From the author of Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors comes another, clever, deeply layered, and heartwarming romantic comedy that follows in the Jane Austen tradition—this time, with a twist on Persuasion.
Chef Ashna Raje desperately needs a new strategy. How else can she save her beloved restaurant and prove to her estranged, overachieving mother that she isn’t a complete screw up? When she’s asked to join the cast of Cooking with the Stars, the latest hit reality show teaming chefs with celebrities, it seems like just the leap of faith she needs to put her restaurant back on the map. She’s a chef, what’s the worst that could happen?
Rico Silva, that’s what.
Being paired with a celebrity who was her first love, the man who ghosted her at the worst possible time in her life, only proves what Ashna has always believed: leaps of faith are a recipe for disaster.
FIFA winning soccer star Rico Silva isn't too happy to be paired up with Ashna either. Losing Ashna years ago almost destroyed him. The only silver lining to this bizarre situation is that he can finally prove to Ashna that he's definitely over her.
But when their catastrophic first meeting goes viral, social media becomes obsessed with their chemistry. The competition on the show is fierce…and so is the simmering desire between Ashna and Rico. Every minute they spend together rekindles feelings that pull them toward their disastrous past. Will letting go again be another recipe for heartbreak—or a recipe for persuasion…?
In Recipe for Persuasion, Sonali Dev once again takes readers on an unforgettable adventure in this fresh, fun, and enchanting romantic comedy.
Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review
In this retelling of Persuasion, former couple Ashna, a chef and Rico, a retired elite footballer are reunited on a reality cooking show where she's forced to confront all the insecurities plaguing her.
I've never read Persuasion so I don't know how closely Dev's version follows it but on its own it's a turbulent family drama filled with heightened emotions and sad backstories. Ashna's father died years ago saddling her with the responsibility of running his restaurant, Curried Dreams. She never aspired to owning or running a restaurant but does it for the sake of her father's legacy, much to the detriment of her own health and happiness. Rico for all his success on the pitch is now searching for his next career move off of it so when he discovers that Ashna is doing the reality cooking show he gets the idea that he should go on it as well. He could then revisit their relationship and get the answers he needs about their breakup. Once he arrives, he realizes that he's not even sure what he wants out of this awkward reunion.
Dev's writing is, as ever, phenomenal. There's so much life in her descriptions that it's as if she's inserted you into those scenes. You can sense everything and it's a talent that's so magical, so hers. Perhaps it's because of that I had a difficult time with parts of the story, especially concerning Ashna's complicated relationship with her father and estranged mother. Ashna's pain touched me on such a personal level that I'd have to stop and take a few breaths before continuing. As if her story wasn't convoluted enough, her mother, Shobi's sudden appearance makes Ashna feel as if she's been ambushed. For reasons that are completely my own, I didn't like Shobi at first but as she got to tell her story in fragments, I gradually felt more empathy towards her, and it was all I could do not to holler at her and Ashna to just speak and listen to each other.
Rico's story isn't all sunshine and roses either but he seems to have found some measure of peace in the years gone by. To be honest, I was super grateful that Rico was more put together than Ashna and Shobi. He was a good counterbalance to their combined grief. Any more and it would've been too overwhelming for me. The moments when Rico and Ashna shine are during the cooking competition when they manage to set aside their awkwardness to create amazing, mouthwatering recipes. Those moments become a sweet respite from the heaviness permeating the rest of the story. I was curious about some of the recipes they concocted and even looked up a few that I might try on my own.
Recipe for Persuasion evoked many feelings in me and that is certainly what I expect from an incredible story - something that makes me react, feel and question. As I said at the beginning, I've never read Persuasion so I don't know how it compares. To me it's about healing as all the characters in Dev's retelling are confronting their feelings, as distressing as they are, opening up to their vulnerabilities as they've never done before. It's frightening and risky but they all come through. To that effect, I also think that what romance there is between Rico and Ashna is overshadowed by Ashna's longstanding pain, and Shobi's story arc. I didn't take it as a romantic comedy in the way of whimsy but rather as an intense and earnest story, written from the heart, that will affect each reader differently.
~ Bel
⚠️ Recipe for Persuasion contains sensitive themes; content warnings are listed below. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, highlight to see them. ⚠️
alcoholism (memory - Ashna of her father, Shobi of her husband) , suicide (memory -Ashna's father), finding a parent dead (memory - Ashna finding her father after his suicide), parental estrangement (Ashna's mother who was away for most of her childhood), rape (memory - Shobi's), parents' accidental death (memory - Rico's parents), forced marriage (Shobi and Ashna's father), panic attacks (Ashna), a visit to an abortion clinic (memory - Shobi's), mention of family's death in a plane crash (relative of Ashna, a side character's backstory)
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