1.5 Stars.

I had been looking forward to reading When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon since I heard it was being published in the UK. There's been so much hype around this book, and it sounded so good, I knew I was just going to love it. Unfortunately, I didn't.

I'm going to talk about what I liked about it first. I loved how feminist Dimple was, and how she was determined to fight back against what she considered to be patriarchal traditions of her culture. She hated how her mother would always criticise her for not trying to look pretty or for not wearing make-up, because how was she was supposed to get a husband otherwise? Dimple believed her mother thought a woman's role was to get married and have a family, but that's not what she wanted, she wanted a career, and a life on her own terms. I loved that about her, and I love how she fought for it.

At the same time, I also loved how traditional Rishi was, and how much respect he had for his parents and how he trusted them to find him a suitable match. I didn't always agree with him, but I didn't need to to respect him for placing value on his cultural heritage, and believing that an arranged marriage was what would ultimately bring him happiness. He didn't want romance, he wanted a long lasting bond, like his parents have.

I loved how passionate both Dimple and Rishi were - Dimple about coding, Rishi about his comic book art. But whereas Dimple was heading for her dream of becoming a coder, Rishi had decided to put aside his love of comic book art to pursue Engineering, a much more practical job that would earn him a good wage so he could look after his future family.

I loved the diversity of the book. Almost all the characters were people of colour; Dimple, Rishi and their families are Indian American, as is Hari, one of the "Aberzombies" - a clique Dimple and Rishi don't like. Rishi's family are Hindu, and I believe Dimple's are, too. Celia, Dimple's room mate, is half Dominican, and I bisexual, although no label is given. And Dimple's father has Diabetes.

However, I didn't feel Dimple and Rishi had any chemistry whatsoever. Yeah, they enjoyed each other's company and had a good time together, but they felt more like friends to me than two people who were falling in love with each other. And because I didn't feel it, I wasn't rooting for them - I just wasn't bothered. Not that it mattered really, because the story was so predictable. You knew exactly where things were going from the very beginning. Being so predictable may not have mattered so much if I felt there was something real between Dimple and Rishi, because then I would have just enjoyed watching things come about, but as I didn't, the predictability was so frustrating.

When Dimple Met Rishi is cute, everyone says so, and I agree - but I'd go so far as to say that it's too cute. There were so many moments that were just so cheesy, and I rolled my eyes more times than I could count. Although Dimple and Rishi's path to love isn't perfect, and definitely not easy, the book itself felt to me like a "perfect romance novel" - by which I mean that you know, while reading, that it's all going to be so cute, everything will work out, and there will be that happy ever after, there's no question about this - and so it felt fictional. It wasn't a story I could believe was real. I was very much aware that this was just a story the whole way through. It wasn't real enough to be believable for me.

And then there's the problem with not much actually happening. Once Dimple and Rishi get together, it's all mooning at each other and swooning. Nothing happens for them, not really. Not until pretty close to the end. And then a subplot around Rishi's brother Ashish comes out of left field, so suddenly, in to time at all, and it just felt like it was added in so that something was happening with someone, even if nothing was happening with Dimple and Rishi. It gave them something else to think about besides each other, I suppose.

Finally, there's Insomnia Con. Where Dimple and Rishi meet, a Summer course in coding that Dimple is over the moon to be going to, as it will help for when she starts at Stanford, and she may get to meet her hero Jenny Lindt. My problem is that I finished the book knowing as much about coding as did when I started - namely, nothing. Dimple is so passionate, but all she talks about is how much she loves it, the app she wants to create, and how she wants it to help her diabetic father. There is absolutely nothing about coding itself. There's nothing about why Dimple loves coding, not even something vaguely poetic about how awesome it is to write a piece of code, stringing characters together in this computer language that will translate into the big, bad boss guy getting closer to you if you haven't tracked your medication or food into the app. Nothing about how she got into coding, nothing about what they actually get taught in their classes, nothing about coding itself. It felt so lazy, like not enough research was done. I'm not expecting Menon to be a coding expert, but there should be something. Yes, this is a romance, but becoming a coder is Dimple's dream, this is what she's fighting for, fighting against her culture. It's so important to the overall plot, yet there's absolutely nothing about it. And while we're talking about Insomnia Con, what was going on with that talent show? Why was it even there? Why, at a convention for learning coding, would you have the students then put on a show for various talents that have nothing to do with coding, and make it a pivotal part of the course (because the winners win points for their overall score, but also a grand, which they can spend on working on their app)? It was so random. I really didn't get it. It broke up the swooning, and gave Ashish something to do while he was there, helping Dimple and Rishi choreograph a Bollywood dance, but it was just confusing and weird, and I didn't get it.

