Review: A New Mantra (The Sood Family #1) by Sapna Srinivasan

 

She’s always done what was expected of her. Until…

When 30-year-old Seattle-based Indian housewife Mira Sood is blindsided by her husband’s extramarital affair, her three-year arranged marriage is shattered. Humiliated, heartbroken, near-broke, and facing the united dissension of her orthodox family, Mira is desperate to rebuild her life. She moves in with her rebel cousin, searches for any job that will take her, and impulsively signs up for a half-marathon race. There’s just one problem—Mira's experience with running starts and ends with running to catch the bus.

With herself as her biggest critic and doubter, Mira commits to the race and is assisted by entrepreneur Andy Fitzgerald, a handsome, elite marathoner who helps her create a training schedule and personal goals. When the lines of friendship begin to blur, Mira realizes she’s facing an even bigger challenge.

Can Mira embrace her stronger, more independent self—risking another heartbreak and disappointing her family—or will she once again play it too safe and let the possibility of happiness slip away?

 

My Review:

An inspiring romantic story.

After her cheating husband asks for a divorce, Mira Sood decides to take control of her life. Left with barely any money and no job, Mira can’t afford to keep the apartment, so she moves in with her cousin.  While out one day, Mira is given a brochure about a half marathon.  Mira has never run a day in her life, but after thinking about it and she decides to give it a try.  Maybe it’s what she needs to start her new life.  With the help of her new friend, Andy, who is a marathon champion, Mira finds herself training for the race.  She discovers she likes running and likes Andy even more.  But Mira has a hard time moving forward in the romance department.  Her family want her to reconcile with her ex, even though Mira is never going to do that, she is also afraid to disappoint her family further by marrying a man who is not Indian.

This was an inspiring story with a lot of parts I was able to relate to. I enjoyed seeing how Mira was able to finally put herself first and do what made her happy. I enjoyed seeing how she trained and started to fall in love with Andy and finally give in to her feelings for him.  This is the first book in a series and I am already looking forward to reading the next book.