A sweet story about learning to trust in your self and others, and learn that love is worth the pain the potential pain and heartache. ( )

Have you ever been paintballing?

I haven't, but I think it would be quite fun! Granted, I don't necessarily like rolling around in the dirt or being pelted with flying paint, but it seems like it could be a good time.

However, I wouldn't wear a dress or heels like Zara did in @SaraDesai's newest book: The Singles Table. Why on Earth would anyone do that? Well, sometimes we do things we don't want to for the sake of our friends. One of Zara's friends is getting married and friends of the bride and groom joined together to take the (paintball) field.

Of course, no paintball excursion is complete without 1) competition or 2) a good looking teammate, am I right?

A good old fashion game of Capture the Flag takes place and Zara fights for bragging rights as winner with ultra-serious, no-fun Jay. (You'll have to read to know how it turns out...) When the game is over, everyone heads to the bar, sans the paintball gear... and this is where everything takes a turn!

I love how fun, free, and wild Zara is. From her colorful attire to her say-anything attitude, she seems like someone I'd love to be friends with. As a lawyer, she knows she doesn't always fit in with the cookie-cutter lawyer type, but she has found the perfect firm for her... and she practices law her way. And wins.

Jay's character develops/shifts from someone who's strict, stern and rigid throughout the book, which felt more like growth than change. Owning a national company is hard work, but he's dedicated to 2 things: his company and his momma! After she is in an accident with her new boyfriend, his priorities are put into a different light and the trauma he has buried deep inside swims to the surface and he's forced to deal with things head-on.

While I had to buy the paperback because Sara is an auto-buy author for me, I also bought the audiobook and listened to it. The narrator (Soneela Nankani) was easy to understand, read at the perfect speed, and brought this story to life. I definitely recommend the audiobook if you enjoy them!

I loved the Aunties and the story this one told. In addition, I loved how PTSD was presented and that Jay was seeking help for it in the end. This one definitely made me smile and felt like a bit of a tongue twister at times for the narrator of the audiobook... But if you're into romantic comedies, this is definitely a #SteamyRomance you'll want to read! ( )

Right up there for Zing, Zang and Zany! Hugely entertaining!

On the surface a light hearted story but with underlying depths, all wrapped up in Bollywood like hilarity. Indeed I can’t get several momentous moments out of my head (including the steamy bits)
The oh so colorful Zara Patel shooting the committed game player and exponent, Jay Dayal, in the rear at her cousin’s bachelor-bachelorette paintball party, even as she ogled him. As her friend Parvati Chopra calls it, the occasion is “alpha central” with all the male testosterone about.
Ok, Zara is definitely catastrophe prone, even if she is a super smart lawyer. She just moves to the beat of a different drum, which is why the Cruz & Lovitt law firm, injury specialists, is such a great fit for Zara. There’s “ a partner who wears Yoda ski hats and carries a custom lightsaber? Another partner who wears bike shorts and Rollerblades around the office?” Seriously terrifying images!
The moments of Zara’s exuberance lifted spirts and brought a smile if not a deep throated chuckle to my lips. The Art show event is not to be missed.
There’s just so many hilarious, if not deranged moments, leavened with serious reflective moments.
The daughter of divorced parents, Zara has never recovered from the anguish of that. To the extent that she doesn’t want a committed relationship. She is always seated at the singles table at weddings and that’s fine. Comittment has her running.
As she says to Jay when she explains her role as a matchmaker, “I believe in love and romance for everyone else…I have a serial-dating habit, eclectic taste, and poor judgment when it comes to men.”
Jay Dayal is part owner of a security firm and is too busy for a relationship. Especially with such a seemingly ditzy number as Zara. But there’s something about her! She’s warm, true, disarmingly charming, and funny. Such a wonderful character.
Of course there’s the wonderful obligatory aunties, the warm extended family that encompasses all.
A joyous, witty ride with undercurrents of pain, of dealing with the past to begin a future.
Loved every minute of this Desai illuminating, starry eyed read.

A Berkley penguinrandomhouse ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.) ( )