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A review by kaikai1618
There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon
3.0
In this review I go over the pros and cons of this book in detail. I also make multiple comparisons between the first and second book.
While I found nothing to be problematic, it had a cute relationship, and I think it had a good message, there were some aspects I couldn't overlook.
PROS
Culture and Diversity
There was even more culture immersed into this book than the first one. It was interesting to get a look into the Indian American experience. I like that Menon write about her culture frequently and shows how much it can seep onto the everyday life of a teenager. Unlike other books, hers give a more positive look into the small comforts and routines within culture; it's integrated without being demonized or glamorized. There are also many characters of color and one queer relationship. (still better than usual). The relationship between Oliver and Elijah was never blown up to be a huge thing because they were two boys. It felt more realistic that they had a normal problem and it had nothing to do with their gender. Nice change.
Family Dynamic
It is common to have parents barely mentioned or seen in YA books until a climax arrives or a conflict ensues. This is not true for this book. Though Ashish doesn't get along with his parents at first and they are very different, they still love and support him. The family dynamics is very strong. We get a healthy mix of the traditional mindset his parents have, their dedication to their culture, and their flaws. We see how Ashish doesn't feel good enough or like he can live up to the expectation of his parents, as many children of immigrants do. This is also seen from Sweetie's mom. She clearly loves her daughter, but she wants to protect her. She doesn't understand how her comments about Sweetie's weight build up everyday and damage their relationship. There are moments the main characters experience where their parents act in ways they disagree with, and those where they feel closer to them. I have to say that this book captures the complex and dynamic relationship between Asian parents and children. While there are many examples of how Asian Americans feel disconnected or resentful, yet dutiful to their parents, I like the more positive relationship portrayed here (Mostly Ashish). We get to see a lot more of the parent's personalities and love without them being villanized. Instead, they play a vital role parents lack in a lot of YA.
Body Positivity
This book was extremely body positive. Sweetie never wavered on how she felt about herself and I thought that was a nice change. Instead of a book focused on her gaining an understanding of her body's worth, she already knew. It was more about her dealing with her mother's opionion of her weight and getting the confidence to speak up for herself, to not let others drag her back. Sweetie's change in confidence makes sense. It doesn't come out of nowhere and is understandable with her character.
Characters and Female Friend Relationships Improved
The characters in this book were improved from the last. Side characters were a little more apparent. Instead of being cardboard or not mentioned at all (like in the first book except for Celia), we get more dialogue and a sense of sisterhood. A big issue I had with the first book is how much Dimple had an "I'm not like other girls" air about her that's never resolved. Dimple constantly judges women for being different from her. It's clear that this is apart of some internalized misogyny and fear that she will end up domestic and traditional, but it's never solved. The closest she'd disapprove of the more revealing clothing or makeup women wore. In many ways I related to Dimple's character and also had this mindset. This is why I wanted to see her change. Yet, this never happens. The nicest thing she says about any of the girls she doesn't approve of is "she's not as terrible as the others". In this book, Sweetie is genuine to the women around her and she has a strong group of friends. It's clear that they are not at all the focus of the book, but it's nice to see that shift. I saw a lot more girl love and I hope this is Menon's way of making up for the lack of it in the first book.
When it comes to Ashish, his character felt more independent than Rishi's. We saw he flaws and internal conflict. We knew him to be cocky and in need of some development. Over the course of the book he doesn't change so much that his character is lost, but he becomes more kind and open. With Rishi, his every waking moment practically revolved around Dimple. It wasn't that he was complete cardboard, he had defined traits: practical, altruistic, traditional, self assured. Still, I wish that his purpose and grand gestures weren't all for the same person. Where was his life outside his dedication to others? At least with Ashish and Sweetie we see they're actual people independent form the relationship.
Not Demonizing The Competition
In love triangles or with old relationships, the loser is often made out to be a terrible person. They are meant to foil the winning love interest, to make them seem like the only option. It's for the reader to know where to put their loyalties and to be satisfied with the ending. In reality, it's more complex than that. Relationships end and it doesn't need to be caused by atrocious actions/personalities. Sometimes it just doesn't feel right or a mistake is made. Celia cheated on Ashish but in the end she isn't made out to be the villain of the story. She is humanized as lost and sorrowful, but respectful of boundaries. I like this because it would have contrasted from the development we saw from Celia in the first book. Instead, the characters got the closure they needed. There was no dramatic moment where Celia kisses Ashish and Sweetie sees the huge mess. They talk as friends. I thought it was handled pretty well.
