1/5 stars: This is Dev's stand-alone which is a BIPOC Romance that follows an Illinois woman who finds herself alone on her New York engagement trip as she unexpectedly teams up with a journalist to reunite a lost ring with its owner and ends up discovering herself along the way. Dev's writing and character work are nicely done; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. Dev does takes on some very serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me; leading me to DNF it at 11%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

“When you’re true to yourself , even when something hurts, it feels good. When you’re betraying yourself, even when something is supposed to feel good, it hurts.”

Mira Salvi hasn’t a thing to complain about with a fiancé everyone adores and a job she loves, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone. While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. Only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.

I didn't expect to be so into this story but from the first chapter I was hooked. The ring led them to places they didn't anticipate and with it came all the trouble they didn't see coming.

Along the way, Mira had some introspection of her own as she began to uncover parts of herself that she didn't know she had. I loved seeing her come into her own.

It all came to a head when she had to make a decision on whether to upend her life or stick to the status quo. I loved how it all ended. Such an amazing read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 5⭐
Steam level: 1🌶️ Kissing only

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book but omg I loved it. I literally felt I couldn't put it down and I needed to follow Mira.
I did cry, it made me cry a few times, but that's good!!!
Will definitely read more from this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"There's something about Mira" is the first book I ever read where the main protagonists, nay, the whole cast, was Brown. I found this incredibly refreshing, and the fact that it was written by an Indian-American author made it feel very authentic.

The main story is about Mira's engagement trip to New York (alone, as her fiancé is busy with his career as a doctor), the mysterious ring she finds in the street, and her quest to find her owner. The secondary story though, is how Mira went from a dutiful daughter to finding her true self. By the second half of the book, Mira was sometimes selfish, moody, irritably, egoistical, which didn't endear her to me — but at the same time, that's the whole point of the story. She went from hiding herself behind the perfect façade of a devoted daughter that her parents moulded her into; to being someone who's allowed to feel a whole range of emotions and live her own life rather than fulfil others' expectations.

While there is an element of romance with the brooding and arrogant journalist Krish Hale (who I didn't love much either, I think I prefered Druv!), it wasn't the main point of the story. Several secondary stories intertwine with the main narrative. I loooved Sasket (his character was spot on!) and although I didn't expect to find queer love in this book — I loved that it wasn't marketed as such — it was actually a really pleasant surprise. I also grew to love Vasu and Suru's story, which we mainly discovered through letters. At first, I thought their correspondance interrupted the story, but then I ended up really appreciating them — the last one was particularly touching. I'm just disappointed we didn't see much of the end of their story.

I found the final chapters a little rushed, the resolution is a little too easy — let's tie all the loose ends with a neat little bow —but the epilogue was necessary without being too final.

To me, the strength of the story is in the depiction of the secondary characters — Mira's parents and Sasket seemed so realistic they must have been based on real people — and the portrayal of the struggle to find one's own identity, beyond family, race and culture.

*I received a free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion*

I really enjoyed this latest from Sonali Dev that has Mira Salvi, an engaged Desi woman visiting her estranged gay brother in NYC finding a ring and trying to track down its rightful owner with the help of Krish Hale, a reporter with his own mysterious connection to the ring. Part family mystery, part romantic suspense and full of drama, romance and action.

This book really had it all and I loved seeing Mira stand up for herself against her homophobic parents and find the true love of her life where and when she least expected. Great on audio narrated by Soneela Nankani and perfect for fans of authors like Sara Desai. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The description of this book sounds just like a fun Hallmark movie so I thought this would be a nice light read. While it does have some of the elements of the Hallmark story, it’s so much more than that. I loved everything about this book, the search of the ring’s owner, the truth about why they are searching, and the fun adventures (and some harrowing) they have along the way. But where this novel really shines is in the character development and the people Mira becomes as she continues through the book and how she learns to be her true self. Highly recommended for a heartwarming read with just the right amount of romance.

This book had me in a chokehold the entire time. It's a bit different from the books I usually read, but I ended up loving every minute. Mira is getting married to a sweet and wonderful man who is also a busy surgeon. They are supposed to go on an engagement trip to New York. However, he has to stay behind because his business partner gets hurt and he has to perform the surgeries. Mira goes on her own where she meets up with her brother and his fiancee. Mira and her brother have a complicated relationship with their parents. Mira is the pleaser and because her brother is gay, her parents have disowned him. While Mira is in New York, she finds a necklace with a ring on it. She is dead set on finding the owner. She feels like this is why she's here in New York. She posts a video on social media. The video goes viral. One of her brother's friends, a journalist, finds her and offers to help her find the owner. She declines at first, but her quest turns complicated when someone tries to steal the ring. The journalist, Krish, and Mira set off on an adventure. In the process, Mira figures out a whole lot about what she actually wants in life.

