“This novel has all the funny banter and sexy feels you could want in a romantic comedy.”–NPRA high stakes wager pits an aspiring entrepreneur against a ruthless CEO in this sexy romantic comedy. After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He … restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…
As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he’s forced to share his space with the owner’s beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.
As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.
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Well, this was absolutely delightful! With excellent characters, witty banter, and a rich culture in this charming Indian family, it’s hard to believe this is a debut. It was perfection. There were lots of laugh out loud moments (especially when it came to the blind dates), but it also hit on some serious, important issues in a diplomatic way.
Layla has returned home to try to put her life back together, after some major drama. Her family is an entertaining Indian family, with lots of nosy family members, and a life heavily immersed in food, which is no surprise considering they own a Michelin-starred restaurant. The food in particular was so descriptive and detailed it actually made me hungry. Layla is trying to land on her feet, and wants to start a new business. Her meddling father offers his upstairs office to her as well as setting her up on 10 blind dates to set up an arranged marriage for her. But, a miscommunication results in someone else signing the lease for upstairs, Sam. They have an intense first meet. These two are complete opposites but the banter and chemistry between these two was insane. Layla is completely surprised when suitors start showing up at her office for their dates. Sam and Layla decide on an arranged marriage game and whoever wins gets the office. What ensues were some hilarious moments on these dates and some wonderful moments between Sam and Layla. I LOVED it, and cannot wait for the author’s next book!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a great romance book! The book has it all: crazy family, sarcastic heroine, brooding hero, and lots of confusion until the great romance.
It is well written and have so fun characters, the romance is so good! I could not stop reading this book until the final page.
Layla and Sam have been through a lot in their lives, but one thing Layla puts in Sam life is laughter and lightness. She is sunshine in his orderly existence.
I loved this book and I will certainly look forward to other books from this author.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Marriage Game ” by Sara Desai, Berkley, June 9, 2020
Sara Desai, author of “The Marriage Game” has written an entertaining, witty, and delightful novel. The genres for this book are Contemporary Fiction, Romantic Comedy, and Women’s Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The author describes her colorful set of characters as deliciously flawed, complex, and conflicted.
Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Franciso, after not succeeding in love or business in New York. Her parents do Indian cooking in a restaurant located in a building. There are other offices in this building, and Layla’s father tells her not to worry, and she can take the office upstairs which is rented. He will take care of that small fact. Unfortunately, her father winds up in the hospital after having a heart attack.
Sam Mehta, is a partner in a company that downsizes companies and is headed for his new office when he meets Layla. Both Sam and Layla argue who should have the office. Layla has a friend/cousin, Daisy, who helps her but comes to work with a dog. This irritates Sam even more. Both come up with a unique solution and have a contest that is like a game. Meanwhile, they are sharing the office.
Unknown to Layla, is that her father has signed her up on an online marriage site. Now potential suitors are contacting the office. It is really difficult to see whether Layla or Sam gets the last word in. Somehow, both argue, but there seems to be a very strong attachment. How is this situation going to work out? Will Layla find her husband?
I appreciate that the author discusses the importance of family, friends, loyalty, communication, honesty, love, and hope. I enjoyed reading this story and recommend it.
The Marriage Game
Sara Desai
https://m.facebook.com/saradesaiwrites/
Release date 06/09/2020
Publisher Berkley
Blurb :
A high stakes wager pits an aspiring entrepreneur against a ruthless CEO in this sexy romantic comedy.
After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…
As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he’s forced to share his space with the owner’s beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.
As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.
My review :
When a game’s stake turns to be more than the price they are willing to pay …
What a lot of laughing out loud read this book was, sexy talks, quips and witty bickering loaded the pages, Mrs Sara Desai charmed me in this emotional course to discover who everyone is and what they want.
This is not my usual read but the blurb caught my eyes. I read historical romances for to travel back in a period I will never be able to visit. As a contemporary romance, I loved to explore the mix of traditional and modern culture with her characters, it was very much a journey in a foreign country.
Layla and Sam were raised in a dual culture, theirs of their parents and the one of their adoptive country. They embraced both side of their upbringing. Living the western way of life with the love and traditions of theirs origins.
Until it weights too much on their shoulders.
Layla always measured her success to the ones of her brother. Until the tragedy which left her the sole child. From there, she spiraled down, having idealized her big brother, she is unable to face his loss, going from one meaningless relationship to another. Until she reached her breaking point. Now she is back home, reading to reinvent herself, and why not accept a traditional mariage of convenience when she has been unable to find the right man for her the western way.
