When Dimple Met Rishi

I have so many conflicting feelings about this book, and I find myself more and more indecisive the more distance I have from it.

I LOVED the first third or so. It was everything I dreamed. Dimple and Rishi are ADORBS and their friction at the beginning reminded me of "Bride and Prejudice" in all the right ways. I was locked in and ready for a fun, brimming battle of attraction and wit, simmering up to a romantic ending. But... that wasn't actually the way it went?

Some things sadly got in the way for me:
- The romance was pretty darn fast and all-consuming, despite Dimple telling us often that it wouldn't be. Some points go to the story for Dimple being semi-aware of this, but personally I would've liked it more if the romance had been left on simmer while the characters got on with other things.
- I liked that Dimple and Rishi challenged each other's values... but in the end (as with most stories) I felt a little like the modern voice was teaching the traditional one. Rishi's character definitely changed the most in the course of his arc... and I'm just not sure that Dimple's arc really balanced it.
- Some of the things Dimple got Rishi to do against his better judgment (simple example: pressuring him to eat a semi-suspicious brownie at a party, which she knew was harmless (but didn't tell him), just to get a reaction) made me feel a bit sorry for Rishi and a bit ambivalent about Dimple. It bothered me that she could manipulate his convictions for fun, instead of respecting his nerves and morality with honesty. But I know that could very much just be a me thing and most readers probably wouldn't even notice.
- I didn't connect great with the side characters in the second half of the book, and they sort of felt like they were having drama to add length...?
- I felt disappointed in the lack of STEM on the page. On-screen plot time centers more around the talent show (Rishi and Dimple do a dance) instead of the actual creation of the app. I expected/wanted a story about app creation (and I liked Dimple's idea!), but that didn't really happen.

Overall, it was a fun read. I really liked so much about Sandhya Menon's writing and I was giggling through most of the book. Will definitely be looking forward to her next release!

I wanted to love When Dimple Met Rishi. Everyone loves this book. It’s gotten so much hype. Unfortunately, I think that killed it for me. I started the book expecting to be sucked into the story right away, but I had a hard time getting into it. I liked the characters right away, and the premise is so cute, but something about the writing made this book a little hard for me. It almost felt like there were too many words. Maybe it was too literary? I felt like I was wading through all of the description to get to the plot of what was actually happening. It just didn’t flow easily for me.

I heard about this book from other bloggers, but I got really excited to read it when I heard an interview with the author on the podcast 88 Cups of Tea. Sandhya Menon has such an interesting story about how she came to write this book. The publisher was looking for an Indian author to write this story, and they found Sandhya through her agent. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, I loved both Dimple and Rishi. Dimple is practical and goal-oriented. She knows what she wants for her future, and she’s going after it, despite what her parents want for her. She is awesome! My kind of girl for sure. Rishi is a romantic. He believes in arranged marriages, and he wants to please his parents. I liked him a lot too. Dimple and Rishi are great for each other. In that respect, this book reminded me of Emmy & Oliver. I love healthy YA romances.

The Insomnia Con that they were attending was pretty amazing as well. Honestly, I could have handled A LOT more nerdy stuff related to the app they were building. This book didn’t get into the meat of their studies enough for me. I loved the talent show stuff and all of the teenage drama, but I wanted more of Dimple and her idea and how they made it happen.

I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t love it. Ya know? But can I just say, this might be my favorite book cover ever! It’s so cute.

Blog: Opinionated Book Lover

Book Review: When Dimple Met RishiDo you know what is the overused word that I have been dreading to hear or read about a book? Nerds. Thanks to John Green, Chetan Bhagat and the likes, I am pushed to cringe physically when someone describes themselves as nerds. So when every book blogger I adore went crazy reviewing about the new YA on the block with two Indian leads who are nerds, I was not sure I would like the end of that melodrama. Still, I had to try it, right? Read more to find out what I feel about When Dimple Met Rishi.
Book Name: When Dimple Met Rishi: The laugh-out-loud YA romcom
Author: Sandhya Menon
Genre: Fiction - YA
Characters: Dimple Shah, Rishi and Ashish Patel, Celia

Dimple Shah has ambitious plans for her life and has been accepted to Stanford. She wants to attend a coding camp that might give her a chance to work with her role model. But her parents have other plans for her. Rishi Patel, her parents' choice of the groom for Dimple, arrives at the Insomnia Camp to spend time with her. Dimple ambushed by her parents hates Rishi even before she gets a chance to know him. Does her opinion about Rishi changes after she knows him better?

