So what happens when level-headed and career-driven Dimple meets the more traditional, hopeless romantic, Rishi? Well, he refers to her as his ‘future wife’ and she, quite rightly, runs away…

When Dimple Met Rishi is a contemporary YA novel about arranged marriage. When the pair meet, Dimple has no idea her parents have made the match and she immediately rejects the idea, having no interest in her mother’s insistence that she must find the IIH (Ideal Indian Husband). Instead, her interests lie in coding and completing the six week summer camp that could be the making of her future career.

Despite this, Dimple and Rishi get to know each other over the course of the six week camp and find that they do, in fact, have a lot in common. Could their parents really have been so successful in making a compatible match? And, if so, what does this mean for their futures and the plans they had made?

I loved When Dimple Met Rishi. It is so much more than just the ‘arranged marriage romcom’ that it has been pitched as. It features relatable teen characters, with complex hopes, dreams and opinions, as they approach college. Far from living in a fairytale, their romance is complicated thanks to the weight of expectation from their parents and the desire, on Dimple’s side, to move away from the traditional role she is expected to fill. They are at the age where their parents are starting to come to life as real people, not just as parents, and their complex relationships with their parents are explored brilliantly. As with any cross-generational relationship, there is a balance of respecting their parents, but not necessarily aligning with their more traditional values, and loving them, but not always appreciating the pressure they bring (be it a real pressure or just a perceived one).

The highs and lows of Rishi’s relationship with his brother, Ashish, are beautifully played out. Despite their differing views on respecting their parents’ values which often pulls them apart, their love and respect for each other always survives their conflicts. We see that Rishi – who otherwise can appear near perfect – is flawed in his assumption that Ashish is simply being difficult. I loved that him seeing Dimple stand up to her parents’ plan for her helped him to understand that Ashish is not just rebelling for the sake of it, but rather because he is being true to who he is.

Dimple is, by far, the star of this book for me. Intelligent, passionate (for coding!), wise and headstrong, she’s the perfect heroine. Her romance with Rishi is complex, well-developed and ridiculously cute.

The only fault I can really find with When Dimple Met Rishi is that, despite being on a six week summer camp, the last three weeks are skipped over very quickly. I can understand the need to keep the plot moving, but I could have happily spent another fifty pages with these characters! I also found it odd that they had a talent show – full of dancing, singing and magic – at a coding camp. I can’t help but wonder if this is a slightly unwise plot device, but perhaps such talent shows are common to US college camps like this?!

Even with these minor niggles, this is an excellent YA contemporary. Comparisons to Rainbow Rowell are overused, but I am amazed to say that, in this case, it is valid. If you loved Fangirl, this is the perfect book to go straight to the top of your summer reading list.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Dimple Met Rishi, is such a brilliant, lighthearted contemporary. A perfect read for the Spring and Summer seasons and I really enjoyed it. We get two very humorous original perspectives and I really adored both Dimple and Rishi, they were very different from any characters I have previously read about in the contemporary genre. When Dimple Met Rishi follows two Indian protagonists at a computer programming summer camp and their struggles with their parents expectations of marriage and their futures while also looking to what they personally want their future to hold. 

This is an own voices novel and I loved how Indian culture was wonderfully presented and I found it extremely brilliant that Sandhya Menon was able to both challenge stereotypes and dive deeper into the complexities of Indian traditions. I feel like she was really able to explore a different side to arranged marriage by delving into both negatives and positives of the situation. It was interesting to read from Dimple's point of view and of her opinions against it and then read the contrast from Rishi's point of view. It was really excellent.

"It's like you have this paintbrush, dipped in brilliant mauve's and teals and golds, and you just totally redid my monochromatic life. I need you; I need your paintbrush."

One of my favourite moments was in the beginning when Dimple and Rishi first meet it was absolutely hilarious I could not stop laughing. The banter between both of them was excellent and the misinterpreted situation was brilliant, it is one of my favourite moments from all of the books I have read I just found it so funny and Sandhya Menon did it in such a clever way. The romance in this book is so cute and I enjoyed how it was done in less typical YA way, it was a very realistic representation that was lovely to read. While being cute and heartwarming it was also really deep and interesting. The plot was really fast paced and I didn't get bored while reading at all.

