This was a super fun look at Indian weddings from the POV of a younger sister. Think My Big Fat Greek Wedding subbing in Indian for Greek and written for middle graders. It's on the Bookish Society list for next fall.

Zurika is torn between following her dreams and going to college to study music or listening to her family and going for something more 'practical'. All while dodging the delights of a big Indian wedding and her families constant matchmaking schemes. I loved this look at family, tradition and the culture of Indian weddings. The language and traditions were beautifully weaved into the story and I found myself feeling like I was in the big hectic party with everyone.

You had me at the title! Love it.
I love the premise of this book and it was well written.
Sajni Patel is one of my favorite authors
For me though I enjoy her adult rom coms more than YA work.
That could be just me.
This is a sweet, cute read with great representation!

Being an Indian an part Gujarati, this book got my attention. Firstly, I want admire the talent of the cover designer who so perfectly captured the essence of Indian culture with the bright illustrations.

I think the ceremonious weddings are something every Indian is proud of and Patel covered all the highlights with great descriptions.

Maybe I'm being biased, but I preferred the vivid detail in the writing to the characters and storyline.

Absolutely amazing.
I have never felt so incredibly seen in a story before. It is hard to tell your parents your dreams when they want something else for you.
I am Gujurati and it was also wonderful seeing my culture in a book. From the haldi, to the shoes to the garba, everything made me feel so warm inside and happy.
Sajni Patel did an amazing job with this book and I could not recommend it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this book, so I'd probably give it around 3.5 stars. As always, Sajni Patel writes excellent Indian representation, and while I can't speak to its accuracy, I especially love how this book included stories from other Indian diasporas that aren't as commonly seen in media (Indo-Trinidadian and South African-Indian). Like most South Asians, I am also a huge fan of our wedding culture and how family-oriented Indians can be, and I loved reading about how that could be celebrated without shying away from critiquing the more toxic aspects of our society, like career expectations and beauty standards. The descriptions of the food, clothes, and events make me want to attend another Indian wedding as soon as possible.

That being said, I do have a few criticisms. I've read enough of Sajni Patel's books to now realize that her writing style doesn't fully agree with me. I also thought the music subplot was a little underdeveloped, and was a bit disappointed by the rather abrupt ending. Additionally, I wish we could've seen more of Zuri and Naveen's relationship or at least gotten an epilogue.

Overall, I'd recommend for readers who are looking for a Bollywood-esque tale about finding love while pursuing your dreams amidst one of my favorite cultural celebrations!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

I love and adore the Indian culture and this book just transported me into that culture to a place where I could belong, beautiful truly

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒

My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding by Sajni Patel is a delightful, well-written story about the younger sister of an Indian woman about to get married.

Zurika Damani is in her last year of High School and is deciding on her next step by choosing colleges. Her parents want her to go to law school as her two older sisters did. But, Zurika has other ideas. She’s a talented violinist and wants to attend music school instead.

This week starts the preparations for her sister, Madri’s, big, over-the-top, Indian wedding. Her sister and her parents need her close by for all the celebrations, and preparations. She wants to attend a musical contest the same week as her sister’s wedding, and once she learns she did not get into Julliard, she knows the contest is the best way to get into a prestigious music school. But, can she disobey her parents and sneak out to the contest without getting caught?

I have never been to a large Indian wedding, and now I feel like I’ve been to one. I loved hearing all about the details of the wedding preparation and all the celebrations leading up to the main event.

Zurika is so conflicted during most of the book. She wants to please her family, but she thinks she can’t please her family and go on her own path. She knows that the only thing she wants to do, is to play the violin, but her family wants her to become a lawyer, a doctor, or an engineer. They believe there isn’t a future for Zurika in music and wants to be sure she has a good solid financial future.

I loved the journey that Zurika went on as she learned more about herself and her talent, and how to stand up for herself. There is some light romance in the book, that was fun and heartwarming.

I highly recommend My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding to anyone who enjoys YA books with a bit of romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was such a genuinely fun and exciting read. I've definitely been in the mood for some fun, lighthearted YA romance these days, and this book is exactly what I've been wanting to read. I loved getting to see the culture, tradition, and rituals of a desi wedding, and it was written in a way that made me feel like I was enjoying the party right along with the characters. There was a lot of humor and hi-jinks blended perfectly with so many sweet moments. Zuri is such a likable protagonist, and we get to see how she deals with the challenge of wanting to be there to support her family and wanting to reach for her dreams, especially when everyone thinks those dreams are too risky. I also liked the blend of culture within Zuri's own family, which led to dialogue on important issues such as colorism. The one downside of this book is that it kept mentioning delicious Indian foods without me being able to eat them. I think we're going to need books to start coming with yummy food samples, right?

