Recipe for Persuasion

Content warnings: Suicide, sexual assault, trauma/abuse

Given that a review of a supposed romantic-comedy starts with that content warning, that should help signify that this is not a comedy. It is a romance, and it is marketed as a rom-com, but even without that additional content, I wouldn't call this a comedy. This is a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, which is my favorite Austen novel. It's hard to review this book, because I do think Sonali Dev did a good job of creating the charged atmosphere between Ashna (the Anne character) and Rico (the Wentworth character). The aspects of the book that were a romance novel were cute and pleasant. However, the reasons for the rift between Ashna and Rico are a lot darker than the original material, and I don't think Dev did a responsible job of handling that content. And the book wraps up in ways that I think actually should have required stronger conversations and therapy. So enjoyable to read on the surface and yet also potentially harmful to many readers.

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 show plotline which turned out to be just ok. The author's writing is pretty descriptive in places which also didn't really work for me. I liked the characters of Ashna and Rico individually and there was chemistry between them when they meet again, but we only are ever told and I never got to see why they were so deeply in love with each other even after more than a decade. Ashna's mother Shobi is the other POV we get and my feelings for her kept oscillating between like and hate. I really wanted to like and root for the characters, but their pasts are so full of tragedy that it just depressed me. To be honest, I only kept waiting for them to get their act together and finally be happy because I couldn't bear how much they were wallowing in their misery.

On the whole, maybe I read this book at the wrong time or I just had wrong expectations, because despite being objectively well written, I didn't enjoy it much. If you are in the mood for a contemporary romcom which will make you swoon or smile, this is definitely not it. It's more tragic and sad for the most part, and I just wasn't ready for it. But maybe it'll work for for you if you go in with the right expectations.

Packs A Ton Into Final Moments. The first 90% of this book is solid. Lots of drama over all kinds of secrets and misunderstandings, primarily between a couple that split over a decade ago and finds themselves thrust together when one of them decides to force their way into the other's life. But also lots of intergenerational drama between a mother and her daughter. But then that last 10% or so of the book... wow. If you like the various cooking reality shows, you're going to like this book from that angle, but there really is so much more here. Solid use of the old English source material (Jane Austen) brought into more modern contexts and even a much different specific cultural background... and then bringing even that background into yet another more modern setting. Long at nearly 500 pages, but never overly feels it. Very much recommended.

Um...romantic comedy? Did the publishers actually read this book?

Another good book that suffers from poor marketing. It's no wonder Recipe for Persuasion doesn't have a great star rating. If you go into this book expecting the light, fluffy romcom the blurb promises, you're going to emerge disappointed.

It tackles a lot of heavy issues. There are some lighthearted moments, but I certainly would never call it a comedy. And the romance takes a back seat to the main story about Ashna, her family, and dealing with anxiety and the repercussions of the past. Her mother, Shobi, also becomes an unexpected focus, which I found jarring at first but wound up really enjoying.

This is not a romance novel. It is a novel about family, trauma, societal expectations, and love in many forms. It is loosely inspired by Persuasion - and even includes a cheeky reference - but it is its own story.

3.5 stars, rounded up.