Rishi is the perfect first born son for his Indian parents, who follows his dad's footsteps into computer engineering. He falls for the girl his parents chose for him and agrees to woo her at the summer program she has enlisted to. Does this arranged marriage situation end up well for his hopelessly romantic self? Does he realize what makes him happy, than just being the model son? You have to read the When Dimple Met Rishi to find out more.

Dimple and Rishi are so opposite in their beliefs and value systems, though their origin and culture are the same. While she is a rebel and wants to shine out in the world for herself before she could think of marriage, Rishi stays true to his roots and wants to fulfill his parents' desires. They are both perfect for each other and fight hard to keep on their courses despite the fact that they were falling for each other. Oh, by the way, I totally adored the other duo (Ashish and Celia) in the story, and I am more than excited to know that there might be a follow up on their stories too.

When Dimple Met Rishi is a cute YA contemporary that would make you grin in all the right places. This short read is what one needs one a bored afternoon to lift you from your slump. Yes, there are some stereotyping towards Indians. And even as an Indian from a similar background, I could not believe these kids were just eighteen. I mean I was never that serious even then. I actually pegged Rishi to be in his late 20s or early 30s, before I had read further. You know I had already another Rishi with whom I had the same problem.

There are a few Hindi slangs but not too many to be turn-offish and the writing is so fluid and breezy that I read the book in less than three hours. Is When Dimple Met Rishi worth all the commotion it has created by the Twittersphere and the great reviews found online? I would say a YES!

If you are looking for something quick and cute to read, then WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI is the book. I am all for contemporary romances, especially the ones that boost diversity. I am by no means, an expert on Indian culture. Nor do I know anything about it and I was really surprised by how interested I became in the cultural aspect of WDMR because I felt that it was slightly frustrating that terminology and speech were never really translated, but I feel like the writer did this on purpose to force her readers to immerse themselves in the experience and be interested enough to go and Google things – and I can see from people on Goodreads that definitely happen. I happen to think this is a genius way to encourage people to be more open to reading different perspectives, especially if they are not familiar with it at all. There were a handful of things to love about this story (including its gorgeous cover) and very few criticism I really had.

I think that the romance is borderline cheesy. That’s not to say that it’s a bad thing – I love cheesy romances. I just don’t like when they become overly cheesy. Like if raclette goes too far (HOW IS THIS POSISBLE?). I didn’t think that there was enough development in Dimple and Rishi’s relationship to warrant the kind of seriousness that they seemed to pursue by the end of the book (but maybe it really was kismet!). I found it somewhat unbelievable at times, but it didn’t deter me from wanting to finish the story. After all, who doesn’t want to know if the two mains get together by the end? SPOILER! I did like that I got to see Dimple and Rishi in relationship-mode. It’s a rarity when a reader gets to experience a couple/ship in post-get-together bliss. Most of the time, they get together in the very last half of the book and by the end, I just want more! I want a long epilogue! I want a long lost chapter! I was very pleased that I got to read about Dimple and Rishi in both a friendship and romantic light. END SPOILER!

The thing I loved the most about WDMR was the theme of family. Coming from an Asian family, I was really fortunate enough to have parents who never forced agendas on me, even when I was younger. I had always known I was not meant to be a doctor, lawyer, or CEO of some big corporation and I think that my parents knew that, too. They only ever wanted me to be happy and healthy which I desperately hope that all parents wish the same for their kids. I was certainly frustrated by how Rishi’s and Dimple’s parents regarded their traditional perspectives and wanted to push their children together for a certain agenda. However, beyond the stick of tradition, Rishi and Dimple have very tender moments with their parents that made me a little teary. I would like to think that all parents want their children to pursue their dreams – it just takes a courage to say it aloud and even more to put it to action.

Moving onto Dimple and Rishi themselves…I was all for Dimple dismantling sexism and embracing the pursuit of her dream. If there is one thing I appreciated, it was that she always stuck to her guns about her beliefs on relationships and her future, even when things felt uncertain. She definitely had a fierceness to her that I would admire in anyone. The fact that she stands up to her friends and her family despite bringing tension to those relationship, she never gives up what she wants to do. I wish there was more content centered around her web developing. I didn’t think enough was discussed when it came to this, especially when she was so devastated after what happens at Insomnia Con.

