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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Sandhya Menon's books are like my crack. If When Dimple Met Rishi was the literary equivalent of a sugary sweet iced coffee that you can't help but suck down too quickly, Twinkle, in a similar vein, is a peanut butter chocolate morsel of a book that I devoured. Extra love for all of the film refs - I think I'm gonna go watch some movies by badass female directors now.
The first Sandhya Menon book I’ve finished and I’m so glad that I gave this author a second chance (sadly, I couldn’t finish her debut novel) because From Twinkle, with Love is messy, endearing, and heartwarming. I loved it.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
I think the subject matter of this is super fun- a young Indian girl trying to make her name as a filmmaker in a white mans field (aren’t they ALL though?). But the “drama” that she encounters is pretty superficial and somewhat boring to read. Like as a character she just got super annoying despite her desire to do something world-changing. Some kids may really enjoy seeing themselves in this and the drama may be more tolerable to a younger person (though I’ve read more contemporary lately and didn’t have this issue in other books), but this wasn’t for me.
I really enjoyed this book. Menon writes From Twinkle, With Love in letter form, which is something I really detest reading. But somehow this was perfect for this story. Twinkle writes a diary as she documents her story, but she writes each entry to a female film maker, and puts in enough detail about conversations and happenings so it feels like you’re not really reading a letter. The other thing Menon does is intersperse Twinkle’s letters with chat conversations had between Sahil and his friends, and a few online entries of Sahil’s for a blog he writes but no one reads.
Read the full review on This Splendid Shambles.
Read the full review on This Splendid Shambles.
3.5, but rounded up because I could actually see myself re-reading this
I absolutely adored Sandhya Menon's first book When Dimple Met Rishi, so this is a book I was highly anticipating. I was fortunate enough to receive this book through NetGalley and devoured it last weekend. When Dimple Met Rishi is probably one of my favourite books of last year, and From Twinkle, With Love has solidified Sandhya Menon as one of my new favourite authors.
I love the Indian culture which is seamlessly woven throughout both novels. The characters felt really well-developed and I enjoyed seeing the differing family dynamics.
Twinkle attends a private school which is full of rich and privileged people. In comparison, Twinkle is significantly less well off than her peers which she is acutely aware of. In fact, throughout the novel Twinkle brings up her "tiny house" and compares herself to her wealthier classmates.
I loved Twinkle's Didi. She was undoubtedly my favourite character (joint with Sahil I must admit). She was loving towards Twinkle which is not something that was seen much from Twinkle's parents. She was eccentric and I would have loved to have seen some of her more dangerous antics that were mentioned.
From Twinkle, With Love has a very different storyline to When Dimple Met Rishi however it is equally as lovable and highly adorkable. I'm already planning a re-read of them both before the release of There's Something About Sweetie.
I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review in any way.
I love the Indian culture which is seamlessly woven throughout both novels. The characters felt really well-developed and I enjoyed seeing the differing family dynamics.
Twinkle attends a private school which is full of rich and privileged people. In comparison, Twinkle is significantly less well off than her peers which she is acutely aware of. In fact, throughout the novel Twinkle brings up her "tiny house" and compares herself to her wealthier classmates.
I loved Twinkle's Didi. She was undoubtedly my favourite character (joint with Sahil I must admit). She was loving towards Twinkle which is not something that was seen much from Twinkle's parents. She was eccentric and I would have loved to have seen some of her more dangerous antics that were mentioned.
From Twinkle, With Love has a very different storyline to When Dimple Met Rishi however it is equally as lovable and highly adorkable. I'm already planning a re-read of them both before the release of There's Something About Sweetie.
I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review in any way.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
This was my second time reading this book so I thought I'd finally get around to writing a review for it.
This story follows a girl named Twinkle who is a wannabe filmaker. She has dreams of being noticed by the world and has a want to tell the stories that aren't told by other people. She's struggling because her best friend has faded away from her. She thinks that if she starts dating Neil Roy, that she will finally be noticed. That is until Neil's twin brother Sahil, who may also have a crush on Twinkle, approaches her and asks if she wants to make a short film for this film festival which Twinkle agrees to. Things only get more complicated when a secret admirer enters the picture, who Twinkle is convinced is Neil, along with the fact that her feelings are only growing for Sahil.
This is another book that when I reread it, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first time, but it will always hold a special place in my heart and I still would consider it one of my favourite books. I'm finding when I reread books lately, I'm noticing a lot of things that I either forgot about the first time or am just reevaluating differently because I'm older now. The last time I read this book was two years ago and I absolutely fell in love with it.
This story is such a cute and fluffy contemporary with a cute, nerdy romance that I adore. Sahil is one of my favourite male fictional characters ever. I'm a sucker for nerds and he's such a sweetie who cares a whole lot for Twinkle. The romance is really sweet. Twinkle has to reevaluate what she thought she wanted when Sahil comes into the picture and she starts to realize that he's her dream guy rather than who she originally thought her dream guy was. Overall, they really click well and have amazing chemistry.
