A review by thaliareads
Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager, as well as NetGalley, for the ARC! 

Bobbi Kaur, wedding planner extraordinaire, is excited to finally get to plan the wedding for her best friend Kareena. However, she’s not excited that it means working with the groom’s best friend Benjamin, whom she has a rocky past with. Benjamin will do anything he can to change Bobbi’s opinion of him after he royally messed up. Fate intervenes in the form of a saboteur attempting to put a stop to their friends’ upcoming nuptials and forcing Bobbi and Benjamin to put their past aside and call a truce. Will they be able to figure out who is to blame? Will the close proximity break down the walls they’ve put up? 

This was such a fun take on “Much Ado About Nothing”. It primarily likens the story of Bobbi and Benjamin to Beatrice and Benedick, however, it merges with parts of Hero and Claudio’s stories to provide a more original narrative. I actually enjoyed this much more than I did “Dating Dr.Dil”, which is saying a lot because I love “Taming of the Shrew”. This is just a joyous romp filled with mystery and drama that manages to maintain a sense of humor despite tense situations. I also really appreciated that despite being a retelling of a classic work, the relationship progression feels realistic to a modern environment. Additionally, I think the supporting subplots relating to meeting and addressing parental expectations, be they reasonable or unreasonable, is really important for a lot of people to read so that they can feel seen and maybe gain the confidence to address their own familial relationships. Finally, I love the meddling aunties and was so excited to see them back from the first book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Racism, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Car accident

Sexual content is very detailed and appears in multiple instances throughout the book. While the main character is comfortable with her body, she does bring up the fact that it's not common for desi women to be accepted if they have a body type that is not deemed "traditional". I felt it was handled very well. Death and the death of parents and the car accident happen prior to the events of this book, but to play a role in why the main characters are the way they are. The wedding venue (intentional to the writing) comes off as minorly racist and bigoted against anything other than a "traditional" wedding ceremony. Benjamin's relationship with his father at the time of the book could be seen as toxic emotionally.