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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
As with Menon's other books, this was a sweet YA romance with secondary friend drama thrown in to add more plot. In the same style as When Dimple Met Rishi, the book moves back and forth between the perspectives of our two main characters; in this case, Ashish —Rishi's younger brother — and Sweetie, the girl Ashish's parents match him with after he decides they might have more luck in love than he's had. Whereas Dimple's parents knew about her match and she didn't, in this case Sweetie's mother rejects the match out of hand because she believes Sweetie needs to lose weight before she can be worthy of a relationship, while Sweetie herself is more willing to give the match a shot.
I enjoyed Sweetie and Ashish's relationship for many of the same reasons I enjoyed Dimple and Rishi's; the complications are almost entirely external and there to be overcome together, so you can watch them fall in love without a whole lot of will-they/won't-they. On the other hand, I felt like the writing was weaker in this book. Menon says in the author's note at the beginning that she was a fat athlete herself growing up and wanted to write this after discovering the body positivity movement, and at times the book feels like a lecture on how weight ≠ health, with a plot built around it. I think it's excellent to provide this kind of representation and I think there are a lot of people who need the kinds of messages she includes in this book! I just wish the execution of it hadn't been quite so heavy-handed.
The subplots were fine. It was nice to see the inclusion of a same-gender, interracial couple who are both on the basketball team. The subplots just felt a bit like they were individually sketched out and then colored in without integrating them into the tapestry of the entire book. And there was a lot of Sweetie (and other characters, for that matter) sitting people down to lay out all of their fears and insecurities and having them go, "Oh, yeah, you're right." I feel like I could write an outline of all of the messages Menon wanted to put into this book because they felt so bullet-pointed and not subtly woven together into one coherent story.
Aside from all that, though, it was an enjoyable, quick read! Even though it was predictable, I didn't mind too much — I pick up Menon's books for the aww factor, not for suspense and tension. Although the inclusive messaging was a bit clunky, I'm still glad this book exists and hope there will continue to be more like it.
I enjoyed Sweetie and Ashish's relationship for many of the same reasons I enjoyed Dimple and Rishi's; the complications are almost entirely external and there to be overcome together, so you can watch them fall in love without a whole lot of will-they/won't-they. On the other hand, I felt like the writing was weaker in this book. Menon says in the author's note at the beginning that she was a fat athlete herself growing up and wanted to write this after discovering the body positivity movement, and at times the book feels like a lecture on how weight ≠ health, with a plot built around it. I think it's excellent to provide this kind of representation and I think there are a lot of people who need the kinds of messages she includes in this book! I just wish the execution of it hadn't been quite so heavy-handed.
The subplots were fine. It was nice to see the inclusion of a same-gender, interracial couple who are both on the basketball team. The subplots just felt a bit like they were individually sketched out and then colored in without integrating them into the tapestry of the entire book. And there was a lot of Sweetie (and other characters, for that matter) sitting people down to lay out all of their fears and insecurities and having them go, "Oh, yeah, you're right." I feel like I could write an outline of all of the messages Menon wanted to put into this book because they felt so bullet-pointed and not subtly woven together into one coherent story.
Aside from all that, though, it was an enjoyable, quick read! Even though it was predictable, I didn't mind too much — I pick up Menon's books for the aww factor, not for suspense and tension. Although the inclusive messaging was a bit clunky, I'm still glad this book exists and hope there will continue to be more like it.
meh. I liked it at first but by the end.... they're just both really, really stupid. (I know, teenagers).
Also, I really didn't love that.
Also, I really didn't love that
Spoiler
being fat is literally Sweetie's only flaw. Instead of making it seem like it's ok to be fat, it's ok to be fat if you are smart/can sing amazingly/are super creative AND are literally a track star. (also am curious about the realism of that aspect)
I really liked There's Something About Sweetie! It's really cute and I really liked Sweetie.
Sweetie's a great character, and she was really easy to relate to. I think, at some point in our lives, we all feel like we're not good enough for some reason or another, and that made her really easy to relate to. She really wanted to prove people wrong. In particular, I think she wanted to prove her mom wrong, and show her that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
I finished the book with the sense that her mom meant well, and just wanted to protect Sweetie. Sweetie is this amazing athlete, and a great student, and that never seemed to be good enough for her mom. Overall, she's a pretty good kid, and she really could have used a lot more support from her mom. Her dad's pretty awesome, though. I was glad to see that her mom came around, and did stand up for Sweetie in the end. It was long overdue, in my opinion.
Seeing Sweetie and Ashish together was really cool, and I liked them together! They balance each other out pretty well, and they have more in common than you would expect. He's definitely a different Ashish than the Ashish we see in When Dimple Met Rishi. Speaking of...both books are set in the same world, but they stand on their own, so you don't need to read When Dimple Met Rishi to know what's going on in this book. I still think you should read it because it's a great book and you'll understand Ashish a little bit better but overall, you'll know what's going on in this book without reading the other one.
I liked Ashish in this one and he's definitely different after everything that happened with Celia. I was angry at him for texting her back when he was so into Sweetie. And the fact that he didn't mention anything about it, and she just happened to see the messages...that didn't help at all, but I'm glad they were able to work it out.
