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 sea: 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 met: 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.
PJ's Thoughts:
Nisha Sharma hits it out of the park with this final installment in her If Shakespeare Were an Auntie series. I've enjoyed all three books but this one is my favorite. I loved the humor, the heart, the spice, the Indian-American representation, and the generational - and gender - conflicts. Sharma knows of what she writes and conveys the obstacles many first generation Indian-Americans, especially women, face with humor, wit, and clear-eyed truth. It makes this book fun to read while also being thought provoking.
Friendship is a strong thread in this series and it's been enjoyable to watch the six main characters (three women/three men) evolve over the course of the three books as well as their interwoven relationships. It's a relatable reflection of what we all face as friendships transition due to growth, marriage, and other factors in our lives, occasionally leaving some of us on the outside looking in.
As stated in the book's blurb, the relationship between Veera and Deepak is messy and spicy. It's also funny and endearing. I'm a huge fan of fake relationships in fiction and this one had me laughing, sighing, cringing, and cheering.
As with the first two books in the series, family and community played huge roles in Deepak's and Veera's journeys. Particular favorites were Deepak's mother and, of course, the Aunties. We should all be so fortunate to have such a group of Aunties in our lives.
For more information about Dating Dr. Dill (book one) and Tastes Like Shakkar (book two), click on the book titles to read my reviews. While each book stands well on its own, I'm glad I read them order to appreciate the full effect of the evolution of the six main characters, their friendships, and their romantic relationships. I enthusiastically recommend all three books.