"She wept for her hardheadedness, and for a world that couldn't just let her be both, a woman in love and a women with a career..."

There were a couple of things that I didn't really like. Firstly I felt a little uncomfortable reading the talent show parts. Mainly because I find that talent shows are really cringe-worthy and I personally felt awkward for the characters. I had to have a little break in between reading those parts because it was a little too much. But honestly it was funny and made for a great read. I also feel like the beginning and middle parts seemed so well developed and put together that I then found the ending to be a little anti-climatic and rushed however I did enjoy the conclusion and feel like it was a great way for the book to end. I just wish the last three weeks of Insomnia con were more spaced out like the first three instead of just skipping them and going straight to the end. Or at least a few scenes in between would have been nice.

Overall this was a wonderful read, I only had a few problems here and there mostly I found this to be really funny and fast paced and I am really excited to see what Sandhya Menon might come out with in the future. Definitely recommend!

4/5 Stars

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughten and Sandhya Menon for sending me an early digital copy via NetGalley.

I'm so glad to have had the chance to read this book early. I'd been seeing it all over Twitter and Bookstagram and knew that I had to read it.

Dimple, an aspiring web developer, gets the chance to attend a highly commended web development summer program. Unbeknown to Dimple, her parents agreed to send her there to find the "Ideal Indian Husband". Rishi on the other hand is a hopeless romantic, and jumps at the opportunity to attend the same program with hopes of wooing Dimple and falling in love. However, from the moment they meet and Rishi greets Dimple with "Hello future wife" to which Dimple responds to by throwing coffee all over him, their relationship was not what either of them expected.

I loved loved LOVED that Dimple really stood up for what she believed in. Despite constantly being told by her mother that she should wear makeup and dress a certain way for her to be able to find a man, Dimple didn't conform. She did what made her happy and stood against the misogynistic views which I really appreciated.

Similarly, while Rishi loves the idea of finding his soulmate and falling in love, once he realises that Dimple desires different things, he puts his feelings aside and respects her wishes. I love that not once did Rishi pressure Dimple into anything. In fact he constantly admired her, both personality and looks.

Both Dimple and Rishi had their own passions, and while Rishi was a little reluctant to pursue his at first due to what he feels is his duty to his family, both characters really encouraged each other to work towards their dreams which I thought was so lovely.

I would have liked to have read more about the actual coding and web development that happened across the program, to see how each character would deal with the different aspects and really let Dimple come into her own. However, I appreciate the story was more about the character development which I totally respect, and this hasn't changed my opinion of the book at all.

When Dimple Met Rishi is the perfect own voices YA contemporary. It was funny, it was cute, it gave me "bookish butterflies" and I loved the main characters. While I myself cannot speak for the representation of the Indian culture in this story, with not being Indian myself, I can say that I have only read positive things from Indian readers. I felt that I learned a lot about the culture whilst reading, and really enjoyed seeing lines in Hindi as well as English!

Cultural representation matters and I'm so glad to have heard from so many people that When Dimple Met Rishi is good representation and totally relatable! 4/5 stars.

I was so excited to read this novel and when I finally got a copy, I was overjoyed. The synopsis had me feeling some noughties rom-com meets Bend It Like Beckham vibes, and that's exactly what I got. I loved the blend of the lighthearted teen romance with the infusion of Dimple and Rishi's cultural backgrounds and their families, and the whole story really comes to life as you read it.

Dimple and Rishi have both been sent to Insomnia Con, a prestigious summer camp, to meet each other by their parents. The only problem is that only Rishi knows that this is a set-up. He is excited to meet his potential future wife and spend six wonderful weeks with her, but when he meets Dimple, he realises that she knew nothing of the plan. Dimple was under the impression that her parents were finally letting her focus on her career, and she's furious that she's been tricked. When Dimple and Rishi get paired together on a project, it seems like things couldn't get any worse. Except they do. Dimple realises that perhaps she's let her anger blind her, and she starts to wonder if perhaps she and Rishi and more compatible than she thought.

