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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
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!
What I have come to expect of this author, lovable characters that grow and develop. Was a pleasure to read and you are rooting hard for Twinkle the whole time.
So. Damn. Cute. I loved this. While I did have issues with Twinkle's actions at some points as well as with the writing, I still understood her actions and they were totally believable. They just weren't my fav to read about. But another reason why I loved this was because I saw SO much of myself in this book and in Twinkle's character and her life and just loved that aspect of the book.
Adorable. For a minute there I thought it was gonna turn into a cringe-worthy HS drama type story. But it didn't! It was a well written relatable story about friendship and growth.
Sixteen-year-old Twinkle Mehra is an aspiring filmmaker, looking for her big break. So when it comes in the form of her all-time crush, Neil Roy's geeky brother, Sahil Roy, she decides to give it a go. Their school is hosting the Midsummer Night, an event that would present her with the golden opportunity to screen her film. All her life, Twinkle has felt sidelined and now, she is ready to be in the spotlight for a change. As Sahil and Twinkle work together, there builds an undeniable attraction between the two. But Twinkle is determined to not let go of her hopes of being Neil's girlfriend; thereby putting her friendship with Sahil in jeopardy. With fame and authority clouding her mind, Twinkle risks losing herself entirely.
After having read and loved When Dimple Met Rishi, I was certain that I would love this book too. But that wasn't the case. No doubt, it was a fun read; it's just that I didn't really like Twinkle. The author's writing style is colloquial and fits so well with the tone of a sixteen year old that you won't realize it hasn't been written by a teenager. I find it really commendable when authors are able to adapt their writing style to the characters and cultures they are writing about. The plot explores several themes like social exclusion, familial discord, high school hierarchy etc. This is an epistolary novel, where the story is told through Twinkle's diary entries addressed to female filmmakers who are her inspiration. That's something I really liked. It was interesting to see what she took away from the works of a particular filmmaker.
The reason why I didn't like Twinkle's character as much is that she came off as a person who complained a lot. She's either constantly whining about having lost her bestfriend or she's swooning over Neil (even when things were happening between her and Sahil) and the fact that the popular kids don't give her the time of the day. I understand where she's coming from and I'm not being insensitive to her problems. But when there's a 300 odd paged novel with a protagonist who is mature enough to want to make quality films, you'd expect the focus to be a little less on her complaints. Thankfully, Neil Roy - who is good looking, desirable, great at academics and athletic - isn't our MC. Sahil, who has been foreshadowed by his twin brother, Neil is a very supportive, patient and understanding character. He stood by Twinkle's side even when I was (mentally) yelling at her. I also wasn't particularly happy with Maddie. She simply doesn't know the definition of being a bestfriend; abandoning Twinkle and not giving a damn about her feelings. On the whole, this book was moderately fun to read, if you don't count the times I got annoyed with the characters. I hope Sandhya Menon's next novel, When Ashish Met Sweetie is just as good as When Dimple Met Rishi.
What do you get out of it? An entertaining read about high schoolers and the things that drive them.
Thank you Sandhya Menon for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
After having read and loved When Dimple Met Rishi, I was certain that I would love this book too. But that wasn't the case. No doubt, it was a fun read; it's just that I didn't really like Twinkle. The author's writing style is colloquial and fits so well with the tone of a sixteen year old that you won't realize it hasn't been written by a teenager. I find it really commendable when authors are able to adapt their writing style to the characters and cultures they are writing about. The plot explores several themes like social exclusion, familial discord, high school hierarchy etc. This is an epistolary novel, where the story is told through Twinkle's diary entries addressed to female filmmakers who are her inspiration. That's something I really liked. It was interesting to see what she took away from the works of a particular filmmaker.
The reason why I didn't like Twinkle's character as much is that she came off as a person who complained a lot. She's either constantly whining about having lost her bestfriend or she's swooning over Neil (even when things were happening between her and Sahil) and the fact that the popular kids don't give her the time of the day. I understand where she's coming from and I'm not being insensitive to her problems. But when there's a 300 odd paged novel with a protagonist who is mature enough to want to make quality films, you'd expect the focus to be a little less on her complaints. Thankfully, Neil Roy - who is good looking, desirable, great at academics and athletic - isn't our MC. Sahil, who has been foreshadowed by his twin brother, Neil is a very supportive, patient and understanding character. He stood by Twinkle's side even when I was (mentally) yelling at her. I also wasn't particularly happy with Maddie. She simply doesn't know the definition of being a bestfriend; abandoning Twinkle and not giving a damn about her feelings. On the whole, this book was moderately fun to read, if you don't count the times I got annoyed with the characters. I hope Sandhya Menon's next novel, When Ashish Met Sweetie is just as good as When Dimple Met Rishi.
What do you get out of it? An entertaining read about high schoolers and the things that drive them.
Thank you Sandhya Menon for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I usually don't care for books written in letter format, or through text messages, but if someone is going to do it I want it to be Sandhya Menon. She wrote the story a way that it didn't feel like a person just recounting their events of the day. As a reader, I felt present, which is all i ever want to feel when I'm reading.