Our main love interests, Zuri and Naveen, were very adorable. I liked that from one's point of view it might have been love at first sight, and from the other's point of view it was definitely enemies to lovers. They are both really funny characters who do a lot of fun teasing, but are also both sweethearts and super talented. I absolutely loved the romance moments in the story.

Even more, I think, I loved the family moments. Zuri has a big family, from her immediate family of parents and 3 sisters, to all of the aunties, uncles, and cousins that make their way through for the wedding. I loved the sister relationships especially, because we get to see the moments when siblings are annoying and get on her nerves, but also the strong bond of love that only sisters can have. And it's clear throughout the book how much Zuri loves her family, and I love seeing that portrayed. It's really lovely and made the story even more fun to read.

Overall, I loved this book. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good YA contemporary romance. It's fun, sweet, and full of rom-com humor. Now after reading this, I need someone to invite me to a big Indian wedding!

At first I was skeptical because this has a romance that happens in under a week but then I remember it's between teens and that happens a lot sometimes less than a week 😅

My favorite part of this book is the family dynamics. I loved how all the cousins worked together and had each other's backs. I loved how big the family was even though I got confused a few times with all the different characters and names.

A feel good, cute story.

I loved this sweet YA romcom! The writing was phenomenal and the characters and plot came alive. The pacing did seem a little off at times, but I think overall this was an amazing read! I love the way the culture was incorporated into the story.

Sajni Patel knows how to write stories with an ease that draws readers in from page one. I’ve only read her adult romances up to this point and have always loved falling into the family dynamics and drama. This one is no exception. Patel writes beautiful characters filled with purpose and fun. I will always recommend her books! Great YA debut.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this young adult book by Sajni Patel. I had read the author’s adult contemporary books before and was glad to receive this arc. It was an absolute heart warmer that I really loved a lot about it. It was five star read for me.

The book is about Zurika Damani a high school senior and talented violinist who is going behind her families back to try get into a music program for college. Thinking her last chance is a big music contest for a full scholarship for school in front of college music program scouts who are judging, she puts her hopes into that. The problem her sister’s wedding is the same week as this big audition. It’s a big Indian wedding with a full week of events she can’t missed. Also an unexpected issue comes up, her potentially biggest rival for top honors in these audition is a member of the groom’s side of the wedding. Naveen is a talented vocalists from South Africa entering this contest as a chance to make his musical dreams come true as well. To complicate matters their mommas’ are looking to see if Zurika and Naveen hit it off and could be a potentially set up in the future. So it’s a lot thing going on during a big Indian wedding.

I loved so much about this book. Firstly reading about the Indian culture and wedding traditions was something that made me request this book in the first place. And reading it made me love and want to see these things in real life.. It’s one of the best things about the book. I loved the musical aspect in the story as well. I felt like Patel describe the music so well in the book I could hear it in my head while reading about it.

Also loved the character writing in this. Honestly loved all the characters. Zurika, the main character I saw my self in. She was driven, opinionated, musical, and while not always did the right thing really did love her family. Zurika and Naveen’s romance in this was really cute. I loved how they pushed each other musically and their games at the wedding.

Favorite thing about this was the story of the Damani family and family traditions in the book. From the love of Zurika and her sisters to her relationships with her cousins to her and Masi. I will say I think Zurika and her relationship with her dad stole my heart especially the last 15% of the the book when they shared scenes. The scenes with the family wedding traditions was something I just adored

I would recommend this to anyone who loves reading about different cultures, weddings, music, and seeing family dynamics.

⭐️⭐️.5/5

“Never, ever forget the women who came before you and paved your path so you wouldn’t have to fight as hard, or at all. You make a decision and go with it, no matter what others want.”

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this story prior to its 4/19 release date.

I really struggled with how to rate this one. I didn’t like it per say, but it wasn’t outright terrible either.

Sajni Patel writes great stories that represent her culture and really gives the readers a good inside look to all things Hindu, and I respect that and enjoy that. It educates the reader but in a way that you can’t really tell since it’s incorporated into the story itself.

This one was too long. It could have been at least 3 or 4 chapters shorter. It dragged, and the further I got, the harder it was for me to continue because I didn’t really see the plot going anywhere. It was like nothing was happening. I also felt like the main character was super arrogant and she annoyed me. Her personality was terrible, and I felt bad for poor Naveen because she was nasty to him. It was playful at first, and then it just felt downright mean.

I enjoyed the descriptions at first, but then it was too much. I get why she was so descriptive, but it could have made the book 100 pages shorter if she cut back on that.

