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Book Summary and Reviews of Lies and Other Love Languages by Sonali Dev

Lies and Other Love Languages by Sonali Dev

Lies and Other Love Languages

A Novel

by Sonali Dev

  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Published:
  • Sep 2023, 335 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

From the bestselling author of The Vibrant Years comes an emotional story of three women navigating ugly truths and safe lies with only love to guide them on a journey of motherhood, friendship, and life.

Bestselling advice columnist Vandy Guru built her career teaching others how to live honestly and courageously, but after the loss of her husband, Vandy's public veneer can barely conceal her grief. When her beloved daughter Mallika suddenly disappears and her estranged childhood best friend Rani returns, stirring up long-buried secrets, Vandy's carefully crafted life feels at risk.

Aspiring choreographer Mallika Guru is tired of failure. When another audition ends in rejection, she signs up for a genetic study to find out why she's so different from her accomplished family. But the results reveal her whole life to be a lie, and Rani seems to be the only one who knows the truth.

Rani Parekh sacrificed everything for Vandy once. But to hold on to the life she's rebuilt, she must confront her troubled history and face Vandy and Mallika. Join these three extraordinary women as they journey from LA to Mumbai on an incredible path of discovery, hope, and love.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Dev's characteristic strength at writing relationships between loved ones grounds this larger-than-life plot in a poignant reality… Deception and tenderness mingle in this touching story." ―Kirkus Reviews

"Dev excels at creating multilayered characters faced with the challenge of balancing Indian cultural traditions with modern Western culture, all while tugging on readers' heart strings." ―Booklist

"Recommended for Dev's lush descriptions of food, fashion, dancing, college life, romance, and friendship and her sensitive portrayals of infertility, loss, and hope." —Library Journal

"How do we define love between friends, and how far would we go for that love? Sonali Dev's book peels back one unexpected surprise after another as she blurs the lines between the family we make and the family we are born into, between altruism and selfishness, and between truth and lies." ―Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Lies and Other Love Languages is a tender and compelling novel about how women navigate their relationships with families, friends, careers, and their pasts. Mallika's disappearance and Rani's emergence set the story on a path of intrigue and revelation. The contrast between Vandy's carefully crafted public persona and her inner turmoil will resonate with many women. This is a story about discovering who we are." ―Balli Kaur Jaswal, internationally bestselling author of Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

This information about Lies and Other Love Languages was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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More Information

USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev writes Bollywood-style stories that explore universal issues. Her novels have been named Best Books of the Year by Library Journal, NPR, the Washington Post, Buzzfeed, and Kirkus Reviews. She has won numerous accolades, including the American Library Association's award for best in genre, the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, and multiple RT Seals of Excellence; has been a RITA finalist; and has been listed for the Dublin Literary Award. Shelf Awareness calls her "not only one of the best but one of the bravest romance novelists working today." She lives in Chicagoland with her husband, two visiting adult children, and the world's most perfect dog.

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