When Dimple Met Rishi was just hugely disappointing. Really just not for me. But there have been a lot of people who loved it, so do read other reviews before deciding whether to read it or not.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for the eProof.

This was a lovely, cute, quick read, really enjoyed it

Indian-American Dimple is smart, sassy and fiercely independent, and resistant to her families traditional ideas on arranged marriages. Enter Rishi who is the complete opposite-yes he's smart and funny, but he's happy to follow his parents' lead. What happens when the two are set up by their parents? I was utterly charmed by Dimple and Rishi. From the moment they meet (in a hilarious scene), I knew I was hooked! It was a book I didn't want to put down and I didn't want it to end. I laughed out loud, held my breath, hoped for certain outcomes and cheered at the ending. Dimple is a character I won't forget in a hurry.

This was a rather sweet love story about a young couple who meet while studying at a summer school. Dimple is a girl who is trying to rebel against her parents sense of tradition. She want to make her mark in the world, be independent and, above all, she doesn’t want to think about finding the IIM (ideal Indian man). Rishi is rather more traditional – he feels a great respect for his heritage and is happy for his parents to arrange a marriage for him – but he is torn between the need to make his family happy and the desire to follow his heart. Needless to say Dimple is not impressed when she realises that she is expected to marry Rishi and the sparks that fly between them are rather less romantic than he hoped. I rather liked both main characters – Dimple is bright and ambitious and totally aware that she is fighting against years of tradition; Rishi is sweet and a bit serious and far more romantic than Dimple. Their relationship progresses, in fits and starts, and they become good friends as well as team-mates on the key summer school project. Of course it doesn’t go smoothly (well, there’s no book in that, is there?) and they both have to make compromises in their own actions as well as in their interaction with their families.

This was a pleasant romance story and also one which I will feel happy to recommend to my customers. Many of them require that the books they read are compatible with their lifestyle – romantic but chaste, where modesty is maintained even when tradition is questioned. This one should fit the bill quite nicely – there is (slight spoiler alert), eventually, a physical relationship but there is no detailed description of much beyond kissing (really good kissing by the sound of it) and embraces. Both main characters do end up going against their parent’s wishes but they do this by discussing their issues rather than just through defiance. There is also a lot of humour in the book – Dimple in particular I found very amusing – and a fair bit about prejudice, fairness and bullying. I’d happily recommend this book for younger teens and anyone who enjoys good old-fashioned romance.

I was so prepared to love this book, but it really didn't work for me. The writing is clunky and, at times, a bit cringe inducing. Dimple is an extremely infuriating character. Rishi isn't much better. There wasn't really a huge amount of plot, and what plot there was was just too convenient.

It's nice to have diversity in YA, and it was great to find out something about another culture, but it doesn't make up for the fact that this just isn't a very good book.

Still, a lovely cover and a quick read!

This book is adorable! I knew I would probably (hopefully) love it but I was definitely a little wary going in because these is always the chance you will be the black sheep on these things.

When Dimple Met Rishi was not what I expected. I knew that the MCs had Indian parents and were involved in an arranged marriage but my idea of what this book would be like was very different to what I got and I was really impressed.