I loved the short film. I thought it was such a fun aspect of the story. I've always wanted to make a short film as an aspiring filmmaker myself like Twinkle.
I feel like some people may find Twinkle unlikable, but I found her incredibly flawed which is part of what makes her a good character. She makes a lot of dumb decisions in the story and can never seem to make up her mind which can sometimes come off as annoying, but it shows that her character is human and far from perfect. She's someone I could relate to as we have the same dreams. I also could relate to her want to fit in with people as I struggled with that all my life in school. She just wanted to be noticed which I felt was very realistic.
The two things I forgot when rereading this book, was her secret admirer and her friendship with Maddie. So let's start with the secret admirer plot line. I forgot about this entirely and while I remembered how some parts went, I thought I knew who it was, and turns out just like the first time I read this, I was fooled once again. I think it's great if a book can not only shock you once, but twice.
I found upon reread, I strongly disliked her friendship with Maddie as I found she was one of the worst best friends I've ever read about. The friendship felt a lot more self serving to Maddie and what she could get out of it. She's the type of person that won't stand up for you when someone else is talking crap about you. Maddie stops really talking to Twinkle to start hanging out with the popular crowd which I think is a jerk move from Maddie's part. She also just allows her friends to talk crap about Twinkle and doesn't defend her. When Twinkle tries to tell Maddie on how her friends make her feel, she constantly brushes Twinkle off or will stand up for her friends. Twinkle puts a lot more effort into the relationship compared to Maddie. In my opinion she doesn't deserve Twinkles friendship.
Overall though, this book holds a special place in my heart and I'm glad I got around to rereading it.
This story follows a girl named Twinkle who is a wannabe filmaker. She has dreams of being noticed by the world and has a want to tell the stories that aren't told by other people. She's struggling because her best friend has faded away from her. She thinks that if she starts dating Neil Roy, that she will finally be noticed. That is until Neil's twin brother Sahil, who may also have a crush on Twinkle, approaches her and asks if she wants to make a short film for this film festival which Twinkle agrees to. Things only get more complicated when a secret admirer enters the picture, who Twinkle is convinced is Neil, along with the fact that her feelings are only growing for Sahil.
This is another book that when I reread it, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first time, but it will always hold a special place in my heart and I still would consider it one of my favourite books. I'm finding when I reread books lately, I'm noticing a lot of things that I either forgot about the first time or am just reevaluating differently because I'm older now. The last time I read this book was two years ago and I absolutely fell in love with it.
This story is such a cute and fluffy contemporary with a cute, nerdy romance that I adore. Sahil is one of my favourite male fictional characters ever. I'm a sucker for nerds and he's such a sweetie who cares a whole lot for Twinkle. The romance is really sweet. Twinkle has to reevaluate what she thought she wanted when Sahil comes into the picture and she starts to realize that he's her dream guy rather than who she originally thought her dream guy was. Overall, they really click well and have amazing chemistry.
I loved the short film. I thought it was such a fun aspect of the story. I've always wanted to make a short film as an aspiring filmmaker myself like Twinkle.
I feel like some people may find Twinkle unlikable, but I found her incredibly flawed which is part of what makes her a good character. She makes a lot of dumb decisions in the story and can never seem to make up her mind which can sometimes come off as annoying, but it shows that her character is human and far from perfect. She's someone I could relate to as we have the same dreams. I also could relate to her want to fit in with people as I struggled with that all my life in school. She just wanted to be noticed which I felt was very realistic.
The two things I forgot when rereading this book, was her secret admirer and her friendship with Maddie. So let's start with the secret admirer plot line. I forgot about this entirely and while I remembered how some parts went, I thought I knew who it was, and turns out just like the first time I read this, I was fooled once again. I think it's great if a book can not only shock you once, but twice.
I found upon reread, I strongly disliked her friendship with Maddie as I found she was one of the worst best friends I've ever read about. The friendship felt a lot more self serving to Maddie and what she could get out of it. She's the type of person that won't stand up for you when someone else is talking crap about you. Maddie stops really talking to Twinkle to start hanging out with the popular crowd which I think is a jerk move from Maddie's part. She also just allows her friends to talk crap about Twinkle and doesn't defend her. When Twinkle tries to tell Maddie on how her friends make her feel, she constantly brushes Twinkle off or will stand up for her friends. Twinkle puts a lot more effort into the relationship compared to Maddie. In my opinion she doesn't deserve Twinkles friendship.
Overall though, this book holds a special place in my heart and I'm glad I got around to rereading it.
