The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale - Sheaf & Ink

“The Shaadi Set-Up is a thoughtfully fun debut, bringing together the love of family, friends, and hope for second chances.”
Sheaf & Ink

The Story

From the Publisher:

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. It’s a Desi matchmaking site famous for its success stories. Plus, it’s 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.

My Review: The Shaadi Set-Up

Lillie Vale’s debut romance novel is a perfect way to wrap up the summer.

It checks off all the right boxes and some more. How Vale deftly writes characters who are in a word: unforgetable.

Irresistible, readers will be drawn into Vale’s renovation themed romance like the sweet scent of a favored dish. Ready to sit down, get comfortable, and tuck in. Where two once loves are given an opportunity that could rekindle old flames.

What is invigorating about this story are the two main characters. Even though they recognize their old selves from when they were together in high school, including the lingering attraction they clearly have for each other, they have to unpack the baggage they’ve been caring for the past six years they’ve been apart. Where they begin to fully understand the scope of what happened and how they’ve both changed along the way.

A Few More Thoughts

Romance is always a fun genre to get lost in right? Sure there’s the steamy parts that we can all melt over, but there’s also layers that I want to unfold like a good slice of cake. I want to savor each bite. And I think Vale does that by adding the complexities of family and culture within her novel. By focusing on the pressures young Indian people face when it comes to their intimate relationships and their families.

It is an enduring part of the novel, the link that goes hand-in-hand between Rita and Milan’s family as well as their potential relationship. Giving it even more texture and vibrancy. Vale also infuses her rom-com with wit and humor while focusing on familial duties and heartbreak. This book has a big heart with utter hilarious moments and will have avid romance readers voracious for more.

Happy Reading ̴ Cece

RATING: – Exceptionally Inked