Thursday, May 25, 2017

Review: When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon

When Dimple Met Rishi 
Sandhya Menon
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

*Applause, Applause*

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sandhya Menon for writing such a beautiful and adorable story of first love. Today, my eyes are wet with tears of joy and my heart is filled with glee courtesy of this lovely book.

This was me, after finishing this book. 

This book tells the story of when a boy, who is loyal to his parents and their cultural traditions, meets a girl, who rages against the patriarchy. Both Dimple and Rishi are recent high school graduates, and the first generation of their families not born in India. They are sent to San Francisco to partake in Insomnia Con, an intense IT summer program and competition. While Rishi is well aware that he is there to meet his future wife, Dimple is not. She is filled with ire, when she discovers her parents attempt to marry her off, but later decides to give Rishi a chance. 

Characters: I could not have asked for better MCs. Both Dimple and Rishi are amazing. Dimple is this intelligent young woman, who is comfortable in her own skin. She wants to be appreciated for her mind, ambition, and skills, not for her hair and makeup. 

Rishi is just perfection. He is honest and wears his heart on his sleeve. He a good son and brother, and takes his responsibilities very seriously. He was all in from the start, and I wish I had kept track of how many times I swooned, said "awww", or cried happy tears due to him. 

The Story: This was a story of falling in love, and it was beautifully told. With each page, their love grew and flourished. It was so touching to watch it unfurl. Every first love should be this wonderful! 

The Cultural Aspects: Fact - I studied three foreign languages in high school, and had pen pals all over the world, because I love learning about other cultures. Therefore, I really enjoyed how Menon shared her culture with us in this book. I liked the juxtaposition of the role of Indian culture in each protagonist's life. Rishi was the ideal Indian son. He abided by all his parents wishes, even when they clashed with his own, and he wanted to educate people about his culture/language/religion. Dimple was sort of the opposite, but together, she and Rishi were able to find that middle ground, where they could be true to their culture, while also being true to themselves. 



My reading notes on GoodReads

Overall: A hilarious, adorable, and endearing story of falling in love, and finding yourself in the process. 

**Click here to read more about this book and preview the first three chapters.

**I would like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book









There is a part in this book, where Dimple and Rishi recreate a dance from a Bollywood movie.

Do you like Bollywood movies?
Let us know in the comments!

16 comments:

  1. I love your video of how you felt after reading that is always an amazing feeling and I feel great when I read a book like that! Great review! I love that the culture of the book really shined through and the author did a great job with the falling in love story. I can't wait to read this one!

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    1. This book left me so overjoyed! I hope you love it too. 😊

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  2. I have seen a lot of great reviews for this book. I does sound like a really great story. I love stories about falling in love. Great review!

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    1. It really was as good as everyone is saying. It's times like these, where I wish I could be Oprah, and have a book for you, and you, and you.....

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  3. Nice to hear that this is so good. I've seen some reviews and they've all been positive- this seems like a really sweet, well done story.

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    1. This book was so sweet and cute, and I couldn't help but root for this couple the entire way through.

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  4. I am crazy excited for this one! And it only seems to get worse (better?) with every review I read. I love the sound of both Dimple and Rishi and can't wait to meet them.

    I've actually only seen one Bollywood movie but I *loved* it. Bride & Prejudice. I could watch over and over (and sometimes do). I'd love to check out more Bollywood movies... any recs?

    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books

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    1. All the great reviews you're reading are true!! 😄 That is the Bollywood movie I saw as well

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  5. I REALLY need to read this one ASAP! I have heard literally NOTHING but good things, and it just sounds like the perfect contemporary book. I love that the characters were so great, and I LOVE that there's so much cultural stuff! Great review!!

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    1. I was such a lovely mix of fun and heartwarming antics. I just wanted to hug it or hold it up in tribute a la the Lion King.

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  6. Nope, can't stand Bollywood movies anymore, but this book? LOVE LOVE LOVE

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    1. I know, wasn't this book the best? ❤❤❤❤❤

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  7. Everyone is loving this book! I don't really read that much YA contemporary, but I may have to give this one a try as well. Great review!

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    1. I am a total eater of contemporaries, and I especially love romances. This one gave me everything I love, tied up in a pretty bow.

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  8. Such an amazing review. My copy arrived yesterday and you've made me super excited to read it <3
    Megan @ http://wanderingsofabookbird.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. This book was a feelsplosion for me. I loved it so much! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! =)

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