When Dimple Met Rishi was the YA book of it's day when it released in 2017 and even though a lot of these thoughts crossed by my head when reading it, but I think it still holds up. It did take me a while to get through it but I think I can still see what it really is and that it a really great little rom com. Sandhya Menon has clearly found where she is comfortable and that is writing books like this, I really liked the romance between Dimple and Rishi and the tech elements worked really well for me. Overall it was a great read and perfect for the summer months that are slowly coming.

I'm ashamed to say I've only gotten around to reading this wonderful book now, more than 5 years after receiving it! I'm trying to make a point of getting through my backlog of books this year, and what better book to start with than this one? I really liked Menon's writing style straight away, and I can honestly see why it's such a beloved bok series. I always enjoy a dual narrative in romances, and this was no exception, especially because at times their opinions towards one another were so different. I really enjoyed the backdrop of this whole web development summer camp, as it was certainly something I'd not come across before! I honestly had a smile on my face so often when I was reaidng this, and I'm not ashamed to say I was a massive fan of the soppy, cliched happy ending. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series!

Can we talk about how adorable and squishy When Dimple Met Rishi was? Everyone told me it was but I didn’t quite believe them and boy was I proven wrong.

This book was adorable without being sickly sweet and it felt real and reasonable and not at all overly angsty and/or dramatic which YA contemporary can sometimes come across as. However, this was not the case here.

Dimple was badass and I loved her for it, including for punching Rishi when he creepily practically jumped on her (metaphorically) when he first met her. But also Rishi is an adorable squish and he must be protected at all costs because the world is so mean and he only deserves nice things in life.

I thought this was a cute and fluffy romance.
Unfortunately I didn't like the argument that happened near the end and how people reacted.
It was a good book, but it just lacked something for me unfortunately.
I still recommend for people to read.

When Dimple Met Rishi was a strange book for me, it is labelled as YA romantic comedy but I found to be anything but that as it contains a relationship that seemed equal parts forced and slightly abusive and it just wasn't something I enjoyed and I won't be reading more from this companion series or the author unless she writes in a different genre.

This is an endearing YA romance. I would be interested in reading more about these characters (main and side) in the future, perhaps in companion novels.

This was fun and I enjoyed it! It covers a lot of topics about the traditional woman's role in the family, about how men are supposed to follow their families' footsteps rather than having ambitions of their own, and how teenagers today want to break away from that mould.

As usual, when it comes to books where romance is a big part of the plot, I couldn't really relate to the fact that the main characters fall in love so quickly, like literally within a couple of weeks, but that's just me and my ace-spec brain.

I also didn't really understand why the summer programme had to be 6 weeks when most of it was spent not really doing much to do with coding... you'd think that there would be more relevant workshops, lectures etc, rather than challenges to go out and take photos and perform in a talent show (??!) -- but maybe we just didn't see a lot of that kind of stuff. Idk - a lot of what they had to do felt a bit random.

But apart from that, I enjoyed it and it was good to read about real Indian families written by an Indian writer, and teenagers who have a passion for something and make an effort to go out and follow it.

I thought it would all be fairly predictable but it did take some turns I wasn't expecting. It was a fun, lighthearted book and I did enjoy it!

This was a really fun book. I completely understand the hype and I love the representation of different cultures and ethnicities. I think that is so important and hopefully becomes even more widespread but specifically in YA as I personally don’t think there is enough diversity in mainstream YA at the moment. I felt like the book had a slower pace than maybe I would have liked but I still really enjoyed reading about the transition time in Dimples life, that moment of growing up but still not being a grown up and I enjoyed the love story too.

When Dimple Met Rishi was a brilliant read - addictive, page turning and hilarious, Sandhya Menon is a writer to watch. Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

When I was accepted on NetGalley for this highly-anticipated YA Own Voices novel, I was very excited. I had heard some really great things from early reviewers and I knew it dealt with a topic that I’d never read about before -arranged marriage.

