Sajni Patel

This could have been so good.

I loved The Trouble With Hating You. I picked it up with zero expectations, but it ended up as one of my favorite contemporaries in years. The romance was believable, the tension was, well, tense, the butterflies were fun, and the characters helped each other grow in satisfying and exciting ways.

So, naturally, when I saw that there was a sequel focusing on Preeti (my favorite of Liya’s friends) and The Man She Couldn’t Get Over, I was excited to read it. I show more hoped for similar tension, butterflies, and character growth. Instead, it all felt… half.

The characters were half as interesting, and half as deep. The romance was half as fun, with half the butterflies. And the book could have been half as long.

One thing I personally dislike in media (books, movies, music, etc.) is when romantic love is summed up in sexual attraction—as though that’s primarily what romantic love is. And as long as we’re talking about halves, half of this book felt like it was simply Preeti thirsting for Daniel. Instead of actually pining for him, she was pining for his body. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, it just felt like these were two people who knew each other well and really, REALLY wanted to screw each other. It did not feel like two people in love who wanted to express that through physical connection.

This is a nit-pick and a personal issue. I understand not everyone will feel the same way. But I couldn’t get over it.

And so, because this book is half of everything the first book was (and half of everything it could have been), I am giving it half the rating of book one. Sorry, not sorry.

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SPICE RATING: 3.5/5 - Frequent suggestive conversations, strong sexual themes, and one non-explicit fade-to-black sex scene.

CONTENT WARNINGS: sexism, slut-shaming, racism, ableism, exploration of mental health (anxiety/depression), religious intolerance show less

Probably more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up.

CW: talk of past sexual assault, parental and marital abuse, gaslighting, death of a parent

This is one debut I’ve been highly anticipating and I was ecstatic when I got approved for the ARC. I was gonna read it much closer to the release date but I changed my mind and I’m glad I read it because the beautiful love story was definitely something I needed.

The story actually takes a while to kick off and I felt bored initially, but I was show more determined to see it through and when everything fell into place, I found it to be a very well written romance and also strong female friendships. The dialogue can be a bit on the cheesier side sometimes but as a Bollywood movie lover, I’m accustomed to a lot of cheese and I didn’t mind it at all. I liked how the author showed both the good and bad sides of the Indian community and while some of the characters really pissed me off, it was mostly because such people do exist in real life and I hate seeing them in fiction too. The only small gripe I have is that except a handful of families, the author showed that most of the community is very conservative and patriarchal, and I think that was a bit too harsh and we are getting progressive. I both liked and hated the ending - the main characters’ arc was perfectly concluded and this is probably the first time I was happy that there wasn’t an epilogue because it perfectly suited the character’s personalities; on the other hand, we didn’t get to see any consequences for some of the other unsavory characters and I would have liked some resolution in that matter.

The characters of Liya and Jay were definitely the best parts of the book. Liya is strong, independent, opinionated but there’s a vulnerable side to her that only those closest to her get to witness. She may feel a little unlikable initially but as we get to know her, I really loved her and realized the unlikability only stems from society’s perspective and nothing else. Jay on the other hand is a typical nice Indian boy who wants to keep his family happy, but there are depths to him that we discover as the story goes on. I loved that the author spent time developing their friendship and there were so many sweet moments which only endeared me more to them. And I loved that there was deep understanding between them and immense trust and support for each other.

The other best part of the book was Jay’s lovely family who were tight knit and traditional in some ways but also didn’t bow down to society’s gossip. I particularly loved Jay’s mother who was a rock and never let anyone treat her or her family with disrespect. And Liya’s three best friends were a riot and I loved every single scene where they all were just having fun. I like that the author showed how important female friendships are and sometimes even more than family.

To conclude, this book had some difficult themes which I thought were handled well but ultimately it’s strength is the adorable relationship between the main characters and some very lovely friendships. I like seeing the man support the woman’s aspirations for a change and would love to see more such books in the future. And I would definitely read whatever the author writes next. show less

AHHHHH this was SO CUTE.

It’s been a while since a contemporary romance has had me this giddy. But The Trouble With Hating You had me in All My Feels this week.