Dimple was so easy to like. She wasn't willing to give into her mother's wish for her to marry and find herself the 'Ideal Indian Husband'. She wasn't even willing to give in about wearing makeup and putting in her contacts just to entice a man. Instead, she id focused on pursuing web design. I loved her passion and her focus, even if I didn't fully understand it because I certainly didn't know what I what I wanted to do at eighteen. I think Dimple's focus and unwillingness to compromise herself for any reason that made me both like her and dislike her. She was far too unwilling to compromise when it comes to others. Even when it meant angering her friends and those close to her. It was her worst quality and was something which came between her and Rishi and it was annoying. I did like seeing her grow throughout the book, though.

And then there was Rishi. I didn't think I'd like him as much, I mean, he was close to his parents and willing to follow the path which they wished for him. He was willing to sacrifice a lot to do what was expected. He was awkward and cute and I loved him. I wasn't even overly bothered by the fact he had money and was privileged because he didn't flaunt it. He was just an adorable cinnamon roll and I think I loved him. I was just as frustrated by him as Dimple but I felt his reservations were far more logical. Wanting a secure future, whilst not totally believable for a teenager, is not a bad thing and so I got why he was so hesitant to pursue all of his dreams.

I found the whole book very adorable, though. And for both Dimple and Rishi their Indian heritage was obvious and I loved how Rishi honoured it so much and then Dimple was learning parts of her culture was ingrained because that was how she was raised. She considered how her parents would react to big decisions and even her quest to design an app was partially done to make her father proud of her.

I loved this, it was a brilliant YA and demonstrates the genre is totally growing. I want more diverse reads like this one. Fingers crossed this is the start of a trend.

I’m a big fan of YA contemporaries, so when I saw all of the fantastic reviews for When Dimple Met Rishi I was so excited to get my hands on a copy. Unfortunately I think all of the hype around it may have been where it all went a bit wrong for me as it led to high expectations it couldn’t possibly live up to. There isn’t anything particularly bad about it but I think I just wanted more.

I do have to applaud the author for finally giving us a culturally diverse YA romance. I don’t know how accurate its portrayal of the Indian culture is (I suspect not completely given some of reviews I’ve seen) but I loved the way elements such as the language, importance of family, customs and even religion were woven into the story in a, for the most part, natural way.

I also loved that it was Dimple who was the driving force in the story. She’s the one who’s into computers and science and is determined to win the app design competition at all costs. It’s so good to see female characters in traditionally male dominated areas and also to have a female character who rates her career and future as more important than finding a boyfriend.

I do think though that the author could have taken this further with a bit more time spent on creating the app but instead the focus and the majority of the book is taken up with a scavenger hunt and preparing for a talent show, with everything else being brushed over. It would have been good as well to see at least one other female character who’s there to compete.

Dimple is also not the most likeable of characters. She is passionate and driven to succeed which I loved but had a bit of a tendency to throw a strop at the drop of a hat. She came across as unreasonable and immature a lot of the time and I hated the way she treated Rishi.

Rishi, is almost like the exact opposite of Dimple and I adored him. For him family and tradition are more important than what he wants. He’s proud of his background and his culture and speaks up for himself and others. He’s super sweet, generous, funny and a bit of a romantic. It definitely made for an interesting dynamic between the two of them.

The romance was quite cute and I loved how it started as an arranged marriage but other than that there wasn’t anything that really stood out about it. There was the odd moment that made me laugh however, it’s one of those stories that you quite enjoy at the time but more or less forget the moment you finish.

Overall, an enjoyable read which definitely gets a thumbs up for a strong female main character and lots of diversity but isn’t quite the stand out read I was hoping for.

My first impression was that this was a YA 'Sofia Khan is not obliged', without the funny bits. I liked both Rishi and Dimple just ok and I was very interested in reading about Dimple's struggle as an Indian-American who fully embraced the culture of the country she had been born in, but who also felt trapped by the culture of her parents and ancestors. Sadly, there was not much of that - there was plenty of moaning about her mother only valuing her by her looks and chances to catch a good husband, but no actual talk about the differences between the Indian and American cultures.

The book was mostly ok until about the 40% mark, and then everything went downhill so quickly that I'm still wondering what happened.

