{"id":31540,"date":"2024-09-19T11:51:24","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T15:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=31540"},"modified":"2024-09-19T11:51:26","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T15:51:26","slug":"review-sunshine-and-spice-by-aurora-palit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/19\/review-sunshine-and-spice-by-aurora-palit\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-31540\" data-postid=\"31540\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-31540 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_qfia827 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner col_align_top gutter-narrow tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_h1wu828 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_pzz0828 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"987\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/sunshine-and-spice-aurora-palit.jpg?resize=640%2C987&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-31541\" title=\"sunshine-and-spice-aurora-palit\" alt=\"sunshine-and-spice-aurora-palit\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/sunshine-and-spice-aurora-palit.jpg?w=973&amp;ssl=1 973w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/sunshine-and-spice-aurora-palit.jpg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/sunshine-and-spice-aurora-palit.jpg?resize=664%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 664w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/sunshine-and-spice-aurora-palit.jpg?resize=768%2C1184&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/sunshine-and-spice-aurora-palit.jpg?resize=400%2C616&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_wcgd828 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Naomi Kelly will do anything to make her new brand consulting business a success. When she lands a career saving contract to rebrand the Mukherjee family\u2019s failing local bazaar, she knows there can be no mistakes. But as the \u201coops\u201d baby of a free-spirited Bengali mother, Naomi\u2019s lack of connection to her roots represents everything Gia Mukherjee disdains.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Enter, Dev Mukherjee.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Dev knows everything his mother wants\u2026including her wish for him to get married, like, yesterday. When Gia hires a matchmaker (without, you know,\u00a0<span class=\"a-text-italic\">asking<\/span>\u00a0him), Dev vows to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up in a cold, loveless marriage. When a potential match assumes Naomi is his girlfriend, the solution to both their problems becomes clear: Naomi will pretend to date Dev in order to sabotage his mother\u2019s matchmaking efforts in exchange for lessons in Bengali culture. Flawless plan, right?<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">But as Naomi and Dev bond over awful dancing at Garba, couples cooking classes, and tackling the rebrand as a team, they start to realize while their relationship may be fake, their feelings for each other are starting to become very real. As the line between reality and rumor blurs, Naomi and Dev must confront what it means to fit the mold, and decide how much they\u2019re willing to risk for love.<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_2jgy828 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_o4sf828  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25881 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png?resize=296%2C72\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date: <\/strong>Sep 10, 2024<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Sensual<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $10.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em><strong>A solid debut!<\/strong><\/em><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This was one of the new to me authors for 2025, and I\u2019m happy I gave Sunshine and Spice a shot. It turned into a heartfelt, less rom-com romance. There is a solid grumpy\/sunshine vibe between the characters that will appeal to those who love the trope.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Taking a step back, I won\u2019t rehash the blurb. What\u2019s familiar? This has the age-old opposites attract, grump\/sunshine, forbidden romance vibe. The hero, <strong>Dev<\/strong>, comes from a South Asian family steeped in culture and tradition. Whereas Naomi, our heroine, was raised with a more Western approach. Naomi gets tangled up with Dev when she\u2019s hired to oversee his mother\u2019s store rebrand. Except Dev needs more help, he\u2019s currently the target of his mother\u2019s matchmaking schemes. What better way to get those potential brides off his back than faking a relationship with <strong>Naomi<\/strong> in return for helping her make the rebrand a success?<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">What makes this story unique? The main characters, the setting, the entire dynamic of the story. There is so much to unpack, from the cultural elements present to Naomi\u2019s constant feeling of \u2018other\u2019 as she interacts with Dev and his family, longing for her own connection to a culture she lost out on growing up.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are constant dynamics between what both Naomi and Dev want and the expectations that have been ingrained in them since childhood. For Dev, it\u2019s his desire to be an obedient son, not to make waves when everyone else in his family is known for causing disruption. For Naomi, it&#8217;s being raised to be her own person without cultural ties or expectations yet craving what Dev has always taken for granted. This push and pull is what dragged me into the story after the book had a bit of a slow start. However, I won\u2019t lie; series firsts tend to have a slow momentum sometimes as they set the tone and world.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For the overall story pacing, once the adhesion beat takes place, locking Dev and Naomi into a partnership of sorts filled with heat and attraction, I couldn\u2019t stop reading. I enjoyed the ride of Dev and Naomi falling for each other and was equally eager for when it would all fall apart like a house of cards. Palit did a great job of keeping me guessing, and I couldn\u2019t really predict how this would end.