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Sonya Lalli | S.C. Lalli

@sonya_lalli

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Bestselling auntie | Rom com author | Thrillers as S.C. Lalli | The Loyalty Test is out now @audible | she/her

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a little reading inspiration for diwali season 🪔

i haven’t read all of these yet, but wanted to put together a little diwali reading list, with family, love, homecomings, and a little wedding chaos.

📕 a holly jolly diwali by sonya lalli: a trip to india for a friend’s wedding turns into an unexpected holiday romance.

📕 kaikeyi by vaishnavi patel: the ramayana reimagined through the eyes of a queen usually cast as the villain.

📕 how simi got her groom back by sonali dev: a fake marriage could keep her sister in the country, but the groom is the man simi has been secretly dating.

📕 some people by parini shroff: a man cares for his soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law, forcing them to face how they both hurt the woman who left them.

📕 leave and come back by lavanya lakshmi: a two-week wedding, a hidden boyfriend, and a return to the family home after seven years away.

📕 your next life is now by namrata patel: a newly engaged daughter and her divorcing mother take an rv road trip, both reconsidering what comes next.

📕 there’s something about mira by sonali dev: finding a lost ring in new york sends a woman searching for its owner and questioning her own future.

📕 six days in bombay by alka joshi: a young nurse travels across europe to uncover the mystery behind a famous painter’s death.

📕 marriage & masti by nisha sharma: two friends, an accidental marriage, and meddling families complicate feelings that are anything but pretend.

which one are you picking up first? tell me your diwali read or tag a friend who needs a new book for their tbr.

save this list for your diwali-season reading 🪔

#diwalireads #southasianauthors #indianauthors #bookrecommendations #bookstagram

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ARE YOU SARA? by S.C. Lalli 8is a mystery/thriller/crime fiction novel about two Saras, living two completely different lives that intertwine one fateful night when one of them takes a fatal ride. We follow the surviving Saraswati Bhaduri, a.k.a Sara, battling with guilt as a result of the possibility that the murderer might have intended to kill HER instead of Sara Ellis.

The surviving Sara is often seen as the "good Indian girl," who went on to study Law, but she struggled, having to work multiple jobs to pay her way through college/university. It was two of these jobs that led her tumbling into darkness: the bartending role where she aided Sara Ellis out of the bar that fateful night and the lawyer's assistant role where she attended meetings that were, in fact, lawless.

Little did Sara Bhaduri know that these meetings would lead her to making enemies whom she struggled to free herself from, all the while trying to unearth Sara Ellis' killer.

This is a cleverly-written novel, filled with intrigue and plot twists. I loved it especially considering the cultural aspect, because the author and protagonist both have Bengali roots! Relatable! We, marginalized voices, are becoming mainstream!

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #thrillernovels #mysterybook

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Thanks @thescorpiolibrary for the tag!! Here's my 10 before the end. It is wild how fast this year is going! I have some ARCs I'm hoping to get to. Still trying to complete my reading challenge and making my way through TOG. As much as I want to read ACOTAR 6 when it comes out, I want to make sure I have the whole experience so I'm going to finish TOG first.

What's one book you're hoping to read before the end of 2026?

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Today's portal - The Plus One

This was a murder mystery that had my pulse racing - if you're in the mood to feel unsettled, I think you'll appreciate the tense, eerie atmosphere that Canadian author S.C. Lalli has created here. Generally speaking, I find it challenging to read stories where I don't identify with the protagonist. That said, I also believe that some of our best "aha!" moments come from putting ourselves in places, literally and figuratively, that do not look or feel like ourselves. Numerous times in this book, I found myself pausing at not only what the protagonist, Shaylee Kapoor, was doing, but also her motivations for doing them. I probably wouldn't be exaggerating if I told you that I don't think I could think of a single thing she did in the entire book that I myself would have done too. Well, maybe except smile at an Agatha Christie reference :) After finishing the book though, I think I embraced this observation - I developed a bit of an appreciation for where Shaylee was coming from, and despite still feeling worlds removed from the excess depicted between the pages, the story reignited my curiosity in business and commerce, the people making (and protecting) unimaginable amounts of money, and the often not strictly legal ways they do it.

If mo' money mo' problems, do you think money actually creates new problems, or do they just amplify ones that have always and will always be there?

Thanks for teleporting with me today - until next time!

#theplusonebook
#sclalli
#canadianfiction
#murdermystery
#flashbacks

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Indeed, books have timing too.

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Add a little romance to your life with these Canadian romance novels for today’s We Can(ada) Read feature!

#romancereads #wecanadaread #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookworm

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Summer Book review.

