Moti on the Water

Oh. My. Goodness! This book totally and completely surprised me. I knew with it being a Leylah Attar book that I would enjoy the writing, but this book was a beautiful experience and perfect for a summer read. It's not full of angst, but the balance of the travel, character's banter and the mix of family through the story, it was a perfect combination for me. Moti and her family are of an Eastern Indian background (but a more Western religious beliefs). Their family is accompanied on a yacht through the Greek isles by her cousin's fiancé's family who is Greek. It's a mix of families, ethnicities, and financial differences. All together to enjoy a beautiful place and the pending nuptials of Isabelle and Thomas. With the families and the crew of the yacht, everything should be easy going, right? Not so fast. Love is in the air, but family differences plays a big part in the whole arc of the story. That along with the amazing food served to the family, this whole story was one that fueled all the senses. "Every time you share a meal with someone, you bring your history, your country, your region, your religion, your tribe, your grandmother with you. You sit with your past, your opinions, your love, your curiosity, your resentments, your hospitality. Food is where we all intersect. Everywhere you go, anywhere we go." Food, family and love is where this story wins every point for me. The banter and laughs between the characters was funny and I could relate. I loved the fact that they included more diverse characters which is so needed in the romance world. The writing is perfection and I absolutely want every meal that Alex cooked. The relationship between the characters was handled with love, laughs and again food. This book may have been light and fun, but it also had a message in there as well. If you are looking for a beautifully written book with characters that you want to know and be friends with, you've landed on the book for you. Full of laughs, older people that have sage advice, and a woman looking to find herself. This is perfect for summer reading and it's perfect to break you out of a reading slump. Totally recommend. "Cook. Eat. Repeat. Give each other the freedom to grow, find a reason to come together, and keep coming back for more."

Moti on the Water fits into a plethora of genres. This book (in my opinion) is mainly a family drama , but also focuses on the growth of the story’s heroine, Moti. Much of the story surrounds her “finding herself” and finally loosening herself from her mother’s grip which makes it a good candidate for women’s fiction readers. Finally, there’s a splash of romance the blossoms between Moti and a man who is almost forbidden to her, which mainly takes place towards the end. Don’t get me wrong, the romance factor is THERE but this story doesn’t JUST fall within that category. The story doesn’t JUST focus on her romantic life, but more about HER finally becoming comfortable in her own skin. Therefore, this book can fit into a wide variety of genres and can be easily loved by many readers! I’ve only read one of the authors previous novels (The Paper Swan) and remembered how much I loved that book back in 2015 so I decided to give this one a try. Not only did it sound like a fun story (which it is) but the gorgeous cover had me thinking summer, swimming, and enjoying the freedoms of the outdoors (all things that I love!). When I tucked into this novel last night, I literally got lost in the world. Moti is such a relatable character and seeing her slowly free herself from her family’s superstitions and traditions was a breath of fresh air. I don’t get to read many books like this so when I found it, I was overjoyed. Laylah did a wonderful job at bringing Moti to life, along with the gorgeous setting where I was temporarily vacationing right alongside her. The romance factor was beautiful, although it took a lot of time to get there. I don’t mind a slow burn romance but when a book only spans two weeks and it doesn’t truly develop until the two weeks is almost up, it can become frustrating. Us readers KNOW what Moti should do but having to patiently wait for her to make up her mind and understand her worth and what she deserves was a bit underwhelming. I say underwhelming because I expected FIREWORKS and it took SO LING to get there. I think that’s my only complaint about this novel. Other than that, this is truly a gorgeous and uplifting story and I read it as fast as I could. I loved Moti and her family, I laughed out loud quite a few times (there is a lot of humor in this one), and I connected with these characters implicitly. I look forward to many more novels by Laylah because she writes gorgeous stories!

[edit] Moti on the Water takes place in my favorite spot, the Greek isles!! You can’t ask for a better setting. This book follows Moti (pronounced Mothi) as she navigates through a sea of eccentric characters on a luxury yacht. Moti was very likable and you couldn’t help but fall for the hot chef on board, Alex. I don’t recommend reading this if you are hungry because the food descriptions will have you salivating. The chemistry was strong between the two main characters and there was several laugh out loud moments through the novel. The secondary characters were also all hilarious and I am dying to go on vacation with them all. This book is perfect for fans of Below Deck on Bravo complete with a captain named Sandy and chief stew named Hannah. This was such a great light summer read and had a magical feel to it. It was very unique and I tore through it quickly! I highly recommend this one and look forward to reading more from Leylah Attar!

My words are not good enough to describe how much I adore this unique and refreshing story. Leylah Attar has sprinkled her magic all over these pages, and has proven once again that she is a master of her game. She is in a class of her own, and let me tell you, when her mind starts cooking up a story, we can rest assured that it will be an experience not to missed. Attar has nailed the art of transporting her readers to far away places, and through her trademark prose, we are thrown into cultures and fascinating traditions that we would otherwise know little about, were it not for her exquisite stories. You want to read something different? Meet Moti, our 24 year old, Indian-American heroine, who is torn between her obligations to her family and living her best life. Yes, this story is light and refreshing. It's laugh out loud funny in places, and the perfect summer read, but don't be fooled by the humour. Attar has weaved some very relatable and deep themes throughout the pages of this much anticipated novel. We are whisked away on a super-yacht around the Cyclades - a group of Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea - where the author has nailed the Greek and Indian cultures to a T. The characters are very real and relatable, and you'll find yourself howling at some of the antics on board the Abigail Rose II. But amidst the laughter, your heart will fall in love with Moti, a quirky, clever, funny, clumsy, self-conscious young lady, whose mission in life is to please her mother. Not only will you be overloaded with the sights of the mesmerising Cyclades, your senses will be exploding when Chef Alexandros, the on-board chef, is introduced. His food will take you on a culinary adventure, and your taste buds will be zinging and pinging with delight. Can Chef Alex find a way to Moti's heart through her stomach, or will she remain loyal and steadfast in her quest to please her mother? Moti On The Water is a hilarious and heartwarming story of family, loyalty, obligation, and finding yourself. I defy you not to fall in love with Moti, with the Greek isles, and with Alex and his magical powers that can transform onions into chocolate. This is a summer read not to be missed! Perfection once again from Leylah Attar.

I love a great love story, especially when you can FEEL the moments when it’s happening. Then the author hits us with delicious cuisine I swear I could taste the way she described it and how food connects us all...so beautifully done. There’s so much more about the roles we play to please others and how to overcome and be ourselves, I’ll never get enough of stories like this. Definitely recommend if you want a light and still meaningful read.

Moti on the Water was such a sweet and funny read that had me smiling constantly throughout the story. Poor Moti - saddled with her Mother's expectations, she has to decide what ( or who ) it is she really wants - Nikos Manolas or Chef Alex. Chef Alex - what a guy! Gorgeous, patient, funny, and the man can cook. I was on team Alex all the way. A few more serious scenes towards the end, but overall a fairly light hearted read.

Being an Indian , I was able to connect to the story. I think it's very we have Indian characters in books. Many nationalities are covered but not Indian. So this book was refreshing for me.

I read this while on holiday. I loved the characters, their individual stories and the group as a whole. It's funny, sad and an absolute joy to read. I would highly recommend this book along with all the other Leylah has written.