Sam thought he had everything, until, he too late realized there was a villain lurking in the corner. Thus he left all behind with only a thirst for justice (or revenge). But doing so, he reneges his cultural heritage, distancing himself from his family as guilt eats him. But to catch a monster he sold himself to the shadows.
Their interactions are electrical, full of sparks and funny banters. And while they engage in their silly game, they will have to address the issues of their past and to decide what is worth the cost they are willing to pay.
On one side it is a light and fun read about opening again one’s heart, yet it is also an introspection of whom we truly are and if there is a price if we reject it.
4.5 stars
I was granted access to an advance copy, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272830/posts/635968770325631/?d=n
A contemporary romantic comedy set in the Indian-Pakistani culture in San Francisco. I have never read a story like this one and I learned a lot about customs, dress and food of the culture while enjoying a love story about two strong willed independent people. I loved the banter between Layla and Sam and watching them snipe at each other. Layla’s overwhelming and interactive family provided lots of comedy. I felt empathy for Sam and Layla as they are both hurting. Layla can’t find true love and Sam is guilty over feeling like he didn’t protect his sister. Sam has such a protective heart under all his denial. Through this experience with Layla he has to face his hurts and come to grips with his guilt. Vengeance isn’t going to fix anything. Layla is genuine in her search for a soul mate and is willing to look within the traditions of her family’s culture of arranged marriages.
Sam Mehta is the CEO of a corporate downsizing company. He fires people all day. It is not a rewarding career but it pays the bills and he hopes it puts him in a position to extract revenge on his former mentor and brother-in-law, Ranjeet Bedi, a highly respected cardiothoracic surgeon. Sam was a surgical resident but quit when his sister was disabled by her husband that Sam introduced to the family. He and Royce formed a partnership after Sam went back to school. Royce has NO people skills and I found him a real jerk in this story. I kinda wonder if he won’t be redeemed in the next book. He’s got a long way to go. Anyway, Sam rents the office above an Indian restaurant, The Spice Mill so they can be close to the hospital that Ranjeet works in so he could get the contract to downsize the hospital and get into Ranjeet’s file to find proof of a coverup.
Layla Patel is the daughter of The Spice Mill’s owners & chefs. She’s come home after her breakup with her social medial lifestyle influencer boyfriend went viral and she was fired from her job finding people employment. Her Dad told her she could use the office upstairs to start her own business finding people jobs and told her he’s cancel Sam’s lease. Unfortunately her dad has a heart attack the same day she’s home. What she didn’t know is her dad set her up on an online Indian dating service to find her a husband. He decided to make an arranged marriage for her since it worked so well for her older brother and himself. When she goes upstairs she finds Sam using the office and 10 dates with prospective husbands. Sam eventually agrees to temporarily share the office with her and they make a deal that if she ends up marrying one of these men she’ll leave the office to him. In this culture the women accompanied by their father to these meetings and Sam goes instead to make sure she finds the right guy unlike his what happened to his sister.
This is a new pen name for an author I’ve read before and that’s why I received an advanced reader’s copy of her book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It was just a great read. All of her books are.
Absolutely lovely! I loved this book so so much! It was so much fun to read, the characters were wonderful and relatable, their chemistry was through the roof, all the sparks were felt through the pages. It has the perfect amount of drama, family, humour, emotion and spice.
If you love romances and rom coms, if you want to read books with diversity, go and read this book!
I cannot remember who recommended this to me, but Thank You!! This was such a great story!! Has all the feels of The Hating Game meets Josh and Hazel.
Laugh out loud funny, romantic and perfect in so many ways!
The Marriage Game is a fun enemies-to-lovers romcom with two witty characters. As a fan of forced proximity, I thought it was great that immediately Layla and Sam are forced to share an office space. Layla ends up deciding to go on dates with potential husbands from a list her father has curated. Sam ends being her chaperone on these dates and his jealousy or protection for Layla grows with each date. There is so much food in this book, you will be craving donuts, coffee, and spicy food. I also enjoyed the pop cultural references. For one, Layla is Team Edward. We’re already BFFs for that reason. Then, her hope for true loves is based on The Princess Bride and the idea that her Wesley is out there. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find your Wesley when you’re going on dates with a list of men who submitted a resume to your father and are hoping to find a woman to fit their specific list of needs. Sam is really a sweet guy who has lost faith in himself due to a horrific experience that his sister endured. He’s working in a job where he has to be heartless instead of a doctor who heals people like he wanted to do. Sam and Layla infuriate each other but they also are blunt enough to tell each other what they really need to hear. I read this book pretty quickly because I was enjoying it so much. The Marriage Game is a a great romcom!
