Far From Home

Starred review from June 27, 2016
The oddest of odd couples finds unexpected joy in Brown’s warm, sweet contemporary romance. American citizen Rachel, a not-quite-asexual assistant film producer struggling to make a living in L.A., is drowning in student debt; Indian immigrant Pari Sadashiv, a lesbian logistics manager, needs a U.S. green card to advance her career. When Rachel offers to marry Pari in exchange for funds, it’s just party banter at first—but what’s to stop them from crafting a friendship with legal and financial benefits? Their platonic plans quickly go awry as Pari’s mother moves in to help plan the wedding, forcing them to live their lie. As Rachel feels herself awakening to an attraction she didn’t even know was possible, Pari has to decide whether she can live with the possible fallout of Rachel’s tentative first foray into same-sex love. The cultural elements feel real, interesting, and important in the context of the story. The slow blossoming of Rachel and Pari’s relationship is hot and delicious, and the romance is excellently seasoned with the intricacies of the mother-daughter relationship on Pari’s side and Rachel’s struggles as a recovering anorexic. Brown deftly handles Rachel’s unreliable narration, drawing readers deep into the women’s tender romance.

July 1, 2016
When a straight California girl marries her lesbian Indian friend to help her get a green card, she didn't expect to fall in love.Rachel is working as a glorified administrative assistant for a little-known production company and struggling to pay off her student loans. Pari is looking to make a job change that will threaten her temporary work visa. A marriage of convenience will let Pari stay in the U.S., and living in Pari's luxury condo will help Rachel pay down her student loans more quickly. Both women have demons: Rachel is recovering from a significant eating disorder while Pari is wrestling with her mother's theoretical and tentative acceptance of her sexuality. After Pari introduces her parents to Rachel via Skype, her mother informs her that she will fly in to help the two brides plan a traditional Hindu wedding--and while she's there, she'll be staying in Pari's guest room, where Rachel has been sleeping. Wedding traditions are carried out while Rachel and Pari get to know one another a little more, and Rachel finds herself drawn to Pari in ways she's unsure of how to process. Rachel is the narrator here, so the reader is a little more clued in about her negligent mom and low-key work stress than about what's going on with Pari's family dynamics or job situation. However, the romantic and sexual tension between the two is well-written and moves the story along nicely. The notable thing about this novel is its intentional inclusiveness. People of color and people with mental illnesses are not often represented in mainstream romance. That both are active parts of this story is a reason to celebrate. A well-written novel, both sexy and romantic, with broad and inclusive representation.

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Starred review from August 1, 2016
Brown's engaging, sweetly soulful romance is filled with heartfelt yearning triggered when straight, debt-burdened Rachel offhandedly offers marriage to Pari Sadashiv, an attractive, confident, educated, financially comfortable lesbian who needs a green card to remain in America. Moving into Pari's two-bedroom, ocean-view condo is a huge boost for Rachel, whose job with a movie-production company won't cover even the minimum grad-school loan payments. The requisite two years of marriage could work, especially since Pari's calm relaxes Rachel enough to reveal she's a recovering anorexic. Yet living together is a big change, and Rachel thinks, I feel pinned by her kindness. It makes me squirm inside. Their wedding plans progress, and Rachel finds herself genuinely attracted, looking at Pari like a starving woman who hasn't felt true hunger in so long. Their kiss thrills, but Pari stops, afraid of being another experiment for a straight woman. But soon they become ardent lovers in graphically specific scenes that flow organically from their shared tenderness and caring, which turns into love in this affecting tale of fears and differences overcome.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)