Nisha Sharma is one of the heroes of YA contemporary that deserves all the credit and praise in the world! Once more, she manages to deliver a story that packs a punch, yet remains above all a delight that is easy to consume and impossible to put down. This was (pun intended) delicious!

Unfortunately it's a 1.5 star rating from me, rounding up to 2 for the rep, because that was great (and my gut instinct was supported by own voices reviewers sharing their opinions on this, so thank you to those individuals).

The pacing of this was off for me. We started with a really heightened and emotional scene, which was engaging, but also tough to follow on from, as the rest of the book just felt meh in comparison. It was a scene that you would have expected at the 75% mark, not within the first chapter. Unfortunately this meant that the drive behind the plot was lacking.

The characters weren't likeable. I disagreed with so much of what Radha and Jai said and did, which would be fine, except that they were flip-floppy in their decision making and often this didn't align with their character traits or experiences. It read like a bad rom com, with a lot of telling and very little showing. They would fight then forgive each other with nothing in between - that's not how relationships or emotions work in real life. It was jarring and took me out of the story quite a few times.

One thing I really loved was the depiction of Radha's dad. He was so lovely and I could see real character growth and purpose there. I also enjoyed reading the dance scenes, as I could visualise them really clearly and they were executed well in my opinion. I haven't read many dance scenes so this was something new for me but I really enjoyed them.

Overall, I loved the representation of Radha and Jai's cultures, but the relationships and plot just weren't it.

finished this sweet romance that's quite adorable, pretty entertaining, and definitely heartfelt. when i say it's a little bollywood-y, i mean it in a good way. not to mention the excellent infusion of dance and food—two things my brown heart really loves. hoping to write a lengthier review soon but it would hold the same overall message of me recommending this book.

Rasha and Jai's Recipe for Romance was a fluffy read that also had serious elements to it!

I loved that it was all about Indian culture and felt very authentic and close to home. The dancing element was alo enjoyable to read about. Seeing Radha make desi food really made my mouth water!

The themes explored in this book were really quite necessary and relevant amongst teens. The writing really justified it as well.

My only complaint was the characters and their selfishness. It seemed intentional but the character development wasn't satisfying enough for me to enjoy it.

Other than that this is an amazing read and I would definitely recommend it!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

Headlines:
Desi dance
Family expectations
Misunderstandings

Radha & Jai's Recipe for Romance was a light and sometimes fun read but that was also balanced with some serious themes. The story wasn't a new one, it felt a familiar trope and telling but it still entertained. This story brought some representation for anxiety and panic attacks but the link to an inhaler wasn't clearly explained in this situation and I thought that wasn't a generally representative experience.

The desi dance context of bollywood style and kathak was interesting. I did need to look up the styles to really get my head around the differences and therefore understand the translation from Radha's skillset to Jai's. These two together were fun and light until they weren't. I did struggle a little with the dramatic reactions and misunderstandings.

Family pressures, loyalties and expectations were high on the agenda and the part I loved the most about this story was Radha's evolving closeness with her father over cooking. I also enjoyed the little connections with My So Called Bollywood Life which I did enjoy more than this one.

Thank you to Stripes Publishing for the review copy.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Radha has always loved dancing, and is one of the greatest Kathak dancers there is. But when she is on the verge of becoming international champion, she discovers her mother has been having an affair, and with a judge no less. Now, she has lost her dance joy, and her anxiety is through the roof. Moving from Chicago to New Jersey for a new opportunity, she agrees with her mother to join the dance track at the Princeton Academy of the Arts, in return for funding for her college in the future. But Radha still can't face performing on stage, and when participation in the Winter Showcase is a requirement for graduation, she finally agrees to Jai's requests for help with his Bollywood Beats dance team, but as the choreographer, not a performer. Jai needs to win the Showcase, and the Regional Championships that follow, in order to have any hope of going to Columbia to study medicine. However, he still feels guilty over his wish to leave, as his family need his help in their store, after his father was injured in a traffic accident when Jai was a child. Can they both find their happiness and plan for the future, while coming to terms with their growing feelings for each other?