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss. This is an honest review.*
I absolutely loved Sandhya Menon’s first book When Dimple Met Rishi and it has become a favorite amongst my students. Due to this, I was super excited about getting to read From Twinkle With Love, and it did not disappoint.
I will admit to being a bit worried when I first started reading the book. I felt some growing trepidation when, within the first few letters of the book, I was able to predict where large parts of the story were going. However, Menon’s brilliance is in how enjoyable the read is, even if the plot may seem a bit predictable. I loved all the characters in the story, especially Twinkle and Sahil. All of the scenes with these two characters were so much fun to read and it was really easy to root for both characters (even if there were some feelings of frustration about one or the other being a bit unobservant every now and then). Furthermore, I enjoyed that this book was not just an exploration of romantic relationships but also of friendships. All around, the relationships between characters were incredibly believable and interesting.
The form of the writing was really wonderful as well. Twinkle writing letters to her favorite female directors was really cool and often times helped to shape what the letter was going to be about. Also, as somebody who is not well versed in Indian films at all, her letters to Indian directors were especially interesting to me and makes me want to branch out and watch some of the films she describes. Furthermore, the coupling of texts between Sahil and his friends to help tell his side of the story was incredibly well done, and it was the perfect way to break from an interesting style while also accounting for how we could get a different perspective that was not too jarring or mimicking Twinkle’s method too closely.
Overall I would definitely recommend this as a fun read. It is quick and the characters are wonderful. If you are looking to be surprised by loads of twists this book may not be for you, but if you are interested in a nice story with some great humor definitely check it out. I am sure I will have a copy in my classroom for students, and I would be surprised if it is not constantly being checked out.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
I absolutely loved Sandhya Menon’s first book When Dimple Met Rishi and it has become a favorite amongst my students. Due to this, I was super excited about getting to read From Twinkle With Love, and it did not disappoint.
I will admit to being a bit worried when I first started reading the book. I felt some growing trepidation when, within the first few letters of the book, I was able to predict where large parts of the story were going. However, Menon’s brilliance is in how enjoyable the read is, even if the plot may seem a bit predictable. I loved all the characters in the story, especially Twinkle and Sahil. All of the scenes with these two characters were so much fun to read and it was really easy to root for both characters (even if there were some feelings of frustration about one or the other being a bit unobservant every now and then). Furthermore, I enjoyed that this book was not just an exploration of romantic relationships but also of friendships. All around, the relationships between characters were incredibly believable and interesting.
The form of the writing was really wonderful as well. Twinkle writing letters to her favorite female directors was really cool and often times helped to shape what the letter was going to be about. Also, as somebody who is not well versed in Indian films at all, her letters to Indian directors were especially interesting to me and makes me want to branch out and watch some of the films she describes. Furthermore, the coupling of texts between Sahil and his friends to help tell his side of the story was incredibly well done, and it was the perfect way to break from an interesting style while also accounting for how we could get a different perspective that was not too jarring or mimicking Twinkle’s method too closely.
Overall I would definitely recommend this as a fun read. It is quick and the characters are wonderful. If you are looking to be surprised by loads of twists this book may not be for you, but if you are interested in a nice story with some great humor definitely check it out. I am sure I will have a copy in my classroom for students, and I would be surprised if it is not constantly being checked out.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
3.5 stars This was adorable and I think I would have absolutely loved it as a teenager. It was a little less cute reading it as an adult but I still enjoyed it.
Here's why:
-This reads really young. Twinkle is very naive, though I don't feel like she started the book that way. Somehow along the way she gets stuck in this dream-self idea she's always had and how she was going to achieve that ideal and that whole plotline just seems very young and naive and got pretty annoying after a while for readers who know what's going on.
-I liked the way Twinkle had to deal with some real emotional situations, both with her best friend and her mother. Those two situations felt very relatable and painful. I wish she would have been able to talk to them without throwing her pain back at them but her responses to those individual situations felt realistic.
-I'm tired of girl on girl hate. And I hated the movie Mean Girls, which followed a sort of similar idea to the book. I know girls can be mean to each other and this might read more realistic to those still in school but it just got way out of hand for me.
-Sahil was the absolute best. The moments between him and Twinkle are the best parts of the book. And Dadi. And his parents. I wish there could have been more of those moments.
-I thought the letter writing would bother me because of how it starts out but it actually ended up being pretty cute and worked really well.
-The ending was cute and sweet and completely unrealistic. As a teen, I'd be screaming in delight but as a slightly jaded adult, I admit to rolling my eyes a teeny, tiny bit.
Overall, while I wasn't a huge fan of the secret admirer bit or this ideal romance bit she clung to for far too long, this was still actually pretty cute. It has quite a bit of my less favorite YA tropes and kind of a strange love square, the characters and their journeys felt relatable enough to see why so many people will love this one. Also, Sahil and Dadi save this book for me. And Victoria even a bit near the end there. It just goes to show that you never know how your story will end no matter how you plan for it and not to write people off just because of who you think they might be. And always remember to be true to yourself. Because in the end, you can't control anyone else but you can decide how you will react and what you put out in the world. I really hope fans of YA romance and teen rom coms get the chance to pick this up and fall in love with it.