There was also a lot of characters to keep track of and it took me quite a bit to remember who was who.

Overall, it wasn’t terrible but I really wasn’t a fan, which disappointed me because I loved her book ‘The Trouble with Hating You’ and it was one of my favorites of the year in 2020. I have one other book by her and I’m going to still give it a chance and hopefully, it doesn’t deter me away from Patel’s future works.

“I felt it in my shoulders and back, through my soul, becoming one with my instrument so that it hummed with every heartbeat.”

** I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Zurika Damani has a gift for violin. To be exact, she plays hip hop violin. After being rejected from Juilliard, she enters a music competition to get a chance at winning a full ride to school and being judged by top music school scouts. Sounds amazing right? Unfortunately the contest falls on her big sister's big fat Indian wedding. Zuri will have to skillfully be both an amazing sister of the bride and shine brightly while playing the violin. After a past issue missing her other sister's nuptials, Zuri has been warned not to miss a moment. While all this is happening, Zuri's mom is trying to matchmake. Naveen is a cousin of the groom, has a wonderful South African accent, and is a cocky vocalist in the same competition. The two are both vying for the top spot, while possibly performing together? The cast is completed with many female Damani cousins, all kinds of Indian celebrations, and one big fat Indian wedding.

What I loved about this book was Zurika. She's so passionate about what she does and perfectly explains how she can see the world through music. I love her passion for music, but I'm truly in love with how she feels about her family. Zuri has a lot of female cousins that she loves so dearly. It's such a pleasure to see so many women together.

The descriptions of all of the different Indian wedding traditions were in depth and fun to learn about. It was so cool to know more about how many celebrations take place in one weekend! I really love anytime I get to learn more about a different culture, especially when it's through a novel.

I recommend this book for all who love weddings, music, wanting to prove passion can be a career, and those who love a good dash of romance.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more! Patel brought to life culture, food, fashion, and music with her words - something that any reader knows is not easy to do. The romance and the family dynamics were sweet and funny. You will feel like a part of their desi wedding festivities and you will fall in love with Zuri, Naveen and their families and friends.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Last year I read Sajni Patel’s The Trouble with Hating You which cemented her as an auto-buy author for me. When reading First Love, Take Two a few months ago and now My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding, I know my instinct was right to think I would love any Sajni Patel book brought into the world.
Following Zurika Damani’s journey in taking leaps to fulfill her creative dreams whilst trying not to upset her family, was a definite ride to say the least. Not to mention the throw in of a great meet cute, heartwarming romance, and amazing side characters (which I’ve noticed can always been see in a Sajni Patel novel, in the best way possible).
And Naveen, we love a good slightly arrogant male lead and that’s all that needs to be said.
The lessons and realization has about her place within family dynamics, especially as a teenager, are ones we all know to well. However, given her background, there were dynamics that the Indian community, myself included, directly saw themselves in. Not to mention the complexity of understanding those dynamics while learning how to best choose yourself. The complexity of family relationships and obligations throughout the book were done wonderfully and with so much respect. It was definelty an aspect of the book that stood out the most for me.

📖Summary: Zurika Damani has one goal for her senior year: get into Juilliard. When the rejection email comes in during spring break, she’s crushed. But she has another chance! There’s a music contest where she can win a full ride scholarship to one of the top music colleges in the country. Except…the competition is during spring break, which just so happens to be the week of her sister’s big fat Indian wedding. Add on top of that, the groom’s cousin (Naveen) is ALSO competing in the competition. Can Zuri find the time to sneak away to compete without her family noticing her absence from the wedding festivities?
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✨Rating & Review✨: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m a sucker for a cute romance, that’s also starring an independent woman who follows her dreams. Zuri is a true icon who can play the violin in any form. I’m talking hip hop, rap, classical, rock, Bollywood, etc. You name it, she can play it. Also the cute competitive romance with Naveen, swoon worthy. I’m here for the supportive family AND the wedding festivities. Amazing book by an amazing author. Thank you @netgalley and Sajni Patel for giving me this opportunity to read and review this book. It was an absolute joy.
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High school senior Zuri is a hip-hop violinist who dreams of Julliard. Her parents want her to pursue a more secure degree. When a big audition falls the same weekend as her sister's wedding, she knows her parents won't let her go. With the help of cute-boy Naveen, the groom's cousin, can she sneak out long enough to make her dreams come true?

Zuri and Naveen are adorable together. The story is emotional with a strong voice that pulls you in. I enjoyed the details about the wedding rituals. I would love to see a sequel with Zuri and Naveen in college.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Unfortunately, this book was not captivating my interest even with having read 14 chapters. There seemed to be a lot of telling vs showing. As such, I had to DNF it.