Suddenly both Dimple and Rishi are very much in love, with every conversation and soulful stare explained in excruciating and cheesy detail, then Rishi brother arrives and hooks up with Dimple's roommate in one of the most wtf? side-stories I've ever read in a book, then they lose Insomnia Con, they break-up, they make-up and all the while it's drama, drama, drama...

To be honest it might be just a case of me being too old for this book, but there were a few things that bothered me a lot beyond the bad case of insta-love.

First of all, there's a lot of talk about female empowerment in this book, but it didn't actually translate into action. Dimple is frustrated with her mom because she doesn't understand her passion about her career, but she happily threw Insomnia Con out of the window as soon as she hooked up with Rishi, only to break up with him after they lose the competition because she 'realised' that she couldn't have both. Excuse me, what?? It's heavily implied that they lost because the competition was rigged from the beginning, but given the amount of time they dedicated to their project, their losing shouldn't have come as such a surprise. So all the talk about not letting a boy get in the way of her dreams was just that, talk. And anyway, you can totally have a boyfriend and a career, you just need to, you know, actually do some work every once in a while.

Then we have Celia (Dimple's roommate). In the talent show portion of the competition (side note: this was supposed to be a competition to win the chance to have your app launched by a major company, so my reaction to this was WTF?? I'm still wondering wtf?. End of side note) she was forced by her male partner/boyfriend to do a really stupid sexy dance that involved her kissing another girl, while wearing only a bikini. So in the middle of the routine Celia realises she really doesn't want to do it and just storms off, which was cool, but what was the final result of the stunt? Celia bails out of Insomnia Con to avoid the guy but conveniently sticks around to hook up with Rishi's brother, who had met her the year before in a party and had never been able to forget her. At this point I didn't care what was going on anymore.

The other thing that appalled me was Dimple's incredibly irresponsible behaviour at the party. I get that she's trying to get Rishi to relax, and seriously, I don't think it's such a big deal for college boys/girls to have one beer at a party, but taking shots from a tray that was just passing your way and eating 'brownies' offered by a total stranger is a huge, huge deal. And she had the nerve to call Rishi paranoid. I'm sorry girl, but in the world we live in you have to be more careful than that, and not only because of potential rapists... one of those shots or brownies could have landed you in the hospital, or way, way worse.

So I'm sad to say that I don't recommend this book at all - not for someone my age, because they will probably won't be able to connect with the story either, and not for young adults either, because in my opinion it just sends the wrong message.

I was looking for a cute summery read to get me out of my reading slump, and after hearing so much love for When Dimple Met Rishi, I thought this would be the book to do it. But maybe my slump or my inexperience with entirely romance centred novels got in the way, because I don't think this book was for me.

The book had a really promising start. I struggled to get into the writing style for the first couple of chapters, and I have to admit that there continued to be something about it that never fully clicked with me throughout. But I was excited by what the book promised: an #ownvoices representation of South Asian people.

In the first few chapters alone we see the different relationships the two focal characters have with their families, as well as the relationship they each had with their culture. I think the book did a great job of showing that arranged marriages aren't necessarily forced and that they don't have to be oppressive or anti-feminist as history often suggests they are. And it was awesome to have the dual perspective on the idea - with Dimple being wholly against the tradition and Rishi strongly believing in it and finding true love.

The book was cute and funny to start with, and it being set in the summer after high school felt refreshingly different to the typical YA set up. But it quickly lost its shine for me, and I couldn't help but find it a little insta-lovey. Maybe it was just me, but I expected a slower burning romance rather than going from dislike to friendship to kissing all within a few days of knowing each other. I know the story is set over a few weeks, but because the romance was so focal, it felt like there was little in-between for the pair to be kissing by halfway through the book.

It did feel for the most part that there was no plot other than the romance. There is some talk about the app Dimple is designing, but it takes up so little focus that the story felt like it was moving very slowly for me. BUT I know this is a romance novel and I think I'm starting to realise the genre isn't really for me so this is a very 'it's me not you' thing.

There was some stuff going on other than Dimple and Rishi's love for each other, like the storylines for Celia and Ashish. But honestly I didn't really care for what happened to them at all and I found the side story kind of boring.

