The Marriage Game

by Sara Desai

“This novel has all the funny banter and sexy feels you could want in a romantic comedy.”–NPR

A high stakes wager pits an aspiring entrepreneur against a ruthless CEO in this sexy romantic comedy.

After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…

As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he's forced to share his space with the owner's beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.

As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.

• ISBN10: 0593100565
• ISBN13: 9780593100561
• Publish Date: 9 June 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 6 February 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593100561

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Layla had hit bottom and returned home, hoping for a fresh start. What she found was that her father had curated a list of ten potential matches for her. She had perviously been opposed to an arranged meeting, but now that she had given up on finding love for herself, she was ready to give it a try. It even became a game, The Marriage Game, and the prize? Sole tenancy of the office suite. Layla seemed certain, that she would win this game, but Sam may have turned out to be a complication she didn't anticipate.

I have been getting sucked in by the "rom-com" label, and ending up disappointed. Either the book was light on the rom, the com, or both. But, finally, a book promising to be a rom-com delivered. The Marriage Game was packed with fun and funny moments. The humor ranged from slapstick and ridiculous to witty and observational. Regardless of the variety, I laughed, a LOT.

I have to credit Layla's family for contributing greatly to the humor filled side of this story, but they also brought a lot of warmth as well. The family restaurant oft served as the background for much of the story, and once Layla's father was hospitalized, it was filled with lots and LOTS of extended family members. More family equals more fun, and this was a great bunch. Yes, they sometimes drove Layla up a wall, but they did it with love, lots of love.

A disastrous date is never funny, unless it's someone else's, and here, we got to accompany Layla on a multitude of really bad dates. They were so over-the-top awful, and they had me in stitches. I was actually impressed with all the different scenarios Desai was able to come up with, and looked forward to each and every one.

Though this appeared to be an enemies-to-lovers type story, I never doubted the attraction between these two. They might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but there was instant heat and tension between them. These two trading barbs was a thing of beauty, but I also loved seeing them reveal their softer parts. Biting and witty, sweet and tender, I adored it all.

This book earned a 5-star rating, because I was incredibly entertained and felt many feels. I will admit, I would not have missed Sam's side plot. It was probably my least favorite thing about the book, but because every other thing was so stellar for me, it didn't ruin my experience. I also thought the ending was THE BEST! It really captured many of my favorite things about Sam and Layla's story, and tied them all together in a pretty package.

Overall: I had an amazing time playing THE MARRIAGE GAME, and am sort of hoping there will be more books set in this world.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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