When Dimple Met Rishi
by Sandhya Menon
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: May 30, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Rating:
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.
Dimple marches to the beat of her own drum. While her mom would like Dimple to get married and start a family, like she did at Dimple’s age, Dimple just wants to go to school and make a name for herself. She has no interest in make-up, playing demure, or getting hitched. However, her plans go sideways when the perfect guy shows up and has her questioning her future.
I really liked that the story isn’t just about the romance. The story is in both Dimple and Rishi’s point of view. They are both Indian Americans who have grown up with traditional parents. However, unlike Dimple, Rishi wants nothing more than to follow tradition and make his parents proud. Even if that means pushing his dreams to the side. These two were on two opposite ends of the spectrum. I really liked watching these two interact. Even though they were so different, you see each of them sort of meet halfway.
While I loved that this shows a bit of Indian culture and what it’s like for an Indian American, I didn’t feel like this was different from other young adult books I’ve read. The setting was a tech. convention to get young adults to create an amazing app, but there wasn’t a whole lot of actual work being done. There were parties, teenage angst, new friends, and navigating catty enemies. It was pretty much a cookie-cutter YA. I just wish there was more that set it apart from all the other young adult books I’ve read. In the end, When Dimple Met Rishi is a mediocre read for me. I know a lot of people love this book, and trust me, that cover is super adorable, but I was just hoping for more with this one.
Favorite quote…
“He already knew the first time he saw Dimple’s picture that their story would become a sort of legend.”
This book seems to be everywhere and yes, lots of people are going crazy over it, but I honestly never felt compelled to grab it. Now that I read your review, I think I get what always stopped me . . . I’m not really up for a cookie-cutter YA.
I had high hopes. Especially after reading The Hate U Give. Which was one I was hesitant to read but once I read it, I realized it went well past a YA novel. I was hoping that this book would do the same, but it never broke out of the YA mold. 🙁
yes I understand you. I thought it was cute and sweet but well it wasn’t a great one
Exactly. I wish there was more to it than what we got.
Sorry to hear it wasn’t as good as you were hoping it would be.
Sorry When Dimple Met Rishi wasn’t too great. The premise sounds promising and fun cover too.
Sorry to hear this one was just an okay read for you. I really enjoyed it when I read it but I definitely understand where you’re coming from.
I wish I had enjoyed it more. I think it may have to do with the fact that I’d just recently finished The Hate U Give before reading this. That story was filled with so much emotion and diversity. I was hoping that this would fall under that, but it just turned out to be another YA read for me.