico Silva. The internationally-recognized professional soccer player who she fell in love with in high school yet hasn’t seen or heard from in twelve years!! But Rico isn’t the only person to have left Ashna… Long ago Ashna’s mom, Shoban, made the choice to stay in India and pursue her important advocacy work for women’s rights and sports for girls instead of moving to America with Ashna and her father. And since then their relationship has deteriorated to one of resentment, pain, and insurmountable distance. Saving Curried Dreams, appearing on Cooking with the Stars, facing Rico, and talking to her mother…poor Ashna has her plate full!

After deeply loving and admiring Sonali Dev’s brilliant gender-swap and culturally diverse Pride and Prejudice adaptation, I must admit it was a challenge not to have high expectations for Recipe for Persuasion. But I needn’t have worried. Sonali Dev found some incredibly profound correlations to Persuasion to feature in her story. Ones that are so understated, discerning, and beautifully connected. Persuasion isn’t just a tale about regret and being persuaded by others, it is also a story about growing up without a mother, being a daughter with limited rights/options, and permitting yourself to have what you want most. Ashna’s difficult relationship with her mother and Shoban’s own heartrending secrets were exceptionally moving storylines that were surprising yet astute choices for a Persuasion inspired story.

Another Persuasion connection/parallel I greatly enjoyed in this story were the modern-day Anne and Wentworth recreations – Ashna and Rico. Like Anne, Ashna has been neglected by members of her family. But unlike Anne, there are many scenes from her childhood that have intensely hurt Ashna and left deep scars. Many people in Ashna’s life view her as fragile, and she may appear that way because of her sadness and burdens, but there is a part of Ashna that is fierce, independent, and strong. And it is a part of herself that only one other person has seen…*sigh* I love Rico. I love how he purposefully causes his reentrance into Ashna’s life, and I love how his reasons for it are about wanting closure and answers. I loved every moment of Rico and Ashna together – there is so much they don’t say, so much in their past, so much we learn and witness along the way. It was a riveting journey.

I must devote this next paragraph to Sonali Dev’s beautiful writing style. It is poetic, vivid, and full of emotion and metaphor. With such tangible feelings described, the reader is easily pulled into these characters’ world and feel an intrinsic connection to them. I am very grateful for the flashback scenes of Ashna’s, Rico’s, and Shoban’s pasts which further enhances the reader’s understanding of these characters personalities and decisions. Some of these characters may be hard to like or understand at first, but that can change as the layers begin to peel away.

Like a master chef creating an elevated offering from a beloved classic dish, Sonali Dev’s homage to Jane Austen’s Persuasion is full of complex components, vibrant layers, and subtle notes of Jane Austen that work together harmoniously. Recipe for Persuasion is most worthy of praise, and is a story I heartily recommend! I so hope we soon hear that another book in this remarkable series is in this works! *fingers crossed for it to be about Yash…with maybe a S&S tie in?*

Note: Due to the use of strong language and reference to a nonconsensual sexual encounter (nothing explicit), I’d recommend this book for readers over the age of 14.

Austenesque Reviews ...more

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May 31, 2020 Megan rated it it was amazing

This was so good! I loved every minute! Her characters are so vivid and complex. And I love how she weaves really important topics seamlessly into the narrative. Definitely worth reading! 5 stars

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Mar 15, 2020 Lu rated it really liked it

Shelves: heroes-gama, heros-most-loveable, second-chances, series-to-continue, good-stories, netgalley, owned-advanced-reading-copy, diverse-hero-or-heroine

An Indian chef and a Brazilian soccer player are the main characters in this lovely retelling of Persuasion.

As a hard fan of Jane Austen and originally from Brazil, I was immediately hooked by the premise of Recipe for Persuasion. Two high school sweethearts (an Indian chef, and a Brazilian soccer player), separated by family opposition, meet again twelve years later as participants in a culinary reality show.

What at first seemed to be a romantic comedy soon turned out much denser and more compl ...more

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Apr 04, 2020 Caitlin Reads rated it liked it

I am a huge Jane Austen fan and was so excited to receive this arc from Edelweiss+. Ashna is the head chef and owner of Curried Dreams, the failing business left to her by her deceased father. She will do anything to save it, including going on a reality cooking show where she will be matched with a celebrity. Low and behold, she gets matched with Rico, her high school ex boyfriend. I really enjoyed the relationship between Rico and Ashna. Both characters were really likable and fun to read abou ...more

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May 17, 2020 Lubnaa (Romance Library) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020, interracial-couples, chemistry, beautiful-cover-stepback, arc, contemporary-romance, memorable-meet-cutes, slow-burn, audiobook, sports-romance

I received an ALC from Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Note: content warnings in spoiler tag at the end of review.

Persuasion is hands down my favourite Jane Austen book. It is the original second chance romance. It is the gold standard for second chance romance. It has the best love letter (and love declaration) of all time. The ULTIMATE pining and yearning. My deep love for Persuasion is partly why I’ve never actually read a Persuasion retelling before this one. Recipe for Persuas ...more

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May 17, 2020 Eunice Moral rated it really liked it

Shelves: retelling, romance, contemporary

A flavorful tale of second chance romance, missed connections, forgiveness and family secrets.

