Although I previously reviewed A Bollywood Affair (the sequel to this one), this is the one I read first. And it really sucked me in, with its troubled characters and their fascinating backstory (they were so angsty that they could have almost fit in in a YA novel).
It starts with Ria, a Bollywood star living in Mumbai, who’s got some kind of past in Chicago that’s hinted at in the first chapter. She also apparently went through a year when she was very young where she didn’t talk at all, until a boy named Vikram charmed her into talking. Of course, he’s the hero.
In the first chapter, she gets a call saying that the cousin she’d basically grown up with in Chicago is getting married and she needs to go “home” for the wedding. She feels the obligation even though it will bring her back into contact with people she betrayed, especially Vikram.
Since she spent most of her childhood effectively being raised by her aunt and uncle in Chicago, Ria does go back for her cousin’s wedding. The wedding and preparations for it take up most of the book and they’re fun because they’re so involved and different from western traditions. Almost all of Ria’s and Vikram’s interactions occur with that as the backdrop. While in Chicago, Ria kind of escapes her identity as a Bollywood star and becomes just one of the family again, though it’s not a complete break. Life in India interferes to cause trouble, which makes for good story.
Watching Ria and Vikram figure out how to come together—Vikram has to learn to forgive her and she has to figure out how to forgive herself, as well as truly come clean about why she left—was great, because there is so much conflict there. Vikram is understandably really pissed off, because when they were young and he thought they would soon get married, she just up and left him without any explanation. He’s still mad and bitter. One thing that made him less likable than he might otherwise have been was that while I definitely got his anger, he should have given Ria the benefit of the doubt, especially as a more mature adult. He should have know that there was a reason she left, even if he couldn’t fathom what it was. But still, he’s believable and it gives him a good flaw.
The book is full of little details that really bring the setting and characters to life. Ria is a great, troubled character who has a lot to overcome. Her backstory is heartbreaking, and although many of the choices she’s made (and makes) maybe aren’t the best, we definitely understand why she makes them. Vikram is also a good character. He dealt with ultimate betrayal and made the best of things. Additionally, the background cast is great, with lots of parents, aunties, uncles and more, all colorful and realistic (also, a little stereotypical at times, but that’s forgivable). Overall, this is an interesting book steeped in Indian culture that western readers will still be able to understand, all while providing a satisfying love story with a believable HEA.