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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Loved this so much! Going on the recommended summer reading for rising eighth graders!
Overall, this book was fairly average. It definitely contained aspects that I loved and hated, but mostly it was just average.
The beginning of this book was painful to read. It was incredibly cringy and everyone acts like they are ten years old despite being seventeen. I acknowledge that seventeen year olds can still be immature, but I think it was overdone. I found it to be overly clique and full of high school stereotypes. The way the characters talk and the dramatic kisses goodbye to their friends in class was too much for me.
I also had a lot of problems with Sahli’s character. He was in “love” with Twinkle before he even actually knew her, which feels really shallow and fake. I cannot stand the insta love trope. Also there was a scene in the book when Sahli randomly and awkwardly interjects himself into a conversation so he can join their film project. This event was written so unnaturally it physically hurt to read. Sahli is also in film and has zero interest in making movies, but then says movies are his “thing.”
Additionally, the book's predictability of who "N" was diminished the potential suspense that could have made the story more engaging.
On the positive side, I thought Dadi (the grandma) was an amazing character. I adored her wisdom and her analogy on page 297 of the hardcover edition, where she explained the interconnectedness of souls using powders. Her insight and guidance added depth to the narrative. Here is the section:
"We humans think we exist like this." Dadi gestured to the powders in their individual bowls. "Apart. Single. Beautiful and vivid, but alone." She looked calculatingly at me. "But on the other side, on Dada's side, he can see that we are like this in reality." She upended the two bowls into the center of the larger container, and the powders came together. They were mixed somewhat, but still in their separate piles for the most part- red on the left and orange on the right. "Then," Dadi continued, "with each interaction with another soul, we begin to change." She put a finger into the pile of powders and began to stir gently. The powders mixed more the longer she stirred, red mingling with orange, losing its distinct form. "We take pieces of them, and they take pieces of us. It's not bad. It's not good. It just is." By now the powders were completely mixed together, indistinguishable from each other. "Our best friends, the ones we love the most, are the ones who can hurt us the most. Because look." She pointed down to the powders. "We have had so many interactions with them, deep, meaningful interactions, that we cannot separate their pieces from ours. And if we try, we would only be getting rid of some of the best parts of ourselves." She brushed off her fingers and put one hand under my chin.
In the end, I gave this book three stars because it did improve as the story progressed, and I was able to complete it.
The beginning of this book was painful to read. It was incredibly cringy and everyone acts like they are ten years old despite being seventeen. I acknowledge that seventeen year olds can still be immature, but I think it was overdone. I found it to be overly clique and full of high school stereotypes. The way the characters talk and the dramatic kisses goodbye to their friends in class was too much for me.
I also had a lot of problems with Sahli’s character. He was in “love” with Twinkle before he even actually knew her, which feels really shallow and fake. I cannot stand the insta love trope. Also there was a scene in the book when Sahli randomly and awkwardly interjects himself into a conversation so he can join their film project. This event was written so unnaturally it physically hurt to read. Sahli is also in film and has zero interest in making movies, but then says movies are his “thing.”
Additionally, the book's predictability of who "N" was diminished the potential suspense that could have made the story more engaging.
On the positive side, I thought Dadi (the grandma) was an amazing character. I adored her wisdom and her analogy on page 297 of the hardcover edition, where she explained the interconnectedness of souls using powders. Her insight and guidance added depth to the narrative. Here is the section:
"We humans think we exist like this." Dadi gestured to the powders in their individual bowls. "Apart. Single. Beautiful and vivid, but alone." She looked calculatingly at me. "But on the other side, on Dada's side, he can see that we are like this in reality." She upended the two bowls into the center of the larger container, and the powders came together. They were mixed somewhat, but still in their separate piles for the most part- red on the left and orange on the right. "Then," Dadi continued, "with each interaction with another soul, we begin to change." She put a finger into the pile of powders and began to stir gently. The powders mixed more the longer she stirred, red mingling with orange, losing its distinct form. "We take pieces of them, and they take pieces of us. It's not bad. It's not good. It just is." By now the powders were completely mixed together, indistinguishable from each other. "Our best friends, the ones we love the most, are the ones who can hurt us the most. Because look." She pointed down to the powders. "We have had so many interactions with them, deep, meaningful interactions, that we cannot separate their pieces from ours. And if we try, we would only be getting rid of some of the best parts of ourselves." She brushed off her fingers and put one hand under my chin.
In the end, I gave this book three stars because it did improve as the story progressed, and I was able to complete it.
This was a pretty cute read. I liked it better than When Dimple Met Rishi - tho mainly because I dislike multi-pov especially in romances, I always felt like I knew exactly where everyone was at with that one which didn't really lend it any dramatic tension. This one is almost entirely Twinkle's pov, told via her journal entries with small pepperings of Sahil's pov through texts and emails between him and his friends that were mostly cute and fit nicely.