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, if you are looking for something with a touch of the familiar, though with an immersive romance from a totally different perspective, Palit brings a breath of fresh air to the contemporary genre. For readers who enjoy Nisha Sharma.<\/p><p><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_284n828 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4e96INU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4eaYqFi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/sunshine-and-spice-aurora-palit\/1144474402?ean=9780593640180\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/sunshine-and-spice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Aurora_Palit_Sunshine_and_Spice?id=hnPoEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Naomi Kelly will do anything to make her new brand consulting business a success. When she lands a career saving contract to rebrand the Mukherjee [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,112,128,48],"tags":[152,216,231,238,404,405,565],"class_list":["post-31540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berkley","category-landra","category-penguin-group","category-reviews","tag-4-stars","tag-contemporary","tag-debut","tag-diverse-romance","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads","tag-rom-com-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/19\/review-sunshine-and-spice-by-aurora-palit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Naomi Kelly will do anything to make her new brand consulting business a success. 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When she lands a career saving contract to rebrand the Mukherjee family\u2019s failing local bazaar, she knows there can be no mistakes. But as the \u201coops\u201d baby of a free-spirited Bengali mother, Naomi\u2019s lack of connection to her roots represents everything Gia Mukherjee disdains.<br \/><br \/>Enter, Dev Mukherjee.<br \/><br \/>Dev knows everything his mother wants\u2026including her wish for him to get married, like, yesterday. When Gia hires a matchmaker (without, you know,\u00a0asking\u00a0him), Dev vows to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up in a cold, loveless marriage. When a potential match assumes Naomi is his girlfriend, the solution to both their problems becomes clear: Naomi will pretend to date Dev in order to sabotage his mother\u2019s matchmaking efforts in exchange for lessons in Bengali culture. Flawless plan, right?<br \/><br \/>But as Naomi and Dev bond over awful dancing at Garba, couples cooking classes, and tackling the rebrand as a team, they start to realize while their relationship may be fake, their feelings for each other are starting to become very real. As the line between reality and rumor blurs, Naomi and Dev must confront what it means to fit the mold, and decide how much they\u2019re willing to risk for love.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date: <\/strong>Sep 10, 2024<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Sensual<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $10.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em><strong>A solid debut!<\/strong><\/em><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This was one of the new to me authors for 2025, and I\u2019m happy I gave Sunshine and Spice a shot. It turned into a heartfelt, less rom-com romance. There is a solid grumpy\/sunshine vibe between the characters that will appeal to those who love the trope.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Taking a step back, I won\u2019t rehash the blurb. What\u2019s familiar? This has the age-old opposites attract, grump\/sunshine, forbidden romance vibe. The hero, <strong>Dev<\/strong>, comes from a South Asian family steeped in culture and tradition. Whereas Naomi, our heroine, was raised with a more Western approach. Naomi gets tangled up with Dev when she\u2019s hired to oversee his mother\u2019s store rebrand. Except Dev needs more help, he\u2019s currently the target of his mother\u2019s matchmaking schemes. What better way to get those potential brides off his back than faking a relationship with <strong>Naomi<\/strong> in return for helping her make the rebrand a success?<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">What makes this story unique? The main characters, the setting, the entire dynamic of the story. There is so much to unpack, from the cultural elements present to Naomi\u2019s constant feeling of \u2018other\u2019 as she interacts with Dev and his family, longing for her own connection to a culture she lost out on growing up.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are constant dynamics between what both Naomi and Dev want and the expectations that have been ingrained in them since childhood. For Dev, it\u2019s his desire to be an obedient son, not to make waves when everyone else in his family is known for causing disruption. For Naomi, it's being raised to be her own person without cultural ties or expectations yet craving what Dev has always taken for granted. This push and pull is what dragged me into the story after the book had a bit of a slow start. However, I won\u2019t lie; series firsts tend to have a slow momentum sometimes as they set the tone and world.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For the overall story pacing, once the adhesion beat takes place, locking Dev and Naomi into a partnership of sorts filled with heat and attraction, I couldn\u2019t stop reading. I enjoyed the ride of Dev and Naomi falling for each other and was equally eager for when it would all fall apart like a house of cards. Palit did a great job of keeping me guessing, and I couldn\u2019t really predict how this would end.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, if you are looking for something with a touch of the familiar, though with an immersive romance from a totally different perspective, Palit brings a breath of fresh air to the contemporary genre. For readers who enjoy Nisha Sharma.<\/p><p><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4e96INU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4eaYqFi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/sunshine-and-spice-aurora-palit\/1144474402?ean=9780593640180\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/sunshine-and-spice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Aurora_Palit_Sunshine_and_Spice?id=hnPoEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31540"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31545,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31540\/revisions\/31545"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}