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A review by caffeineaddict980
Enter Title Here by Naomi Kanakia
5.0
‘All successful people have a hook.’
Reshma is an overachiever and she will do anything to be the best. She needs something to set her apart from the other applicants applying for Stanford University, so what does she do?
Write a novel, of course.
This process leads her down a path of self-discovery and helps her come to an important realisation, maybe being successful isn’t all that matters after all?
We see Reshma’s workaholic personality only increase throughout the novel and learn that she also has an unhealthy addiction to Adderall. In comparison to her overachieving, ambitious, perfectionist side to her personality we see that simultaneously it brings out the worst in her. In comparison to this she can be manipulative, self-absorbed and nasty, going as far as she possibly can to achieve her means, which does include blackmail.
When we first meet Reshma she is only interested in having relationships (romantic and otherwise) to gain material to help her novel become more relatable and digestible for readers. As the novel carries on, particularly towards the end, we see her redeem herself in this and ultimately realise that meaningful relationships are important and occasionally, give her some insight into her own behaviour and how she can improve herself.
Mental health plays an extremely important part in this novel - as we watch Reshma achieve her goals, her mental health continues to spiral, up until a pivotal scene in the novel where Reshma is pushed to her lowest point.
Upon the realisation that she might not be able to get into Stanford after all of her past actions, she discusses her novel with her therapist as they try and come up with conclusive endings and with the main character of that novel being herself, they begin to talk in metaphors and hypothetical situations which eventually gets to the point of her main character committing suicide.
After having a manic episode and not sleeping for days on end as she works on her novel, she ends up taking too many Adderall pills and nearly dies from an overdose – this makes Reshma re-evaluate some things, but soon enough, she’s back to her self-destructive obsession with being perfect and the best at everything.
In the end of the novel, Reshma has finally gotten the Stanford place that she wanted after all and has managed to help her parents with issues surrounding their old business. She has also learned about who she really is and wants to be, reflecting on herself, her actions, and her qualities.
As for the novel she has written, it does get seen and even her newfound friends help her unpick it and even add to it in sections, finding things out about themselves and how they personally could improve themselves from reading the novel.
Overall, this is an amazing debut novel about perfectionism and is relatable for all ages, not just limited to young adults specifically! I found this novel relatable in sections and thought it was a well thought out and coherent novel to read.
Reshma is an overachiever and she will do anything to be the best. She needs something to set her apart from the other applicants applying for Stanford University, so what does she do?
Write a novel, of course.
This process leads her down a path of self-discovery and helps her come to an important realisation, maybe being successful isn’t all that matters after all?
We see Reshma’s workaholic personality only increase throughout the novel and learn that she also has an unhealthy addiction to Adderall. In comparison to her overachieving, ambitious, perfectionist side to her personality we see that simultaneously it brings out the worst in her. In comparison to this she can be manipulative, self-absorbed and nasty, going as far as she possibly can to achieve her means, which does include blackmail.
When we first meet Reshma she is only interested in having relationships (romantic and otherwise) to gain material to help her novel become more relatable and digestible for readers. As the novel carries on, particularly towards the end, we see her redeem herself in this and ultimately realise that meaningful relationships are important and occasionally, give her some insight into her own behaviour and how she can improve herself.
Mental health plays an extremely important part in this novel - as we watch Reshma achieve her goals, her mental health continues to spiral, up until a pivotal scene in the novel where Reshma is pushed to her lowest point.
Upon the realisation that she might not be able to get into Stanford after all of her past actions, she discusses her novel with her therapist as they try and come up with conclusive endings and with the main character of that novel being herself, they begin to talk in metaphors and hypothetical situations which eventually gets to the point of her main character committing suicide.
After having a manic episode and not sleeping for days on end as she works on her novel, she ends up taking too many Adderall pills and nearly dies from an overdose – this makes Reshma re-evaluate some things, but soon enough, she’s back to her self-destructive obsession with being perfect and the best at everything.
In the end of the novel, Reshma has finally gotten the Stanford place that she wanted after all and has managed to help her parents with issues surrounding their old business. She has also learned about who she really is and wants to be, reflecting on herself, her actions, and her qualities.
As for the novel she has written, it does get seen and even her newfound friends help her unpick it and even add to it in sections, finding things out about themselves and how they personally could improve themselves from reading the novel.
Overall, this is an amazing debut novel about perfectionism and is relatable for all ages, not just limited to young adults specifically! I found this novel relatable in sections and thought it was a well thought out and coherent novel to read.