4.5 stars rounded up! I really enjoyed this! I knocked down half a star because there were a few parts that felt a tad bit misogynistic, but I enjoyed the overall story so much I didn’t want to take too much away for that. I loved Layla, and I loved how she stood up for herself and what she wanted so much. Nisha was an amazing character, even though she was a side character, she was just so sweet and lovable. Sam was a bit much sometimes, and that’s where a lot of the misogyny came into play, letting his feelings get the better of him, but I loved how everything turned out for him. There was also a little bit of steaminess, which was super fun!
Book 121 towards my goal of 290! 4/5 stars for this Adult Romance read. Great for fans of The Hating Game and The Trouble with Hating You!! I love a good hate to love romance. The main characters in this one aren’t my favorite. However, I loved the family and side characters! Loved the cover and narration. Highly recommend.
I just didn’t like the love interest in this one, and found it hard to root for them to fall in love. Layla was pretty awesome, and I wanted her to find someone equally awesome! I liked some of the disastrous dates she found herself on, and how she responded, but their banter at them was annoying to me and not cute like I would’ve expected. There was some serious toxic masculinity from most of the men in the book, which maybe is a cultural thing I just couldn’t enjoy, but her Dad seemed lovely, if slightly traditional, and Layla herself seemed so willing to carve her own path and buck the traditional in some senses that I was shocked she was willing to put up with it from Sam. There was one bit that struck me as transphobic, when a suitor starts guessing how Sam is related to Layla (and why he would be chaperoning her) and runs out of ideas and says sister? He responds in an outraged fashion, the man says he could’ve gone through “a change” (in which case you wouldn’t say sister, would you?) and Sam replies how he is “all man”, and then goes on to “prove” he’s secure in his masculinity because he “wore a yellow shirt one time” That and his behavior “protecting his sister” and how he treated Layla around his sister just completely turned me off from him and ruined the chances of me really rooting for him. I did love Layla at the baseball game, because she’s still fantastic and funny.
When Layla loses her boyfriend, job, and apartment in one fell swoop, there’s only one thing left to do–return home to live with her parents. But Layla doesn’t take this sitting down! She decided to start her own company like the #girlboss she is, and even though she’s not that into it, try dating the men her father selected for her before he ended up in the hospital. Of course, she’s sharing an office with the extremely annoying, uptight Sam who is basically her antithesis, but at least he’s hot?
This is an adorable enemies-to-lovers forced proximity rom com. I really liked all the characters (and am super excited for Daisy’s book, The Dating Plan). When the main characters got together about halfway, all I could think was “Ohhhhh NO what is going to go wrong now??!?!” And boy did things go wrong. And in all honesty, I think Layla let Sam off the hook WAY too easily–some of his sins were not even discussed or addressed in any way. I get that Sam has a heart of gold deep down, but he needed to grovel a little more before he got a HEA.
4 stars – 7/10
4.5 stars
In December 2020 (the year that must not be named), the Oprah Magazine released a list of their best romance novels for the year. Queen J and I had both read some, heard of others, and owned a few (bought and unread, of course) from the list, so we decided to read at least one book from the list each.
The Marriage Game is the one I chose. It had been on my list for a while and it seemed 100% like something I’d enjoy.
And I totally did. I loved the relationships between Layla and her parents and her extended family. Most of all, I felt like The Marriage Game didn’t take itself too seriously. Layla’s interactions with her potential arranged marriage partners was most definitely over the top and ridiculous, but it was funny and seemed to just fit.
Sam was my only negative. He was an angsty grump when we first met him and I had hoped he would have a great redemption arc. Instead he was a disaster. He’s so rigid in his goals that he loses sight of what’s important and his actions during their “big misunderstanding” scene were disgusting.
But I still loved this book. I had fun and enjoyed myself. What else could I ask for? Perhaps a book about Daisy?? Thank you and yes, that wish has been fulfilled. The Dating Plan is releasing in March!
Loved Sam and Nayla together. Opposites attract. The HEA was well done. Loved his sister Nisha. Just a wonderful story all around. Loved Nayla’s family. Just get this book for a laugh out loud and lots of smiles and heart tugging moments.
