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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
This review is so hard for me to write! 3 stars seems too low for such a sweet and fun story. I really loved the concept and how the story played out, but it’s the execution that has me keeping this from a 4. I felt like some of the writing would get too juvenile at points, where it read more of a middle-grade level than a young adult. That really was my biggest complaint because I did enjoy the relationships of the characters and the element of family closeness while battling obligation and cultural pressures. It just felt hard to read and forced at some points, which is what took me so long to finally finish.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love the Trini Indian rep! The MCs are very cute in this sort of rivals to sweethearts story. Zuri sometimes got on my nerves with her catastrophic inner monolgue, but it lightens up toward the end of the book. While I love all the descriptions of food and clothes, it started to feel like long lists were scattered throughout just to up the word count. The resolution was very sweet, but I would have loved a little epilogue with a peek into the future. The banter was funny and the side characters were loveable. I would try another book from this author.
I’m a huge fan of Sajni Patel’s adult books so I was super curious to see what her YA books were like (I have not read THE KNOCKOUT but it’s on my TBR). Plus, nothing says desi culture like a big wedding and I have missed out on wedding season for so many years now that I was just ready to get immersed in all the wedding vibes.
We follow Zurika in this story, an aspiring violinist in her senior year of high school with designs on Juilliard. Her older sister is also getting married so it’s a pretty hectic time for her!
Much her dismay and a large amount of anxiety, her only shot of getting into Juilliard comes by in the form of a contest that’s being judged by top college scouts…. right smack dab in the middle of wedding festivities.
Zuri is a little bit of a troublemaker in her family – she’s fiercely independent, scrappy and sometimes impulsive and out-spoken. Yet despite those qualities of her that are not really desirable in a brown girl, she is extremely loyal and considerate of her family and their feelings. Her biggest fear is letting her family down.
That’s why the internal struggle in Zuri is so compelling in this story – she’s trying to toe the line between staying true to herself and following her dreams while still managing the expectations of her family’s – something that I think any diaspora child can relate to, no matter which culture you belong to.
While I liked the love interest, Naveen, I didn’t feel too much chemistry between him and Zuri. This book is marketed as an enemies-to-lovers type of situation and while, yes, they totally are enemies at first (he’s competing in the same competition as her), I feel like they definitely end up as friends as opposed to love interests – despite how much their respective families were pushing them together.
I did love the meddlesome, matching making aunties in this. They felt so visceral and real – this is totally how aunties in real life behave and Zuri definitely handled it much better than I did when I was in high school!
I especially adored the commentary about how brown families tend to value STEM and Zuri, who wishes to pursue music full time, definitely has a chip on her shoulder regarding this – for good reason! We definitely need more artists and non-traditional career paths to be more accepted in our community.
The descriptors of the food and clothes made me super nostalgic as well and had me wishing that one of my friends would get married soon so that I could dress up in a fancy salwar kameez or lehenga and eat all the delicious wedding foods!
What was really, especially fascinating to me was that this book had Indian-Trinidadian diaspora representation. This demographic is woefully underrepresented in brown communities so the unapologetic portrayal of it was heartening.
Overall, this was a really great book that portrays the difficulty of staying true to yourself and your goals while still honoring your cultural traditions and background – without compromising the either of the two.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
We follow Zurika in this story, an aspiring violinist in her senior year of high school with designs on Juilliard. Her older sister is also getting married so it’s a pretty hectic time for her!
Much her dismay and a large amount of anxiety, her only shot of getting into Juilliard comes by in the form of a contest that’s being judged by top college scouts…. right smack dab in the middle of wedding festivities.
Zuri is a little bit of a troublemaker in her family – she’s fiercely independent, scrappy and sometimes impulsive and out-spoken. Yet despite those qualities of her that are not really desirable in a brown girl, she is extremely loyal and considerate of her family and their feelings. Her biggest fear is letting her family down.
That’s why the internal struggle in Zuri is so compelling in this story – she’s trying to toe the line between staying true to herself and following her dreams while still managing the expectations of her family’s – something that I think any diaspora child can relate to, no matter which culture you belong to.
While I liked the love interest, Naveen, I didn’t feel too much chemistry between him and Zuri. This book is marketed as an enemies-to-lovers type of situation and while, yes, they totally are enemies at first (he’s competing in the same competition as her), I feel like they definitely end up as friends as opposed to love interests – despite how much their respective families were pushing them together.
I did love the meddlesome, matching making aunties in this. They felt so visceral and real – this is totally how aunties in real life behave and Zuri definitely handled it much better than I did when I was in high school!
I especially adored the commentary about how brown families tend to value STEM and Zuri, who wishes to pursue music full time, definitely has a chip on her shoulder regarding this – for good reason! We definitely need more artists and non-traditional career paths to be more accepted in our community.
The descriptors of the food and clothes made me super nostalgic as well and had me wishing that one of my friends would get married soon so that I could dress up in a fancy salwar kameez or lehenga and eat all the delicious wedding foods!
What was really, especially fascinating to me was that this book had Indian-Trinidadian diaspora representation. This demographic is woefully underrepresented in brown communities so the unapologetic portrayal of it was heartening.
Overall, this was a really great book that portrays the difficulty of staying true to yourself and your goals while still honoring your cultural traditions and background – without compromising the either of the two.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
First of all, still not over that exquisite cover. I need a physical copy of this book just to display it. It's everything and more... just like an Indian wedding fr.
Second of all, omg this was so cute
Second of all, omg this was so cute
Cute, fast read. I didn't love the writing - the tone was a little off for me - but I loved all of the descriptions of the clothes and food and traditions.
My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding is a rambunctious, chaotic story about family and music and featuring a swoony enemies-to-lovers romance. With a huge helping of Indian culture, musings on college admission, and handling parental pressures, this fits the bill for upper middle schoolers and high schoolers. Fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen who enjoy family-based stories with a sweet romance subplot will adore this one.
Full review here: https://readingmiddlegrade.com/review-my-sisters-big-fat-indian-wedding/
Full review here: https://readingmiddlegrade.com/review-my-sisters-big-fat-indian-wedding/
DNF @ 12%. Nothing wrong with it, just a little slow and not my taste.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No