"In this witty and heartfelt rom-com debut for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Emily Henry, and Tessa Bailey, an Indian American woman signs herself and her boyfriend up for a matchmaking site to prove they're a perfect match, only to be paired with her ex instead"--
In this witty and heartfelt rom-com debut for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Emily Henry, and Tessa Bailey, an Indian American woman signs herself and her boyfriend up for a matchmaking site to prove they're a perfect match, only to be paired with her ex instead.In this witty and heartfelt rom-com debut for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Emily Henry, and Tessa Bailey, an Indian American woman signs herself and her boyfriend up for a matchmaking site to prove they're a perfect match, only to be paired with her ex instead.High school sweethearts Rita Chitniss and Milan Rao were the golden couple, until the day he broke her heart. Now, six years later, Rita has turned her passion for furniture restoration into a career and has an almost-perfect boyfriend, Neil. The last thing she needs is for Milan to re-enter her life, but that's exactly what happens when her mother, an unfailing believer in second chances, sets them up. Milan is just as charming, cocky, and confident as he was back in school. Only this time, he actually needs her business expertise, not her heart, to flip a hard-to-sell house for his realty agency.While Rita begrudgingly agrees to help, she's not taking any risks. To prove she's definitely over him, she signs herself and Neil up on MyShaadi.com, a Desi matchmaking site famous for its success stories and trustworthy enough to convince everyone that she and Neil are the new and improved couple. Instead, she's shocked when MyShaadi's perfect match for her isn't Neil...it's Milan. Ignoring the website and her mother is one thing, but ignoring Milan proves much more difficult, especially when she promises to help him renovate the beach house of her dreams. And as the two of them dive deeper into work-and their pasts-Rita begins to wonder if maybe her match wasn't so wrong after all....
“"YA author Vale makes a splash with her laugh-out-loud adult debut....Vale evenly balances heart and heat, while imbuing her rom-com with cultural specificity and delicately exploring familial obligation and heartbreak. Hilarious and heartfelt, this second chance romance proves it's never too late to start again." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) " The Shaadi Set-Up is my favorite ever second chance romance. Hilarious and emotional, with characters who feel so real I didn't want to let them go, Rita and Milan punched a hole through my heart. I can't wait to dog-ear all my favorite passages. This is an absolute treasure of a love story." -Sarah Hogle, author of You Deserve Each Other and Twice Shy "Charming as hell and wonderfully witty, The Shaadi Set-Up had me grinning, swooning, and sweating. Watching Rita and Milan torture each other is truly delicious, and the tension between them is so thick you'd need several buzzsaws to cut it. A pitch-perfect romantic comedy and a new all-time favorite." -Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of The Ex Talk "Funny, sexy, and so full of love! With hilarious and vibrant prose, memorable characters you can't help but fall in love with, and a new twist of modern dating, this second-chance at love story is addictively readable. I was rooting for Rita and Milan to overcome their complicated history and find their happily ever after from the moment I met them on the page!" -Farah Heron, author of Accidentally Engaged "What sets The Shaadi Set-Up apart is Vale's luscious prose and deft characterizations. A fun yet thoughtful novel that ties together love for family, friends, and the one that got away, The Shaadi Set-Up is a heart-warming debut you won't soon forget." -Elizabeth Everett, author of A Lady's Formula for Love”
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“[A] pitch-perfect contemporary love story…Entertaining throughout, Vale’s delightful storytelling will charm readers.” –Shelf Awareness
“With a lovely cast of secondary characters and snappy dialogue all around, The Shaadi Set-Up is a humorous and heartfelt romance about finding your first love for the second time. Lillie Vale’s adult-fiction debut is a charmer.” –Washington Independent Review of Books
“Positively entertaining friction-fiction…The Shaadi Set-Up hums with a sexy vibe and tons of heart thanks to great characters….The concept of the second generation getting a second chance at first love is just too irresistible to pass up.” –India Currents
“A fun, quick read; witty and heart-felt.” –Mountain Times
“If you loved the beach house aspect of Beach Read and the renovation of it, The Shaadi Set-Up might be the thing you’re looking for. Reunited exes have to work together to flip a house! Rita and Milan will find out that their feelings for each other are not easily forgotten.” –BookRiot
“A solid rom-com that’s well-written and is a good look at the lives and culture of the Desi world…A charming fall read.” –Red Carpet Crash
“I loved every single second of reading this beautifully addictive second chance romance, The Shaadi Set-Up checked all the boxes in creating a relatable and fun-tastic slow burn….I absolutely loved that this book had so many real parallels to what Desi (Indian) kids face when it comes to marriage and keeping their families happy, the best part being that Vale managed to highlight the funnier side to this issue….Rita and Milan will forever hold a special spot in my heart, along with their meddlesome families. Vale is definitely a new favorite author of mine and I would highly recommend reading this book ASAP!” –Harlequin Junkie
“YA author Vale makes a splash with her laugh-out-loud adult debut....Vale evenly balances heart and heat, while imbuing her rom-com with cultural specificity and delicately exploring familial obligation and heartbreak. Hilarious and heartfelt, this second chance romance proves it’s never too late to start again.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Vale’s sweet, slow-building, funny, second-chance love story, her debut romance novel, offers lush settings, a clever and amusing predicament, and a memorable match.” –Booklist (starred review)
“Vale’s bittersweet, slow-burn story of lost love and difficult choices is lightened by plenty of humor and charming characters. It will please fans of Jasmine Guillory, Sonali Dev, or Tessa Bailey’s ‘Hot & Hammered’ series of renovation-themed romances.” –Library Journal
“The writing has some standout moments, from the author’s celebration of Indian American culture to her lush and mouthwatering descriptions of food.” –Kirkus
“The Shaadi Set-Up is my favorite ever second chance romance. Hilarious and emotional, with characters who feel so real I didn’t want to let them go, Rita and Milan punched a hole through my heart. I can’t wait to dog-ear all my favorite passages. This is an absolute treasure of a love story.” –Sarah Hogle, author of You Deserve Each Other and Twice Shy
“Charming as hell and wonderfully witty, The Shaadi Set-Up had me grinning, swooning, and sweating. Watching Rita and Milan torture each other is truly delicious, and the tension between them is so thick you’d need several buzzsaws to cut it. A pitch-perfect romantic comedy and a new all-time favorite.” –Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of The Ex Talk
"Funny, sexy, and so full of love! With hilarious and vibrant prose, memorable characters you can't help but fall in love with, and a new twist on modern dating, this second-chance at love story is addictively readable. I was rooting for Rita and Milan to overcome their complicated history and find their happily ever after from the moment I met them on the page!" –Farah Heron, author of Accidentally Engaged
“What sets The Shaadi Set-Up apart is Vale’s luscious prose and deft characterizations. A fun yet thoughtful novel that ties together love for family, friends, and the one that got away, The Shaadi Set-Up is a heart-warming debut you won’t soon forget.” –Elizabeth Everett, author of A Lady’s Formula for Love
Lillie Vale is the author of the young adult novel Small Town Hearts. She writes about secrets and yearning, complicated and ambitious girls who know what they want, the places we call home and people we find our way back to, and the magic we make. Born in Mumbai, she grew up in Mississippi, Texas, and North Dakota, and now lives in an Indiana college town.
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