e-Book, 384 pages
Release Date: August 27, 2024
Published by: Avon
Read from: August 24-28, 2024
If Shakespeare Was an Auntie, #3
Source: Netgalley (I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Misogyny, Toxic Relationship, Sexism, Gaslighting, Emotional Abuse, Cursing, Alcohol, Classism
For Readers Interested In: Romance, Racial/Ethnic Diversity (South Asian- Indian), Oen Voices, Retellings, AdultThe third and final installment in Nisha Sharma’s beloved Shakespeare-inspired rom-com trilogy—an ode to Twelfth Night—is the perfect friends to lovers romp featuring an accidental wedding, meddling families, and plenty of sizzling chemistry.
Veera Mathur has been through a lot in the past year. Both of her friends found soul mates, the man she fell in love with got engaged to another woman, and her father fired her before selling the family company. When her twin sister, Sana, tells her there is no way of getting her old life back, Veera feels lost at a single, unemployed mess with a bad tattoo and tons of talent, but nowhere to go.
Deepak Datta hasn’t had the best luck either. To secure enough board votes for the CEO position at his family’s company, Illyria Media, he’s ready to marry board member and famous beauty influencer, Olivia Gupta. That is until he wakes up to a get ready with me video announcing their separation. Despite his immediate relief, Deepak needs to do something fast to repair his image.
After a series of convenient mishaps bring them together again—including a literal shipwreck, way too many drinks, and a sunset elopement on the beach—Deepak and Veera realize their accidental wedding might be the solution to their career aspirations. Together, they plot against the very company that ruined their lives in the first place.
As they try to convince the world their friendship was a ruse for romance they’ve felt all along, the line between fake and real begins to blur. Now Veera and Deepak must ask themselves the terrifying question that has haunted them since the first time they will love ruin everything?
With her signature humor and heartfelt storytelling, Nisha Sharma writes a messy, spicy romance about identity, family honor, and love. In Marriage & Masti, readers are sure to love the highly anticipated finale of this beloved trilogy.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was one of my most anticipated books of August. And while it was good, I’m not a huge fan of marriage of convenience. I THINK that has to do with my love for weddings and marriage. I LOVE weddings, so to see them there and they’re not as big in the story as they could be irks me I think. But this was fine. I liked it all the same.
Ok so in this one we get the classic marriage of convenience “What have I done?!” scene. After a night of drinking and fun, they know what they’ve done, but they keep calling it fake. It was hilarious because literally no one believed them. They didn’t even believe them. It was clear from the beginning that they were in love and I was terrified because I just knew that meant someone was going to get really hurt. (The third act is still painful tho, don’t get me wrong lol) But I just always have trouble with these because I guess I just don’t understand how in the world they didn’t know they loved each other. It was evident as soon as you met both of them. (Through their POVs of course) However, I DID like all the information we get about weddings in the Indian community tho. I am a sucker for cultural ties in books because I like to know and celebrate all people. This one was no different.
The retelling part I’m not sure about. I could see where the likeness came from, but I just wasn’t as big a fan as I was of the others. Maybe it’s a me thing because I don’t necessarily like Twelfth Night, but still. The little pops of it I did see was fun. And someone else pointed it out because I didn’t even notice it, but the Gupta lady is “W.S” like William Shakespeare. I just want to say I didn’t notice it because I was always thinking “Awwww, she said Avon, New Jersey” I was assuming that they meant the publisher, but I’m guessing it means the actual Avon, New Jersey that I just found out was a thing lol Womp Womp
I think the characters were the worst part of this tho. I don’t want to say which ones because spoilers, but yeah. None of them besides Veera’s mother in law were actually ones that I liked lol And the one “villain” in the story that was there, I don’t know what to even say about that. They were terrible and I just don’t like how they let them go. They said the whole time they didn’t care if that other person was blood, this one shouldn’t matter either.
The spice in this one snuck up on me tho. I caught on when he kept calling her a certain name, but I didn’t think it was going to be LIKE THAT. He kinda caught me off guard. If you’re wondering, its not too much, and I don’t think it was bad. It was more just a surprise lol The romance tho? My GAWD, I wanted to jump into that book at one part. I bet you can guess which one. Because any partner that listened to someone about their wardrobe?! Lordt. That’s all I’m going to say.
I hate that this was the ending to this series. I have loved it so much and I hate to see it gone. Their friend group was one for the books. I remember meeting them in the first one. To get to the epilogue and see all of them together again was so heartwarming. I loved to see them altogether one last time. I do hope we get to see them in another book somewhere again. This group was fun!
Overall, I give this
