The fake relationship trope is usually a plot device for a
romcom or an aww-shucks romance. This one is in the latter category but is so
much more.
Pari Sadhshiv is an Indian with an H-1B visa. That means
that her USA visa is tied with her employment. Pari wants to start her own
consultancy outfit, but cannot do so on her current visa. She needs a green
card followed by citizenship. The fastest way to her green card is a marriage. A
fake marriage that has to last a minimum of two years when her application and interview
for a green card would happen. In a moment of unpredictable-ness, straight-girl
Rachel Fizel announces that she’d totally marry Pari. Rachel has a Master’s in
films, a huge student debt and her only relative is her disinterested mother. And
yes, she had/has anorexia nervosa. She is recovering from her eating disorder after
rehab and therapy, but it is still a big part of her. Pari and Rachel reach an
agreement and decide to go ahead. But their simple agreement doesn’t remain as
simple when Rachel finds herself getting attracted to Pari.
Written in first person from Rachel’s PoV, it is easy to
feel Rachel’s attraction to Pari physically and emotionally. Rachel is also someone
you warm up to immediately and get invested in pretty fast. The focus of the
book is the romance, but the struggle with the disorder is an equally big part.
And kudos to Brown for having done a brilliant job with both. She delves into the
struggles, the internal talk, the slipping into unhealthy patterns, the complex
relationship with one’s self-image and body of a person with an illness like anorexia
with compassion. On the romance front, the chemistry between the leads is all
there and so believable. Their navigation between their attraction and their
fears is excellently done. This book could’ve been longer and still kept us
totally engaged and immersed.
This is not a light read, but such a rewarding one.
⭐⭐⭐☆★