This book was fantastic. The writing and conflict were amazing. Mira's character ARC was absolutely beautiful. I couldn't get enough of this story. Huge thanks to Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

DNF at 22%. This wasn't bad by any means I just really wasn't connecting with the characters and the long letters in between some chapters pulled me out of the story. I might try this one again via audio but I wasn't interested enough to continue reading this one with my eyes.

This is a coming of age story. Even though the heroine, Mira, is 28, she's never lived a life of her own. When her twin brother acted up as a teen and then finally came out as gay, he was cut from the family as though he never existed. Mira then had to become the perfect child. She made one mistake at 17 and has never been able to live it down.
Now, at 28 she has managed to bring great favor on her family by becoming engaged to Druv. He's an important surgeon with rich parents. The perfect Indian husband. However you can see his work will always come first. He's not a bad guy just and Mira was happy to fit into the traditional Indian wife mold.
Then she went to.NY. They were supposed to go together but of course his job got in the way. He encouraged her to go alone not ever thinking she'd be changed forever.
In NY her whole life takes a turn. Like a moth changes into a butterfly, she begins to let the real Mira emerge. Her quest brings her a partner in the search - Kitch. He's an Indian but was adopted by white parents and so didn't share her heritage.
As the search takes them around NY and then into India. They each begin to open up. As each layer unpeels like an onion they each reveal things that have been hidden forever. They both grow internally.and together as they continue their quest for the owner of the ring.
The ending has some tears before finally there is a shining happy ending. It takes a while to get there but it is worth it in the end.

Sonali Dev does it again...

Mira has the perfect life. A doctor for a fiancé, a successful career and a close knit family. On a trip to New York without her fiancé, Mira finds a lost ring a some one she never saw coming. Krish. Mira has this happy, perfect life. She's in a great place. It only takes one lost ring, the guy writing about her search for its owner for her to rethink her perfect life. I really liked that Mira was in a healthy good place and had a chance at something even greater.
Well done.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I have enjoyed reading other books by Sonali Dev and was excited to get this one. I am going to be honest...if I had known originally that a large portion of the book was about "gay love" I may not have started it. I wish the book blurb mentioned that. However, I am glad that I continued beyond that discovery because the writing was lovely and so emotionally charged.

Mira had what appeared a full life with a loving fiancé, good job...living the kind of life to make her Indian parents proud as they planned an elaborate wedding celebration to Drev. When Drev cancels an engagement trip (again) due to work, he encourages Mira to go to NY without him. A place where her twin (gay) brother and his partner live. The brother that her parents have disowned. I was really not a fan of her brother, Rumi, for most of the book. Yes, he had a hard road to travel and many unkind situations that happened, but his anger was so misguided toward his sister. The last part of the book I felt a little better about his character after their heart to heart.

The mystery to discovering the owner of the ring and the addition of Krish to the storyline was so good. Mira and Krish, their relationship as well as their journey to self-discovery was beautiful and also painful. The letters between Vasu and Suru and the unveiling connection to the ring brought everything full circle.

The author did a good job of not vilifying Drev, the fiancé. Mira truly had two lovely men who wanted her, but only one would be the one to let her truly be her real self. And a special shout out to the potential mother-in-law (Drev's mother). While she was only a side character, she was genuine and wanted what was best for Mira. Unlike Mira's mother...grrrr. We do get a little bit of reconciliation at the end, but I wish there was an honest, heartfelt apology with a true understanding of how horribly Mira (and Rumi) were treated. Especially with what happened to Mira as a teenager.

4.5 stars

I love Sonali Dev’s books. They are so layered and beautiful. There’s always something deeper going on and sometimes we have to get through the hard moments that the character has gone through to come out happy on the other side, it’s a beautiful journey. I know this book was featured as an Amazon first read and I’m sure that led to some new readers condoning Sonali. That’s great but I also imagine they might have expected something lighter with the book description. The storyline starts off with Mira going to NYC without her fiancée because he can’t get away from work. He is a good guy but he is very busy as a doctor and he has rescheduled the trip so many times that they will lose the money if Mira doesn’t go alone. And Mira really wants to go, she’s built a NYC up from Nora Ephron movies (who can blame her!) and more than that, her brother lives there. But we’ll get back to him.

When Mira arrives, she isn’t there long before getting bumped and falling onto her butt. She finds a ring on a chain near her. And that’s where the course of this book changes because now Mira’s path is different, now Mira must reunite the ring with its owner.

First Mira posts a video about the ring she the post goes viral. Lots of creeps reach out to Mira. And then she meets Krish. He claims that he wants to write a story about the ring and that he will help Mira find the owner but it becomes obvious pretty quickly that Krish is there for other reasons.

This journey doesn’t just take Mira and Krish all around NYC, it will also take a path to India! Fortunately, Mira already has a wedding related trip planned to India.

There’s so much going on beneath the surface. Is there a romantic storyline? Yes, absolutely! More than one! But there’s also a story about learning who you are yourself. And there’s a story about a gay character (or more than one!) who are completely mistreated by their family simply for being gay and loving who they loved. And I’m warning you now that when the content warnings say homophobia that is putting it mildly, is there another word for what happens when homophobia goes beyond fear and non-acceptance and turns into violence?