This modern-day Persuasion retelling wasn't the romcom I was promised, but it was something diverse and deeper, something I wouldn't be able to come across often. That alone, merited another star from me. I have to admit before anything else that I haven't read Persuasion, I hope it did not affect the reading experience. I just took the book for what it is, of course with the knowledge I gathered ab
A flavorful tale of second chance romance, missed connections, forgiveness and family secrets.

This modern-day Persuasion retelling wasn't the romcom I was promised, but it was something diverse and deeper, something I wouldn't be able to come across often. That alone, merited another star from me. I have to admit before anything else that I haven't read Persuasion, I hope it did not affect the reading experience. I just took the book for what it is, of course with the knowledge I gathered about Persuasion, so I could at least give my honest thoughts on it. I was keen on giving it three stars, but the last few chapters wrapped everything up in a neat little bow. I have to admit the story dragged on for a good 65% of the book, not only until few chapters left that everything made sense and started to shape up. It was like a dance of two steps forward three steps back, and sometimes I just want Ashna and Rico to just kiss already. But more on the serious side,Recipe for Persuasion showcased the culture of patriarchal masculinity, how women are supposed to bring themselves to a certain standard, on their dependence to men and how they are perceived to be as the weaker sex. It portrayed the glut of male entitlement and how women are always the one to be at the receiving end of it. What I love about Recipe for Persuasion is the backstory of Shobi (Ashna's mother) which gave so much meaning to what Ashna had become. It was sending a clear message on women breaking the chains of toxic masculinity and forging their own path even at a costly price. At first, I hated Shobi, I couldn't grasp where she was coming from, but when everything unfolded albeit a little too slow for my own liking, it was able to put things into perspective. I feel like it's more Shobi's story than that of Ashna. I found Ashna's character to be a little frustrating and weak, Rico on the other hand is just too precious, there's just not one bad thing about him. The book's conflict comes from a good chunk of misunderstanding between Ashna and Rico, Ashna and her mother, and Ashna and her father. It's as if the whole story revolved around this unresolved family secrets that has been taking everyone hostage, afraid to reveal what they truly feel, resulting into ripples of irreparable damage.

TW: marital rape, suicide ...more

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May 23, 2020 Maida rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, angst, woc, asian-writers-characters, contemporary, diverse, arc, edelweiss, food, multicultural

3.5 stars rounded high

High marks for diversity (Brazilian/English hero in Rico, Indian-American heroine in Ashna, LGBTQ and multicultural secondary characters), depth of storylines, complexity of characters, and storytelling prowess of Sonali Dev.

Deductions for illustrated cover and romcom marketing which mislead potential readers and do not prepare them for an angst-filled, heavy book that should come with several content warnings (suicide, alcoholism, marital rape, parental neglect to name a f ...more

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May 05, 2020 mindful.librarian ☀️ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: advanced-reader-copies, aoc, adult-reads

(free review copy) I LOVED this one! The romance, the mother-daughter relationship story arc, the FOOD, the cooking show - all of it. I actually liked it better than the first in the series and can't wait to read more about the Raje family!

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May 14, 2020 Lacey rated it it was ok

Shelves: to-review, arc, own-book, romance, chick-lit-womens-fiction

Review coming soon!

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Apr 03, 2020 Ms. Woc Reader rated it it was ok

Partially through the book despite it's misgivings I felt like this would be a 3 star. By the halfway mark when it was becoming a chore to get through I realized it would be a 2.

This is not a rom com like the blurb suggested and I was never able to get into the romance. The characters just didn't have much chemistry and overall were not very likable.

Rico was especially unlikable. I don't know why he was still holding on to this high school relationship at age 30 but it was made even worse by how ...more

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Jun 22, 2020 Emma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, 2020

Actual rating is a 3.5.

Recipe for Persuasion sucked me in right from the beginning and never really let me go. Ashna's struggle to find a way to save her restaurant, Curried Dreams, hooked me and as soon as we met her love interest, Rico, I knew I was a goner. The tension between these two was so good, which was definitely what made me race through Recipe for Persuasion in basically 24 hours.

On top of the killer romantic tension, there were so many rich storylines in this book. Ashna's relatio Actual rating is a 3.5.

Recipe for Persuasion sucked me in right from the beginning and never really let me go. Ashna's struggle to find a way to save her restaurant, Curried Dreams, hooked me and as soon as we met her love interest, Rico, I knew I was a goner. The tension between these two was so good, which was definitely what made me race through Recipe for Persuasion in basically 24 hours.

On top of the killer romantic tension, there were so many rich storylines in this book. Ashna's relationship with her largely absentee mom, Shoban, added another element of conflict to the story. The family dynamics were done incredibly well here and I can't wait to read more about the Rajes in Dev's other books.

