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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
I almost didn’t finish this book, but I decided to continue and give it a chance. I wished it wasn’t just Twinkle writing to herself in the diary almost the entire time. Things also didn’t progress smoothly. It took forever for the characters to flesh out and even then, it wasn’t well rounded. I do appreciate that the main character was able to evolve as a person considering it was in a teenage perspective. I also appreciated that the author incorporated people of color as well as exploring gender roles.
I loooved Menon’s first book, so I was pretty disappointed with this one. There were too many “tricks” in the writing (like writing everything in letter form to female directors, lots of accidental overhearing to move the plot forward, etc.).
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Okay this was a ride. This my second read for the author after when Dimple met Rishi. I loved the first novel more as a romance and fun but I think here,we had more deep thoughts. I didn't like the beginning and the whole Maddie thing . I couldn't believe Twinkle was doing that to her self .At the middle I think I started liking the book ,more. I absolutely adore Sahil. He was very gentle and nice . Actually all the characters were good. I loved the whole relationship with her grandmother alooot. I need to see other things like that in books.I liked the parts of the messages between the guys.
Spoiler
I think we needed to hear from Neil , he was just not there but I appreciate the author's idea to not make the two brothers love the same person and this drama .<\spoiler>
Wow! Great contemporary read for OC this month. Loved the story and (most of) the characters. Really enjoyed Twinkle's story, and though I thought the format was weird at first, I ended up really liking it and the way we learned about Twinkle's life.
A teen romcom with a lovable main character who you'll want to stick by, even as she makes some big mistakes.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: High school junior Twinkle is in a pickle:
- Her BFF has been hanging out with the (rich) elite in town, making T wonder whether they're still BFFs
- Her longtime crush makes her so swoony, she becomes an absolute fool when he enters the room
- Both of them live in a world where only the kids from the wealthiest families get spotlights and important party invites, but Twinkle's family can barely afford to send her to the special magnet school they all attend together and she feels so unseen that she's not sure whether a spotlight could even find her if it tried
Twinkle decides that if she can find a way to get into that group of elites, she'll get her BFF back and maybe even get a bit more backing to her lifelong dream of becoming a famous (female, brown-skinned) filmmaker. When her crush's geeky twin brother suggests he produce a film Twinkle directs for their high school's upcoming festival, she sees this as her big chance to do what she loves while rubbing elbows with the crowd she longs to be a part of.
This roller coaster of a story is carried forward through Twinkle's eye-opening journal entries to her favorite female filmmakers and a smattering of emails, plus some group texts between her new producer and his best friends.
WHAT I THOUGHT: I was a BIG fan of Menon's first novel, When Dimple Met Rishi (like, heart-eyes, floaty-head charmed in love with that book), so was excited to see my library had this one in its New YA section. I wasn't sure how it'd hold me with the journal-entry format, but I ended up really liking how it got me into Twinkle's head--and her film producer Sahil's.
I was expecting another adorable romcom full of giggles and swooning, but what I got was a fantastic balance of that with the brutal truth of how we make mistakes when we're 16/17 years old, trying to figure out what we want and how to get there. Twinkle is passionate about storytelling on film, and that carried over to her filling in the blanks as the relationships around her shifted during her mission to get some spotlight. Why does her BFF pull away some days and act so thoughtful on others? Why do the elite welcome one facet of her but not all of her? What should she do about her budding attraction to Sahil when there are other options that align better with her dreams, most notably his superstar of a twin brother? Do her parents even remember that she exists?
Here's the thing that impressed me: when things got ugly as Twinkle propelled into the thick of figuring out these questions, the author did such a good job of making us understand how that could happen that we don't close the book in frustration or disappointment (I mean, we are reading a romcom, right?). We really don't know how things will turn out, but continue hoping for the best through the very last page.
And, yes, I had tears in my eyes as I closed the last page. You'll have to read it for yourself as to know which kind, but I bet you'll be glad you turned every page to get your answer.
Ages 13 and up.
(Teen, Fiction, Contemporary, Romantic Comedy, Self Esteem)
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: High school junior Twinkle is in a pickle:
- Her BFF has been hanging out with the (rich) elite in town, making T wonder whether they're still BFFs
- Her longtime crush makes her so swoony, she becomes an absolute fool when he enters the room
- Both of them live in a world where only the kids from the wealthiest families get spotlights and important party invites, but Twinkle's family can barely afford to send her to the special magnet school they all attend together and she feels so unseen that she's not sure whether a spotlight could even find her if it tried
Twinkle decides that if she can find a way to get into that group of elites, she'll get her BFF back and maybe even get a bit more backing to her lifelong dream of becoming a famous (female, brown-skinned) filmmaker. When her crush's geeky twin brother suggests he produce a film Twinkle directs for their high school's upcoming festival, she sees this as her big chance to do what she loves while rubbing elbows with the crowd she longs to be a part of.