My favourite part of this novel was the characters. Dimple and Rishi are both so different. Dimple is feisty, independent, and stubborn. She dreams of being a web developers and I loved how passionate she is about her goals. Despite the romance storyline, I never felt like Dimple's personality and goals were being sacrificed or like her character was being diluted in any way which I often feel in romance novels. Rishi on the other hand is a romantic and he loves all of the traditions that Dimple feels constrained by. He can't wait to marry and have kids, everything that his parents want, but he doesn't know if he's following in their footsteps rather than pursuing his own dream - comics. I loved reading about their families and their Indian culture. You can really tell that this novel is own voices in my opinion, because it never felt forced or superficial, the descriptions and conversations between family members felt real.

I loved that despite the storylines of the romance between Dimple and Rishi and the Insomnia Con competition there was also the interior battles that the characters are facing. Both Dimple and Rishi have to learn what it is exactly that they want, not what they've been told they should want or what they've told themselves they should want. It is a storyline that I think plenty of readers could relate to, and I definitely could myself. I also love that despite the two of them obviously helping each other learn things along the way, neither one's achievements were completely dependent on the other. Both Dimple and Rishi are extremely talented at what they do, and they both love it. Sometimes they just need a little shove to realise that they need to dive in.

When Dimple Met Rishi is a really fun and lighthearted novel, a great read for the summer. It gave me noughties romcom vibes to the extent that I was imagining movie sequences in my head as I read it. It was easy to hand out 5-stars to this as I had such a good time reading it, and I hope you look into a getting a copy yourself soon!
For fans of: To All the Boys I've Loved Before - Jenny Han

Sometimes, contemporary and I don’t get along. Most of the time it needs some magical realism or something else. And I always think everything happens too quickly, of which this book is no exception.

When Dimple Met Rishi is a really important book, though. I’m glad it’s out there and highlighting other cultures within a predominantly white Christian publishing array of same old books. I think it was hyped so much that I wanted more to actually happen in it than the plot allowed.

I really liked Dimple – she’s a fiesty, intelligent girl who knows what she wants, but my problem with contemporary remained in this book. It all seemed so rushed, and Rishi wasn’t a character I bonded with 100%. I enjoyed him taking down the elitist snobs in the restaurant, but after that he seemed a bit inconsistent. I prefer him a lot to the typical douchebags you get in a lot of YA – bad boys turning good, etc – because Rishi was a straight up decent, positive human being from the start. Though I feel sometimes he still came off as a little arrogant.

A lot of his arc was a struggle within himself, whether he would do comics or go to MIT as expected, which was super interesting. I still couldn’t connect with him or his sense of humour. I actually hoped Dimple and he would end up as friends, and subvert the typical tropes of romance, or even the arranged marriage aspect – that the parents aren’t always right.

Dimple was so angry with her parents for setting her up in that way and not understanding her need for education over romance – and rightly so – that when it all goes out of the window because Rishi is cute and an actually ok guy she suddenly changes her mind? She still brought it up that she might never want marriage, and that’s good, but I wanted more insight behind her decision to change her perspective of Rishi and certainly more from Rishi than Dimple just feeling guilty.

Maybe it’s just me, because I’m stubborn af and can hold a grudge for years and might be a bit of a dick that way, but I didn’t enjoy that aspect of the book.

Plus, the contest seemed just to be a plot device to get them together in the book (since that’s what their parents were all about) and faded into the background. And then there’s a talent show that everyone apparently knows about but is only mentioned 50% of the way in.

I also struggled with the POV changes. They happen mid-chapter and because of the kindle format, it wasn’t always clear that we were suddenly in the opposite person’s head.

Don’t get me wrong, it was cute. Sometimes it was amusing. Not a lot happened and the actual fall-out of feelings was slightly awkward – but it was predominantly romance and not a romance I could attach to.

So to finish…. this won’t change my mind about contemporary. Sometimes we get along, sometimes we don’t, it’s an 80-20 split to the latter. It’s definitely a case of “not you, it’s me.”

Again I’m really pleased this is out there showing another much-needed voice and I’m hoping it gets the attention it deserves for YA.

I liked this book. The best part of the book was the characters who were well developed and likeable. Their relationship was sweet. It was also good to see a bit of diversity in a YA novel. Young people need to be able to see themselves and their culture reflected in literature and this does that well. I teach English at a diverse school, and I will be recommending this book to my students as lots of the characters share a name with students I teach, and I know they'll appreciate that. The reason I didn't give the book more than three stars is because whilst the writing was fine, it wasn't anything special. And whilst I thought it tackled some interesting and important topics, the main themes of the book weren't particularly gripping for me, but that's probably just because I'm not the target audience.