Dimple is an ambitious dreamer who is determined to have a successful tech career before she even thinks about settling down and getting married. But her Mamma has an obsession with finding her daughter the Ideal Indian Husband. However, by some miracle her parents have agreed to pay for her to attend a top-notch web development summer program, Insomnia Con and she is in for the best summer of her life. Rishi is a hopeless romantic who values tradition and stability. His parents have arranged for him to marry a beautiful girl who he plans to win over at the summer program they’ll both be attending…

After their disastrous but hilarious first meeting, the chances of their romance working out seem incredibly slim. Their differing views of life and what they want from the situation are poles apart but there is still a glimmer of hope. Dimple seems to be unable to forget about Rishi and she sees it as her duty to be cordial and friendly. Although they barely know each other, there is an unmistakeable pull between them that means they keep being thrown together.

As circumstances dictate their spending more time together, they naturally get to know each other better. Dimple has a killer app idea and she is desperate to get it in front of the experts to kickstart her career. Rishi is harbouring a secret desire to be a comic book artist even though his parents want him to be an engineer. He feels like he should follow the path set out for him, particularly as his younger brother Ashish seems determined not to. It’s his willingness to set aside his dreams to please his family that makes Rishi extremely endearing and it becomes clear that Dimple thinks so too.

Through their slow-burning partnership, Dimple begins to bring Rishi out of his shell a little. Conversations with a girl who is burning with ambition and drive force Rishi to realise his own dreams and the fact he has buried them. It’s so beautifully written and I love the way his confidence gradually unfolds as a result of their relationship. In turn, Rishi acts as a grounding force for the whirlwind that is Dimple. She starts to see that romance doesn’t have to be completely off the cards and that she can have a little fun while striving for success.



When Dimple Met Rishi is far from what I expected from an arranged marriage rom-com. At the risk of seeming ignorant, I expected a very stereotypical story of two teenagers matched against their will and a story of struggle. It’s the total opposite of that. Their relationship is so beautiful, slow-developing and at times turbulent that you forget about the arrangement completely. Indeed, they become each other’s choice not each other’s forced situation.

There is also a great cast of side characters and the friendships between them and the protagonists are really heart-warming and charming. Dimple’s roommate Celia learns her lesson about popularity and how it certainly isn’t everything. Rishi’s brother Ashish goes from loveable rogue to loyal and compassionate friend.

If you’re looking for a quintessentially romantic, funny summer read, then When Dimple Met Rishi is definitely a great pick for you. It is nothing but wonderfully written, cute characters and a light-hearted mood and honestly, what more could you want from a beach read?

GUYS! This book right here is the best thing to happen in 2017! Firstly, it's about PoC's living in America, dealing with their culture and secondly its' written by a PoC! Hallelujah. We need more books like this, more representation. Seeing the Indian culture, especially through two different teenagers living in America was amazing. As a Muslim, born and raised in UK, I can relate.

This rom-com is one everyone needs to read. It's perfect, It's passionate and so amazing. Dimple is a tech student, wears glasses, has big curl hair. She's outspoken (at times a bit too much - I found her to put a lot of pressure on Rishi too - Not cool.) but also has stage fright and hates confrontations - I kid you not, I related to Dimple so much, being a tech student myself. Rishi, is like the complete opposite and so traditional. They could not have made a better pair. Can we take a moment to appreciate the Hindi used and all the Bollywood movies/song references.

This book was so quick to get into, I was instantly hooked from the first chapter. This book is extra special because as a tech student I had to create a product - and just like Dimple and Rishi, mine was something very dear to me and I really was surprised and honestly touched that I found something to relate to in a book - it's very rare.

Sandhya Menon has quite literally blown me away with this book. It's a book I will re-read forever. I loved Insomnia con and Little Con. Above all, I loved their development, and how each of them found solace with each other, especially Rishi, he found that doing what he wanted wasn't all that bad. I for one cannot wait to read more by Sandhya Menon.

The romance was so cute and fluffy and the book had me smiling and laughing a lot. The main characters were made very well, even though they could be annoying they were also adorable. It was such a quick read, sweet and adorable. Definitely a good one to pick up.