Now for the actual story, I loved Twinkle, I definitely saw my teenage self within her. She was dramatic, and a bit messy, but also so driven. And poor Sahil will also hold a place in my heart. He was the definition of adorkable, while also struggling with the real pressure of feeling lesser than a sibling. Together, they made a wonderful couple, each of them depending on the other just enough, to realize what kind of person they want to be.
I believe fans of Dimple will enjoy this book, but maybe not love it as much. I hate putting pressure on author's second novels when their first just hits it out of the park, because Twinkle was good but I didn't feel the same reaction when reading Dimple. I think this is because of the mentality/age of Twinkle and her friends, They definitely acted as teens while Dimple was older and acted as such.
I may be able to dive deeper into this idea with more time away from the book, but overall I really enjoyed reading it!
*I received an eARC of this book via Edelweiss*
Now for the actual story, I loved Twinkle, I definitely saw my teenage self within her. She was dramatic, and a bit messy, but also so driven. And poor Sahil will also hold a place in my heart. He was the definition of adorkable, while also struggling with the real pressure of feeling lesser than a sibling. Together, they made a wonderful couple, each of them depending on the other just enough, to realize what kind of person they want to be.
I believe fans of Dimple will enjoy this book, but maybe not love it as much. I hate putting pressure on author's second novels when their first just hits it out of the park, because Twinkle was good but I didn't feel the same reaction when reading Dimple. I think this is because of the mentality/age of Twinkle and her friends, They definitely acted as teens while Dimple was older and acted as such.
I may be able to dive deeper into this idea with more time away from the book, but overall I really enjoyed reading it!
*I received an eARC of this book via Edelweiss*
Find this review and more on my blog.
3.5 stars
From Twinkle, with Love takes the form of diary entries by Twinkle, each addressed to one of her favourite female filmmakers whom she hopes to become like someday. Opportunity finds her when Sahil (who also happens to be her crush's twin brother) asks her to direct a film for a film festival.
Some things I really liked about this book were the variety and diversity of characters, and also the strong emphasis on girl power. I also enjoy Sandhya Menon's style of storytelling - perfectly paced to keep the reader engaged in the plot.
While Twinkle's character started out quite interesting, she became quite annoying as the book went on, and outright unbearable at some points as she continued to be obsessed with getting into the popular crowd. What really held the story together and kept me reading in my opinion was Sahil. Rather than Twinkle herself, it was the supporting characters that made the story interesting. It was a little disappointing, in that sense, as the majority of the narration is from Twinkle's POV. Admittedly, I had rather high expectations of this book after When Dimple Met Rishi, and it fell short. However, it was still a good read, funny and cute while still staying realistic. Eagerly awaiting Menon's next novel!
3.5 stars
From Twinkle, with Love takes the form of diary entries by Twinkle, each addressed to one of her favourite female filmmakers whom she hopes to become like someday. Opportunity finds her when Sahil (who also happens to be her crush's twin brother) asks her to direct a film for a film festival.
Some things I really liked about this book were the variety and diversity of characters, and also the strong emphasis on girl power. I also enjoy Sandhya Menon's style of storytelling - perfectly paced to keep the reader engaged in the plot.
While Twinkle's character started out quite interesting, she became quite annoying as the book went on, and outright unbearable at some points as she continued to be obsessed with getting into the popular crowd. What really held the story together and kept me reading in my opinion was Sahil. Rather than Twinkle herself, it was the supporting characters that made the story interesting. It was a little disappointing, in that sense, as the majority of the narration is from Twinkle's POV. Admittedly, I had rather high expectations of this book after When Dimple Met Rishi, and it fell short. However, it was still a good read, funny and cute while still staying realistic. Eagerly awaiting Menon's next novel!
This was really cute! I think I enjoyed it a little more than When Dimple met Rishi because I went in expecting this to be 90% romance and 10% other stuff, unlike with WDMR where I expected more coding and less romance.
But anyway! This follows Twinkle, a working-class girl who dreams of being a film maker. She's struggling with "losing" her best friend, Maddie, and having a crush on the hottest guy in school, Neil. However, a chance encounter partners her with Sahil, Neil's twin, and together they embark on a journey to make a gender-swapped Dracula movie for a school program.
This is told in diary format, and it is, without a doubt, HILARIOUS! I laughed every couple pages from Twinkle's wording, the awkward situations she got into, and all the little idiosyncrasies of teenage life. There was also a lot of heart in the book too: friendships and relationships and family stuff. I teared up a bit in the last couple chapters for sure.
There were a few things that I thought could have been done differently or didn't really click with me, but overall, I loved this! It was a perfect little contemporary and
But anyway! This follows Twinkle, a working-class girl who dreams of being a film maker. She's struggling with "losing" her best friend, Maddie, and having a crush on the hottest guy in school, Neil. However, a chance encounter partners her with Sahil, Neil's twin, and together they embark on a journey to make a gender-swapped Dracula movie for a school program.
This is told in diary format, and it is, without a doubt, HILARIOUS! I laughed every couple pages from Twinkle's wording, the awkward situations she got into, and all the little idiosyncrasies of teenage life. There was also a lot of heart in the book too: friendships and relationships and family stuff. I teared up a bit in the last couple chapters for sure.
There were a few things that I thought could have been done differently or didn't really click with me, but overall, I loved this! It was a perfect little contemporary and