Dimple Shah’s ambitions include going to university, conquering the tech world and definitely not marrying someone and settling down (much to her mother’s dismay). Meanwhile, Rishi Patel is a follower of tradition and quite loyal to his family, which thinks that he and Dimple are perfectly matched. The two are polar opposites, but it’s also true that opposites attract, isn’t it?

When Dimple Met Rishi is in my top 5 most anticipated releases for this year. The premise, the cover, the title – it all drew me. I knew I had to get my hands on this book asap. And sure, I’m not a huge contemporary fan, but I do love dorks falling in love. Much like Rishi, I’m a romantic (but only when it comes to books, mind you.) I read this book in a day and completely fell in love.

The narrative perfectly matches the book’s contemporary setting – it’s light, funny and hits you in all the right places. And listen, there may be a wide-spread roll-your-eyes-and-groan-at-the-sight hate toward clichés, but I love them. Especially when they’re applied with a personal touch of creativity. There’s so many things that happen in this book, so many tropes hit right on the head, and I loved them all. Sandhya Menon takes a bunch of clichés and makes them her own.

And while there may be a lot of your typical contemporary book tropes, but this is definitely a character driven book. Dimple is a firework – her character is an explosion of colours that leaves you in awe. She’s incredibly nuanced and complex and simply beautiful. Her resolve radiates off the page and, right off the bat, convinces you how hard-working and determined Dimple really is. And while Rishi may be her opposite, but he’s just as nuanced and strong as she is. His love and respect for family and tradition are inspiring. Through Dimple and Rishi you see two sides of the same coin – so different, yet alike in their strength.

I’m beginning to sound redundant with all this opposites attract talk, but Dimple and Rishi’s characters fit so well together. They are different enough so it’s not always smooth sailing, but are also alike enough to recognize themselves in the other. Both are headstrong characters that know how to stand their ground, but also when to compromise. There’s really never a dull moment with these two. I had so much fun getting to know them as they got to know each other.

Overall, When Dimple Met Rishi is a wonderful book full of love, laughs, some difficulties and quite a lot of strength. It’s both a homage to tradition and a look forward. You’re not told which is right and which is wrong, because neither is. You just need to find a balance. This book does exactly that.

(Also, thank you, Sandhya Menon, for the Bollywood dance! You filled my heart right up.)

I have just finished the ARC of "When Dimple met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
and let me tell you how much I loved it.

First thing - I must make it clear- I don't read many contemporaries. I don't really like them and when I tell you I loved this book that means it was really good for me to like it that much.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4,5 stars)

It's a perfect, summer contemporary romance novel. It made me laugh out loud so many times I lost count.

I am not Indian but I absolutely loved that main protagonists were not white American.

THE PLOT

This is the story of an Indian-American protagonist whose parents are desperate for her to marry so they arrange marriage partner. Her potential husband- Rishi- seems to be complete opposite of Dimple. Traditional guy that put first his parents wishes and cultural heritage. I know nothing of Indian culture but the book gave me so much insight into it I understood how hard is to be different than the rest of the family and even harder to follow your own dreams.

Dimple is more of the individualist. She loves her programming and is not interested at getting married so young. For the summer she is going to the programming camp that can help her in achieving her career goals. She is non conformist and independent. Little she knows, her potential husband will be attending same camp she is going to.

MY THOUGHTS:

Its so much more to me than a great, romantic story and extremely enjoyable, funny read. It's more than the representation of an Indian characters. Even though I am white European I took so much out of it. The books explores the subject of following our own dreams and goals vs. meeting society's and family's expectations. It's about staying true to your own self and in the same time being proud of who you are and where you come from.

Some decisions are hard to make. May impact your and lives of people around you so the weight we carry on our shoulders can be huge. Rishi carries it all his life. When he meets Dimple he is confronted with the decisions to be made.

Two different characters. So far from each other when it comes to personalities and life goals. But against all odds, this is one of the best contemporary romance comedy novels I have read in a long, long time.