It Was Not Problematic
Yes, I sadly need to point out that this book reached the bare minimum many other YA books do not achieve. The sad thing about other books I've read is that authors, in their attempt to keep the reader engaged, dramatize everything so much that something unhealthy occurs in the relationship or the conflict is unbelievably stupid. In this situation, though I found Ashish's lack of communication annoying, it was consistent with his character. He wasn't keeping anything too dark from Sweetie, it was more in a grey area. Considering that he was still hung up on Celia and was often unable to be honest enough with himself to face his emotions, it was understandable. I could see this conflict happening and it was honestly pretty mundane.
CONS
While there are less cons to list, they were consistent and prevalent enough to ruin some of the reading experience.
The Insta Love
Both book 1 and 2 had insta love, but I still found it to be a bit more understandable in the first book. As project partners at an intensive summer program, Rishi and Dimple spent hours everyday together. Plus, Rishi is the kind of person who wants to be in love with Dimple and have that happily ever after. As someone who has been to a sleep-away program like this, emotions and memories are all condensed together when you're with people constantly. It's easy to feel close with one another. While I find Ashish and Sweetie's relationship to be very cute and fairly natural, they interact way less. They have about 3-5 dates before they're basically head over heels for each other and they don't seem to text or call for long periods of time in-between then. We never see them text that much so it's never hinted that they're talking besides at their dates. And the thing is, I like this more. It's a more natural progression into the relationship and the characters have their own lives outside of each other. Romance doesn't mean your partner is what you sleep, eat, and breath. So, I can understand how they would really like each other. But love? I'm not sure a month where they don't spend that much time together makes sense for that.
Audiobook Narrator
Something I've noticed while listening to the audiobook was that the male narrator's voice is low, so he makes female voices very pitchy. I understand how difficult it can be to produce a feminine voice that is distinguishable from the MC when you have a deep one, but it can get very bothersome. At the end of the day, pitchy voices make female characters more unlikable and can sway ones opinions on them. Instead of motherly characters that sound caring, they sound like screeching parrots. This can take away from the experience of many books and is problematic in audio-books where all female characters are voiced like this.
The Lack of Nuance
I know that not everyone is on the same page for fat people being valid and beautiful, but there was absolutely no subtly around it. I understand and appreciate a clear message, but when it's plainly stated in crowded and repetitive sentences throughout the book, it doesn't feel authentic. I want Sweetie to be confident and body positive, but I think there's a need for balance. Every moment and emotion is handed to you. It's like the book has to say THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING. There was no use of context, mood, setting etc to set it up. Instead, the characters emotions and the messages of the book (though good ones) were thrown in your face. I'm not trying to downplay the importance of clarifying the ability for someone to be capable and confident while fat, but seriously, Sweetie could think about being capable without her saying those exact words over and over again with no sentence variety. It was very forced. The same lack of nuance came up with Sweetie's astonishing perception. Perceptive doesn't mean knowing the underlying meaning for the behavior of all characters in detail. This was a clear cop out for Menon so she wouldn't have to actually explore a character in a realistic way. Too much detail on side stories would take away from the main plot I suppose. Just have Sweetie predict exactly how they're feeling and what they might be going through that makes them feel this way. There, now the character isn't flat but was only mentioned twice.
Even when side characters like Samir are supposed to be fleshed out more, it's done lazily. He has to plainly say that being isolated made him "defensive" and that he tried to act "cocky and confident" like Ash. Sure, Sweetie is someone who speaks up and is self aware. But Samir? He's never characterized as someone who is self aware or opens up about his emotions. It's clear that this heart to heart is just to set up Samir in a more positive light for the next book. Samir's blatant characterization of Ashish is probably the fourth time this has happened. This is NO subtly in who Ash is or what traits he has. You're told exactly what they are. For many of the characters, especially the ones who don't have enough time to be fleshed out, their personalities are explained quickly and directly so they are likable without effort.
