Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat

Praise for Sonya Lalli “Sonya Lalli’s charming novel explores how our relationships define us. Through honesty, humor, and vulnerability, Serena Singh reminds us that new, fulfilling connections are possible at any age. This equal parts relatable and entertaining story is a delight from start to finish!” —Saumya Dave, author of Well-Behaved Indian Women “Heartfelt and forthright, Lalli’s culturally rich work of women’s fiction is exceptional.” —Booklist (starred) “From yoga studios to finding oneself in trips abroad to online dating, Lalli gives readers a wonderful novel about love and belonging and meaning of happiness and home.” —Soniah Kamal, award-winning author of Unmarriageable: Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan “Author Lalli’s prose is deft, her characters are delightful and her book is the just-right holiday romance.” —USA Today “Anu’s struggle to find herself is wrought with obstacles, and [is] sometimes frustrating, but the resolution of her story is both satisfying and realistic. A moving look at one woman’s journey between her family and her desire for independence.” —Kirkus Reviews “Sonya Lalli offers up a tale of familial pressures, cultural traditions, and self-discovery that is equal turns heartbreaking and hilarious. . . . Lalli tears down stereotypes with humor and warmth.” —Entertainment Weekly “An engaging love story that delivers on the promise of true love forever. . . . The Matchmaker’s List comes through in spades (and hearts).” —NPR “Lalli’s sharp-eyed tale of cross-cultural dating, family heartbreak, the strictures of culture, and the exuberance of love is both universal and timeless.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Titles by Sonya Lalli The Matchmaker’s List Grown-Up Pose Serena Singh Flips the Script A Holly Jolly Diwali Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat BERKLEY ROMANCE Published by Berkley An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC penguinrandomhouse.com Copyright © 2023 by Sonya Lalli Excerpt from A Holly Jolly Diwali copyright © 2021 by Sonya Lalli Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader. BERKLEY is a registered trademark and Berkley Romance with B colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Lalli, Sonya, author. Title: Jasmine and Jake rock the boat / Sonya Lalli. Description: First Edition. | New York: Berkley Romance, 2023. Identifiers: LCCN 2022045382 (print) | LCCN 2022045383 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593440650 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780593440667 (ebook) Subjects: LCGFT: Novels. Classification: LCC PR6112.A483 J37 2023 (print) | LCC PR6112.A483 (ebook) | DDC 823/.92—dc23/eng/20220926 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022045382 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022045383 First Edition: April 2023 Cover illustration by Stephanie Singleton Cover design by Victoria Chu Book design by Katy Riegel, adapted for ebook by Molly Jeszke This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. pid_prh_6.0_143149737_c0_r0 For Anju, Georgia, Heather, Annie, and Jane Chapter 1 My eyes were playing tricks on me, because there was absolutely no way I actually saw what I just witnessed through the peephole. I rested my back against the front door, steadying my breath. I must have been hallucinating. It was 6:19 in the morning and I hadn’t had any coffee yet. It was a caffeine- and sleep-deprived dream. Yes. I still hadn’t woken up. I made a move for Amber’s high-end DeLonghi espresso machine, but then stopped short when I heard murmurs in the hallway. My heartbeat quickened. Pressing my hand over my mouth, I shuffled backward and squinted through the peephole. Oh god. I hadn’t imagined it. “You are amazing,” a mystery woman murmured, as she made out with my ex-boyfriend, Brian, with the vigor of someone sending their man off to war. “I could go again, you know.” I dry heaved as he grunted a response and cupped her ass. I knew I should retreat, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from them. The door to his condo—which, until three weeks ago, had been our condo—was halfway open, and the way she was pushing him against the frame made me wonder if they were going to “go again” right there in the hall. My mind started racing as I watched them smooch like their lives depended on it, a million conflicting emotions sucker punching me in the gut. Is this just a hookup or a new girlfriend? I don’t care. I obviously care. He’s such a douchebag for moving on so quickly. But he was my douchebag. I’m going to go out there and tell him off. I am way too classy to go out there and tell him off— “I better get ready for work,” I heard Brian say, as he pulled away from Mystery Woman and cut off the chorus of voices in my head. She unlatched her lips from his, and for first time in three weeks, I looked at him. I’d had my fair share of post-breakup run-ins over the years, and awkward small talk with an ex in the produce section, or at a mutual friend’s birthday party, always got easier. But the first time cut like a freshly sharpened knife. Brian looked good, unfortunately, so the hex Amber and I had (jokingly?) cast on him last Friday had failed in its magic. He had blond hair, sharp features, and piercing blue eyes that could have claimed their own Instagram filter. He looked handsome in a suit, which he wore eighty-five percent of the time, and was even better looking in his natural element at home, when he dressed like a jock. Basketball shorts, baseball hats, football jerseys. This morning, he was sporting all three. “Aw, really?” Mystery Woman, who was facing