Also a trigger warning for rape and abortion. Both happen in the past and are not mentioned in any detail but I want you to know about them.

And despite all of the dark parts I loved this book. It’s partly about loving yourself and loving someone else enough to let them see the parts of you that aren’t healed.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

Love it love it love it! It’s the first book I read by Sonali Dev but I instantly fell in love and I want to read everything she is written.
This story is so funny and so poignant and I’m in love with everything: the writing, the characters, the plot… everything.

Thank you Netgalley anche the publisher for the arc.

Happy endings aren't always what you expect then to be. This novel explores whether life is really as perfect as you think it is, amud the backdrop of New York City. Interesting story although it took me a bit to get into as I didn't like several of the secondary characters.

This book started a little slow for me, but really ended up being a charming story about believing in yourself and finding love along the way.

Mira is a very sheltered 28 year old. She is the dutiful Indian daughter who never steps out of line. She's engaged to Druv and he loves how drama free she is. When he bails on their engagement trip, she decides to go to NYC by herself. While there she reconnects with her twin brother, finds a lost ring, and begins an adventure to find the owner of said ring. The ring quest and reunion with her brother sparks something inside her, and she finally confronts her past and takes charge of her future.

The vibe of the beginning of this book almost felt YA but the heroine was 28 years old. Due to that style, it took me a minute to get into it. Once more of her story came out, I understand why she acted so subservient. I loved watching her develop a backbone with her conservative Indian family. I also enjoyed the mystery of the ring and the partnership with Krish that came with that mission. I liked the travel aspect of this book as well. The journey to New York and India added a lot to the story. The romance was a subplot but was also very sweet and fit perfectly into the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Mira Salvi is the luckiest girl. She has a great job, she's engaged to the most perfect man, and she actually gets long with her future mother in law. Her own mother aggravates her to no end, but she understands how much her parents have struggled to make a good life for their family. She's really excited to finally go on an engagement trip to NYC with her fiancé. She's never been and he's so enthusiastic about showing her the city. Unfortunately, not for the first time, her fiancé has to back out, but suggests she take the trip on her own. Mira is apprehensive but accepts the offer, plus the reservations are all non-refundable. She also hopes to connect with her estranged twin brother and mend their broken family.
While exploring NYC on her own, Mira happens upon a ring attached to a chain. Something in her knows that this piece of jewelry means a lot to someone and she's determined to find the owner. She makes a social media post about the ring in search of the owner. Enter Krish Hale. Mira immediately dislikes his unsmiling, arrogant demeanor. She eventually realizes he's the only one that can probably help her find the owner of the ring.

The overall conclusion of this book is pretty predictable, which is nothing new with most rom-com style stories. It's the journey to get there that determines how good the book is. The story alternates between past and present. We get a little backstory of the ring through letters from two women from the past. I actually found those little bits of the book to be the most interesting. Mira was a bit exhausting, especially at first. She came off as naive and weak. Having grown up in a conservative Indian community myself, I could somewhat sympathize with her position, but I still didn't care for her stance between her parents and her twin. There were so many serious topics brought up in the book, including Mira's own trauma, but they weren't given as much importance as they should have. I actually felt these topics should have been delved into more. Not only would the book be a lot more interesting, but I feel readers could really get to know the characters better. There were so many stories that I wish had gotten more coverage. The relationship between Mira and Krish was put in the forefront, but I wanted more about the other characters and their struggles.
As for the ending, as I mentioned, it was somewhat predictable, but I wish it hadn't been. I would have liked a slightly more realistic ending. It still could have been happy, but maybe taken a little longer to get there.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one wasn't for me, but I have enjoyed this author's previous books and I will read future books. A huge thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for this ARC.

I love Sonali Dev’s books so i could not wait to get into this one.
To add to the tension, while Mira is out behaving as a tourist, she discovers a ring on a chain. Wishing to find the owner, she makes an emotional post asking the owner to contact her. The post goes viral which leads her to journalist Krish, who is willing to help her find the owner of the ring, as long as he can use their search for an article

This was marketing as a rom com but it was so much more. there were themes of family, nationality, parent-child dynamics, culture and of course romance.

Loved it. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the Arc. All opinions are my own.

There's Something About Mira by Sonali Dev is well-balanced, keeping readers engaged with a steady rhythm as each woman's story line unfolds. The blend of humor, heartache, and cultural context creates a vibrant and enjoyable read.

This was another great book by Sonali Dev. If you loved her classic adaptations you will love this also. She does such a great job of opening up the Indian culture & it was fun to learn about the Indian marriage customs. This book was a great rom-com with a little mystery involved. I was really pulled into all the characters & enjoyed how their stories all intertwined. Great read!

I desperatley want to attend an Indian wedding! I really enjoyed being immersed in the Indian culture!