I had heard a lot of great things about this novel online since its publication in 2017, and since there is now a sequel to read too, I really felt that I should pick it up!
I will admit that this is not the type of book I would normally read, I don't read a lot of contemporary novels, especially contemporary YA, but I watched To All The Boys I Loved Before on Netflix, and I was really in the mood for something light and adorable.
This novel is cute, like CUTE cute. The characters are adorable, the way they act is adorable, the whole novel has this warm glow. It was really easy to read, and a perfect pick-me-up read if you require one.
The main characters are instantly likeable, and their chemistry and banter is very sweet and entertaining to read. I loved Dimple, she was smart and sassy, and although I did get a bit irritated by her on occasions, overall she was a great character. I felt basically the same way about Rishi. A bit irritating but in general sweet and likeable. In the beginning I wasn't that keen on him, but as we learnt more about him and why he acted the way he did, I really grew to like him a lot. Their relationship is near perfect. They compliment each other so well, and it's a joy to read about them.
I also really liked the setting of this novel, any YA novel set at University/college is a plus for me, if you can recommend any good ones please let me know in the comments??
I also liked the coding/app development aspect of the novel, it was something very different in YA, it was nice to read a book celebrating braininess.
It was also important for me that the characters were POC. I can't comment on how accurate the depictions were but I'm constantly striving to read more diverse reads, and this one is a good one.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel. I gave it 4/5 stars, and if you're looking for a sweet diverse YA contemporary read, this one is perfect to pick up.

I was underwhelmed by this book unfortunately.
I think if I had read this when I was younger I would have absolutely devoured it.
Rishi was too needy and desperate and I found him irritating and not the love interest Dimple deserved.
Dimple is often described as a strong independent woman type who dont need no man. ...and then she falls for someone like Rishi.
I dont know if this was intended to be part of a 'opposites attract' type trope but it just wasnt for me.

I enjoyed the writing style and I loved the not so happy ending for the main plot of the story. Sandhya Menon created a really interesting plot if you ignore the romance in my opinion and I look forward to reading her work in future.

Overall a 3/5 stars.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

Another book I was a little apprehensive about since I’ve seen so many mixed reviews about it. Romantic comedies are not really my thing, but I really wanted to try this one and was so excited when I got approved on Netgalley.

Though it took me forever to get around to reading it and the paperback had come out so I wound up buying a finished paperback. I was so pleased at how much I wound up loving this book.

I saw a lot of talk on YA book twitter about people complaining when Dimple first meets Rishi she throws her coffee in his face (iced coffee) and how that made her unlikeable. Given the circumstances….I kind of applaud her for it.

Wen the novel starts Dimple has been accepted at Stanford and is totally thrilled about it, she also wants to go to Insomnia Con, a special programme/competition for designing an app. Some lady who’s famous to coders in the knowhow presides every year and Dimple is overexcited to go – just one thing to get out the way – convincing her parents.

Her parents are nice enough – hard working middle class people. Though Dimple’s mom doesn’t seem to get that Dimple isn’t interested in things like Indian make up techniques or finding an ideal Indian husband). The makeup techniques sound fascinating and learning little bits about other cultures is always really interesting. Yet they relent and let Dimple head for the convention.

On the other hand we have Rishi. His parents are very well do to and he’s also on his way to Insomnia Con for one reason only – to meet Dimple. Their parents have been talking…Rishi has his whole future planned, he’s going to MIT but already planning on how he’s going to woo Dimple and has ideas for how they will work together as a couple. While all this probably sounds cringeworthy the thing about Rishi is he’s such a sweetie. He was so nice and such a genuine person. He’s thoughtful and kind. He’s really ready to give this arranged thing a good go.

Dimple…not so much. So not surprising when she first meets Rishi and is clueless to everything else going…she is not amused. However, she does thaw towards Rishi as the convention gets going. Dimple is really smart and put a lot of thought into the app she wants to design. She’s creative and witty and awesome. She’s forward in some respects and reserved in other. I really liked her character.

Some of the technical side of the app building and the convention stuff was a little over my head as I know nothing about that sort of thing.

However the novel was so well written that it was easy to get into the flow and the spirit of things. The spark between Dimple and Rishi is just delightful as they navigate each other and the people at the convention. Dimple has a friend she’s made online Celia who is also attending the convention. They room together – but both are very different. Celia is a flirt and a rich girl who makes friends with a bunch of other wealthy students (who you sort of wonder why they’re there at all) and she wants to include Dimple in their outings. Dimple is clearly uncomfortable.

