I read The Marriage Game, and immediately couldn’t wait to get my hands on more Sara Desai! Fortunately, her new book, The Singles Table, is a fantastic read that I would recommend to any lover of contemporary romance.
Zara is a young lawyer who turned away from a potentially more fashionable corporate career to work for a smaller firm. She still wants to attract high-profile clients, but she hasn’t got an avenue to pursue that. Instead, Zara’s numerous aunties hand out her business cards to anyone they can press them on. Resigned to auntie-dom despite her youth, Zara prides herself on making good matches, and when she meets Jay, she offers him a deal.
Jay is in security, and his work brings him into contact with the kind of contacts Zara needs to solidify her position at her firm. Despite a bad first, second, and third impression, Zara talks Jay into introducing her around in exchange for her help finding his perfect match. The wedding season is trying, and Zara has a lot on her plate, so an inconvenient attraction to Jay, a man she detests, is frustrating. Jay is equally frustrated by his desire for Zara, a woman as close to his opposite as possible.
I love a good vulnerable lead, and both Jay and Zara have a lot of emotional baggage. Jay working through his issues is great, and Zara figuring out her priorities is just *chef’s kiss.* I love to see characters work on their issues and let people in emotionally! The secondary characters are also really solid, the parents in particular. It’s tricky to set up a whole cast of characters without having them blend together, but Desai is very deft with her characterization. The chemistry between the leads really sells the story, but all of the moving parts really make this book an A+. The tropes at work here are enemies-to-lovers and sunshine and grump, two of my very favorites. I think Desai’s work is only getting better, and I can’t wait to see what’s next from her.
The reviewer was provided with a copy of this book for review. You can purchase The Singles Table anywhere books are sold, or borrow it from your local library.
The Chamber of Spoilers 