Again, maybe I'm in a reading slump where I'm bound to hate every book I touch and maybe I should just steer clear of contemporary romances. But from what I've heard the rep in this book is solid, and even though I didn't enjoy When Dimple Met Rishi I hope that some kids will be able to find themselves in their story.

Diversity Note: Indian-American protagonists

An ebook copy of this book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

This has to be one of the most cutest, dorkiest, geekiest and most brilliant book that I have read in a long while. I loved the social awkwardness of it all. The inability to fit in with the norm but at the same time being utterly true to themselves.

I had honestly been reading this book for ages, since I first heard of it. I've heard such good things about this book and have been excited to read this book for too long. And fortunately, unlike some hyped book I was not disappointed. I loved every moment and ever cute encounter. From the moment Rishi proclaims 'Hello future Wife' to the end.

I loved the geekiest of it all, Dimple is into Coding and Rishi is a brilliant comic book artist. Both of them do their own things. She is determined to live her life away from her parents. While Rishi wants to uphold his family's wishes. Both are passionate and fiery and willing to do whatever it takes.

I really loved how positive this book was on arranged marriage. I know that it is a cultural thing, but most, all, things that I've read about or seen on the TV have always been negative. The fact that both parents used Insomnia Con as a way for both parties to get know one another was a brilliant idea. There was no "you are getting married and that's the end of it". I also love that the Hindi language (please say I'm right!) that played a huge part in the story. It just made it so much more vibrant and beautiful

One thing that frustrated me was at the end Dimple's one way opinion. I love that she was sure of herself and determined to have a career. But the fact that she had something special with Rishi did not stop her pushing self destruct.

I also really wanted to know a lot more about Rishi brother - Ashish. I felt like this story was thrown into the mix. When really he could have his own book (and that's a massive hint by the way!). As a secondary character he was good and did all the right things. But he distracted me from the main thing.

Overall I loved the fact that this was a boy met girl and they fall in love story but with a twist. And looking at a cultural that from my experience is not normally portrayed. I loved every moment in this book and wish that I could spend eternity with Rishi and Dimple.

I have a kind of love-hate relationship with contemporaries but this one completely hit the spot. I adored Dimple from the start who feels completely pressured by her mother's wish for her to find a perfect Indian husband despite being just a teenager. She is way more focused on having a career.
Meanwhile Rishi is the opposite, he is interested in following his parents wishes, marrying young and giving up his dreams of working in comics for a more stable job.
I loved how the character's came together and influenced each other. The writing was wonderful and it is one of the best contemporaries I have read this year.

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?
Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.
The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?
Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

After reading so many great reviews about this book I went into it with very high hopes. While I did enjoy reading about Dimple and Rishi, I think the hype surrounding this book did build up my expectations a little too much.

Dimple Shah is excited to attend the summer computer programming course because it meant that it was her chance to spread her wings and be free from her family. Dimple was also hoping that her family’s obsession of finding her an ‘ideal Indian Husband’ was forgotten about. But with the arrival of Rishi Patel on the computer programming course, and with Rishi knowing her name, Dimple thinks that perhaps her family’s obsession is all but forgotten.

When Dimple Met Rishi is told from both the perspectives of Dimple and Rishi, and I really enjoyed reading from both points of view, and reading about how they both dealt with their own problems. I have to say that I liked both Dimple and Rishi equally, and found them both to be very interesting characters to read about. It was nice to read about how their feelings for each other change as the story progresses, and I found that it made me care and become more invested for both of the characters.

With the all the hype and great reviews the book was getting I was expecting something new and different with the story, but I found it to be a little predictable and nothing new. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed reading the book and I found it very interesting, I did manage to read the book in just a couple of sittings. But I found the story to be lacking something different and something that would make it stand out from other YA contemporary books. Yes this book is diverse and something I would not find myself reading, which I found very refreshing, but I just wanted the story to be refreshing and original also.