This book blew me away. I wasn't expecting to be so hooked, but I started reading it one night, and next thing I know, over 100 pages had passed. Radha and Jai felt like real people, not characters in a book. They both had hopes and wishes for the future, and like any other 17 year old, they were at a stage in life where big decisions have to be made. Radha lost all her confidence and control when the truth about her mother was revealed in January, and even now, months later, she still is coming to terms with it, and the panic attacks and anxiety which have become common for her. Slowly, while making friends with Jai, and the rest of the Bollywood Beats team, she is finding her dance joy again, and learning to cook via video chat with her father. Honestly, I really disliked her mother, but appreciated the effort her father was putting in to get to know Radha, even across the many miles between them. For Jai, he feels guilty dreaming about going to college to study medicine, following in his Nana Veera's footsteps, when his family need him working in the store to keep it going, and so they can start a new store too. However, it is his dream, and no matter how much he argues he's happy staying home, all though around him, including the director of the programme at school, his honourary aunt, want what's best for him, and that's going to Columbia. There were some moments in the book where I felt like some communication could've solved later angst - especially around who would be dancing in the Winter Showcase performance, but all in all, this was a really good book.

Radha and Jai's Recipe for Romance was such a cute and fun read, exactly what you expect from a YA contemporary. The writing style and characters were super well written and I immediately fell in love with both main characters. I completely appreciated how Indian culture was intertwined into the main plot of the story and it was lovely learning about it. Throughtout the story we also were able to read on such diverse topics going from mental health, family life, cultural expectations and after high.school uncertainty. Overall it was a great read and I'm really curious to read more from the author.

This book wasn't just about dance, food and love. Kudos to the author for delving into anxiety and panic attacks. She also brought the concerns of a young adult torn between the self-imposed obligation of a family business and the guilt-ridden pangs of wanting to go to college. There was also an insight into the discipline of kathak and how professional Bollywood dancing actually is.
However, having said this, this book unfortunately didn't hit the mark for me. I found that it lacked depth when it came to Radha and Jai's relationship. What was also off-putting was the lack of healing between Radha and her mother; they seemed to be strangers until the end without any resolve.

This was so cute!

I picked this up because I was in the mood for a cute, contemporary romance with a lot of fluff. And I wasn't disappointed!

We follow our two main characters; Jai and Radha. Radha is a semi-famous Kathak dancer, but after an incident during one of her competitions, she chooses not to dance again. Jai on the other hand is part of his school's dance team called 'Bollywood Beats', while also working at his family store and deciding whether or not to go university. When these two meet, sparks fly- quite literally! I actually really liked the growing relationship between Jai and Radha. Their meeting was quite insta-lovey, and at the beginning it annoyed me a little, but I didn't mind because their relationship was so cute and I loved how they supported one another. I did like Radha more, because I felt like we had more development with her and I could relate to her more, but Jai was really sweet too. There were some cheesy scenes, but it was just so well-written and I felt like I was watching a Bollywood film lol. There were a ton of references, and it was such an enjoyable read.

The writing was so compelling you guysss. I smiled, laughed and also teared up a little. There is FANTASTIC anxiety rep in here, as Radha suffers from performance anxiety and I felt like her thoughts and feelings about her mental health were written so well, and I really related to her experiences. We also have a side character called Shakti who is bi, and I just loved her! She was hilarious and I really want to read a book about her life because I think it'll be hilarious and I just want more Shakti!

There's so many amazing characters in here, I just needed more from each of them. Of course I hated Radha's mother with a passion- she was so controlling but then we did see some changes in her by the end. Meanwhile, Radha's dad was just so adorable! He supported her so well and gave great advice. I really liked how he was able to reconnect with Radha over his love of cooking. Plus there are a bunch of Indian recipes thrown in here, and it genuinely made my mouth water!

Overall, this was an amazing book, and I managed to finish this on my road trip because I couldn't put it down! Thanks to NetGalley and thee publishers for an e-arc!

This is a sweet romance with an adorable female lead (Radha) who is to find her 'dance joy' again after an incident at the Kathak internationals leaves her doubting her abilities. Starts at a new school in a new state gives her the fresh start she is hoping for, especially when she meets Jai, the captain of Bollywood Beats. With class difference, parental meddling, college applications and an well-meaning but loud-mouth ex, this story left me feeling warm and fuzzy, like a dal makhani (yes, there's loads of food as the title suggests).

Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance is a story about dancing, dreaming, cooking and figuring out what you want in life and making tough decisions as a teenager.