When Sam and Layla bet on her marriage prospects, who will win? And what of the prize? Thoroughly entertaining!
This book was SO good! Perfect for fans of The Mindy Project, Never Have I Ever, and The Hating Game. It tells the story of a young woman who loses her boyfriend and job and is forced to return home to San Francisco. Layla plans to start a new business in the office space above her family’s restaurant, but corporate downsizer Sam claims he rented it first and an epic battle of wills ensues. Thinking he can get rid of Layla by helping her find a husband, Sam offers to be a chaperone on blind dates with men her father arranged through a website. Although Sam and Layla drive each other crazy at work and off the clock, they soon learn they have more in common than they thought. Will they realize they belong together before it’s too late or will their emotional baggage prevent them from finding the connection they crave? I loved that the heroine was Indian-American and her family’s culture was worked into the story so seamlessly. This book was at times funny, poignant, swoony (the hero and heroine had smokin’ chemistry!), and always entertaining. I can’t wait to read the sequel about the heroine’s quirky cousin next year!
This delightfully funny rom-com had all the right ingredients for a laugh out loud romance; main characters with lots of baggage, a big noisy (and nosy) Indian family, a match making father, a crazy best friend, off the charts chemistry and lots of miscommunication. The story is a enemies-to-lovers trope which is one of my favorites.
Through a misunderstanding, Layla and Sam end up sharing an office above her family’s restaurant and make a bet to see who gets to keep it. Layla’s father arranged ten blind dates for her through a matchmaking service and Sam insists on tagging along on all her dates as her chaperone. Their interaction as she “interviews” her dates is gut-splitting funny.
Sam and Layla’s back and forth bickering is hilarious and full of witty, sexual innuendo. When they finally get together romantically – wowza! All cannot be perfect on the road to love though. Layla has recently been hurt, and sexy, but serious Sam has his own issues. Mistakes are made and both will have to change to find love. Is it game over?
A big thank you to Penguin Random House and Goodreads Giveaway for the opportunity to read this book!
Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
I wanted humour and witty repartee and it was all here in The Marriage Game. This opposites-attract, forced-proximity romance pits Layla, a whirlwind of a personality HR recruiter against Sam, a disciplined CEO. They are like fire and water but the attractive kind that you can’t help to tear your eyes away from. Returning home to San Francisco after she discovered her reality tv boyfriend was cheating on her, Layla has to restart her life and her career. Her father offers her the office space above their restaurant with the intent to renege on the lease that he had agreed to with Sam. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sam doesn’t get the message so his and Layla’s first meeting does not go off well. Both are insistent on the right to be there and boy do they butt heads! When a stranger shows up responding to her dad’s ad, Layla thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to take the guessing game out of dating and go on these dates to eventually find someone to marry. Sam thinks it’s the worst idea ever but because her father is unavailable, he agrees to chaperone these dates. They have an agreement regarding the office that is dependent on the result of these dates. Shenanigans ensue.
Layla and Sam can deny up and down in front of everyone how much they detest each other but the truth is that they’re not only intrigued but rather in lust. There’s so much self-sabotaging of dates and crazy run ins that I was eager for the next mess they’d land in. I truly got a kick out of Sam’s reactions to her dates. He had the best zingers and comebacks that I fell a little for him. Layla, though could not be suppressed. Not only did she trudge through the dates, she actually enjoyed giving Sam grief. It’s been a while since I’ve felt two characters challenge each other the way they did and I was so into them. Honestly, these dates just gave them an excuse to be nearby but it proves to become a conundrum for Sam who’s bent on achieving his own agenda which is to exact revenge on someone who hurt his family. It’s an incident that’s part of his past that he has purposeful left behind but continues to haunt him. Being around Layla is a reprieve from his guilt. But when the borders he’s built to separate his worlds start to break down, so does he.
The only thing that’s iffy to me about The Marriage Game is the initial set up where Layla wants to oust Sam from an office space that’s legally his. That scenario is flimsy and let’s be reasonable, rude. Anyway, it can be easily discarded as Layla and Sam’s interactions pick up steam and become this ridiculous crazy train of blind dates, meddling but well-meaning aunties and constant ribbing. I live for this stuff and The Marriage Game delivers all that and the laughs brilliantly!
~ Bel
Fun book, lots of originality. Good beach read.