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!