I always find this type of storytelling amusing because it takes me so long to write even a page by hand that I just imagine Twinkle spending like a hella long time writing in her journal while she's like in the middle of hanging out with someone.
I liked how everyone had their shit to deal with and no one was really like a bad person. Even the like "mean girls" ended up being pretty ok and just having their own issues to sort through. That being said Twinkle went totally off the rails around Victoria's party. Like I feel like her actions half made sense but mostly I was just like damn girl calm down. She was out for blood and while I kinda understood where she was coming from since she had been treated pretty poorly in the past...yikes. But also I didn't really buy the complete turnaround on people's treatment of her, it seemed like it was probably more in her head but then Sahil also commented on it. IDK.
The plot was pretty light, the whole movie making thing was pretty lightly sprinkled in and it's basically just about two people working together and falling in love. It was painfully obvious who Twinkle's secret admirer was lol. I liked how Twinkle addressed all her journal entries to female directors, I thought that was cute.
Overall a cute read, but not one I'm clamoring to read again. It felt pretty immature which probably just indicates that this is more on the Y end of YA.
Reviewed for an island prompt in the Book Coven Pirate Challenge
I always find this type of storytelling amusing because it takes me so long to write even a page by hand that I just imagine Twinkle spending like a hella long time writing in her journal while she's like in the middle of hanging out with someone.
I liked how everyone had their shit to deal with and no one was really like a bad person. Even the like "mean girls" ended up being pretty ok and just having their own issues to sort through. That being said Twinkle went totally off the rails around Victoria's party. Like I feel like her actions half made sense but mostly I was just like damn girl calm down. She was out for blood and while I kinda understood where she was coming from since she had been treated pretty poorly in the past...yikes. But also I didn't really buy the complete turnaround on people's treatment of her, it seemed like it was probably more in her head but then Sahil also commented on it. IDK.
The plot was pretty light, the whole movie making thing was pretty lightly sprinkled in and it's basically just about two people working together and falling in love. It was painfully obvious who Twinkle's secret admirer was lol. I liked how Twinkle addressed all her journal entries to female directors, I thought that was cute.
Overall a cute read, but not one I'm clamoring to read again. It felt pretty immature which probably just indicates that this is more on the Y end of YA.
Reviewed for an island prompt in the Book Coven Pirate Challenge
I enjoyed Sandhya Menon other book, When Dimple Met Rishi. So, I knew I wanted to read more books by her. I love the geekiness and passion that these characters share. For me, this was a perfect summer read, I read it in just one day. It’s a contemporary, yet still, not just that, enjoy the film part of this book. It’s become a favorite theme of mine to read about. I liked how the story was told, as in letters.
As much as I did enjoy and have fun with these characters, there were some relationships that I wasn’t a fan of, and I wasn’t a fan of the girl on girl hating. (Even though I know its a real part of life, it just hurts to know that it's a part of our world.) But I do like the outcome of many relationships. My favorite parts of this book was when they had Twinkle and Sahil in them. I felt that the fit together and plays so well off of each other.
This book did bring me smiles but I wasn’t expecting to cry and at the end of this book I did cry.
With that said, I’m a fan of Sandhya Menon. Her writing is light and passionate while still being truthful. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Don’t forget to sparkle!!
As much as I did enjoy and have fun with these characters, there were some relationships that I wasn’t a fan of, and I wasn’t a fan of the girl on girl hating. (Even though I know its a real part of life, it just hurts to know that it's a part of our world.) But I do like the outcome of many relationships. My favorite parts of this book was when they had Twinkle and Sahil in them. I felt that the fit together and plays so well off of each other.
This book did bring me smiles but I wasn’t expecting to cry and at the end of this book I did cry.
With that said, I’m a fan of Sandhya Menon. Her writing is light and passionate while still being truthful. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Don’t forget to sparkle!!
For Twinkle, high school is split into two worlds--the invisible "groundlings" and the popular "silk feathered hats." When she has the opportunity to show off her skill and gain an upgrade from groundling to the world of silks, Twinkle uses her skills as a budding director to merge the two worlds and make a masterpiece in the process. Unfortunately, one crush, one secret admirer, and one equally-passionate fellow groundling make that just a bit more complicated than Twinkle was hoping for.
The excitably passionate, aspiring director Twinkle Mehra has a distinct, energetic voice that moves the story forward from the first page. Her story is told through a series of journal entries to her favorite female filmmakers, emails, and text messages, which provides an aftermath recap of Twinkle's experiences. While it's easy to connect to Twinkle's point of view of high school and friendships as a "groundling," the story and Twinkle's adorkable charm eventually lose their steam. Twinkle's emotions run towards the dramatic as the story reaches its falling action, but then again, high school always has a flare of drama to begin with.
