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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Just fantastic! I cannot wait for more from this author.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved When Dimple Met Rishi so I was so excited to finally read this book. I’ve been I a mood for sweet, cute, romantic contemporary reads this past month and this one hit the spot. Sandhya is known for writing cute contemporaries, so you know there will be romance in this book too.
Your MC Twinkle has always felt invisible to everyone around her. Her best friend has made new friends and she thinks her parents hate her. She wants to be a filmmaker and be seen by everyone. When she gets the opportunity to film a remake of Dracula she cast most of her classmates that she thinks dislikes her. She is so caught up throughout the book thinking she is completely invisible that she doesn’t see the people looking right at her.
I do admit the writing was a bit different for me in this book because it is written in a journal format. For me this made the book seem more heartfelt and private like you were snooping through a siblings diary. You get to see all of Twinkle’s personal thoughts on things happening around her.
Now I did have a few things that I disliked. One was how unbearable Twinkle became after the first few chapters. She becomes the Director of her movie and completely just goes all out on a power trip and is rude to everyone. She is also extremely mean at times to Sahil and she even writes in her journal about how she’s being unfair to him but never apologizes for it. She is constantly comparing Sahil to his brother Neil, that’s just so low and uncalled for.
There is a ton of diversity in this book and I loved it. Twinkle is Indian American, but there are also characters that are Asian, Black, Catholic, and LGBTQIAP. I loved that there were so many different characters from all sorts of backgrounds, it was amazing.
Overall I did love the book, It was a super cute contemporary. It was just what I need to get me out of my reading slump. I just wish some aspects of the book had gone differently, especially how she treated Sahil. If you loved her first novel When dimple met Rishi you will love this one.
Your MC Twinkle has always felt invisible to everyone around her. Her best friend has made new friends and she thinks her parents hate her. She wants to be a filmmaker and be seen by everyone. When she gets the opportunity to film a remake of Dracula she cast most of her classmates that she thinks dislikes her. She is so caught up throughout the book thinking she is completely invisible that she doesn’t see the people looking right at her.
I do admit the writing was a bit different for me in this book because it is written in a journal format. For me this made the book seem more heartfelt and private like you were snooping through a siblings diary. You get to see all of Twinkle’s personal thoughts on things happening around her.
Now I did have a few things that I disliked. One was how unbearable Twinkle became after the first few chapters. She becomes the Director of her movie and completely just goes all out on a power trip and is rude to everyone. She is also extremely mean at times to Sahil and she even writes in her journal about how she’s being unfair to him but never apologizes for it. She is constantly comparing Sahil to his brother Neil, that’s just so low and uncalled for.
There is a ton of diversity in this book and I loved it. Twinkle is Indian American, but there are also characters that are Asian, Black, Catholic, and LGBTQIAP. I loved that there were so many different characters from all sorts of backgrounds, it was amazing.
Overall I did love the book, It was a super cute contemporary. It was just what I need to get me out of my reading slump. I just wish some aspects of the book had gone differently, especially how she treated Sahil. If you loved her first novel When dimple met Rishi you will love this one.
emotional
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
This was cute and small. I really liked Sahil. Where can I meet one irl??
I adore this book! I enjoy Menon’s writing from the way the words flow to how she makes me laugh. Twinkle is a special protagonist whose vulnerability makes me recall my younger self but also whose strength is remarkable in a young teen. A couple of things within the storyline struck a chord with me. A lot of growing up happens in these pages and I can’t recommend this lovely story enough. ☺️
It was really entertaining book. I liked it a lot. There had a few issues I had, but I believe it's because I kind of outgrown high school characters. But overall, it was fun reading it and Sandhya Menon definitely is now part of my favorite authors list.
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Yeah, 3.5 stars should round up to 4 stars, but whatever. I'm keeping it at 3 stars because 4 stars is like, I really enjoyed it but it didn't make it onto my 'favorites' list. And this book was good, but not really 4 stars. So I'm keeping it at 3.
This book was very Gatsby-like. A poor girl going to school among a bunch of rich people and just wanting to be like them and being in love with another character because he was like, her ticket to rising above and being just like everyone else. Ha, I kept thinking that she was more in love with the idea of him than the guy himself, which of course just made me think of Gatsby (anyone who's taken AP Lang will get that probably. If you haven't, then maybe you will maybe you won't, I don't know).
I think this book was great because of the character development. It's written like a diary and each entry is dedicated to a famous female director. I don't know if this is because of the format it's written in, but I just found Twinkle really annoying and whiny. The first like, half of the book was mostly just her complaining about her social status and how bad her life was. I mean, the plot was moving forward and things were happening, but among all that, she just complained about everything. It was annoying but it also made her character development extremely noticeable. I got a lot of second hand embarrassment for Twinkle, the kind where I cringe and internally die for her even though I didn't like her very much, but couldn't stop reading. But then at the end of the book, she got a lot better and I didn't really dislike her as much.
Overall, would I recommend it? I don't know. There are a lot of books I'd recommend before this, but it's not like this book is at the very bottom of my list. My list of, I don't know, recommendations? Good books? It was very much in the middle, not the best book I've read and not the worst, not really a book I'd recommend but not a book I wouldn't recommend, if that makes sense.
Yeah, 3.5 stars should round up to 4 stars, but whatever. I'm keeping it at 3 stars because 4 stars is like, I really enjoyed it but it didn't make it onto my 'favorites' list. And this book was good, but not really 4 stars. So I'm keeping it at 3.
This book was very Gatsby-like. A poor girl going to school among a bunch of rich people and just wanting to be like them and being in love with another character because he was like, her ticket to rising above and being just like everyone else. Ha, I kept thinking that she was more in love with the idea of him than the guy himself, which of course just made me think of Gatsby (anyone who's taken AP Lang will get that probably. If you haven't, then maybe you will maybe you won't, I don't know).
I think this book was great because of the character development. It's written like a diary and each entry is dedicated to a famous female director. I don't know if this is because of the format it's written in, but I just found Twinkle really annoying and whiny. The first like, half of the book was mostly just her complaining about her social status and how bad her life was. I mean, the plot was moving forward and things were happening, but among all that, she just complained about everything. It was annoying but it also made her character development extremely noticeable. I got a lot of second hand embarrassment for Twinkle, the kind where I cringe and internally die for her even though I didn't like her very much, but couldn't stop reading. But then at the end of the book, she got a lot better and I didn't really dislike her as much.
Overall, would I recommend it? I don't know. There are a lot of books I'd recommend before this, but it's not like this book is at the very bottom of my list. My list of, I don't know, recommendations? Good books? It was very much in the middle, not the best book I've read and not the worst, not really a book I'd recommend but not a book I wouldn't recommend, if that makes sense.
challenging
emotional
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As much as I loved When Dimple Met Rishi, I had a hard time with From Twinkle, with Love. Yes, the diary format writing to the female directors is a great idea, but Twinkle, our main character, is immature. She isn't behaving like a senior in high school; she feels like a seventh-grader with many tantrums.
I also have trouble with Hindi phrases, and I would love to have the translation at the bottom of the page with an asterisk for the audience that doesn't speak Hindi.
I love Twinkle's grandmother, Didi. Yes, it is a very diverse book, but it is flat even though it has potential.
I also have trouble with Hindi phrases, and I would love to have the translation at the bottom of the page with an asterisk for the audience that doesn't speak Hindi.
I love Twinkle's grandmother, Didi. Yes, it is a very diverse book, but it is flat even though it has potential.