Perfect summer read! I highly encourage you to give it a go.

When Dimple Met Rishi may just be the cutest book I'll read this year. And it's also so good. I read it in about 4 hours (2 of which were actually spent watching hockey, not reading), and stayed up late because I just had to finish it.

For me, the characters were the best part of this book. I fell in love with them within about 5 pages of meeting them (especially Rishi). I can't remember the last time that I adored any character almost immediately, but this book managed it for pretty much every one that was introduced. I really, really just don't have words for how much I loved them.

If there was one (really really minor) problem I had, it was that occasionally the writing got a little bit borderline on purple prose, but it happened like only once or twice so, as I said, really really minor.

This was so, so cute. I love the setting of a coding camp - I'm always here for female scientists! -and Dimple and Rishi are incredible, complex characters. It's such a unique relationship dynamic which I've never read about before.
I felt like the ending was quite rushed - they tried to fit too much into the last few chapters, and I think the focus shifted weirdly from the app they were making to a dance competition, which felt weird.

Although this would be a perfect book for those who love contemporary reads and those who just want a sweet happy read, then this is it. I loved the cultural integration from the characters, I've never read a YA focused on the Indian Culture, or never an Indian culture book in the first place. This book has inspired me to go and read a lot more diverse books in terms of different cultures.
However I had a few personal problems with the book. To me it was too dialogue driven, where I personally a lot more world building. The dialogue, itself, felt heavy and not realistic. I had a lot of issues with the way that the "Aberzombies" were portrayed, along with Celia and her friend. At first it was funny, but then it got tiresome. There was little drama, apart from when it turns out Celia and Ashish had previously had a fling and then they done some "stuff" when Rishi was in the shower. Was this really necessary? It was at that point I couldn't carry on reading the whole thing.
I had such high expectations for the book. It would be perfect on the bookshelves amongst many other contemporary books, and a perfect book for diving into more diverse and different cultures. The first half was impossible to put down and it was nice to see a role reversal of the girl being the rebel and the male being the innocent one who does as they're told.

Review on my blog:

This dual-perspective narrative chronicles the pre-college summer of two Indian-American individuals.

Dimple Shah is eager to break free from her conservative family and when they finally allow her to follow her dreams and attend a summer course for computer programming, she believes they have finally gotten over their obsession with finding her the IIH (ideal Indian husband).

Rishi Patel's hope is to one-day emulate his parents' love with his own arranged marriage. And by following both his parents' suggestion, as well as his own heart, to a computer programming course, he has hopes of doing just that. But when he discovers Dimple's parents have kept this arrangement from their daughter, and she has no concept of their planned future together, it seems his dreams must succumb to a quick and painful death.

With very different future goals in mind and yet forced together for the remainder of the course, the pair's perfect Summer seems like it is going to become anything but!

This book was such an absorbing read and really opened up details of a culture I know little about. My interest was further piqued to see the same culture discussed from two alternating perspectives. Diversity is sorely needed in literature and it is so heartening that a book can give both a voice to this marginalised perspective as well as extending understanding to all.

For it was through these differing perspectives that I felt the reader got a fully open invitation to learn. The cultural traditions, and the impact these have on differing generations and individuals, made both for interesting discussions as well as points of conflict, in the novel. Also, the warring perspectives also made this such a hilarious read!

The duo seemed destined to share nothing but a dislike for each other but, over the course of the novel, the reader gets to witness the sweetest of romances blossom. This was honestly such a smile-inducing story and Dimple and Rishi make such the perfect pairing! They both have such sweet and endearing personalities and distinct voices that were a pleasure to read from.

At times I felt the plot became a little cliched and, as with all romantic novels, the ending was an obvious one. This is my issue with this genre, in general, and not a fault with this particular novel, however. This remains the perfect Summer read and also provided the reader with a depth of topic and a diversity of character that every book should aspire to include.

"It's like you have this paintbrush, dipped in brilliant mauves and teals and golds, and you just totally redid my monochromatic life. I need you; I need your paintbrush."

There were so many things I loved about When Dimple Met Rishi, but I’m going to begin with the fact that this book is a gorgeous celebration of Indian culture. It’s own voices and Sandhya Menon does a wonderful job of challenging harmful stereotypes about Indian traditions embedded in western society. She explores the deeper complexities of arranged marriage, and shows us that it can be a beautiful companionship, rather than the forced partnering that westerners often (wrongly) think.

