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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Very cute story with characters that are easy to relate to. Toward the end it got a little predictable but was still very enjoyable. I particularly love that Menon swapped the basic gender stereotypes - instead of the female lead being soft and sensitive, she had a harder edge. The male was the more romantic and expressive of the two, which was such a nice change from the norm.
This was such a fun read! It had cute romance, tech & coding, woman empowerment, & being true to yourself. It was refreshing to read a book that tackled family pressure in a positive and empowering way- both families are focused on their children's happiness while the characters struggled to find a balance between their career ambitions and their happiness in being together. I simply fell in love with Dimple and Rishi, and I was rooting for them the entire time- but Dimple, what she said when she was at a crossroads between her career aspirations and Rishi? That women were usually the ones who had to sacrifice for familial bliss & it was something she couldn't do- it really resonated with me. I was glued to the pages wondering if Dimple and Rishi were going to be able to have it all- and I was so happy at the end! Definitely a book not to miss- I can't wait for Ashish's story!
Cute YA romance! I liked the very different ways that the two main characters approach their family’s expectations, but found their own way that worked for them both. 3.5 stars.
3 stars.
it was cute, but not really memorable imo? dimple and rishi were super cute, but nothing else really grabbed me in regards to other characters or plotline.
it was cute, but not really memorable imo? dimple and rishi were super cute, but nothing else really grabbed me in regards to other characters or plotline.
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
So yeah, after watching the Mismatched series (which disappointed me to the core), I always had this idea that, since the major plot theme was quite convincing, the book might give me the experience I actually expected from the series.
I started reading this book a long time ago, but some external factors didn’t let me finish it. Today, I was determined to complete it, and by the end, I finally got what I had been hoping for
So yeah, after watching the Mismatched series (which disappointed me to the core), I always had this idea that, since the major plot theme was quite convincing, the book might give me the experience I actually expected from the series.
I started reading this book a long time ago, but some external factors didn’t let me finish it. Today, I was determined to complete it, and by the end, I finally got what I had been hoping for
read this at my dad's
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alright well this book is a little of a disappointment. let's get into the thoughts.
plot/favorite parts
-this book follows a girl who goes to a coding camp and is pushing away her cultural traditions to go focus on her career rather than doing what her mother wants: finding a husband. This was a fascinating concept bc girls aren't represented in being interested in coding so that was fresh and really addressed the culture of arranged marriages. Then, she meets a boy at the coding camp that apparently is the person she is arranged to marry, and the book follows their relationship forming.
characters
-dimple. I was not a huge fan of this character. I know there is controversy with how dimple is always hitting rhishi and how that's bad but that's not why I liked her AT ALL. because believe it or not, as a teenager, I have had friends that hit or punch whenever you do anything. that's just their character. I didn't like dimple because she was just so selfish, and she was an annoying character to read from. i'm not saying she didn't have good scenes bc she definitely did, especially whenever she brought rhishi and her brother together to help with their dance for the talent show and just how she was able to allow rhishi to have fun. her confidence radiates to everyone she was around by sticking up for celia to helping rhishi become more confident in drawing and even though she wasn't my favorite, I liked how genuinely strong she was. I liked how she wanted to decide her own faith and really want to redefine the roles of women in her family by seeking a career first. a strong scene was where she is telling rhishi that she doesn't feel like she belongs in America bc she isn't Christian, and she doesn't feel like she belongs in India because she's American.
-rhishi. bless his heart. I think we can all agree he really stole the book for me. he was the goody two shoes character that always did what was expected of him. he is going to MIT, into a career he didn't like, just to please his parents. he even believed "arranged marriages" were a strong partnership and a good idea. he had so many moments that helped me feel like he was starting to get influenced by dimple's confidence and become his own person. he has this conversation with dimple talking about how he says "gods" because in America we decorate for Christmas and easter, and he wants to be able to talk about Hinduism as much as others talk about Christianity which I thought was a great scene. we saw rhishi win a drawing contest at the convention, we read about the strong scene where rhishi talks to Ashish and says he's sorry for judging him and not being there for him and admits to being jealous of the freedom he has, and I thought that scene with his brother was just beautiful. he was so generous and caring for dimple (sometimes it seemed more than she was to him), he dissed the Aberzombies at the restaurant not long after he had met dimple and had coffee thrown at him, he gave her space after losing Insomnia Con and helped her meet her idol, Jenny, to develop her app that would help with diabetes. he was amazing. I really liked him, and i'm happy he finally became honest with himself and pursued the career he wanted.