The Writing
Overall the writing was fairly average and there wasn't anything special or completely atrocious about it. Still, I was brought out of the book multiple times because of cringy writing. Towards the end of the book, the relationship became so cliche that I had to roll my eyes. There were lines where Menon was trying to use teenager slag or acronyms but it was so unbelievably off. Multiple phrases were shortened and text language was made out to be dialogue.
"I'm tots jelly"
"BGM, Black girl magic"
"OMG (used out loud frequently)"
"Being a BMAF or not being one?" (what?)
And more
WHY. Why were these casually used in conversation. No teenager I know speaks in acronyms. Sure, we use some of them when we text, but seriously? How can I enjoy this book when there's writing like this? I'll be honest and say some of these acronyms were used in text (acronyms not known by anyone), but OMG was a prominent guest outside of it. Being a teenager doesn't mean you speak like a poorly rehearsed urban dictionary. We talk normally. Whether she was trying to relate to teenager language or create new colloquial words, I have no idea. However, I do know that this, combined with way too many cheesy lines at the end, lowered this book from a 3.5 to a solid 3. At one point I was considering less.
The lack of nuance I previously described can be seen in descriptions with too many extra words and adjectives.
"Her voice was serious and completely sincere"
Sentences liked these needed to be condensed. There were unnecessary words. Is there no other way for me to know she's sincere? Why do you need to tell me this every time a character is serious?
Overall, I think this book was still important for it's diversity and healthy relationship. Somehow, the bare minimum for healthy relationships is not common enough in YA and seeing it more often means more young people will get a good example of what a relationship should be like-- not one with frequent fighting, but one built on consent and respect. When it comes to culture and family dynamics, Menon is able to do this well. Though most of her messages focus on telling rather than showing, this is still a small win for inclusion. I'd hope that someone else can enjoy this book and feel represented or empowered. For those who are not as confident in their body or don't feel seen because of their race, looks, etc not being in the media, books like this can contribute to breaking this down. Aside from the problems I had with the writing, the content itself isn't bad and is a step up from the last book. At the end of the day, we need more characters that aren't straight, white, conventionally beautiful, and cis. So even if I don't love this book, I appreciate Menon's consistent contribution to Asian representation in the YA community and her attempts to be more inclusive. I think she needs to improve her writing to parallel what teenagers actually say, but that she has the ability to. If she is can do so, it would be beneficial for the YA community.
While I found nothing to be problematic, it had a cute relationship, and I think it had a good message, there were some aspects I couldn't overlook.
PROS
Culture and Diversity
There was even more culture immersed into this book than the first one. It was interesting to get a look into the Indian American experience. I like that Menon write about her culture frequently and shows how much it can seep onto the everyday life of a teenager. Unlike other books, hers give a more positive look into the small comforts and routines within culture; it's integrated without being demonized or glamorized. There are also many characters of color and one queer relationship. (still better than usual). The relationship between Oliver and Elijah was never blown up to be a huge thing because they were two boys. It felt more realistic that they had a normal problem and it had nothing to do with their gender. Nice change.
Family Dynamic
It is common to have parents barely mentioned or seen in YA books until a climax arrives or a conflict ensues. This is not true for this book. Though Ashish doesn't get along with his parents at first and they are very different, they still love and support him. The family dynamics is very strong. We get a healthy mix of the traditional mindset his parents have, their dedication to their culture, and their flaws. We see how Ashish doesn't feel good enough or like he can live up to the expectation of his parents, as many children of immigrants do. This is also seen from Sweetie's mom. She clearly loves her daughter, but she wants to protect her. She doesn't understand how her comments about Sweetie's weight build up everyday and damage their relationship. There are moments the main characters experience where their parents act in ways they disagree with, and those where they feel closer to them. I have to say that this book captures the complex and dynamic relationship between Asian parents and children. While there are many examples of how Asian Americans feel disconnected or resentful, yet dutiful to their parents, I like the more positive relationship portrayed here (Mostly Ashish). We get to see a lot more of the parent's personalities and love without them being villanized. Instead, they play a vital role parents lack in a lot of YA.
Body Positivity
This book was extremely body positive. Sweetie never wavered on how she felt about herself and I thought that was a nice change. Instead of a book focused on her gaining an understanding of her body's worth, she already knew. It was more about her dealing with her mother's opionion of her weight and getting the confidence to speak up for herself, to not let others drag her back. Sweetie's change in confidence makes sense. It doesn't come out of nowhere and is understandable with her character.