Sandhya Menon’s writing is another reason why I really enjoyed reading this book. I found her writing to be very engaging and easy to read, which means you end up losing yourself into the story. I liked the bits of humour dotted throughout the story, and one some occasions it did make me chuckle while reading. Also I learnt quite a few new things as I was reading, but the information wasn’t just dumped on you, but instead woven into the plot.

Even thought I was little underwhelmed with the plot of this book I would still recommend this book for any readers of YA contemporary books. If you are looking for a diverse book with great writing, and interesting and engaging characters, then When Dimple met Rishi, is the perfect summer read.

I rate this book 4/5 stars

***I was sent a copy of this book to review. Everything in this review is my own honest opinions.***

When Dimple Met Rishi is a lovely little story about falling in love, pursuing your dreams and dealing with family and cultural traditions in the modern world. It was also great to have a female character pursuing a career in coding. I really enjoyed reading how their relationship unfurled, The only criticism I might have is that many of the Hindi phrases weren't translated and I felt I was missing out on the intricacies of the parents and children relationships because of that.

I love absolutely everything about this book. It is simply the cutest, most adorable and wonderful book I have read in a while, that made me swoon as well as laugh out loud all the way through,

I don’t gravitate towards YA Contemporary as often as I used to. Mainly since I became a huge fan of physiological thriller’s. However, after reading “When Dimple met Rishi” (and “Anna and the French kiss” in January) I am really starting to reevaluate my TBR shelf.

I’m not even sure how I am meant to put into words how brilliant and beautiful the plot and characters that the author Sandhya Menon has created.

Dimple is incredibly sweet but completely focused and extremely head strong. She has so many traits that most teen girls can relate too, but is also so driven and diverse. She is the kind of character I think everyone would want to be friends with.

Rishi is that family orientated, cute, romantic guy that most girls would love to meet. he is much calmer and I would like to say he is Dimple’s complete opposite, but in fact as the plot develops we learn so much more of Rishi as a character and I simple adore him!

The plot includes friendship, drama, romance, betrayal and so much more which is what made me want to keep reading. It met my expectations and so much more.

Although the main aspect of the story focused on Dimple and Rishi, I was also really impressed and hocked on the wonderful friendship element that was created between Dimple and Celia. I adored how the author created a friendship that was so similar to some that would have been created in a real life situation. It made it unbelievable relateable and I think so many teen girls (and boys) will find similarities in themselves.

I really loved how the book was written in alternating perspectives, and was character driven. I felt this gave so much more of an insight into what both of the main protagonists were thinking without given away too much.

Safe to say this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year I was constantly pestering publishers for an arc because I just could not wait. 

Dimple wants to be a computer something and is so jazzed when her parents agree for her to go to a camp at San Francisco for the summer when they've shown no interest in her studies prior to this. However Dimple finds out that her mother had an ulterior motive and is hoping she will spend time with a boy that she's set her up with who thinks that Dimple is going to be his wife. 

I adored that they had it the opposite of stereotypes of a het relationship. The girl not wanting any commitment because she wants to go to uni and the guy being so set on getting married was different to the cultural norm. 

This book was super sweet and I loved the majority of my time reading it, however the ending did feel quite rushed compared to the rest of the book. It kind of felt like Menon realised she needed to start wrapping it up and panicked. 

There was a lot of racism dealt with in this book and you got to see what it's like for Indian Americans. I could never understand what it's like for them as a white woman but I felt like this brought me pretty close to it. 

I loved how the book explored familial bonds, as well as racism and young love between to Indian Americans, Dimple was so caught up in her own goals that she struggled to see how proud of her her mother really was. She just thought that her mum wanted her to get married and live a quiet life and as the novel goes on you see Dimple learning that that's simply not the case. 

Now if you don't like instalove you might not like this book, but I always remember when I read YA with instalove how when I was a teen I would crush on people without even having a conversation with them so it doesn't ever bother me when I read fast feelings in YA because that's what teens are like. 

If you want a sweet diverse summer contemporary by an own voices author then this is the book for you. Who wouldn't want that though?