I'm not sure I can classify Recipe for Persuasion as a true romance. The romance wasn't always the most important plot arc in the story and the payoff for it was a bit more lacking than I would've liked. (view spoiler) There were also a lot of incredibly dark themes in this book. The content warnings that jumped out to me are below but there may be a chance I missed some. It's definitely worth mentioning that this book contains marital rape and a graphic suicide description, which were both things I wasn't expecting to find in a story billed as a light-hearted romance.

Overall, I found this a really well-written, engrossing book and look forward to reading Dev's other works.

C/W:(view spoiler) ...more

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May 27, 2020 Purabi Chatterjee rated it it was amazing

I've said it before, I'll say it again: I love nothing more than romcoms that give us something beyond the HEA they promise. Recipe for Persuasion is Sonali Dev's twist on the Austen second chance romance classic. So it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll get a delicious romance centered around food and second chance love and complicated family relationships and sweet sweet reunion. But because Sonali is Sonali, she gives us more, and for me, specifically, she gave me what I was looking for in ...more

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Apr 11, 2020 Andreajanel rated it it was amazing

A huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Rico and Ash was a slice of perfection in an imperfect, chaotic world.

Persuasion by Jane Austen is my favorite book of all time. And I am an obsessive bibliophile who devours books like others inhale chocolate or cupcakes. So I had high hopes and high expectations. I was not disappointed.

One of the reasons I love Persuasion so much is its unflinching portrayal A huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Rico and Ash was a slice of perfection in an imperfect, chaotic world.

Persuasion by Jane Austen is my favorite book of all time. And I am an obsessive bibliophile who devours books like others inhale chocolate or cupcakes. So I had high hopes and high expectations. I was not disappointed.

One of the reasons I love Persuasion so much is its unflinching portrayal of familial obligation and manipulation. The force of those same undercurrents is masterfully portrayed in this new adaptation. The weight of these unspoken expectations is what separated Rico and Ash as teenagers, and the trajectory of their adult lives has been shaped by them.

Ash has done everything in her power to ensure her father's legacy is a golden one. The restaurant that has consumed all of her sweat and tears for over a decade is drowning, and Ash is grasping at straws in the hope of finding a miracle. When her two best friends concoct a plan and offer her a spot on a reality tv cooking show, she immediately dismisses the idea as ludicrous.

It's been over a decade since he saw her. He's resisted the urge to google her, and be confronted with all of the shiny, happy pictures of choices she made that did not include him. What Rico finds when he finally does google her is an announcement that Ash will be one of the contestants on a reality tv cooking show that pairs chefs with celebrities. And he calls his agent.

They have a decade of regret between them. They have animosity and tension sharp enough to sever limbs. But they also still have an aching awareness of the exact space in a room occupied by each other. And like his namesake, Rico is half agony and half hope.

For them to have a second chance, Ash will have to confront the demons that are crippling her. For them to stand a chance this time, all of her secrets and misperceptions must be laid bare.

This was a glorious interpretation of my favorite novel, and unforgettable in true Austenesque form. ...more

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Jun 17, 2020 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, retellings, 5000-2020, mmd-summerrl2020

While I've read Austen's Persuasion, I haven't read it as many times as Pride and Prejudice and I haven't watched any film adaptations. Because of this, it's much harder to speak to whether this was good as a retelling. As a story, I very much enjoyed it and hope that Sonali Dev continues her Austen retellings in the future.

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May 27, 2020 Cassie rated it really liked it

Shelves: retellings, romance, ownvoices, fiction, arc, read-in-2020

Sonali Dev’s Recipe for Persuasion is the connection you need in this time of lost connection! Ashna and Rico’s misunderstandings and deep bond sizzle in the kitchen and in our hearts. Add this to your list!

4.5 Stars!

Full Book Review

I really enjoyed reading Sonali Dev’s first novel in this series, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, so I knew I had to read her next in the series: Recipe for Persuasion! After all, Persuasion is my absolute favorite of the Jane Austen novels. Despite always being ...more

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About Sonali Dev

Sonali Dev

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Sonali Dev’s first literary work was a play about mistaken identities performed at her neighborhood Diwali extravaganza in Mumbai. She was eight years old. Despite this early success, Sonali spent the next few decades getting degrees in architecture and written communication, migrating across the globe, and starting a family while writing for magazines and websites. With the advent of her first gr ...more

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The Rajes (2 books)

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Quotes from Recipe for Persua...

“Happiness seeps into me when you're around, Rico. Without invitation, without notice, joy finds me. Being around you is being alive, it's breathing, it's home.” — 1 likes

“He tried to catch her eye, but all he got was the slightest nod before she looked away. He had no idea how he knew there was gratitude in that nod, but he did. The loose lock of hair that always seemed to escape the confines of her bun fell across her cheek.
I want to be your hair.
How many times had he said that to her? Not once had she needed to ask him what he meant. Her hair- midnight spun into strands- was always kissing her cheeks, playing with her collarbones, caressing her skin.” — 1 likes

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