I know this book has received some criticism because of the main character (Liya) being kind of, well, obnoxious at the beginning. HOWEVER. I am here to defend this precious woman because SHE DESERVES IT. OK? OK.

FIRST. It is true that for a portion of the book, Liya is incredibly, unreasonably rude and uses her feminism as an excuse show more for that. As someone who LOVES strong-willed women, even I rolled my eyes at this woman at times. BUT.

BUT.
BUT.
BUT.

HEAR ME OUT.

The more I read this book, and watched how the Author handled Liya’s story, the more I actually respected and related to Liya. She reminded me a lot of myself Before, when I was angry and hurting and pushed people away because I was scared of being rejected by them. Love healed me. Watching it heal Liya too just made my heart melt in a million different ways.

Which leads me to talk about Jay, the gorgeous, respectful, Man-of-Many-Women’s-Dreams. I had a great time watching Liya and Jay move from annoyance with one another, to vague respect for one another, to like, to love. The tension through it all was so fun. And by the time these two were using words like “love,” I was actually able to believe them.

In short: Don’t listen to the criticism. The Trouble With Hating You is a spunky romance with deep characters and a fabulous plot. Highly recommend for the next time you want to add a little enemies-to-lovers flavor to your palette.

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SPICE RATING: 3/5 - Frequent suggestive conversations, sexual themes, and one non-explicit fade-to-black sex scene.

CONTENT WARNINGS: sexual assault, victim-blaming, mentions of physical and verbal abuse, sexism, death, grief show less

I was on the edge of my seat whenever Kareena donned her gloves or got up close and personal with Amit.

The Knockout by Sajni Patel is a new contemporary young adult tale featuring the unique and tantalizing combination of Muay Thai boxing, Indian culture, learning to trust, and first love. Kareena Thakkar is a talented competitor in her senior year of high school, a time traditionally filled with many memorable activities that could easily become distractions in her preparations to compete show more nationally. Complicating everything is her father’s illness, its impact on the family’s financial health and future, and the toxic vibes Kareena has been getting from the local Indian community over the preceding years. Not only was the story compelling and emotion-filled, but it challenged societal views of gender-appropriate sports.

Kareena is smart and sassy, a fun and engaging girl under normal circumstances, and a wonderfully supportive daughter to her overwhelmed parents. She does an amazing job keeping her life on track but constantly worries because her parents aren’t telling her everything about her father’s condition and their financial situation; they still see her as a child and want to preserve that innocence and protect her from the grim truth. However, this girl’s no dummy. She’s been participating in the highly physical martial art of Muay Thai boxing since she was eight, and backed by her parents’ belief and support and a never-give-up attitude; she has excelled and found success, acceptance, and respect in the ring. It is no wonder that when things get off-balance at home, she begins to rely more and more on the gym as a refuge, a place she can feel she has some control over things in her life.

There are other pressures, social ones, bearing down as well, any one of which would be enough in itself: a friendship that dissolved over a misunderstanding over a boy resulting in a former confidant spreading malicious rumors about her at school and the continued censure of the aunties and uncles isolating her from the Indian community when they learn of her boxing. Kareena maintains superhuman control over her emotions when taunted by her former friend, Saanvi.

Another storyline is her developing relationship with classmate Amit Patel, the projected class valedictorian and “perfect Indian son.” Amit is an enigma to Kareena. Not only does he have secrets of his own, but she also doesn’t quite trust his involvement in her life because she’s been burned before. But the chemistry between the two is palpable, and I was rooting for Amit to prove to be as good as he seemed and become the true friend (and perhaps the love of her life) that Kareena deserved.

The teenage characters ring true throughout the book, feeling genuine and authentic in their words and deeds. The fight scenes were descriptive enough to depict the emotional and adrenaline-charged atmosphere without too many bloody details. The scenes were riveting and tense, and I was on the edge of my seat every time Kareena donned her gloves.

With its unique premise and engaging characters, I recommend THE KNOCKOUT to readers who enjoy contemporary young adult tales, sports themes, family dramas, and stories steeped in modern Indian culture.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours. show less