There is always a fear when a book starts to receive a lot of hype that it will never live up to the expectations that have been placed upon it. I had these very concerns over When Dimple Met Rishi but after many of my blogging friends urged me to read it, I decided to push the concerns aside and just get on with reading it. And I cannot be more grateful that I did. In the end, I fell head over heels in love with this book. There is so much to love about it but I don’t want to spoil it too much for you – or over-hype it! But essentially this is a book that has gone instantly on to my favourites shelf and is one that I am certain I will be reading time and time again.

When Dimple Met Rishi is the story of a girl who feels trapped in her circumstance and just wants some freedom from her parents and tradition. It’s a coming of age story both for her and the absolutely wonderful Rishi too. Sandhya Menon has done a truly marvelous job of creating characters that are believable, and easy to fall in love with. They’re three-dimensional and adorable. Strong but also weak. On top of all that, this is a character driven storyline and it as an exceptional one at that. It shows that we don’t always get the life we planned but that is okay. It has amazing themes of acceptance, feminism, family love, friendships and perseverance. Last, but certainly not least, Sandhya has created a story that is intensely cute.

With a diverse and fascinating cast of characters who are all well thought-out and realistic, Sandhya Menon makes it difficult to choose just one to love. Thus I want to tell you about the two main characters in this book. First, and definitely my absolute favourite, is Dimple. Dimple is strong-willed, passionate and fiery. I loved reading about her and I ultimately loved her journey in the book. Next up is the ever-wonderful Rishi. Rishi is artistic, funny, adorable and caring. The perfect balance for Dimple, of course.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was incredibly cute, wonderfully addictive and filled me with lots of heart-warming feelings. It also had me quite emotional towards the ends – seems I was quite invested in the characters. The storyline may have been a little predictable but to me, that’s totally okay. This book is perfect just the way it is. It’s diverse and it celebrates that so well. It reads well and is just a wonderful story that I will definitely re-read at some point. It is a book that I would highly recommend, especially if you’re looking for something to fill your heart with hope and love.

This was such a cute book. I loved the concept other it. Even though it's an awful idea that Dimple's parents just sent this boy to meet her without telling her anything about it, it was just funny, the way it all played out and the way it was written. It showed a lot about both of the characters and I think definitely qualifies as a nice "meet cute" story to tell, even if it was rather upsetting for them when it was actually happening.

I think they showed the culture very well in this book. I had to google a lot of things, especially the clothing that was referenced so that I had an idea of what they were talking about. There were just small references in so much of it, which showed how much culture was involved in both Dimple and Rishi's lives.

The feelings that Dimple had were so real as well. Rishi was easy to empathise with as well, but Dimple's struggle between what she wants out of life and what her parents seem to want for her, how she can't see the middle ground because she's so sure that she wants to focus on her career rather than marrying or even dating boys, was just so real and interesting.

This book was funny, cute and really showed a wonderful snapshot of India culture in America.

Some characters are destined to be together. All the stars align, time stops and the only two people in this (fictional) world are your protagonists.

Or, in the case of Dimple and Rishi they have been set up by both sets of parents to fulfil the requirements set in their Indian culture to marry within the race. This is the set up of When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. It is book that looks at how tradition plays part in modern society.

You have Dimple who is determined to break the mould, the glass ceiling, the…everything as long as she doesn’t have to conform to her parental expectations. Rishi is her total opposite in that he wants to carry on the tradition. He wants to be partnered with a good match, fall in love in a practical way. And even though they are worlds apart in their views, when they collide you cannot help but notice the chemistry.

When Dimple Met Rishi is brilliant. It is a modern twist on a will they won’t they story that just keeps giving. The only problem I had with Sandhya Menon’s fabulous YA novel is that 384 pages just wasn’t enough. I wanted more.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon is available now.

For more information regarding Sandhya Menon (@smenonboooks) please visit www.sandhyamenon.com.

For more information regarding Hodder & Stoughton (@HodderBooks) please visit www.hodder.co.uk.

I loved this book from start to finish! Super cute story, adorable characters and a generous sprinkling of laugh out loud moments.