So here we are, back again. I will be honest when I say that I am finding it hard to believe that we are already into the first full week of April. Spring has arrived and along with it longer days (YAY!) and of course blooming, pollen, and wind (BOO!!) That also means that I am knee deep in a game I like to play “Is it allergies, a cold, or Covid?” Currently, its a cold and I am not a fan.
Ok, so when I said I was going to try to embark on a 30 Day Blogging Challenge I had good intentions of doing it 30 days in a row. But I think I’m shifting more toward becoming consistent once a week. And with the season of life I am in, I’m going to be proud of that.
But that is not the point of today’s post. Today’s post is to bring you another Book of the Month club review. This is my March book and I will be honest when I say I’m struggling on how to review this one. So be gracious with me as I navigate through this.
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
Book Summary:
Kareena Mann dreams of having a love story like her parents, but she prefers restoring her classic car to swiping right on dating apps. When her father announces he’s selling her mother’s home, Kareena makes a deal with him: he’ll gift her the house if she can get engaged in four months. Her search for her soulmate becomes impossible when her argument with Dr. Prem Verma, host of The Dr. Dil Show, goes viral. Now the only man in her life is the one she doesn’t want.
Dr. Prem Verma is dedicated to building a local community health center, but he needs to get donors with deep pockets. The Dr. Dil Show was doing just that, until his argument with Kareena went viral, and he’s left short changed. That’s when Kareena’s meddling aunties presented him with a solution: convince Kareena he’s her soulmate and they’ll fund his clinic.
Even though they have conflicting views on love-matches and arranged-matches, the more time Prem spends with Kareena, the more he begins to believe she’s the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. But for Prem and Kareena to find their happily ever after, they must admit that hate has turned into fate. (Summary taken directly from:https://www.bookofthemonth.com/all-books/dating-dr-dil-1191)
What I Loved
One of the things I have been so interested in when it comes to this book of the month club is the ability to choose books from all different genres that I wouldn’t normally pick for myself. So when I came across Dating Dr. Dil and read the summary I was intrigued and excited because it wasn’t one I normally would have chosen. Then, as I waited for the book to arrive I did some research on Goodreads about the book and became even more excited.
This book is the first in a series the author is calling the “If Shakespeare was an Auntie” series. She is taken classic Shakespearean works and written them in a 21st century context leaning heavily on South Asian tradition, especially when it comes to roles and expectations in the realm of relationships. This book, Dating Dr. Dil, is her fun spin on the play “Taming of a Shrew”. I love that story and I have always loved to see how different people adapt and interpret that particular work (insert my obsession with 10 Things I Hate About You here)
I truly loved the character development, learning a bit about a different cultures views and ideals, and following the storyline.
What I Didn’t Like
One thing that really caught me off guard when I started reading this book is the abundance of foul language used. While I’m not one that believes that all curse words should be wiped off the face of the planet (that’s just not realistic), I was taught that there are generally more cleaver ways to express a thought without having to resort to using curse words. There is a time and a place for that type of language and I don’t think the abundant use of it in this book was entirely necessary to get the point across.
The second thing that caught me off guard was the handful of sexually explicit sections of some of the chapters. Again, I think there are ways that an author can share that a couple is getting along swimmingly without having to get X-rated in their descriptions. I finished reading the book probably a little quicker than I normally would have simply because I found myself skipping several pages to get through certain passages that just weren’t necessary for the story to flow.
I wish that there would have been more of a readers warning when I made the selection of this book, but I’ll be honest, because I enjoyed the story I probably will still choose to read any others that come out in the series. I will just be more prepared next time to skip some pages.
My Recommendation
If you are a fan of retellings of classics and you can stomach some more mature content then this is probably a book for you. If you would rather avoid the adult themes then I would not recommend reading this one. To be honest, my recommendation is do what makes you feel the most comfortable!
And lastly, like I stated before, if you are interested in your own Book of the Month subscription check out my referral link: https://www.mybotm.com/d3vx9dcqzu8?show_box=true. If you use this link it will help get me credits for more new books that I can read and maybe even recommend!
A Wise Woman in Progress 