O P E N I N G H O O K:
Okay, or maybe something less creepy. The point was, the urge to grin felt irresistible.
(Page 1, US hardcover edition)
“I feel like I need to speak out, because if no one speaks out, if no one says, This is me, this is what I believe in, and this is why I'm different, and this is why that's okay, then what's the point? What's the point of living in this beautiful, great melting pot where everyone can dare be anything they want to be?”
~WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI
Some years, it's easy to find the perfect summer read, and others, I feel like I'm waffling about forever because nothing "feels like summer." I just re-read WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI for the second or third time, and it has the best summer vibes -- beginning with its stunning cover, which I'll discuss more below!
DIMPLE is set during summer break between Dimple Shah's senior year of high school and first year of college. She got into Stanford and has a bright future ahead of herself, but her parents are much less enthusiastic. Her mother believes that girls go to college in order to find husbands, then settle down and have families. Dimple, on the other hand, wants a career and marriage is off the table, in her eyes. After discovering a six-week summer program entitled Insomnia Con at SFSU where she can code her own app, she is surprised, but ecstatic, when her parents agree to let her go. Finally, they're investing in her and her interests and supporting her goals in life. But when she gets to SFSU, she's horrified to discover that her parents have set up a courtship with Rishi Patel to see if the two are compatible for marriage. Dimple is obviously furious and wants nothing to do with Rishi. Fate, however, has other plans in mind. Dimple and Rishi wind up partners on their project to design an app that might be brought to life and funded for public consumption, and making this app could save her father's life, so Dimple wants to win more than anything. She begrudgingly works with Rishi, only to find herself falling for him for real -- even though she's too young and too career-oriented and never wanted this. But she also wants Rishi in her life, and what's a girl to do?
This is such a great book in so many ways. First, FEMALE CODERS. Yes, STEM Girls! We need more books featuring gals who love math and science, who code, who envision so much new technology for the future. STEM is so important and role models like Dimple will inspire girls around the world and help them discover their own careers and ambitions. Dimple doesn't necessarily start off wanting to change the world: She starts small. Her father has diabetes and is so bad at tracking. And the apps are boring. She wants to create a tracker that's also a game and will help people such as her father take more proactive control over their health. But one small spark can change a lot of lives and make a huge difference!
Dimple has strong familial bonds and is very close with her parents, especially her father. She bashes heads a lot with her mother, who is more into tradition and cultural expectations, who expects Dimple to fall into line and marry the "Ideal Indian Husband," whereas Dimple is more American and a feminist who wants to control her own destiny. Rishi also has a strong connection to his family, who is extremely supportive of him. We even meet his brother, Ashish, who helps the two out for a talent show component of the program with a cash prize -- And Ashish stars in THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT SWEETIE, where he finds his own happily ever after. I love seeing strong family units in YA, and we don't always see them from cultures other than the stereotypical "traditional white family," so it was so refreshing and the bonds were so strong that these scenes really came alive.
And, of course, there's the romance! If you love rom-coms, you'll love this book. Romances can't always be called rom-coms, but this one most certainly can. There is so much humor, and so many happy scenes between both Dimple and Rishi, from scavenger hunts to dates at book bars to those fantastic rom-com movie endings where kismet just brings it all together in the home stretch. Dimple and Rishi are so opposite in their values and wishes for the future, yet their attraction is magnetic and they are drawn together from the very beginning -- much to Rishi's hopes and Dimple's chagrin. They have a lot of frank talks about their relationship and what they want out of life, and these scenes are great for teens who also need to have these conversations with significant others, especially when they hover between their high school and college years.
If, like me, you're not ready to say good-bye to Dimple and Rishi after finishing the novel, you're in luck! First and foremost, Netflix India turned the novel into a rom-com movie and it will hit Netflix globally this fall! (Read more about it here!) There are also two novellas where you can see our beloved couple together in the future. The first, AS KISMET WOULD HAVE IT (My review here), begins their first Christmas together, then fast-forwards to the summer, where they've been together for a year and are questioning their future together. The other novella, LOVE AT FIRST FIGHT, takes place after KISMET (My review here) on Valentine's Day -- and you can read both FOR FREE on Simon & Schuster's Riveted Lit for Teens for a limited time! They also make a brief cameo in THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT SWEETIE, which I'll review later this week!
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If you are able to, please purchases a copy of WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI from indie-owned Wellesley Books, who will be hosting Sandhya Menon's virtual launch party for THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT PINKY!
You can order online through Bookshop and Libro.fm -- the store will receive a portion of the proceeds and it will help so much!
Interested in attending the PINKY Launch Party?
Sandhya Menon will be in conversation with Becky Albertalli (SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA, WHAT IF IT'S US, YES NO MAYBE SO)
Tuesday, July 21st at 7 pm EST.
Sign up for the Zoom Webinar now!
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You also have a chance to WIN A COPY of PINKY below -- it's truly the perfect summer read! It takes place during Pinky and Samir's summer vacation. I don't know about you, but personally, I love reading books that take place in "real time." I loved this book so much that I've already read it twice, and now I want you to have a chance to read it as well!