As someone who studied linguistics, I adored the use of language in the novel. The author intersperses English with Hindi when both Dimple and Rishi talk to their families and it was wonderful to see the two contrasted against each other because they’re such different languages (English is a Germanic language and Hindi is Indo-Aryan). Plus, I have a friend who speaks Hindi and it was great to see bi-lingual speakers like her being represented, and I got to learn new words I’d never come across before.

Another thing I loved was Dimple is a girl in STEM. She’s a coder interested in app-creation and also loves books, which is a combination I’ve not come across much in YA. She’s headstrong, driven, and doesn’t let anyone get in the way of her goals; I love reading about these types of women/girls regardless of their profession or interests, but it was really exciting to see a female character thriving in a field that has traditionally been dominated by men. Plus, Dimple is a massive feminist and challenges any (and all) ideals that she sees as pigeonholing women into traditional gender roles. Major love for Dimple.

As the other part of the duo, Rishi is such a lovable character. His inner thoughts are narrated so well and his unabashed, heartfelt awe for everything about Dimple is uplifting to read. His innocence and ability to empathise with others and encourage their ideas was a huge part of what made this book so enjoyable. He even took Dimple to a book-themed restaurant; basically the ultimate romantic checkmate.

Romance is at the heart of the story, and the author does a great job of expressing the innocence, confusion, and excitement that can come with burgeoning love. Especially for two teenagers trying to navigate summer school. Menon also sets up an electric social commentary on the expectation that women must choose between a career and a relationship. Dimple constantly questions whether dating Rishi will make her too ‘domestic’ and often worries she’ll end up letting her feelings take precedent over her ambitions.

Perhaps the thing that Menon does best, though, is humour. This book had me cackling out loud at points. Seriously, cackling. The sharp dialogue, unfortunate situations and sarcastic, wry sense of humour (Dimple, you gem) all combine to make this a really funny read.

My only criticism would be that the climactic sequence towards at the end of the novel felt a little too kitsch. Everything seemed to fall into place just too perfectly, and I found it unrealistic. But the intensity of emotion and honesty between Dimple and Rishi in the final two pages mostly made up for it.

When Dimple Met Rishi is like a book-shaped hug. If you’ve just finished a particularly emotionally-fraught book then this is the ideal next read. It’s sweet and cosy and I actually said ‘awwwh’ out loud as I finished the final page. That’s how cute it is. Dimple and Rishi are both so lovable and their relationship is incredibly heart-warming. This is a story that will effortlessly make you smile.

When Dimple Met Rishi was absolutely adorable from beginning to end. It follows 2 American-Indian teens: Dimple (who wishes she could escape the Indian traditions her parents insist on her following) and Rishi (who happily follows his culture) - whose parents arrange for them to meet and eventually get married. From the moment they meet, funniness and cuteness ensues and I began to ship them from then, even if Dimple was majorly against their relationship. The characters were awesome, the secondary characters very well fleshed out, and the plot was cool. I loved the idea of web and app development, even though all the technical stuff when completely over my head.
Highly recommend!

WOW! This may be the most heart-achingly sweet and funny read of of 2017. The characters are both adorable and realistic. I honestly cannot rave about Dimple enough! Smart, driven and funny, she made very page a delight, and Rishi was completely swoon-worthy.

I should also confess, I laughed so hard at their initial meeting that tea came out my nose!

So good!

Advanced copy received via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

Actual rating 2.75*

It was sweet but not much in the way of substance unfortunately. Nothing really happened. I spent pretty much the whole book waiting for something. It's just one of those stories you tell your kids about how their parents met, and maybe that's the premise of the story but I'm not sure this one was really novel worthy.

The only interesting element for me was that the MCs were Indian, I don't think I've read one before, and how the author tried to weave some of the culture into it. However some of that seemed like it might have been a challenge because at points it verged on educational rather than entertaining.

I just want to say though that this was not a bad read, it was not even terribly written it was just hugely uneventful. I just prefer my YA contemporary to have a bit more angst and drama.

Review featured here - https://youtu.be/4pDdp2m-3Bc