When Radha moves to New Jersey and starts a new school, she vows that she’ll never perform again after what happened. Then she’s asked to choreograph a dance routine for the Bollywood Beats by dance captain Jai, and she accepts so she won’t have to perform for her final grade. Jai dreams of studying at Colombia and becoming a doctor but won’t pursue that dream because he feels like he should stay and help his family with their shop. When Radha and Jai’s relationship starts to progress, will they be able to push each other to overcome their fears and follow their dreams?

This is such a lovely read about dreams and the anxiety that comes with pursuing them. I found Radha and Jai’s story to be endearing and it has a lot of elements that a lot of people will be able to identify with. I found the romance element cute but was glad that it wasn’t the most important part of the story.

Even though the beginning felt a bit too slow for me, the rest of the story definitely made up for that. The descriptions of various recipes made my mouth water and super hungry. I highly recommend this book!

Radha and Jai’s Recipe For Romance is an absolutely fantastic and hilarious read. It celebrates the beauty of finding and following your dreams, regardless of what other people may think. It celebrates the power of food and dance, very Bollywood and I loved it. Want a summer read to make you smile , snap this book up now

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Romance, dancing and food. What more could a book need?

Radha was a competitive dancer who had finally reached the finals of the most prestigious competition in Kathak dance when she overhears some girls in the changing room. Not only were they being typical bitchy teenagers, but they mention that Radha’s mother is having an affair with one of the judges. All of a sudden Radha questions whether she really is a good dancer or whether her full on ‘dance mom’ mother has managed to get her to the finals.

Radha feels so betrayed and confused that she quits competitive dance. However, she also feels that she is the focus of gossip in her local community so when their is an opportunity to move away; when her parents separate, she jumps at the chance. What she doesn’t expect is to not only find her passion for dance again, but also a new passion for cooking and a boy who she can enjoy it with.

That boy is fighting his own battles. Although he is a great Bollywood dancer what he really wants is to be a doctor. However, he cannot pursue either of these dreams as his family needs him to work in the family business and help out financially. Despite Jai’s family encouraging him to follow his dreams he feels obliged to do the right thing. If only he could win the regional dance competition to have a little bit of extra cash.

Although there is a dance competition focus in this book the real key theme is the relationships that both Radha and Jai have. Radha with both of her parents and family abroad, and Jai with his brothers and chosen family. Then both of them with their dance team members.

I really enjoy reading stories from other cultures so I can get a more diverse view on the world and this book definitely left me curious to try some of the Asian recipes. It wasn’t my favourite book as there was nothing about it which really hooked me, but it was easy and mostly laid back. I gave it a 3.5/5.

I requested this book on a whim after being drawn in by the cover and the craving for a fun, YA summer romance. It is full of joy and flirtation and for that, I enjoyed it.

Radha is very nearly one of the best Kathak dancers in the world until a family secret comes to light and she vows to stop performing forever. Jai is an overachiever and captain of a Bollywood dance troupe but he doesn’t plan on going to college due to money being tight and because he feels he needs to follow his brothers’ footsteps and continue the family business. When Radha shows up in his life, two worlds come together and create something truly spectacular.

This is the deal that Radha strikes with her mother, who is desperate for her daughter to have the life as a dancer that she gave up. It’s this that leads her to New Jersey and to the high school that Jai attends. Her relationship with her mother is pretty distant, which is different from how I’ve seen Indian mother-daughter relationships in the past. Seeing a different kind of dynamic between them was really refreshing and I have no doubt that some readers will feel more seen through this depiction than the close-knit family.

Radha has no qualms about standing up to her mother and calling her out on her less than thoughtful comments. However, I was expecting to see some kind of reconciliation of this relationship at some point in the book but there wasn’t. Since the event that stopped Radha from performing, she appears to have no interest in making things up with her mother and perhaps that’s the point that the author is trying to make -that you don’t have to have a relationship with someone just because you share DNA. While this is true, I’m not sure I’ve seen it done with as much aggression or dismissal as it is in this book, certainly not in a YA novel.

As soon as we meet Jai, we know that he is the most handsome, most desirable man in the room. He has the fairytale prince thing nailed and for Radha, it seems to be love at first sight, whether she knows it or not. I pictured him bathed in a warm glow with birds surrounding him and I think that’s probably what was really going on in Radha’s mind too.