Characters and Female Friend Relationships Improved
The characters in this book were improved from the last. Side characters were a little more apparent. Instead of being cardboard or not mentioned at all (like in the first book except for Celia), we get more dialogue and a sense of sisterhood. A big issue I had with the first book is how much Dimple had an "I'm not like other girls" air about her that's never resolved. Dimple constantly judges women for being different from her. It's clear that this is apart of some internalized misogyny and fear that she will end up domestic and traditional, but it's never solved. The closest she'd disapprove of the more revealing clothing or makeup women wore. In many ways I related to Dimple's character and also had this mindset. This is why I wanted to see her change. Yet, this never happens. The nicest thing she says about any of the girls she doesn't approve of is "she's not as terrible as the others". In this book, Sweetie is genuine to the women around her and she has a strong group of friends. It's clear that they are not at all the focus of the book, but it's nice to see that shift. I saw a lot more girl love and I hope this is Menon's way of making up for the lack of it in the first book.
When it comes to Ashish, his character felt more independent than Rishi's. We saw he flaws and internal conflict. We knew him to be cocky and in need of some development. Over the course of the book he doesn't change so much that his character is lost, but he becomes more kind and open. With Rishi, his every waking moment practically revolved around Dimple. It wasn't that he was complete cardboard, he had defined traits: practical, altruistic, traditional, self assured. Still, I wish that his purpose and grand gestures weren't all for the same person. Where was his life outside his dedication to others? At least with Ashish and Sweetie we see they're actual people independent form the relationship.
Not Demonizing The Competition
In love triangles or with old relationships, the loser is often made out to be a terrible person. They are meant to foil the winning love interest, to make them seem like the only option. It's for the reader to know where to put their loyalties and to be satisfied with the ending. In reality, it's more complex than that. Relationships end and it doesn't need to be caused by atrocious actions/personalities. Sometimes it just doesn't feel right or a mistake is made. Celia cheated on Ashish but in the end she isn't made out to be the villain of the story. She is humanized as lost and sorrowful, but respectful of boundaries. I like this because it would have contrasted from the development we saw from Celia in the first book. Instead, the characters got the closure they needed. There was no dramatic moment where Celia kisses Ashish and Sweetie sees the huge mess. They talk as friends. I thought it was handled pretty well.
It Was Not Problematic
Yes, I sadly need to point out that this book reached the bare minimum many other YA books do not achieve. The sad thing about other books I've read is that authors, in their attempt to keep the reader engaged, dramatize everything so much that something unhealthy occurs in the relationship or the conflict is unbelievably stupid. In this situation, though I found Ashish's lack of communication annoying, it was consistent with his character. He wasn't keeping anything too dark from Sweetie, it was more in a grey area. Considering that he was still hung up on Celia and was often unable to be honest enough with himself to face his emotions, it was understandable. I could see this conflict happening and it was honestly pretty mundane.
CONS
While there are less cons to list, they were consistent and prevalent enough to ruin some of the reading experience.
The Insta Love
Both book 1 and 2 had insta love, but I still found it to be a bit more understandable in the first book. As project partners at an intensive summer program, Rishi and Dimple spent hours everyday together. Plus, Rishi is the kind of person who wants to be in love with Dimple and have that happily ever after. As someone who has been to a sleep-away program like this, emotions and memories are all condensed together when you're with people constantly. It's easy to feel close with one another. While I find Ashish and Sweetie's relationship to be very cute and fairly natural, they interact way less. They have about 3-5 dates before they're basically head over heels for each other and they don't seem to text or call for long periods of time in-between then. We never see them text that much so it's never hinted that they're talking besides at their dates. And the thing is, I like this more. It's a more natural progression into the relationship and the characters have their own lives outside of each other. Romance doesn't mean your partner is what you sleep, eat, and breath. So, I can understand how they would really like each other. But love? I'm not sure a month where they don't spend that much time together makes sense for that.
Audiobook Narrator
Something I've noticed while listening to the audiobook was that the male narrator's voice is low, so he makes female voices very pitchy. I understand how difficult it can be to produce a feminine voice that is distinguishable from the MC when you have a deep one, but it can get very bothersome. At the end of the day, pitchy voices make female characters more unlikable and can sway ones opinions on them. Instead of motherly characters that sound caring, they sound like screeching parrots. This can take away from the experience of many books and is problematic in audio-books where all female characters are voiced like this.