This roller coaster of a story is carried forward through Twinkle's eye-opening journal entries to her favorite female filmmakers and a smattering of emails, plus some group texts between her new producer and his best friends.
WHAT I THOUGHT: I was a BIG fan of Menon's first novel, When Dimple Met Rishi (like, heart-eyes, floaty-head charmed in love with that book), so was excited to see my library had this one in its New YA section. I wasn't sure how it'd hold me with the journal-entry format, but I ended up really liking how it got me into Twinkle's head--and her film producer Sahil's.
I was expecting another adorable romcom full of giggles and swooning, but what I got was a fantastic balance of that with the brutal truth of how we make mistakes when we're 16/17 years old, trying to figure out what we want and how to get there. Twinkle is passionate about storytelling on film, and that carried over to her filling in the blanks as the relationships around her shifted during her mission to get some spotlight. Why does her BFF pull away some days and act so thoughtful on others? Why do the elite welcome one facet of her but not all of her? What should she do about her budding attraction to Sahil when there are other options that align better with her dreams, most notably his superstar of a twin brother? Do her parents even remember that she exists?
Here's the thing that impressed me: when things got ugly as Twinkle propelled into the thick of figuring out these questions, the author did such a good job of making us understand how that could happen that we don't close the book in frustration or disappointment (I mean, we are reading a romcom, right?). We really don't know how things will turn out, but continue hoping for the best through the very last page.
And, yes, I had tears in my eyes as I closed the last page. You'll have to read it for yourself as to know which kind, but I bet you'll be glad you turned every page to get your answer.
Ages 13 and up.
(Teen, Fiction, Contemporary, Romantic Comedy, Self Esteem)
Ohh Twinkle changed a lot throughout the book. She is sometimes blind to her own flaws and when she is wrong. At one point I can’t stand Twinkle, but she comes back into the light.
At the beginning of the book twinkle really annoyed me but she had grown on me a lot by the end. Sahil is is my favourite character in the sandya menon book universe. They’re relationship was good , they had a hard time getting there but they did end up together which was awesome. Skid and Arron were interesting and I think I would have preferred the book from sahils point of view so we could have seen more of them and less of maddie.
Victoria was a sweetheart and I wouldn’t mind reading a book with her as the POV character.
Twinkles family were very real in a way the parents In menons other books weren’t . They didn’t seem sugar coated. I cried when we found out about twinkles nan who could never visit but really loved her and I cried again when twinkle told her mum she would get to go home.
I didn’t love the beginning but I really liked the rest
At the beginning of the book twinkle really annoyed me but she had grown on me a lot by the end. Sahil is is my favourite character in the sandya menon book universe. They’re relationship was good , they had a hard time getting there but they did end up together which was awesome. Skid and Arron were interesting and I think I would have preferred the book from sahils point of view so we could have seen more of them and less of maddie.
Victoria was a sweetheart and I wouldn’t mind reading a book with her as the POV character.
Twinkles family were very real in a way the parents In menons other books weren’t . They didn’t seem sugar coated. I cried when we found out about twinkles nan who could never visit but really loved her and I cried again when twinkle told her mum she would get to go home.
I didn’t love the beginning but I really liked the rest
DNF on pg 29. I swear I don’t usually not finish books this much, I think I’m just becoming less tolerant as I get older.
While I don’t have much experience to go off, I generally get turned off by books written in a diary style just because I worry that they’re going to come off as childish. And yes, that same attitude carried over here: even though Twinkle is 16, she acts like she’s still in middle school and super upset about her BFF getting matching charm bracelets with other people or whatever the hell. Perhaps if I was younger I would enjoy this book or relate to it more, I would feel differently about it, but I’m too far removed from this phase of my life to enjoy it.
Sucks how I loved When Dimple Met Rishi so much and couldn’t stand this!
While I don’t have much experience to go off, I generally get turned off by books written in a diary style just because I worry that they’re going to come off as childish. And yes, that same attitude carried over here: even though Twinkle is 16, she acts like she’s still in middle school and super upset about her BFF getting matching charm bracelets with other people or whatever the hell. Perhaps if I was younger I would enjoy this book or relate to it more, I would feel differently about it, but I’m too far removed from this phase of my life to enjoy it.
Sucks how I loved When Dimple Met Rishi so much and couldn’t stand this!