Of course in swoops Rishi to help. It’s so cute how they keep winding up together. Naturally nothing is ever smooth sailing, there are drama issues with Dimple’s own plans for her future and what Rishi has in mind for his. While their personalities, as different as they are fit together, their ideas for the future don’t mix so well. Rishi has an art talent – he’s an excellent artist and has designed a comic series of his own. He’s not interested in pursuing this brilliant talent of his as he’s got it in his head that an art career won’t provide a good future for him and Dimple. She’s pissy that he’s not following his dreams and doing what is expected rather than what he wants. Just as he got involved in her life…she takes things in her own hands for his talent.

Drama alert.

It was a tad predictable is the only thing that didn’t really land it a five star for me. Though I really really loved it. I loved the characters and the writing and the story and this is now an autobuy author for me. I already have her next book ready and waiting.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for approving my request to view the title.

Such a fun book, I loved Dimple and cannot wait for the next book! It was nerdy and just a very sweet romance book. It explored a little about relationship set-ups and expectations, and it was an enjoyable read.

This was a fairly enjoyable read. It followed two characters Dimple and Rishi who go to Insomnia Con which is a coding competition. I really liked that the main character was interested in coding and computers. The two characters meet as unbeknownst to Dimple her parents have set her and Rishi up as they hope that they will get married. Rishi wants to please his parents and so does Dimple but she wants to do her own thing.

I liked the characters in this book but I did think that the plot was quite predictable. I felt that the story moved in the same way that many YA contemporaries do. The characters don't like each other to begin with, they then fall in love, they then split up and they come back together at the end.

Overall I enjoyed this booking this book but I don't think it lived up to the hype. Perhaps I was expecting too much from it but this felt like a very standard YA contemporary.

This book is a bundle of joy and sometimes cringeworthy levels of cheese - but I really enjoyed it. Romantic comedies are not usually my preferred genre but when I started hearing about this book , I knew I had to read it. I really wanted to read an #ownvoices book about two teens struggling to reconcile their strongly held Indian family/cultural beliefs with life as American teens.

What drew me to the book was how these teens navigated the waters between their two shared cultures. I loved the clash between Dimple's ambition and career, coupled with Rishi's belief in kismet and family values. The two of them together were just heartwarmingly cute. Their dialogue was sharp and priceless, and Rishi was just wonderful..

Dimple's relationship with her family was another high point in the book for me. She feels so much pressure to be what she is not, thinking that her family only want her to be quiet and submissive, and to find the Ideal Indian Husband. But her relationship with her mother especially opens up so much in this book, and we learn how badly she has misread them. Her parents, like Dimple, are full, multi-dimensional characters with sometimes conflicting wishes.

This book is primarily a rom-com, but I did appreciate the quiet commentary it made about nepotism, racism, misogyny and homophobia in the tech industry. It's a subtle theme in the book, but it's well done.

The reason I rate this book four stars instead of five, was there was a section of about fifty pages mid-way through where a lot of things sort of fell apart for me. I thought it picked up again after this, but there was an incident that just really didn't sit that well with me within these pages, where the only queer character is very overly sexualised. I also felt that the entire talent competition read a bit contrived? I couldn't figure out what relevance a dance or singing competition could possibly have to coding an app. Or why the organisers would draw a link between who won that contest and who would ultimately win Insomina Con. Dance ability has no link to coding ability whatsoever! I was just very confused by that entire section and would have preferred to have more pages spent on Rishi/Dimple actually developing their app.

Anyway, overall I really loved this book. It was more or less exactly what I expected it to be. If you are looking for a super sweet, diverse, summer romance that will absolutely make you grin, I recommend picking this one up.

This is a lovely YA book about a boy and a girl whose parents have arranged their marriage so to speak. Dimple is an only child and rebellious from some of the important things of her Indian culture. Rishi on the other hand is a traditionalist who wishes to follow his parents' advice about everything. He also feels that as the older son he needs to be a strong follower of Indian traditions. Not only that he feels he should do an engineering degree as it is useful.

It was a delightful read and I love how important the characters' culture played a part in their development, both as people and in their relationship with each other. The book could have had a more solid plot, thought, since I feel the coding camp was just a plot point to get the characters together instead of a real plot used effectively through the book.