I think my biggest issue was Celia and Ashish. I thought that not only did that relationship in the book move startlingly fast, but it seemed to have little to know actual impact on the story. In fact, I felt like Celia’s character was a bit convulted. I understood why Menon put her in the story, why she acts and behaves the way that she does, but her overall characterization and the delivery of those ideas fell very short for me. And then she’s thrown into what seems like an unexpected romance with Ashish where it becomes more emotional and mentally stable than the main relationship. I just found it…so out of place and that if I took her character and their relationship out of the story, I feel like it would not be affected in the slightest.

I really loved Rishi’s character. He was so sweet and idealistic and perfect and I dunno…I can’t even remember the last time that a character was just so dedicated to sweeping romances. I loved that he was driven with loyalty to his parents and their Indian traditions while at the same time finding the realization that his hobby in comic art wasn’t just something meant to destroy those traditions. I found him to be just a little more compelling than Dimple, but nonetheless – he was just…sweet. He isn’t the most developed character nor do I think he goes through drastic change, but it’s just so hard to dislike a boy who goes out of his way to find a bar restaurant with books inside.

There was one last thing that I didn’t really like about the book and that was how Dimple seemed to punch and hit Rishi. I understand that she’s frustrated or angry, but it certainly shouldn’t give her the excuse to physically take it out on anyone, especially Dimple who has never done anything ill-will towards her (I would venture to even say that he’s just a tiny bit of a Gary Sue). It didn’t bother me so much while I was reading, but there are other people who have pointed it out and I can’t help but agree with how a lot of other readers feel – that it was unnecessary.

If you are looking for a love story with a little bit of angst and a simplistic story (in terms of plot), then you have found the right book. There are so many sweet moments funny moments that will just make you smile. There are a lot of learning moments that will encourage you to develop more sensitivity towards certain subject matters. And above all, it will help teach you that dreams are not impossible and very reachable.

Arranged marriages, pursuing your passion, coding, finding love young & the Indian culture - I loved When Dimple Met Rishi so much.

As second generation immigrants who was born in America, there's often a very different dynamic that teens will experience compared to their peers. This includes parental expectations for you to live out their dream, regardless of what makes you happy or whether it's really something you enjoy. It also includes the struggle between preserving your culture and assimilating into the one of your home country, but it often includes a combination of both.

When Dimple Met Rishi covers these differences through the characters of Dimple and Rishi, who are polar opposites with what they want to achieve in life. Dimple is set out to be a coder, changing lives with her intelligence and drive to pursue the better. This goes against her mother's wishes for her to marry a good man and become a housewife.

Rishi on the other hand, has a gift for artwork and drawing comics. Ever the dutiful son, he lets his parents dictate what he should do in life, from going along with the arranged marriage to studying Engineering.

I loved how Rishi embraced his cultural identity, finding every opportunity to educate others about his identity. While this was something Dimple shied away upon, it was nice seeing his quiet confidence and how he didn't care about people's opinions - at least those that didn't matter.

The book also explores first love, but having a goal in life beyond just finding your future husband. As someone who isn't afraid to pursue her talents and who is driven to succeed, I related a lot to Dimple's mindset. Especially when it came to getting into a relationship that would only hold her back.

There's so much more depth to When Dimple Met Rishi that I can cover in this review, but if anything, it is an important and needed book about two teenagers pursuing their passion and embracing their identity. Whether your family has migrated or not, I think everyone will find something relatable in this story.

Check out Happy Indulgence Books at happyindulgencebooks.com for more reviews!

There is no word to describe this book other than adorable.

It all begins with Dimple, the daughter of Indian immigrants. Her momma is set on finding her an IIH, a.k.a. an Ideal Indian Husband, which Dimple is more than against. When she asks her parents if she can attend a six-week summer workshop for aspiring web developers she is taken completely by surprise when they say yes.

Enter Rishi. He is very excited about going to the summer program that his potential future wife will be attending. He is very traditional and takes pride in his culture. He is genuinely excited about the idea of getting married and a romantic at heart.

Dimple Shah is so fierce. She is comfortable in her own skin, passionate, and independent. I can get behind a character who is determined to stay true to herself, no matter what anyone thinks. Then we have Rishi. Rishi Patel is just so nice. He is so full of life, he’s kind, and honestly he’s just a dork. (The way he introduces himself to Dimple, I died.) This is so rare to find in a male love interest in a YA book, it was refreshing to read about him. Also, the two main side characters, Ashish and Celia, were very fleshed out and added an extra layer to the story.

