The value of companionship

Chaya, who also feels lesser compared to her sister, and Gimhana, who attempts to rise up at the law firm where he works, have a lot in common: They come from traditional Sri Lankan families, they live in London, and they have white men in their lives that they fall in love with but cannot present to their families. So they get married instead.

"A Convenient Marriage" is a novel that covers several topics, with a special focus on tradition, platonic love and mental health. Even though their marriage is not what Chaya and Gimhana envisioned for their lives, it gives both of them a lot of stability. While this seems to be more obvious for Gimhana, who has something to hide, it is also true for Chaya, whose bouts of depression are kept in check with someone to depend on. And that is the best things about the novel. Sure, Chaya and Gimhana both get their own love stories, but that does not mean that the time they share as a different kind of couple is meaningless.

Jeevani Charika seems to put a little more focus on Chaya, while for obvious reasons Gimhana's story resonates more with me, but both are highly endearing, as are many other characters in their lives.

Though on first glance this seems to be a novel mostly for people with South Asian connections, but its theme of finding one's own path amid the traditions one grew up in is quite universal.

I enjoyed this audiobook, the narrator did a fantastic job of telling both narratives and the accent work was good. It was my mission to listen to one chapter a day but this did not work as I listened to ten chapters in a single sitting, so good was the narration.

The story progresses well and at times it may seem unbelievable to western audiences re. cultural differences but as someone who is a brown female, I know all too well of the pressure on girls to be married before everything else.

This book stands alone from any I have ever read about this subject as it is different in that the marriage is one of convenience, one person wanting marriage to shut her mum up and the other wanting it to hide the fact that he is gay.

This is common practice, I would assume in situations where you are stifled and cannot live your authentic life.

Some parts fell a bit flat for me but on the whole, I really, really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes these kinds of stories.

Thank you to both the Author Jeevani Charika and the hosts for the Opportunity to read/listen to this absolutely wonderful story!
This story made me feel every emotion possible.
We follow the Characters Chaya a very career driven lady, trying to please her family and make them "proud" of her, suffering with a broken heart for the most part of the story.
The second Character Gimhana like Chaya is a career driven man, having to hide who he really is for fear of what has happened to him in the past and what could happen again.
Both the Characters are keeping secrets from their families in order to protect themselves and the family from "shame"
We follow the Characters through two time zones the past and the present.
This story has been written beautifully, and I found myself gripped from the first word to the last, I'd talk out loud with my distress and words of comfort to a character who cannot hear me.
I'm looking forward to diving into more books by Jeevani Charika.

Gim and Chaya were both interesting characters in their own way.
It was a great story. It was nice to see more Asians authors writing about the queer community.

I don't usually enjoy books that span over such long periods of time, 20 years is a difficult amount to fit into one novel, but this was done so perfectly. I loved every aspect of this novel.

In terms of the audiobook, the narrator is amazing. I liked the choice to have only one narrator, because for the most part the book just follows Chaya's perspective. All of the accents were good and the audio version really brings the story to life.

I love Chaya and Gim as characters, but even more than that I love their relationship. They are the true definition of platonic soulmates and all of their interactions are just the cutest thing. Every time he cooked for her or helped her down from a panic attack I was just filled with joy. We should all aspire to have the kind of friendship that these two have.

The romance really threw me for a loop by the end. This book might be the tipping point to me believing in the whole idea of One True Love, because that's what Noah and Chaya are to each other even if it takes them a while to get there.

There isn't a single thing I disliked about this book and I think anyone who enjoys bittersweet romances will love it.

Trigger warning: homophobic attack in the 2nd chapter

Chaya and Gimhana are Sri Lankan immigrants living in London. Both have parents pressuring them to get married to someone suitable, but they each have their reasons for not wanting to. Chaya fell in love with Noah in university, and though she turned him away because she knew her parents would not approve, she has never stopped loving him. Gimhana is gay but afraid to let his family know, as being gay is still taboo in Sri Lanka. When the two meet at a party, they become quick friends. Eventually, they decide they should get married. It would make their parents happy and help Gimhana at work. When they have to choose beteween marriage and love, though, what will they do?

I adored the friendship between Chaya and Gimhana. I wish we could have seen more of their marriage together. With all the flashbacks, it took a while to get to the actual marriage in the story. The characters were realistically developed. In particular, I could relate to Chaya's depression and anxiety. Overall, I really enjoyed this story.

This was sooooo slow and sooooo predictible that it hurt! And it's not like you can see one step ahead, you can see the whole book after only a few pages. It was difficult for me to finish this one, it was just too boring.

Before I get to the plot itself, let's talk about the audiobook on the whole. There's a single narrator for both POVs but it doesn't get confusing or tiring especially since we mostly followed Chaya. I think they made a good choice with the narrator as their accent made the entire experience feel more authentic.

Now for the novel as a whole. I really enjoyed the platonic chemistry between our two main characters, it was obvious from the beginning how well they complemented each other. By my own fault, I had expected things to turn rocky a lot sooner than it did, however, when things did start falling apart my heart broke for both of them (though I felt worse for one more than the other). The betrayal of their agreement wasn't just brushed off as often happens with marriages of convenience in romance novels, instead, there were real consequences.

Overall, if you want an easy to get into story with a fake relationship that doesn't lead to romance, then this could be a great place to look.

A Convenient Marriage follows two main characters across twenty years of their lives. Chaya and Gimhana are from Sri Lanka, but despite living in the UK, they are still facing pressure from their parents to get married.

Both have their own reasons for not wanting to get married so when the opportunity arises - they agree to marry each other in a marriage of convenience to keep their parents happy. Everything seems to be going to plan until they fall in love.

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Admittedly, I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but I absolutely loved every aspect of it. While marketed as a romance novel, it is that and so much more. There are many important themes discussed throughout such as homophobia, mental illness, parental pressure and cultural expectations.

The author’s portrayal of mental illness, as well as Gim’s gradual acceptance of his sexuality were beautifully handled and ultimately what made this a 5 star read for me.

I throughly enjoyed the deep friendship between Chaya and Gim - it was great to see how much the marriage benefited each of them personally, as they were provided with the companionship they both desperately needed.

Lastly, there are two beautiful romantic relationships explored within the book that deserve praise. As you learn more about what the main characters have been through, you will become more hopeful that they get their happily ever after.

This was an all round beautiful read and I’m so glad I picked this book up! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.