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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
This has to be my least favorite book of Sandhya Menon’s but even then I still enjoyed it. I was definitely unhappy with a lot of the decisions Twinkle made throughout the story and the way she lead on Sahil on. Not to mention, the sudden change in her behavior gave me some serious whiplash, but, much like every book of Menon’s, this one still left me feeling all warm and fuzzy when I finally finished reading.
I really wanted to like this book, but it just felt too much like an AU for “When Dimple Met Rishi”. We had the same basic storyline: poor Indian girl with talent in some field gets the opportunity to showcase her work, but ends up being paired with some dorky rich guy whom she ends up falling in love with and who makes all of her dreams come true. I also didn’t understand the point of having to make a gender bent Dracula remake in order to show how talented Twinkle is, while also fighting the patriarchy and showing that women make good film directors. First of all, I thought that the remake was just Sahil taking over the project, because Twinkle didn’t even have an opportunity to say whether or not she wanted to do an original idea. Second of all, why DIDNT she make her own movie? I was really looking forward to seeing Twinkle’s voice come out, but no, all we got was a vague description of Draculass, and the only thing she stood up for was that stupid backdrop. I think Draculass would have worked for me if the author had made more of an effort to talk about the movie process, and directing, and how Twinkle was adapting the original script to be more empowering. Because as it is, I just don’t see how switching the genders would inherently make it a feminist movie. Also, I felt that the romance between Sahil and Twinkle just clogged up too much time in the book. As mentioned earlier, I was really looking forward to reading about the movie process and Twinkle’s attempts at directing, but instead, all I got were gratuitous, cheesy rom com scenes of Twinkle and Sahil at the carnival, or making unintentional wood innuendos, or rolling around on the ground because they got tangled in the same dress. Aside from that, I did like the characters, and the overall story was nice. Overall, 3.5 stars.
PS. I knew it was Brij the whole time. I mean, come ON. We ALL knew it wasn’t gonna be Neil.
PS. I knew it was Brij the whole time. I mean, come ON. We ALL knew it wasn’t gonna be Neil.
“Geeks are smart and talented and passionate. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
From Twinkle, With Love is a super cute rom-com. I struggle to get through romantic comedies sometimes, but on the whole, I liked reading this one. From Twinkle, With Love is definitely one of the more fun and heartwarming books I've read recently.
I really admire Sandhya Menon's leading ladies. Twinkle Mehra is so filled with ambition and passion for her filmmaking, which I adored throughout the movie - she's definitely an underdog you can't help but root for because all her intentions are so good. Twinkle is so into filmmaking because she wants to give people like her a voice. I could relate to her feeling ignored by everyone, so I was probably a bit more sympathetic than I should be because I wish I could stand up for myself like Twinkle did.
The romance was really cute. Sahil was precious as heck and frankly so was I was soooo frustrated that Twinkle kept putting off Sahil because of N, though, like, can't you see that boy loves you oh my god. I feel like it wasn't meaningful conflict. There was really good material about Twinkle's and Sahil's different views in film production, and I felt like the relationship conflict would have had some more weight if it wasn't Twinke's yearning to rise to popularity in the centre of it.
It was also really cool seeing such a huge and diverse range of characters. I can't speak on the representation, but it is an ownvoices novel and I've seen a bunch of folks who love it. There's also a ton of other POC and some LGBT representation too, which was really nice to see. The friendship vibes were great from this book, and it was sweet how Twinkle used her filmmaking to bring everyone together under unlikely circumstances. A lot of the conflict comes from Twinkle's struggle with groundlings (nerds) and silk feathered hats (popular kids) so seeing those boundaries break was nice.
Honestly, one of the biggest reasons why I struggled to connect with this book and rated it three stars was because the characters felt so much younger than sixteen and seventeen. How they spoke and acted was reminiscent of thirteen or fourteen year olds. I don't believe it's a bad thing, especially with the discussions on YA and teen readers going on recently. But personally, it made me struggle to connect with the characters.
From Twinkle, With Love is an adorable rom-com featuring an ambitious Indian-American aspiring filmmaker. If you like rom-coms, I definitely recommend this book.
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I came for the YA romance but stayed for the way Twinkle became her best self. I liked it better than When Dimple Met Rishi - the writing was tighter and the themes felt more true (friendships changing, reading incorrectly into things, making poor choices, and figuring out who you are).
Another super cute contemporary romance by Menon! This isn’t usually my go-to genre but I really enjoyed it!!
3.5 stars. A sweet little romance! Though Twinkle's journey to find herself was frustrating at times. I just wanted her to see the light and stop making dumb decisions!
I read and loved When Dimple Met Rishi last year so I was eagerly anticipating this book, and whilst I didn't enjoy it quite as much that doesn't mean it's not delightful! Coming into the third week of a reading slump this was a joy to read. Funny and sweet, the story zips along at a nice pace without rushing the romance.
I've seen some negative comments about Twinkle in reviews but I found her completely relatable - who didn't have mixed feelings about boys or fantasise about revenge on the mean girls at that age?! (Sidenote: Much as I like Sahil, Twinkle doesn't owe him anything just because he's nice, and it saddens me that so many girls still absorb this toxic notion. Anyway, I digress!) I love her feminism, and in the post #MeToo era I hope we hear more stories from Twinkles and less of the dudebros who've dominated up to now.
I found a little of the conflict (romantic and friendly) slightly annoying, but it's absolutely true to the age of the protagonists and target audience, so it would be churlish to deduct a star! Plus, honestly, it's very typical of romances - if everything ran smoothly there wouldn't be a story!
I've seen some negative comments about Twinkle in reviews but I found her completely relatable - who didn't have mixed feelings about boys or fantasise about revenge on the mean girls at that age?! (Sidenote: Much as I like Sahil, Twinkle doesn't owe him anything just because he's nice, and it saddens me that so many girls still absorb this toxic notion. Anyway, I digress!) I love her feminism, and in the post #MeToo era I hope we hear more stories from Twinkles and less of the dudebros who've dominated up to now.
I found a little of the conflict (romantic and friendly) slightly annoying, but it's absolutely true to the age of the protagonists and target audience, so it would be churlish to deduct a star! Plus, honestly, it's very typical of romances - if everything ran smoothly there wouldn't be a story!
I read When Dimple Met Rishi earlier this year and rated it 3.5 Stars but after reading this book, it was seriously a 2 star book. Everything about this book was 100 times better - the characters, the romance, the drama. It read a bit more childish and Twinkle was SO oblivious, but it was also just a cute little book with a positive message.
I'm excited to see what Sandhya Menon writes in the future.
I'm excited to see what Sandhya Menon writes in the future.