All in all, this story starts with a riveting, rushing pace that should keep readers moving to the last page. The adorkable, film-loving, passion-driven Twinkle is sure to snag your attention with a voice that lives right off the page.
The excitably passionate, aspiring director Twinkle Mehra has a distinct, energetic voice that moves the story forward from the first page. Her story is told through a series of journal entries to her favorite female filmmakers, emails, and text messages, which provides an aftermath recap of Twinkle's experiences. While it's easy to connect to Twinkle's point of view of high school and friendships as a "groundling," the story and Twinkle's adorkable charm eventually lose their steam. Twinkle's emotions run towards the dramatic as the story reaches its falling action, but then again, high school always has a flare of drama to begin with.
All in all, this story starts with a riveting, rushing pace that should keep readers moving to the last page. The adorkable, film-loving, passion-driven Twinkle is sure to snag your attention with a voice that lives right off the page.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not as great as it could have been. I feel like the author was trying a bit too hard near the beginning to make this book be cute, funny, and modern, but it all came out as obnoxious. The main character, Twinkle, was so annoying and ignorant throughout the first half of the book.
From Twinkle, with Love is an epistolary novel told through the eyes of Twinkle Mehra, an aspiring filmmaker. Each of her letters are addressed to famous female directors Twinkle has admired ever since she was young such a Sofia Coppola and Nora Ephron. The format reminded me a little of Stephen Chboksy's The Perks of Being a Wallflower, where the main character, Charlie, would address each of his letters/ diary entries to "friend." Twinkle is a wallflower herself who has just recently lost her best friend Maddie to the silk feathered hats (aka the popular girls). Twinkle refers to herself as a groundling, a reference to Shakespeare's time when the poor (who couldn't afford the balcony) had to stand on the ground for hours and watch the play.
When Sahil Roy, a film geek asks Twinkle to direct a movie for their school's festival, Twinkle sees it as her chance to finally leave her groundling status behind. Also, this gives her a perfect opportunity to get close to Sahil's twin brother, Neil, the boy she's had a crush on ever since she was young. As Twinkle begins to unleash her vision, she starts receiving anonymous emails from "N," who claims to have a huge crush on her, and Twinkle is sure that it must be Neil Roy. But, as Twinkle begins to spend more time around his brother, Sahil, Twinkle becomes conflicted. Should she give up her longtime dream of becoming Neil's girlfriend, or should she follow her heart?
From Twinkle, with Love is an adorable contemporary romance novel. I immediately adored how Twinkle's voice was able to shine through her letters. She is an optimistic aspiring film maker who is a bit unsure of herself. As Twinkle begins to create her dream film that will launch her to ultimate stardom, she begins to lose herself in her newfound power as a director. Twinkle's lack of self-confidence was explored in a very different way than many contemporary young adult novels. It isn't because she is concerned about her looks that she needs to receive validation from the most popular boy in school. Instead, Twinkle's struggle with self-esteem is much deeper and stems out of her relationship with her parents. I really liked how the author explored this dynamic.
All in all, I would recommend From Twinkle, with Love to fans of contemporary romance novels. It is well worth the read.
When Sahil Roy, a film geek asks Twinkle to direct a movie for their school's festival, Twinkle sees it as her chance to finally leave her groundling status behind. Also, this gives her a perfect opportunity to get close to Sahil's twin brother, Neil, the boy she's had a crush on ever since she was young. As Twinkle begins to unleash her vision, she starts receiving anonymous emails from "N," who claims to have a huge crush on her, and Twinkle is sure that it must be Neil Roy. But, as Twinkle begins to spend more time around his brother, Sahil, Twinkle becomes conflicted. Should she give up her longtime dream of becoming Neil's girlfriend, or should she follow her heart?
From Twinkle, with Love is an adorable contemporary romance novel. I immediately adored how Twinkle's voice was able to shine through her letters. She is an optimistic aspiring film maker who is a bit unsure of herself. As Twinkle begins to create her dream film that will launch her to ultimate stardom, she begins to lose herself in her newfound power as a director. Twinkle's lack of self-confidence was explored in a very different way than many contemporary young adult novels. It isn't because she is concerned about her looks that she needs to receive validation from the most popular boy in school. Instead, Twinkle's struggle with self-esteem is much deeper and stems out of her relationship with her parents. I really liked how the author explored this dynamic.
All in all, I would recommend From Twinkle, with Love to fans of contemporary romance novels. It is well worth the read.
ahhhhh the cute, fluffy, happy coming of age book that I didn’t know I needed 🥰