-celia/ashish. love them. celia definitely had a good arc with her wanting to be someone she wasn't. she got with the aberzombies and did things she wasn't okay with bc she wanted to be the person she never was in high school (which is understandable). the fact that these two knew each other already was a nice twist. ashish was a change in character because he was similar to dimple with being confident, but he had a softer side where he was able to be this considerate and caring person. I would love a book about these two because I feel like they weren't in the book enough. also props to when ashish fought the aberzombies for celia awh my boy
why it got three stars
-this book's main plot was the development of dimple's and rhishi's relationship which is fine if you like the center plot being about characters' romantic relationship, but i'm not a fan of that, so it kind of made me confused while reading bc I didn't know where anything was going, and it felt like I was waiting for stuff to happen.
-nothing was extraordinary in this book. no moment where I surprised or felt any sort of way emotionally
-the chapter shifts messed with me
-more development from people other than rhishi and dimple
----------------------------------
alright well this book is a little of a disappointment. let's get into the thoughts.
plot/favorite parts
-this book follows a girl who goes to a coding camp and is pushing away her cultural traditions to go focus on her career rather than doing what her mother wants: finding a husband. This was a fascinating concept bc girls aren't represented in being interested in coding so that was fresh and really addressed the culture of arranged marriages. Then, she meets a boy at the coding camp that apparently is the person she is arranged to marry, and the book follows their relationship forming.
characters
-dimple. I was not a huge fan of this character. I know there is controversy with how dimple is always hitting rhishi and how that's bad but that's not why I liked her AT ALL. because believe it or not, as a teenager, I have had friends that hit or punch whenever you do anything. that's just their character. I didn't like dimple because she was just so selfish, and she was an annoying character to read from. i'm not saying she didn't have good scenes bc she definitely did, especially whenever she brought rhishi and her brother together to help with their dance for the talent show and just how she was able to allow rhishi to have fun. her confidence radiates to everyone she was around by sticking up for celia to helping rhishi become more confident in drawing and even though she wasn't my favorite, I liked how genuinely strong she was. I liked how she wanted to decide her own faith and really want to redefine the roles of women in her family by seeking a career first. a strong scene was where she is telling rhishi that she doesn't feel like she belongs in America bc she isn't Christian, and she doesn't feel like she belongs in India because she's American.
-rhishi. bless his heart. I think we can all agree he really stole the book for me. he was the goody two shoes character that always did what was expected of him. he is going to MIT, into a career he didn't like, just to please his parents. he even believed "arranged marriages" were a strong partnership and a good idea. he had so many moments that helped me feel like he was starting to get influenced by dimple's confidence and become his own person. he has this conversation with dimple talking about how he says "gods" because in America we decorate for Christmas and easter, and he wants to be able to talk about Hinduism as much as others talk about Christianity which I thought was a great scene. we saw rhishi win a drawing contest at the convention, we read about the strong scene where rhishi talks to Ashish and says he's sorry for judging him and not being there for him and admits to being jealous of the freedom he has, and I thought that scene with his brother was just beautiful. he was so generous and caring for dimple (sometimes it seemed more than she was to him), he dissed the Aberzombies at the restaurant not long after he had met dimple and had coffee thrown at him, he gave her space after losing Insomnia Con and helped her meet her idol, Jenny, to develop her app that would help with diabetes. he was amazing. I really liked him, and i'm happy he finally became honest with himself and pursued the career he wanted.
-celia/ashish. love them. celia definitely had a good arc with her wanting to be someone she wasn't. she got with the aberzombies and did things she wasn't okay with bc she wanted to be the person she never was in high school (which is understandable). the fact that these two knew each other already was a nice twist. ashish was a change in character because he was similar to dimple with being confident, but he had a softer side where he was able to be this considerate and caring person. I would love a book about these two because I feel like they weren't in the book enough. also props to when ashish fought the aberzombies for celia awh my boy
why it got three stars
-this book's main plot was the development of dimple's and rhishi's relationship which is fine if you like the center plot being about characters' romantic relationship, but i'm not a fan of that, so it kind of made me confused while reading bc I didn't know where anything was going, and it felt like I was waiting for stuff to happen.