I loved watching Radha and Jai dance together. There is something about watching real life lovers get lost in music and each other that is so magical. Perhaps it was the intensity and the closeness that dancers have but I did feel that their relationship moved very quickly. There isn’t much playful will-they-won’t-they flirtation, which is often what makes YA contemporaries cute. I would have definitely liked them to have had a bit more of this before becoming official.

Radha is also trying to get in touch with her father’s roots by learning to cook all of the dishes in her grandfather’s own book of Indian recipes. These recipes are in the book for readers to try out for themselves too, an idea which I think is excellent. However, this was a completely separate part of Radha’s life that didn’t really fit in with the main story. The author does try to make links but these seemed a little tenuous.

I can see the resemblance between choreographing an epic Bollywood routine and cooking a delicious meal. However, this was only really relevant to Radha’s life and I think I wanted Jai and her dance friends to be let into this other, private side of Radha. I would have loved a scene where Radha and Jai cooked together and they could have both discovered how similar cooking and choreography are. While I enjoyed both parts of Radha’s life, their separateness just meant that the narrative felt a little disjointed.

Radha also suffers from panic attacks when she thinks about performing. While I appreciated the anxiety and panic representation in the book, I’m not sure it quite fitted with the story as seamlessly as it could have done. I love that she had to go on this journey of healing for herself and get her dance joy back but I didn’t fully believe that Radha’s panic was a huge problem for her. I know that anxiety isn’t reserved for introverts but Radha’s anxiety doesn’t seem to affect her every day life at all and I think that might have meant that I didn’t fully connect with that part of her.

Radha and Jai’s Recipe For Romance is a fun read that is full of colour and life. It celebrates the amazing power of dance and cooking as well as what it means to find and follow your own dreams, regardless of what other people may think. I had a few problems with the flow of the story and the pace of the romance but I had a good time with it!

This is an **adorable contemporary romance**. I adored reading more about their culture, the different types of dance, all the yummy food (gosh I could really go for some halwa right now) and their passion for dancing. I'm always a sucker for dual povs, so I appreciated being able to **see both Radha's and Jai's points of view and their love for dance**.

It was interesting to see their different family dilemmas, Jai feeling like he has to step up and look after his family at the expense of his dreams to go to college, while Radha is stepping away from her dreams and love of dance because of its links to her family (specifically her mother). It's always lovely to see characters with different backgrounds and family issues work together to resolve things, and give each other strength to follow their dreams.

My only qualm with the story is that it was quite slow at times, but was quite enjoyable.

This was a fun YA romcom. A bit cheesy and bollywood-y but overall a fun read. I think the characters' motivations were not understandable or clear most of the time though.

I love this book, in a fun way. Also, Radha finding herself was cherry on top. I get Indian parents as they are quite similar to Bangladeshi parents. So, I could really relate to Radha, especially at the beginning. And who doesn't like Bollywood references! I love Bollywood movies, this book had a Bollywood vibe going on and I loved it.
The way Radha and Jai grew their bond was amazing. Radha was a strong person even before she got a hang of it.

A classic Bollywood romance with ALL the ingredients. And it's got Kathak, PANEER, and a RAIN SCENE. LOVE.

(This may seem super minor but also shoutout to author Nisha Sharma for making all the recipes in the book vegetarian - actually means a lot to me! Some favourites in there too - aloo tikki, paranthas (YUM), and did I mention the paneer? So many things I love squished into just one book!)

This story was so cute ! The love story, the talk about anxiety, the Indian food 🤩… all of that in one book makes it so good

This book should be made into a movie asap. I can imagine it already.

Radha & Jai's Recipe for Romance is a wonderful contemporary which centers not only around dance and food, but also family relations and the stressful year before college. It tackles topics I could 100% relate to, like anxiety, fear of failure, or fear of not being enough.

Both Jai and Radha have their own issues and aren't perfect, which makes them all the more real and relatable. I was rooting for them all along and wanted them to be happy, despite their many flaws.

I also loved how Indian culture was brought into the story, which was all the more refreshing and I always love to read about different cultures. I also really enjoyed Radha's relationship with her Dad and Jai's relationship with his family in general.

Basically, all I have to say is it's been a while since I've enjoyed a YA contemporary this much. It's coming out this month so definitely keep an eye out for it!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Little Tiger Group for a digital review copy in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.