Books I read outside of my book club in the summer. Maybe some of these will be future book club picks

Asha’s Garden by @badami.anita
Anita Rau Badami is one of my favourite authors, and her ability to weave complex characters, family and culture into a compelling story never disappoints.

The Plus One by @sonya_lalli
A murder mystery set against the chaos of a wedding, where everyone has a secret and no one is above suspicion.

Leave and come back by @lavanya.lakshmi.writes
A nostalgic, feel-good romance with major DDLJ vibes that will have you rooting for love, family and second chances.

Museum of Failures by @thrity_umrigar
Sometimes it’s not the story itself but the way it’s told, and Umrigar’s beautiful narrative makes this one linger.

The Emma project by @sonali.dev
A quick, fun and modern retelling of Jane Austens classic that puts a fresh South Asian spin on a classic romance

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August was brought to you by cramming for exams and ignoring my sleep schedule to finish "just one more chapter."

4 books read this August, and surprisingly, none of them were my textbooks ( though I found time to read my textbooks too 😉)...even though I had exams...just hope for best results 🤞🏻🧿✨

QOTD: What's the name of the last book you purchased?

#monthlyreadingwrapup #BookRecommendations #readerspov #fyp #romancereads

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Happy Rath Yatra (Chariot Festival)!
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QOTD: Whats a series you've fallen in love with recently?
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I've fallen head over heels for Raiders of the Arcana by Jacquelyn Benson, a historical romantasy set in the 1890s and following a historian as she fights injustice around the world, and learns a lot along the way about imperialism, racism, privilege, and what it truly means to preserve and respect other cultures.
As someone who loves what archeology can teach us but hates the colonization and imperialism woven throughout its inception, this book dares to look this cruelty in the face. To remind readers of the uncomfortable truth at the heart of it all, and how we can all act to change these systems. I'm 3 books into this series, and a fourth is on the way set in Korea that I cant wait to come out.

Heres to Ellie, Adam, Connie and Neil having a wonderful time at the Chariot Festival, a huge celebration going back hundreds of years in Puri, India.

Also including some Indian book recs cuz it would feel wrong to not (morally AND cuz its what Ellie would want)
Aru Shah and the End of Time
A Drop of Venom
The Lucky Ones
Kaikeyi
Age of Vice
Jasmine and Jake Rock The Boat

[ID: The above mentioned books above a photo of the Chariot Festival, some Indian authored book recs, and followed by collages of the characters Ellie, Adam, Connie and Neil.]
#bookstagram #RathYatra #RaidersOfTheArcana #TombOfTheSunKing #EmpireOfShadows

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Ahoy, romance readers! ⚓ It’s time to set sail with some romance books set at sea!

⬇️ Cruise ship or luxury yacht—which romance setting would you choose? ⛴️🛥️

Whatever it is, sea-inspired romances just hit differently and your next favorite romance might be waiting on deck.

So whether you’re searching for your next vacation romance book, are a fan of the forced proximty trope, or love ocean views with HEAs, these romance books recommendtiosn are worth adding to your TBR. And be sure to like, save, and share!

🫖🫖🫖
BOOKS FEATURED
• If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair
• We Ship It by Lauren Kay
• American Fantasy by Emma Straub
• The Shippers by Katherine Center
• Float Plan by Trish Doller

• Sunk in Love by Heather McBreen
• Luck & Last Resorts by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
• Love Overboard by Kandi Steiner
• Total Dreamboat by Katelyn Doyle
• Shipped by Angie Hockman

• Falling Overboard by Sariah Wilson
• The Arctic Cruise by Caroline James
• Hearts Overboard by Becky Dean
• More than Shipmates by Philippa Young
• Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson

• Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat by Sonya Lalli
• Swept Away by Beth O’Leary
• One True Loves by Elise Bryant
• Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson
• Ship Happens by Mason Deaver

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🏷️ romance books, book recs, cruise romance, yacht romance, love floats, beach reads, bookstagram

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Spine Saturday: current read edition.
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I was deciding if I should read All The Missing Pieces or Rules For The Summer byMeagan Quinn. I realized both FMCs have six letter names with beginning with R and ending with LEY. Now I’ll likely not read that one RIGHT after. It was like a month ago when I read 3 books with characters named Wes.
📚
I decided to read All The Missing Pieces by @catherinecowlesauthor because I’ve read so many rom-coms recently, so I wanted to read something a little different. I’ll probably have a palette cleanser between this and when Into The Fading Twilight releases!
📚
See the second photo for my Catherine Cowles collection!

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Summer weather means lunch break outdoors with a good romance novel set on a cruise vacation. 😊

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