-nothing was extraordinary in this book. no moment where I surprised or felt any sort of way emotionally
-the chapter shifts messed with me
-more development from people other than rhishi and dimple
FULL REVIEW + DISCUSSION: https://readbytiffany.wordpress.com/2018/01/26/book-review-discussion-when-dimple-met-rishi-book-by-sandhya-menon/
I honestly have pretty conflicted feelings about this book. On a surface level, it was a fun and easy read. Things fell together like a stereotypical Disney movie. The main characters, Dimple and Rishi, are cute together, and the first impression is very nerdy and heartwarming feel where a happily ever after is expected. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn’t particularly enjoy this book as much as I originally believed.
One of the reasons why I didn’t like this book was that it was extremely predictable. It literally follows every YA trope in existence. (I’m exaggerating.) I could guess everything that was going to happen five chapters before it actually did. There wasn’t any real conflict in this story–things fell together too easily. 🙁
One thing I really appreciated about this book was its exposure to Indian culture. 🙌 I really have to applaud Sandhya Menon for incorporating references and dialogue in such an organic way. However, it was somewhat difficult to follow because I didn’t fully understand every reference, so I had to continuously look things up on Google which broke the reading flow. A part of me wishes there were definitions of specific words or translations at the bottom of each page as footnotes. Also, I originally thought this book would highlight more of Dimple’s interest in STEM and the projects her and Rishi worked on; however, the book barely touches on this at all AKA don’t expect it.
I would rate this book 3/5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐ It’s a nice read, but it’s not blow-your-mind and break-your-heart amazing. It’s pretty average. Like I said, it’s a Disney movie–a fun (but predictable) story with a happy ending.
I honestly have pretty conflicted feelings about this book. On a surface level, it was a fun and easy read. Things fell together like a stereotypical Disney movie. The main characters, Dimple and Rishi, are cute together, and the first impression is very nerdy and heartwarming feel where a happily ever after is expected. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn’t particularly enjoy this book as much as I originally believed.
One of the reasons why I didn’t like this book was that it was extremely predictable. It literally follows every YA trope in existence. (I’m exaggerating.) I could guess everything that was going to happen five chapters before it actually did. There wasn’t any real conflict in this story–things fell together too easily. 🙁
One thing I really appreciated about this book was its exposure to Indian culture. 🙌 I really have to applaud Sandhya Menon for incorporating references and dialogue in such an organic way. However, it was somewhat difficult to follow because I didn’t fully understand every reference, so I had to continuously look things up on Google which broke the reading flow. A part of me wishes there were definitions of specific words or translations at the bottom of each page as footnotes. Also, I originally thought this book would highlight more of Dimple’s interest in STEM and the projects her and Rishi worked on; however, the book barely touches on this at all AKA don’t expect it.
I would rate this book 3/5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐ It’s a nice read, but it’s not blow-your-mind and break-your-heart amazing. It’s pretty average. Like I said, it’s a Disney movie–a fun (but predictable) story with a happy ending.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first 150 pages of this book were just a little slow to me and it didn’t feel like much was happening. If the book continued like that it probably would have been about a two star read. However, the second half of the book was really good and brought the overall rating up to a three star read!
this was such a let down. i was really looking forward to this book based on the premise: an own voices ya contemporary with poc leads and "arranged marriage" hijinks. just about every aspect of this fell flat for me. i did like the bits of indian culture we saw, and rishi was a great character even though i feel like his views and opinions were seriously undermined by the writing at the end of the book. but dimple is an ass! the secondary characters are mostly flat stereotypes, for a book about two kids at a coding camp there was nooooooo attention paid to coding or girls in stem (things i feel like which were promised to me by the premise alone), it was extremely light on plot to the point where the writing took a nose dive at the end trying to create some conflict, and the writing was just basic and forgettable :(