Here's why:
-This reads really young. Twinkle is very naive, though I don't feel like she started the book that way. Somehow along the way she gets stuck in this dream-self idea she's always had and how she was going to achieve that ideal and that whole plotline just seems very young and naive and got pretty annoying after a while for readers who know what's going on.
-I liked the way Twinkle had to deal with some real emotional situations, both with her best friend and her mother. Those two situations felt very relatable and painful. I wish she would have been able to talk to them without throwing her pain back at them but her responses to those individual situations felt realistic.
-I'm tired of girl on girl hate. And I hated the movie Mean Girls, which followed a sort of similar idea to the book. I know girls can be mean to each other and this might read more realistic to those still in school but it just got way out of hand for me.
-Sahil was the absolute best. The moments between him and Twinkle are the best parts of the book. And Dadi. And his parents. I wish there could have been more of those moments.
-I thought the letter writing would bother me because of how it starts out but it actually ended up being pretty cute and worked really well.
-The ending was cute and sweet and completely unrealistic. As a teen, I'd be screaming in delight but as a slightly jaded adult, I admit to rolling my eyes a teeny, tiny bit.
Overall, while I wasn't a huge fan of the secret admirer bit or this ideal romance bit she clung to for far too long, this was still actually pretty cute. It has quite a bit of my less favorite YA tropes and kind of a strange love square, the characters and their journeys felt relatable enough to see why so many people will love this one. Also, Sahil and Dadi save this book for me. And Victoria even a bit near the end there. It just goes to show that you never know how your story will end no matter how you plan for it and not to write people off just because of who you think they might be. And always remember to be true to yourself. Because in the end, you can't control anyone else but you can decide how you will react and what you put out in the world. I really hope fans of YA romance and teen rom coms get the chance to pick this up and fall in love with it.
Twinkle is an aspiring film director that makes a gender bender Dracula for her schools end of the year talent show, A Midsummer Night.
She has always seen herself as invisible, a “groundling”, and all she wants is to raise her social standing to the “Silk Feathered Hats” like her ex-bff Maddie.
I gave this story 3.5 out of 5 stars. I think the idea behind the story is super cute, and I was looking forward to the romance that I was sure was going to take place after reading Menon’s previous story. I really did enjoy the overall story, but there were pieces of Twinkle’s character that really started to make me mad.
She spends the whole beginning of the book obsessing over a boy, but only on how he can raise her social standings and not on the boy himself. So, when she comes in contact with a boy that actually likes her for who she is, she brushes him aside because she wants someone better. That really annoyed me. That unfortunately was just the start. She goes into a spiral of bad behavior and bad decisions that ended up making me really mad at her. At first I thought she was naive but in the end I was just mad.
Of course the book did end up all good. Menon did a wonderful job of making Twinkle and some of the side characters grow and change, and I really appreciated that. I ended up finishing the book very happy, I just didn’t get why Twinkle hit such a low in the process of growth. It didn’t seem very realistic for her character to change that much so quickly.
The last little critique I have, like Dimple, we didn’t get to see any of her creative process or the movie she was making. We only heard about it in passing. I want to see more then the teen angst, I want to see the art too.
Overall, I will be reading more from Menon. I have been liking her books very much.
She has always seen herself as invisible, a “groundling”, and all she wants is to raise her social standing to the “Silk Feathered Hats” like her ex-bff Maddie.
I gave this story 3.5 out of 5 stars. I think the idea behind the story is super cute, and I was looking forward to the romance that I was sure was going to take place after reading Menon’s previous story. I really did enjoy the overall story, but there were pieces of Twinkle’s character that really started to make me mad.
She spends the whole beginning of the book obsessing over a boy, but only on how he can raise her social standings and not on the boy himself. So, when she comes in contact with a boy that actually likes her for who she is, she brushes him aside because she wants someone better. That really annoyed me. That unfortunately was just the start. She goes into a spiral of bad behavior and bad decisions that ended up making me really mad at her. At first I thought she was naive but in the end I was just mad.
Of course the book did end up all good. Menon did a wonderful job of making Twinkle and some of the side characters grow and change, and I really appreciated that. I ended up finishing the book very happy, I just didn’t get why Twinkle hit such a low in the process of growth. It didn’t seem very realistic for her character to change that much so quickly.
The last little critique I have, like Dimple, we didn’t get to see any of her creative process or the movie she was making. We only heard about it in passing. I want to see more then the teen angst, I want to see the art too.
Overall, I will be reading more from Menon. I have been liking her books very much.