Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice

This book genuinely surprised me. I came across it randomly, and based on the comments and storyline, I didn’t expect it to be as fun or creative as it turned out to be. The writing really stood out and made a big difference, even though the plot followed typical Indian serial tropes almost to the letter.<br/><br/>I’m rating it around a 3 to 3.5 due to a few minor (on the surface) language inconsistencies that sometimes disrupted the flow of the story. For instance, “besharam” and “besharami” were used interchangeably, even though they’re a bit different -“besharam” is an adjective used to describe a person (and isn’t gender-specific), while “besharami” refers to the act of shamelessness, not a person. <br/><br/>Similarly, “nani” and “dadi” have specific meanings -“nani” is your maternal grandmother, while “dadi” is your paternal grandmother. Using “nani” in a context where “dadi” would be correct felt inaccurate and culturally inconsistent.<br/><br/>Throughout the story, I read it as referring to the maternal grandmother, but later it seemed like it was actually the paternal grandmother. I found myself going back and mentally reworking parts of the story, especially once the family dynamics became clearer.<br/><br/>It’s a small thing overall, but details like this can stand out. When a book leans heavily on Indian cultural tropes and language, getting those basics right really helps, and when they’re slightly off, it can feel like a lack of attention to cultural and linguistic nuance.<br/><br/>That said, the writing itself was strong enough that I still enjoyed the book.