The Lack of Nuance
I know that not everyone is on the same page for fat people being valid and beautiful, but there was absolutely no subtly around it. I understand and appreciate a clear message, but when it's plainly stated in crowded and repetitive sentences throughout the book, it doesn't feel authentic. I want Sweetie to be confident and body positive, but I think there's a need for balance. Every moment and emotion is handed to you. It's like the book has to say THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING. There was no use of context, mood, setting etc to set it up. Instead, the characters emotions and the messages of the book (though good ones) were thrown in your face. I'm not trying to downplay the importance of clarifying the ability for someone to be capable and confident while fat, but seriously, Sweetie could think about being capable without her saying those exact words over and over again with no sentence variety. It was very forced. The same lack of nuance came up with Sweetie's astonishing perception. Perceptive doesn't mean knowing the underlying meaning for the behavior of all characters in detail. This was a clear cop out for Menon so she wouldn't have to actually explore a character in a realistic way. Too much detail on side stories would take away from the main plot I suppose. Just have Sweetie predict exactly how they're feeling and what they might be going through that makes them feel this way. There, now the character isn't flat but was only mentioned twice.
Even when side characters like Samir are supposed to be fleshed out more, it's done lazily. He has to plainly say that being isolated made him "defensive" and that he tried to act "cocky and confident" like Ash. Sure, Sweetie is someone who speaks up and is self aware. But Samir? He's never characterized as someone who is self aware or opens up about his emotions. It's clear that this heart to heart is just to set up Samir in a more positive light for the next book. Samir's blatant characterization of Ashish is probably the fourth time this has happened. This is NO subtly in who Ash is or what traits he has. You're told exactly what they are. For many of the characters, especially the ones who don't have enough time to be fleshed out, their personalities are explained quickly and directly so they are likable without effort.
The Writing
Overall the writing was fairly average and there wasn't anything special or completely atrocious about it. Still, I was brought out of the book multiple times because of cringy writing. Towards the end of the book, the relationship became so cliche that I had to roll my eyes. There were lines where Menon was trying to use teenager slag or acronyms but it was so unbelievably off. Multiple phrases were shortened and text language was made out to be dialogue.
"I'm tots jelly"
"BGM, Black girl magic"
"OMG (used out loud frequently)"
"Being a BMAF or not being one?" (what?)
And more
WHY. Why were these casually used in conversation. No teenager I know speaks in acronyms. Sure, we use some of them when we text, but seriously? How can I enjoy this book when there's writing like this? I'll be honest and say some of these acronyms were used in text (acronyms not known by anyone), but OMG was a prominent guest outside of it. Being a teenager doesn't mean you speak like a poorly rehearsed urban dictionary. We talk normally. Whether she was trying to relate to teenager language or create new colloquial words, I have no idea. However, I do know that this, combined with way too many cheesy lines at the end, lowered this book from a 3.5 to a solid 3. At one point I was considering less.
The lack of nuance I previously described can be seen in descriptions with too many extra words and adjectives.
"Her voice was serious and completely sincere"
Sentences liked these needed to be condensed. There were unnecessary words. Is there no other way for me to know she's sincere? Why do you need to tell me this every time a character is serious?
Overall, I think this book was still important for it's diversity and healthy relationship. Somehow, the bare minimum for healthy relationships is not common enough in YA and seeing it more often means more young people will get a good example of what a relationship should be like-- not one with frequent fighting, but one built on consent and respect. When it comes to culture and family dynamics, Menon is able to do this well. Though most of her messages focus on telling rather than showing, this is still a small win for inclusion. I'd hope that someone else can enjoy this book and feel represented or empowered. For those who are not as confident in their body or don't feel seen because of their race, looks, etc not being in the media, books like this can contribute to breaking this down. Aside from the problems I had with the writing, the content itself isn't bad and is a step up from the last book. At the end of the day, we need more characters that aren't straight, white, conventionally beautiful, and cis. So even if I don't love this book, I appreciate Menon's consistent contribution to Asian representation in the YA community and her attempts to be more inclusive. I think she needs to improve her writing to parallel what teenagers actually say, but that she has the ability to. If she is can do so, it would be beneficial for the YA community.