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F A V O R I T E Q U O T E S
"It was like two invisible puppeteers, standing stage left and stage right, were yanking on strings to lift up the corners of her mouth."(Page 3)
"He already knew the first time he saw Dimple's picture that their story would become a sort of legend."(Page 17)
"It was his damn fool heart. Ever optimistic, always looking for a sliver of sunshine in a sky clotted with thunderclouds."(Page 101)
"He already knew the first time he saw Dimple's picture that their story would become a sort of legend."(Page 17)
"It was his damn fool heart. Ever optimistic, always looking for a sliver of sunshine in a sky clotted with thunderclouds."(Page 101)
"I feel like I need to speak out, because if no one speaks out, if no one says, this is me, this is what I believe in, and this is why I'm different, and this is why that's okay, then what's the point? What's the point of living in this beautiful, great melting pot where everyone can dare be anything they want to be?"(Page 114)
NOTE: I had SO MANY lines I loved and highlighted. I re-read this digitally on a library app so I could notate this stuff, and somehow, every note and highlight was wiped out. I should have stuck to taking pictures of my hardcover edition as I read like I normally do! *sigh* I didn't even post to Goodreads as I read -- but at least Goodreads has an area where readers can post their favorite quotes, so I went through and chose some of my favorites that way this time, *phew!*
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C O N T E N T R A T I N G S
Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Romance: PG15 ( Kissing; non-graphic sex )
Language: PG13 ( I re-read this digitally on a library app so I could notate this stuff, and somehow, every note and highlight was wiped out. I should have stuck to taking pictures of my hardcover edition as I read like I normally do! *sigh*
So I can't give you specifics, but there is light cursing such as damn or characters using their own terminology such as "freaking." And while there are no direct F-Bombs, it's possible that characters use acronyms such as WTF and BAMF. I'm not sure if that happens in this book, in the other two in the series, or all three, because I read them back-to-back and can't remember what was read where. So it's possible. There's also sexual slang and insults in some of the books. I'm sorry for the wipe-out so I can't be more specific! )
Violence: G ( One guy punches another )
So I can't give you specifics, but there is light cursing such as damn or characters using their own terminology such as "freaking." And while there are no direct F-Bombs, it's possible that characters use acronyms such as WTF and BAMF. I'm not sure if that happens in this book, in the other two in the series, or all three, because I read them back-to-back and can't remember what was read where. So it's possible. There's also sexual slang and insults in some of the books. I'm sorry for the wipe-out so I can't be more specific! )
Violence: G ( One guy punches another )
Other: PG13 ( Allusions to secondary characters and nderage drinking / being drunk. Commentary revolving around misogyny from male characters..)
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C O V E R D E S I G N:
I love this cover so much. It makes me smile every time I see it. It's just such a fun summer cover -- and there are also images on the back cover and the inside flaps!
I love the warm orange coloring, the bright outfits, the COFFEE everywhere.
And I mean, that gorgeous, unobstructed back!!!!!!! (Featuring such a pivotal scene from the book, no less!)
Plus, look at that front. She's smiling so genuinely, and doesn't it just make you want to smile as well!?
BONUS POINTS: I am obsessed with the way the title is written onto the coffee cup!!!
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O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI
Author: Sandhya Menon
Release Date: May 30, 2017
Publisher: Simon Pulse / Simon & Schuster
Purchase Links:
Purchase Links:
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY
BOOKSHOP *Order from and support your local indie or Wellesley Books, who is hosting the PINKY Virtual Launch Party! *
BOOKSHOP *Order from and support your local indie or Wellesley Books, who is hosting the PINKY Virtual Launch Party! *
SUMMARY:
Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?
Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.
The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?
Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.
Title: 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT PINKY
Author: Sandhya Menon
Release Date: July 21, 2020
Publisher: Simon Pulse / Simon & Schuster
Received: For Review
Purchase Links:
Received: For Review
Purchase Links:
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY
BOOKSHOP *Order from and support your local indie or Wellesley Books, who is hosting the PINKY Virtual Launch Party! *
BOOKSHOP *Order from and support your local indie or Wellesley Books, who is hosting the PINKY Virtual Launch Party! *
SUMMARY:
The follow-up to WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI and THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT SWEETIE follows Pinky and Samir as they pretend to date—with disastrous and hilarious results.
Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny-tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe.
Samir Jha might have a few . . . quirks remaining from the time he had to take care of his sick mother, like the endless lists he makes in his planner and the way he schedules every minute of every day, but those are good things. They make life predictable and steady.
Pinky loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions (aka boyfriends) she’s made, she hatches a plan. Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy, Samir—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer. As they bicker their way through lighthouses and butterfly habitats, sparks fly, and they both realize this will be a summer they'll never forget.
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****Giveaway*****
You could win...
- A copy of 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT PINKY by Sandhya Menon!
This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL
wherever Book Depository ships!
wherever Book Depository ships!
You must be at least 13 years old to enter or have a parent's permission!
Winner will be emailed and must respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.
Winner will be emailed and must respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.
Enter now!
...Stop by tomorrow for another chance to win, and check out yesterday's post reviewing LOVE AT FIRST FIGHT! for another chance to win!
You may have also missed these posts:
*Street team interview with Sandhya Menon
*A Twist in the Tail Thursday featuring the mythology in PINKY
*Learn more about Mismatched-- an upcoming Netflix film centered around our beloved couple Dimple and Rishi!
*{Review} AS KISMET WOULD HAVE IT -- and read it now for FREE!
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