Why did I listen to The Marriage Game?
I had been approved for The Singles Table on Netgalley. At first I didn’t realize that it was actually part of a series. When I pieced it together, I quickly jumped on Libby to see if the audiobooks were available. Thankfully both The Marriage Game and The Dating Plan audiobook were available to borrow. I clicked borrow and opened The Marriage Game excited for meet Layla, Sam, and the rest of the Patel family.
What’s the story here?
Layla Patel has moved back home to San Francisco after a horrible breakup while she was living in NYC. The break up was so horrible that she actually lost her job. Back home, she makes plans to start a new business of her kind. Her father offers her the office above the restaurant to use free of charge. There’s only two little problems; the first half unbeknownst to her father had set up a dating profile to help her find a husband; and has narrowed his selection into 10 blind dates. The second problem is Sam Mehta, who has also been offered the room above the restaurant for his business too. From their first encounter the sparks fly between these two characters and neither one is willing to backdoor. Together they come up with a battle plan where the winner takes the office and the loser moves on … if they can.
How did I like The Marriage Game?
The Marriage Game was just so much fun. As a character Layla is smart and sassy. She has been knocked down recently and is really just trying to build herself back up. And she has the most supportive Indian family around her especially when it comes to Aunties. She has had her heartbroken so many times that when she finds out about her father’s blind dates she agrees to meet them and possibly settle down in an arranged marriage. Except she does not want to settle and just be a housewife. The blind dates are hilarious. So many things go wrong with them!
And then there’s Sam. Sam is a little rough around the edges and prefers to have things very neat and orderly. When it shares the office with Layla it is very obvious that they are going to butt heads with their different approach to things. Plus, there is also her very loud and involved family. At first, Sam is a hard character to understand but overtime you get to see the heart under layers and not just the guy with the chip on his shoulder.
The banter between Layla and Sam jumps off the page. They have some mad chemistry together. They are also so hilarious and the plan for “the battle of the office” is one that you can see failing from day one. These two characters are equally as stubborn and refuse to backdoor. I was hooked and excited to see how everything would wind up. It was the perfect romantic comedy to listen to.
How is the narration?
The Marriage Game is narrated by Sonella Nankani and is approximately 11 hours and 38 minutes long. I listened to it at 1.75x speed and thought it flowed really well. The narrator kept my attention and I was able to easily follow the story. I was also able to learn more about the Indian culture and the hilarious characters throughout the story. I look forward to listening to The Dating Plan where the narrator is the same person!
Rating: 4 Stars
**Audiobook review layout courtesy of Good Books and Good Wine**
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