Since reading The Name of Red this summer, I was dying to read another book by Beena Khan. I was lucky to be sent a copy of Book 2 in the Red series, The Weight on Skin. My apologies to the author for getting to it so late! Things just kept coming up, but I was happy to read more about Kabir’s story. While this is a sequel, a new reader will understand what is going on just fine. The Name of Red, though great, does not need to be read first. (And in my honest opinion, I think I would have enjoyed this book better without having read The Name of Red first.)

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The summary, from Amazon:

The wealthy, good boy has gone rogue because of a woman.

An Amazon Top 30 Asian Fiction & Top 50 in Medical Romance.
Kabir’s story continues in this dark, twisty, and steamy sequel.

There’s only so many times a heart can break. One day, it will be okay, but it’ll heal all wrong. It’ll heal with you outside of it. 

Eight months have gone, and Kabir still hasn’t moved on from the woman he still loves. Her name is like a song on replay in his mind. He brings home women who are like her every night, but the next morning, he wakes up empty. He has the list of “Things To do” that she left for him, and he placed it on his refrigerator. He doesn’t know how to complete them though.
Because some secrets are too big to bury.

Ghosts from his past come forward forcing him to confront himself and his lifestyle. His best friend Nadia left him and cut off all contact. She left him because he fell in love with someone else. But now she returns in his life. He has to face these ghosts without losing himself completely.

This is the duet Novel, the second book to The Name of Red. in the Red series. Don’t forget to scroll up and purchase the book! The sequel can be read without reading the first book, but it’s recommended to read the first book. A story of healing, love, and pure chemistry that will make you add Kabir to your list of book boyfriends. This novel has sensitive subjects that can trigger someone. It has edgy, dark themes.

Buy The Weight on Skin here.
And don’t forget to read The Name of Red!

Reading this book immediately reconnected me with Beena Khan’s awesome characters: in particular Kabir, Red, and Nadia. I really loved all three of these characters so much, and Kabir remains a solid book boyfriend. I also liked that we meet Kabir’s ex, a woman who cheated on him. Though I wanted to dislike her, Miss Khan did such a good job of making her someone you wanted Kabir to forgive (and forget!).

I was disappointed a little bit because I wanted this to be more of the friends-to-lovers romance I thought it was going to be. Instead, the first half of the novel is about Kabir and his relationship with Red, a woman who is no longer in his life. I don’t want to go into detail about how, but it touches on magical realism, which was lovely, but once Nadia comes back into Kabir’s life, I wanted him to move on more quickly. I would have really loved to see more of their relationship, and less about his relationship with Red.

The medical drama part of this was interesting, but at times I felt like maybe it wasn’t researched well. And then at other times, I thought it was researched phenomenally. I also feel like the setting could have been described better. This book takes place in New York City, but as the city setting isn’t described often and characters are frequently seen driving – even quickly on a highway! – it just didn’t paint the picture for me. I live in New York and while I have a car, I rarely get to accelerate past 40 mph, LOL.

This book touches on so many genres: romance, magical realism, tragedy/drama, literary fiction. It made for an interesting read, though it also made the plot feel a little all over the place. To be honest, it just didn’t do it for me like The Name of Red did. I enjoyed reconnecting with the characters so much, and I do think this is worth a read if you want a medical romance with a touch of magical realism, a heavy dose of tragedy, and a wonderful cast of characters full of depth. I also appreciate that the characters are South Asian and are connected to their religions and cultures. Kabir remains one of my favorite book boyfriends of 2020. Overall, this was a 3 star read for me, and I honestly think I would have liked it even more if I had read it as a standalone. My thanks to the author for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Find out more about how I rate books here.

The Weight on Skin by Beena Khan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This one didn’t do it for me like The Name of Red did, but I love the character still and appreciate what the author was trying to do. This book seems to span a few genres: lyrical fiction, drama/tragedy, romance, and magical realism. While this made it interesting, it also made the plot feel a little all over the place.

I thank the author for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Book Club Questions

1. What does the title The Weight on Skin mean? There can be various interpretations based on the text.
2. Who is your favorite love interest for Kabir and why?
3. Do you think it would be hard watching someone you love move on if you couldn’t be with them? What about watching someone you love (unrequitedly) fall in love with someone else? Which would be more difficult, or is more difficult from your experience?

P. S. The Weight on Skin is free to read with Kindle Unlimited. Check out Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans to score this and other great reads for free. You can thank me later.

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