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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ananya Devarajan’s endearing YA debut was such a cute and heartfelt read that blends the all too familiar themes of adolescence—such as teen angst, complicated relationships (including familial, platonic and romantic) and the bumpy road to self acceptance — with a well written, evocative and relatable exploration into the second generation immigrant experience.
It follows teen, Madhuri Iyer who’s determined to prove her star chart can’t determine her future by taking destiny into her own hands by embarking on an experimental relationship with a boy she has no romantic feelings for: childhood best friend, Arjun. But, unbeknownst to Madhuri (and the only thing she never planned for), Arjun already has feelings for her.
As Madhuri finds herself falling for Arjun, she must decide if crearing her own destiny is worth breaking both Arjun’s heart… or her own.
I really enjoyed this one and loved how emotional and character driven the writing was. I was impressed with the level of depth we see in our driven and emotionally guarded protagonist, Madhuri, and enjoyed the nuance and realism we explore in her motivations for proving her astrology-loving family wrong.
At first, she does come off as a little indifferent to her family’s love (and celebration) of the culture she has stringently avoided for years. But as Madhuri begins to let down her guard and find the courage to share her vulnerabilities, with we uncover a confident, caring and passionate young woman ready to re-explore her family’s traditions and learn to embrace (and celebrate) her cultural heritage— which was soo heartwarming.
I also liked Arjun, Madhuri’s best friend (and love interest) who was probably my favourite character (besides Madhuri’s younger sister Raina) and I loved how earnestly supportive he is of Madhuri— even whilst dealing with his own complicated personal struggles.
I really enjoyed getting to explore his POV and loved that he wasn’t just merely a two- dimensional love interest but a fully developed character with thoughts, feelings and motivations of his own that spanned beyond his feelings for Madhuri—though those do still make up a huge part of his personal arc.
The only disappointment for me was that the romance aspect was a little too whirlwind, and didn’t have nearly as much build up as I would’ve liked. Though that might just be a me problem as I’m a sucker for a good slow burn romance.
Overall, this is a fun and surprisingly sweet, coming of age YA that’s perfect for fans of fake dating, friends to lovers or the found family trope.
Also, a huge thank you to Harper360YA for the proof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Bullying
Moderate: Chronic illness, Racism, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcohol
katiemack's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the themes about feeling connected (or disconnected) to one's cultural identity and the familial relationships--especially the found family aspect between Arjun and Iyer Aunty--and I was excited for the fake dating trope. Overall, though, the chemistry falls flat, and the fake dating trope feels superfluous after a while; it doesn't have the effect I thought it would on Madhuri and Arjun's relationship. I also found the writing to be clunky and overly flowery, but that might be a personal preference.
I was excited for this one, and I'd try other books by Ananya Devarajan--I enjoyed her story in the college-set anthology Study Break, which prompted me to request this one--so I'm looking forward to seeing how her writing develops over time.
I enjoyed the themes about feeling connected (or disconnected) to one's cultural identity and the familial relationships--especially the found family aspect between Arjun and Iyer Aunty--and I was excited for the fake dating trope. Overall, though, the chemistry falls flat, and the fake dating trope feels superfluous after a while; it doesn't have the effect I thought it would on Madhuri and Arjun's relationship. I also found the writing to be clunky and overly flowery, but that might be a personal preference.
I was excited for this one, and I'd try other books by Ananya Devarajan--I enjoyed her story in the college-set anthology Study Break, which prompted me to request this one--so I'm looking forward to seeing how her writing develops over time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Bullying, and Child abuse
allapaz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am absolutely stunned that this is not only a debut, but that this author wrote this novel as a teenager. Just blown away, so impressed.
Kismat Connection is a delightful romp through a pair of besties in their senior year as they navigate questions of love, destiny, family, and fate. I'll admit, I'm not a big romance reader. I likely would not have picked up this book if not for BookishFirst's ARC raffle, but my oh my, I did not know how much I needed this story.
This is not just your run-of-the-mill fake dating, friends-to-lovers YA romance story. Don't get me wrong, it has all the best, cheesiest, warm-and-fuzzy-est beats that you'd expect from a story like this, but it also goes so much deeper than I had expected. These characters are mature, realistic, intelligent teenagers working through questions of identity and culture and what it means to be seen and to be part of a family, all while the uncertainty of their senior year and college decision season looms near.
I can't tell you how deeply I fell in love with the Iyer family, and Madhuri, while stubborn and at times infuriating, exhibits deep character growth and a connection to her culture that had me tearing up and cheering for our girl. Arjun, playing opposite her, is mature beyond his years, forced into a role of parenting himself and leaning on his found family for comfort, while remaining so steadfast and firm in his feelings and beliefs and identity that he acts as a foil to Madhuri's uncertainty.
You think you have the story figured out by the synopsis, and for the major beats, you probably do. But every other interaction and character development and family love fest and argument and plot twist and goofy moment in between is so, so good and so, so authentic. I was really over here screaming for these kids towards the end, what a truly fun experience. I'm so so happy this story exists, and these characters exist, and this author exists.
Thank you for BookishFirst/HarperCollins for the ARC copy; all (overly enthusiastic) opinions are my own.
Kismat Connection is a delightful romp through a pair of besties in their senior year as they navigate questions of love, destiny, family, and fate. I'll admit, I'm not a big romance reader. I likely would not have picked up this book if not for BookishFirst's ARC raffle, but my oh my, I did not know how much I needed this story.
This is not just your run-of-the-mill fake dating, friends-to-lovers YA romance story. Don't get me wrong, it has all the best, cheesiest, warm-and-fuzzy-est beats that you'd expect from a story like this, but it also goes so much deeper than I had expected. These characters are mature, realistic, intelligent teenagers working through questions of identity and culture and what it means to be seen and to be part of a family, all while the uncertainty of their senior year and college decision season looms near.
I can't tell you how deeply I fell in love with the Iyer family, and Madhuri, while stubborn and at times infuriating, exhibits deep character growth and a connection to her culture that had me tearing up and cheering for our girl. Arjun, playing opposite her, is mature beyond his years, forced into a role of parenting himself and leaning on his found family for comfort, while remaining so steadfast and firm in his feelings and beliefs and identity that he acts as a foil to Madhuri's uncertainty.
You think you have the story figured out by the synopsis, and for the major beats, you probably do. But every other interaction and character development and family love fest and argument and plot twist and goofy moment in between is so, so good and so, so authentic. I was really over here screaming for these kids towards the end, what a truly fun experience. I'm so so happy this story exists, and these characters exist, and this author exists.
Thank you for BookishFirst/HarperCollins for the ARC copy; all (overly enthusiastic) opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Chronic illness, and Child abuse
Moderate: Cultural appropriation
I tagged child abuse, as Arjun has a deeply neglectful parent, and that can be triggering. No physical child abuse occurs, just discussions of Arjun being left to take care of himself very often as a child and teen. He is cared for by the Iyer family during this time, so no discussions of physical suffering occur, main focus is on the emotional trauma.
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