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A review by thebooknerdscorner
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
3.0
Dimple is finally getting to pursue her dreams in STEM without her strict Indian parents pressuring her to get married. . . until she learns that her parents only let her go to the summer camp of her dreams in the hopes that she will hit it off with their candidate for the Ideal Indian Husband after all.
Dimple has always been different than the other kids. As one of the only Indian students and one of the few girls with an interest in computers and coding, Dimple's never felt like she belonged. That is why she is super excited to attend Insomnia Con, a six-week camp in which young web developers and coders get to pitch their apps to investors in the tech industry. Dimple never expects her parents to agree to send her, but she is pleasantly surprised. That is, until she gets on campus and meets Rishi. It turns out that Rishi and Dimple's parents are friends and that they are all on board for a union between Dimple and Rishi. Wanting nothing to do with him and his traditional ways, Dimple wishes him her best and leaves. When circumstances bring them together again and again, Dimple begins to accept that maybe Rishi isn't all that bad.
Over the years, I've heard many things about "When Dimple Met Rishi." Some people praise it as an authentic, diverse romance. Others comment on how funny it is. Some people constantly rant about how cringey the writing is and others can't help but scream about how awful Dimple is. Strangely enough, I kind of agree with all of it. I think many aspects of this book are cringe and Dimple is a pretty awful person, but at the same time, I found this book to be a fine read with plenty of humorous bits. Yes, this book definitely has some issues, but I don't think it's all that terrible in the long run.
First, let's start with Dimple. Personally, I really disliked this woman. She is super selfish, hardly regards her parents' opinions, and is honestly how I'd define a brat. It is neat that she loves technology and that she is super into going to Insomnia Con, but this wasn't enough to redeem her character, especially because the tech element of this book was barely even touched on. She is also really shortsighted, but I know some people really do live in the moment and don't worry much about the future.
Rishi, on the other hand, is much more relatable and down-to-earth. He values the traditions of his people and is looking forward to a life with an arranged marriage. He plans to attend MIT, secure a stable job, and support his family. He's also a funny guy filled with witty quips, is willing to stand up against the injustices in the world, and is willing to realize his shortcomings. I'm not saying that he is perfect, but he is worlds better than Dimple. He recognizes when he is flawed and apologizes for it. Beyond that, he is also willing to change his plans when he realizes that he isn't following his passion in the arts and wants more than his parents' wishes.
Despite having a great disdain for Dimple, I didn't mind the experience of reading about Dimple and Rishi falling for one another. Some things heated up a little fast for me (I mean, the whole book takes place over six weeks), but many people are willing to dive all in rather quickly. After finishing this book though, I can recognize that these two are truly not that great of a couple. But if they make each other happy, who am I to complain? Some of my favorite moments between them was the photo scavenger hunt, the fancy dinner, and them practicing for the talent show.
Something that I found rather odd about this book is that it alternates between Dimple and Rishi's POVs sometimes dozens of times per chapter. I honestly don't know why the author decided to do this, but I found it quite odd. It worked better than I thought it would, but it makes me think that the author wasn't confident that they could portray both characters at one time through a single perspective. It did add to the comedy a couple of times, but that's the only thing this style really has going for it.
Overall, "When Dimple Met Rishi" is an okay romance that had many things going for it. Even though I spent most of this review commenting on some of the less-than-optimal parts of this book, I found it to be a fine read. Long story short, this book is a romance meant to entertain, and I feel that it did that. Yes, it was a bit cliché and it reinforces many negative stereotypes, but this book definitely isn't as bad as many people complain about it being. This book is riddled with really funny moments, and it was solid enough that I think I'll check out the rest of the series someday.
Dimple has always been different than the other kids. As one of the only Indian students and one of the few girls with an interest in computers and coding, Dimple's never felt like she belonged. That is why she is super excited to attend Insomnia Con, a six-week camp in which young web developers and coders get to pitch their apps to investors in the tech industry. Dimple never expects her parents to agree to send her, but she is pleasantly surprised. That is, until she gets on campus and meets Rishi. It turns out that Rishi and Dimple's parents are friends and that they are all on board for a union between Dimple and Rishi. Wanting nothing to do with him and his traditional ways, Dimple wishes him her best and leaves. When circumstances bring them together again and again, Dimple begins to accept that maybe Rishi isn't all that bad.
Over the years, I've heard many things about "When Dimple Met Rishi." Some people praise it as an authentic, diverse romance. Others comment on how funny it is. Some people constantly rant about how cringey the writing is and others can't help but scream about how awful Dimple is. Strangely enough, I kind of agree with all of it. I think many aspects of this book are cringe and Dimple is a pretty awful person, but at the same time, I found this book to be a fine read with plenty of humorous bits. Yes, this book definitely has some issues, but I don't think it's all that terrible in the long run.
First, let's start with Dimple. Personally, I really disliked this woman. She is super selfish, hardly regards her parents' opinions, and is honestly how I'd define a brat. It is neat that she loves technology and that she is super into going to Insomnia Con, but this wasn't enough to redeem her character, especially because the tech element of this book was barely even touched on. She is also really shortsighted, but I know some people really do live in the moment and don't worry much about the future.
Rishi, on the other hand, is much more relatable and down-to-earth. He values the traditions of his people and is looking forward to a life with an arranged marriage. He plans to attend MIT, secure a stable job, and support his family. He's also a funny guy filled with witty quips, is willing to stand up against the injustices in the world, and is willing to realize his shortcomings. I'm not saying that he is perfect, but he is worlds better than Dimple. He recognizes when he is flawed and apologizes for it. Beyond that, he is also willing to change his plans when he realizes that he isn't following his passion in the arts and wants more than his parents' wishes.
Despite having a great disdain for Dimple, I didn't mind the experience of reading about Dimple and Rishi falling for one another. Some things heated up a little fast for me (I mean, the whole book takes place over six weeks), but many people are willing to dive all in rather quickly. After finishing this book though, I can recognize that these two are truly not that great of a couple. But if they make each other happy, who am I to complain? Some of my favorite moments between them was the photo scavenger hunt, the fancy dinner, and them practicing for the talent show.
Something that I found rather odd about this book is that it alternates between Dimple and Rishi's POVs sometimes dozens of times per chapter. I honestly don't know why the author decided to do this, but I found it quite odd. It worked better than I thought it would, but it makes me think that the author wasn't confident that they could portray both characters at one time through a single perspective. It did add to the comedy a couple of times, but that's the only thing this style really has going for it.
Overall, "When Dimple Met Rishi" is an okay romance that had many things going for it. Even though I spent most of this review commenting on some of the less-than-optimal parts of this book, I found it to be a fine read. Long story short, this book is a romance meant to entertain, and I feel that it did that. Yes, it was a bit cliché and it reinforces many negative stereotypes, but this book definitely isn't as bad as many people complain about it being. This book is riddled with really funny moments, and it was solid enough that I think I'll check out the rest of the series someday.