Tuesday, January 28, 2025

The Shaadi Set-Up

The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale (2024) 352 pages

Rita is a 26-year-old woman who's just getting by financially. She also has a boyfriend, Neil, who is a nice guy, but he is a bit prissy and he also has long phone calls with his mother every morning. Rita can't envision a future with him, but likes to have him around for now. Her parents don't know about him, even after three months dating, because she doesn't think they'll accept him. She considers the possibility of her and Neil matching up on Shaadi, an online Indian-matching site that's meant to find spouses. If they matched up on Shaadi, Rita thinks that maybe her parents would accept Neil as a boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Rita's mother tries to get her to help her old boyfriend Milan, who broke her heart 6 years ago, by decorating a house that Milan, a realtor, has not been able to sell. Rita makes her living buying furniture in thrift shops, then restoring and selling it. Rita reluctantly decides to work with Milan while she and Neil are tweaking their online profiles, trying to get a match with each other.

This novel brings together a mix of humor, cringy-ness and realism. 

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