One of the books I’m really excited for this summer is I Wish We Weren’t Related by Radhika Sanghani. How would you feel if, after 30 years of being told that your father was dead, your mom called to tell you that he’s actually been alive all this time, but now he has just died (for real this time) and you need to attend his funeral? That’s what happens with Reeva and her (kind of estranged) sisters. Oh my!
First of all, I have Radhika Sanghani’s previous novel, 30 Things I Love About Myself, on my shelf and waiting to be read. I Wish We Weren’t Related is about to join it now, and I’m so eager to read them both. This new novel looks like a riot, with shocking family secrets and drama. In addition to the whole dad situation, Reeva is also dealing with a difficult relationship with her sisters after one stole her boyfriend. There’s a lot about this book that has my interest piqued!
Find out more about I Wish We Weren’t Related below, and let me know if you’re planning to pick it up. If you’ve already read it, let me know how you liked it in the comments! I’m hoping to read this book soon, so stay tuned for my review.
Official Summary
After a shocking phone call from her mother, Reeva Mehta’s life starts to sound like the plot of a Bollywood drama. From the outlandishly funny author of 30 Things I Love About Myself comes a hilarious, heartwarming novel about love, family, and new beginnings.
Thirty-four-year-old Reeva thought her life couldn’t possibly get more complicated, until her semi-famous Bollywood mother calls to tell her that she’s been lying to her daughters for decades—the father they thought died thirty years ago has been alive this whole time. Only now he actually is dead. Worse? His dying wish was for Reeva and her sisters Sita and Jaya to attend his funeral prayers—which means spending a fortnight together at his house, surrounded by relatives they never knew existed.
Reeva already has more than enough going on in her life. She’s an overworked London lawyer, her hair is falling out due to stress-induced alopecia, she can’t decide if her new boyfriend, Nick, is really as wonderful as he appears to be, and her brand-new cat is playing hard to get (even for a cat). And now she has to spend two weeks with the sisters she hasn’t spoken to since Jaya stole her boyfriend and Sita took her side.
But as Reeva slowly learns more about their father and his life—with the help of his sister, aka her new, wise Satya Auntie—she starts to uncover the complicated truth of their past…and realizes she needs Jaya and Sita more than she ever could have imagined.
Get the Book
You can buy I Wish We Weren’t Related here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.
| I Wish We Weren’t Related by Author | |
|---|---|
| Audience | Adult |
| Genre | Women’s Fiction |
| Number of Pages | 400 |
| Original Publication Date | July 11, 2023 |
About the Author
Credit: S.E.B.C. Photography
Radhika Sanghani is a journalist for the Daily Telegraph, where she specializes in writing about women and women’s issues. She has an MA in newspaper journalism from City University London, a BA in English literature from University College London, and recently came in second in GQ’s Norman Mailer student writing competition. She is the author of Virgin and Not That Easy.
More Books by Radhika Sanghani
Reviews of Books Like This
Too Soon for Adiós
Just one month ago, I enjoyed reading Annette Chavez Macias’s debut women’s fiction novel, Big Chicas Don’t Cry. Today, her new book Too Soon for…
The Sweetest Remedy
Earlier this year, I loved Ties That Tether, the debut novel by Jane Igharo. Since then, I’ve been counting down the days to when her second…
Maame
One of my most anticipated books of 2023 has been Maame, the debut novel by Jessica George. It follows Maddie, a self-described “late bloomer,” who,…
Discover more from Amanda's Book Corner
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Amanda's Book Corner 
Footnotes