Of course, Indian culture plays a huge role in the story. But don’t worry if you don’t know a lot about it, it is effortlessly infused into the plot, and very easy to follow. And honestly, you come out of this with a more general knowledge of Indian culture; their customs, makeup, fashion, some Hindi phrases, etc. Also, the humor was 10/10.

There were a few very tiny things that weren’t my favorite (hence 4 stars). First, there were a few times throughout the book where the constant POV changes got a bit annoying. At one point the POV changed like 5 times in 2 pages. There was a subtle vibe of “I’m not like other girls” but it’s really not too bad, and I’ve seen a few reviews of people saying they can understand why Dimple would feel that way.

But seriously everyone, this book was adorable. It’s a happy story about two Indian kids falling in love, following their dreams, just being, in general, super dorky together. I want to hug all these characters.

Well this read was everything I hoped it would be and more! I thought this was going to be a cute story about two young people under pressure from their parents to be and behave a certain way. In many ways it was, but it was so much more than that and this will definitely be a book that I recommend to people again and again. This book has it all, hopeless romance, people who have and want to get a good education and a strong female lead who knows her own mind and isn't afraid to go for it, not matter what.

I loved these two characters and the fact that this book is a dual narrative made me get into their heads and identify with theme even more. I actually listened to a lot of this book on audiobook and so the dual narrative was helped out by two different narrators. I would actually really recommend the audiobook but I'm glad I also have this on ebook so that I can go back to certain parts of it and relive the magic.

As I said, I really enjoyed the structure of this book, I always love a dual narrative and it was great being able to see both of their reactions to something happening or not happening as the case may be! I also love the fact that this is set in that time between school and university, an area which is being covered more in YA and I'm really please to see because that is a time when everything changes and you really get to know who your friends are and are not. It has a great setting too, being away from parents was definitely a catalyst in this storylines.

I loved the beginning and end of the book and felt like i flew through those particular parts but the middle did drag just a little for me. I started to loose track of some of the supporting characters and so it did have a bit of a lull for me in the very middle but it definitely picked up again as the story progressed. Overall I really enjoyed this read, the romance was just lovely but it wasn't rammed down your throat at any point. It was great to read about a strong female and people who have and want a great education. I would definitely recommend picking this book up this summer!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon! Prejudice and pushy parents are a part of every culture and Dimple is tired of her parents shoving the culture of India down her throat when she just wants to be a young adult American. Her dream is to become a web developer. she'll be attending Stanford in the fall but for the summer she's attending Insomnia Con-six weeks of learning web design and development. Little does she know that her parents have prearranged a meeting with the young man they want her to eventually marry, Rishi. She knows nothing about Rishi and her parents kept her in the dark while Rishi's parents told him everything. Rishi doesn't realize that Dimple has no idea before it's too late and they have a disastrous first meeting. They end up being partners for Insomnia Con and get the chance to know each other without the pressure from their parents. Dimple and Rishi have more in common than they could have guessed and they end up being very compatible. I think it's creative and funny how they dubbed the small group of rude, arrogant rich kids, The Aberzombies and it made me smile every time it was mentioned in the book. The story of Dimple and Rishi is fun, eye-opening, romantic, full of friendship and loyalty, inspiring and, at times, heartbreaking. Beautifully written, entertaining and worth 5 stars!

I have been raving about When Dimple Met Rishi since I read it in January. I have so much love for this book and the characters. I know it’s going to be one of those stories that I will re-read every year for how much joy that it brought me. I know a lot of readers have been describing When Dimple Met Rishi as a cute read, but to me it’s so much more than that. Not that there’s anything wrong with cute reads, but it’s a book that’s also brimming with culture, identity and themes of chasing your dreams and growing up.

I honestly could write a whole book about all the things I loved about When Dimple Met Rishi, but I’m going to control myself, because I want you all to experience it for yourself too. First things first, the characters. Never have I identified with characters so much as much as I did to Dimple and Rishi. They are both so different, but I saw bits and pieces of myself in the two of them. Dimple is smart (she’s a coder!), driven and absolutely passionate. She’s goal driven and works hard to achieve her dreams. I think lots of teens will see themselves in Dimple’s determination, fierceness and genuineness. She’s not perfect, obviously, which I loved by the way, and she has moments where she will have you wanting to shake her by the shoulders, but she is also a teenager. One of the best parts about Dimple’s character were her inner thoughts about struggling to really fit in anywhere as a daughter of South Asian immigrants. So many of her feelings rang true to me, as I’m also the daughter of South Asian immigrants. Despite her doubts though, Dimple is proud of her heritage, and absolutely loves her family even though they could be overbearing with their traditions at times.

