Serena Singh Flips the Script by Sonya Lalli: Book Review

Serena Singh Flips the Script takes a look at relationships of all kinds. Some people classify this book as a romance, but that isn’t my primary takeaway. Yes, there is some romance in the book, but it’s more about relationships in general.

Published in February 2021 by Berkley, Serena Singh Flips the Script is the third book from Sonya Lalli.

Synopsis

Serena Singh is a single thirtysomething living in Washington, DC. She is right where she wants to be-single, childless, starting her dream job. Her younger sister just had a traditional wedding and is about to start a family, all of the things their mom wants for Serena. But it’s not what she wants; she doesn’t want to give up her dreams and life goals. In walks Ainsley Woods, she has everything Serena doesn’t, but everyone tells her she should.

Can Serena mend some fences and maybe have everything she wants without making any sacrifices?

Positives

The characters are wonderfully written. Each has their own quirk, and yet they are still relatable and believable.

Most of the book is set in and around the Washington, DC area. It is an area that I am somewhat familiar with, and I enjoyed seeing the settings in writing.

The book focuses a lot on the stereotypes and expectations of immigrant families, as Serena and her parents moved to the United States from the Punjabi area of India.

Negatives

There are spots in the book where it seems as though the story seems to drag. But honestly, they’re not that long or even that bad.

At times Serena seems a bit petty with her relationships. She tends to mourn the loss of her friends and the closeness she shared with her sister, yet it takes her most of the book to realize that maybe she didn’t work as hard on the relationships as she could have.

My Opinion

Serena Singh is a Sikh woman who doesn’t want to conform to the standards of her family and community. She doesn’t want to get married and have children. Or have to sacrifice her dreams and settle, be subservient to her family. Along her journey, she lost close friends as they married and started families. She seemed okay with that decision until her sister got married. Then she suddenly felt lonely and tried to reconnect with those lost friends. She did learn that sometimes relationships of all kinds take work for all involved.

I enjoyed reading this book, and in some ways, it made me think about the friendships I’ve lost over the years due to my own indifference. It’s easy to walk away from a minor relationship than work on it or fight for it. I know I’ve lost touch with some people who used to be very important to me. Life happens; we can make the relationships we want happen. But I will say this book has encouraged me to reach out to some friends I’ve lost and try finding some new friends. Of course, for that to happen, this pandemic and all the restrictions need to end.

I feel this is a book you could easily read in a weekend, no problem. It’s roughly 325 pages long, but it is definitely a book that is easy to read.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.