The Singles Table

By: Sara Desai

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani

Opposites attract in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about a free-spirited lawyer who is determined to find the perfect match for the grumpy bachelor at her cousin's wedding.

After a devastating break-up, celebrity-obsessed lawyer Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. She puts her energy into building her career and helping her friends find their happily-ever-afters. She's never faced a guest at the singles table she couldn’t match, until she crosses paths with the sinfully sexy Jay Dayal.

Former military security specialist Jay has no time for love. His life is about working hard, staying focused, and winning at all costs. When charismatic Zara crashes into his life, he's thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of chaos he wants to avoid. Worse, they're stuck together for the entire wedding season.

So they make a deal. She'll find his special someone if he introduces her to his celebrity clients. But when their arrangement brings them together in ways they never expected, they realize that the perfect match might just be their own.

Critic reviews

A LibraryReads Pick
One of Buzzfeed's Best Books of November
One of POPSUGAR’s Incredible New Books Coming This November
A LifeSavvy Buzziest November Release
One of Brit + Co.’s Must-Read Books To Cozy Up With This Fall

"A charmer."—People Magazine

"A writer to watch."—Bustle

"Prepare to laugh-out-loud while reading The Singles Table."—POPSUGAR

"Hot, bantery, quirky as hell, and so sweetly romantic! I LOVED this book."—Sonali Dev, USA Today bestselling author of Incense and Sensibility

“I can't wait for more from Sara Desai!”—Alexa Martin, author of Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes

“Utterly hilarious and so, so swoony! The Singles Table is a fantastic enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine rom-com. I adorned Zara and her slightly chaotic energy, and the Indian Wedding setting is perfect escapist fun. A delightful read!”—Farah Heron, author of Accidentally Engaged and Tahira in Bloom

"If you haven't done so already, prepare to mark Sara Desai as your new fave author!"—Sajni Patel, author of The Trouble with Hating You

“You won’t feel lonely at the singles table with this book to keep you company. A charming and hilarious rom-com filled with wonderful characters. One of my favorite books of the year.”—Jackie Lau, author of Donut Fall in Love

“Desai does it again… Zara and Jay are a refreshingly self-aware pair, and it’s eminently satisfying to see them not just address their business conflicts but seek professional psychological help… Desai’s fans will be delighted.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Hilarious... delicious... steamy... [a] memorable romance.”—Booklist (starred review)

"A beautifully told rom-com that's full of laughs, heart, and scorching sexual tension."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Desai’s latest is the best way to dive into a rom-com if you have yet to make it back into theaters. In fact, it’s even better."—SheKnows

"...[A] sexy and fun romance."—The Nerd Daily

Excellent

Excellent . This book was full of fun, and laugher while it addressed PTSD, We need to talk openly about PTSD

Fun read- more sexual content than expected

Overall enjoyable read. More sex than I expected. I wish the publisher’s summary and/or audible would give some rating or clue as to how explicit the sex is and how much of the book is devoted to these scenes. In this book there were so many it took away from the story for me.

All the feels

I absolutely loved this book. The characters are detailed and the story draws you in to be excited and invested in the characters. It genuinely felt like watching a funny, heartfelt yet steamy Netflix romcom! It’s light and although this genre can be predictable, I had to binge this one. I will definitely read the next Sara Desai book. I only wish I could spend more time with the characters after the conflict resolved.

Confused (Update Review)

Originally reviewed 2024, changed.

So, when I originally reviewed this story, I gave it a solid five stars, and I truly did love it. So, I read it again after all this time and it was... fine. And I'm not sure why this reread was so painful to get through... at some point, I stopped having fun and the pacing began to feel stagnant. And Zara... listen, I love a fundamentally flawed character. The problem was everyone kept saying she was a good person and could do no wrong. Like she dragged Jay in front of his mom and other people... and it was so hurtful. It just felt inconsistent at times with the character we were presented with. If you hurt someone I loved repeatedly I would hold a bit of contempt for them lol

Two minor issues:

1) It was very disgusting knowing that she did not wash her arm due to an autograph. Ma'am that's called personal hygiene. I didn't pick up on it until this read. Maybe I'm the problem, I was over thinking it.

2. Zara's love of cars was brought up early on and it was only referenced back like once... what was the point of that exactly. There were times when she was giving me Cool Girl energy and again very inconsistent characterization.

Couldn’t finish

It may be a great book but I couldn’t make it through the first chapter. The characters seem immature and not relatable. Sadly, I had to return.