Their dates (planned and approved by Ashish's parents) were definitely different but the cover made a lot more sense after one of their dates. I couldn't figure the paint out on the cover and I'm sad to say that I cannot remember the festival if my life depended on it but it did sound really interesting. It also reminded me of that one run where they throw paint at you throughout the race, though I'm positive this festival came first.
Overall, There's Something About Sweetie is a super-cute romance and worth reading!
My Rating: 4 stars. I really liked There's Something About Sweetie, and Sweetie is pretty awesome, though her mom frustrated me at times. Her mom did come around in the end, which was nice.
Sweetie's a great character, and she was really easy to relate to. I think, at some point in our lives, we all feel like we're not good enough for some reason or another, and that made her really easy to relate to. She really wanted to prove people wrong. In particular, I think she wanted to prove her mom wrong, and show her that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
I finished the book with the sense that her mom meant well, and just wanted to protect Sweetie. Sweetie is this amazing athlete, and a great student, and that never seemed to be good enough for her mom. Overall, she's a pretty good kid, and she really could have used a lot more support from her mom. Her dad's pretty awesome, though. I was glad to see that her mom came around, and did stand up for Sweetie in the end. It was long overdue, in my opinion.
Seeing Sweetie and Ashish together was really cool, and I liked them together! They balance each other out pretty well, and they have more in common than you would expect. He's definitely a different Ashish than the Ashish we see in When Dimple Met Rishi. Speaking of...both books are set in the same world, but they stand on their own, so you don't need to read When Dimple Met Rishi to know what's going on in this book. I still think you should read it because it's a great book and you'll understand Ashish a little bit better but overall, you'll know what's going on in this book without reading the other one.
I liked Ashish in this one and he's definitely different after everything that happened with Celia. I was angry at him for texting her back when he was so into Sweetie. And the fact that he didn't mention anything about it, and she just happened to see the messages...that didn't help at all, but I'm glad they were able to work it out.
Their dates (planned and approved by Ashish's parents) were definitely different but the cover made a lot more sense after one of their dates. I couldn't figure the paint out on the cover and I'm sad to say that I cannot remember the festival if my life depended on it but it did sound really interesting. It also reminded me of that one run where they throw paint at you throughout the race, though I'm positive this festival came first.
Overall, There's Something About Sweetie is a super-cute romance and worth reading!
My Rating: 4 stars. I really liked There's Something About Sweetie, and Sweetie is pretty awesome, though her mom frustrated me at times. Her mom did come around in the end, which was nice.
I LOVED this book. I love the fact that Sweetie loves herself, she's healthy and recognizes that she'll never be skinny. It's hard to watched the relationship between her and her mom because I can see that her mom says the things she says not because she's ashamed to Sweetie but because she so desperately wants to protect her daughter from the people who would make fun of Sweetie's weight. It's absolutely the worst way to go about it, but I do understand why she does it.
Ashish is fucking adorable!! He is what I would have liked to see of the teenage boys when I was growing up, someone who saw a beautiful person who just happened to also be fat. Also, how hard and fast he falls is just cute and he's actually attracted to the fact that Sweetie is actually better than him at things.
Also, can I just say that I LOVE Ashish's mom! She knows how to get things done but isn't deceptive or mean about it, she just wants the best for these kids. She also still acts like a modern woman while still being a stereotypical mom which is fun and wonderful to see.
Ashish is fucking adorable!! He is what I would have liked to see of the teenage boys when I was growing up, someone who saw a beautiful person who just happened to also be fat. Also, how hard and fast he falls is just cute and he's actually attracted to the fact that Sweetie is actually better than him at things.
Also, can I just say that I LOVE Ashish's mom! She knows how to get things done but isn't deceptive or mean about it, she just wants the best for these kids. She also still acts like a modern woman while still being a stereotypical mom which is fun and wonderful to see.
comparing to when dimple met rishi, it wasn’t better than it but i liked these characters a lot more. definitely will be reading the third
I absolutely loved every single thing about this book. It is so hard to find stories/books with plus-sized main characters.
Sweetie was a real baddie. As a larger woman, I really could connect with this story. Sweetie loved herself and didn't let her size get in the way of love.
Sweetie and Ashish have my entire heart. Now I need to find my Ashish :)
If you want to read a cute love story, this is the one. It was very uplifting and diverse.
Sweetie was a real baddie. As a larger woman, I really could connect with this story. Sweetie loved herself and didn't let her size get in the way of love.
Sweetie and Ashish have my entire heart. Now I need to find my Ashish :)
If you want to read a cute love story, this is the one. It was very uplifting and diverse.
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As cliched as it was and kind of corny at times, I really enjoyed this empowering and honestly, very cute rom com. Even though it is technically a second book in the Dimple series, I feel like one could read this alone and still get a good feel of the book. Sometimes the characters felt a bit one dimensional or not quite written fully. For example, how Samir progressed in the book was a little confusing - it seemed pretty clear to me he was being left out and lashing out but I felt his friends were irrationally mad at him. This seems to be attributed to more clumsy writing than bad character development but overall, I found the story to be endearing and the message about body image to be inspiring.