I really want to give this book a higher rating. It’s a gender bent retelling of P&P with Indian-American culture. Trish Raje is a brilliant brain surgeon and she knows where her talents lie. She plays an excellent Darcy. DJ, in the Lizzie Bennet role, is a gifted chef giving the whole story a Indian foodie flavor. There is a truly wicked Wickham in the mix. What’s not to love? 

Unfortunately, the Raje family dynamics are toxic

blaming Trish for things out of her control

The HIPAA violations between Trish and her family are unforgivable.

The resolution between DJ and Trish at the end seemed rushed and lacking in true chemistry AND it was another medical ethical violation unless Trish turned Emma’s care over to another surgeon.

Other reviews mention the length of the book and the side plots. I really liked the author’s writing and I think they helped develop Trish’s character. 

I have two more issues. 
1. Trish seemed to be written as autistic-coded. The book already was ableist AF. (Full star deduction for that.) Limited special interests, difficulty making friends, intense loyalty, strong *personal* ethical code (not necessarily aligned with laws like HIPAA), hyperfocus to the point of excluding sleeping and eating…. The only marker not explicitly stated was stimming. So, DJ’s dislike of her is even more ableism in this book.
2.

Maybe this is because I am a physical therapist who has worked in hospitals, but there is no way a surgeon would be researching a program, facility or artist like in this book for a patient. A social worker would call a meeting and SW, OT or PT would probably suggest changing artistic mediums to an artist. Resources would be suggested for the patient and family to look up on their own. Patients get autonomy at all times including the choice to stay sick and die with the dignity of their own choice.

The book is very slow, but the characters are interesting and that’s what kept me from marking it as a DNF. Let me note that I have never read or seen Pride & Prejudice in any form, so I have no idea how this would compare.

 Trisha was annoyingly entitled at points and guarded even from a reader’s standpoint. Having so many different family members that Trisha interacted with is what gave the story character.