The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale

The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie ValeThe Shaadi Setup by Lillie Vale
Published by GP Putnam's Sons on September 7, 2021
Genres: Romance
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
four-half-stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

About The Shaadi Set-Up

The Shaadi Set-Up is Lillie Vale’s debut adult romance.

Rita owns her own business restoring furniture and she’s happy with Neil, her Mr. Right Now boyfriend. Although she still thinks about Milan, the boy she dated in high school, who broke her heart when he dumped her in college.

Rita’s mom interferes and convinces Milan to hire Rita as an interior decorator for a house his realty firm is having a tough time selling. Rita takes the job because she needs the money.

To convince herself that there’s nothing between her and Milan any longer, Rita signs herself and Neil up for an Indian matchmaking site – MyShaadi.com. But it’s not Neil who’s Rita’s perfect match but Milan. Oops!

My thoughts about The Shaadi Set-Up

The Shaadi Set-Up gives HGTV crossed with a slow burn romance vibe. Lots of Insta worthy furniture and home décor talk with trips to flea markets and secondhand stores. So much romantic tension between Rita and Milan – you can practically hear the crackle as that fire starts to grow and then roar. All of the sparkling banter that you could want. Plus meddling family members and quirky secondary characters.

Rita is so relatable – plus a woman with tools who knows how to use them trope! She knows what she wants and is determined to get it. Even when she’s wrong and digging in her heels. I loved her two pups, Harrie and Freddie, who are absolute scene stealers. And those delicious food moments.

A perfect fast-paced romcom with a slow burn. Relatable, intriguing characters. Deliciously diverse.

Bonus points for including a nonbinary character in an authentic way. And being sex-positive in general.

In conclusion

The Shaadi Set-Up is Lillie Vale’s adult romcom debut. This is a super-cute second chance, contemporary desi romance.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the ARC.

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About Lillie Vale

Lillie Vale is the young adult author of ALA’s 2020 Rainbow Books List selection Small Town Hearts and Beauty and the Besharam (forthcoming from Viking Children’s). She writes about girls fighting back, secret-keeping and between-places, the ways in which we’re haunted, food as a love language, and all the feels. Born in Mumbai, she grew up in Mississippi, Texas, and North Dakota, and now lives in an Indiana college town where the corn whispers and the woods creep. Vale graduated with an MBA and now holds her dream job as a professional world builder and (sometimes) ship sinker. Always dreaming of crumbling ivy-covered castles and going back to the seaside.

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