Rishi, on the other hand, was much more traditional than Dimple was, totally willing to go with his parents’ plan for an arranged marriage for him. He was much more entrenched in his culture than Dimple was, but I liked that Menon showed that there wasn’t a right way to exhibit your culture through Rishi and Dimple’s contrasting approaches to their backgrounds. Just because you don’t follow certain traditions, does not make you any less part of that culture. Anways, back to Rishi. I loved this boy with every fiber of my being! He was soft, a gentleman, and very respectful of others. He is the nice boy that more YA readers need to be exposed to. His story arc features his inner battles with his parents desires for his future, and his passion for drawing comics. With a bit of a push from Dimple, he goes through a journey throughout When Dimple Met Rishi and finally learns to acknowledge what his true aspirations are.

Then there was the toe-curling romance was super shippy and made me want to jump in happiness. I love romances like Dimple’s and Rishi’s that buds from a slow-growing friendship. The two of them become comfortable around each other before falling in love. It was just the sweetest thing watching them go to through that process. When Dimple Met Rishi was also sex-positive. I 100% appreciated the conversation that Dimple and Rishi about what the expectations of their culture was when it came to sex and what they wanted. We need to have more YA books that have the couples discussing sex before they do the deed – it’s important and can be enlightening to teen readers. When Dimple Met Rishi also played homage to Bollywood movies, Indian culture, and family. As you may have already guessed from the synopsis, the book is about arranged marriage, and I appreciated that Sandhya Menon showed it in a positive light. I think there’s this misconception that arranged marriages are toxic, and while that’s undeniably true in many cases, many couples have found love that way in many South Asian cultures.

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you to give When Dimple Met Rishi a try. I didn’t know just how much I was waiting for a book with a brown girl on the cover, and about brown kids falling in love in YA until I read it. I cried when I held the book in my hands because diversity is important, people and I’m a freaking 23 year old woman. Just imagine how thrilled brown teenage girls will see themselves being represented! Sandhya Menon’s debut is rainbows, and sunshine and unicorns and all things good! I can’t wait for whatever she releases next – it’s taking everything in me not to attempt to hack into her computer to steal her next book!

How bad can a first impression be?

Dimple and Rishi’s first meeting is nothing short of epic. I can’t say much without spoiling it, but the first words out of Rishi’s mouth provoke a very strong reaction in Dimple. Rishi has such high expectations and everything that could go wrong does. It is certainly an unusual way to start a relationship. I felt so sorry for Rishi and couldn’t help but cheer him on in his quest to make things right.

Rishi is probably one of the best heroes I’ve come across. He has an air of quiet confidence about him that’s very appealing. I think it took a lot of courage to face Dimple after their catastrophic encounter, and even more courage to convince her they just might make a good couple. Rishi’s efforts to win Dimple over are sweet, thoughtful, and sincere. He’s persistent, not pushy, and never makes empty grand gestures. He does things because he genuinely cares about Dimple and wants to see her happy.

Dimple is very intense and passionate, which is wonderful. She’s also very driven to succeed in her chosen career and won’t let anything stand in her way, even love. While Dimple is impressed by Rishi’s attempts to win her heart, she maintains a guard around her heart. Dimple seems to believe she has to choose between love and her career, and that having one means sacrificing the other. I found this incredibly sad, especially since Rishi never once asked her to chose between him and her passion.

Dimple and Rishi are so good for each other. Their personalities are very complementary, and they push each other to be the best they can be. Of course, the road to their happy ending isn’t easy. They are young and on the cusp of a new phase in their lives. The world is scary, exciting and full of promise. As the summer ends, Dimple and Rishi have a decision to make. Is their relationship a summer romance, or something more?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading When Dimple Met Rishi. Dimple and Rishi are wonderful characters and it was a pleasure watching them fall in love. I’ll be reading more of Ms. Menon’s work very soon.

originally posted at long and short reviews

When Dimple Met Rishi is the diverse YA Contemporary that we've all been dying for and it does not disappoint in any way. It is one of the most adorable and well written Contemporaries this year and is sure to be the Hit of the Summer.

WDMR is the diverse book that people all over the globe have been wanting because it gives them something that many of us take for granted, a book with MC's and references that they truly can identify with. That being said, almost anyone can identify with Dimple or Rishi, even if they are white. Dimple Shah is a class A geek, she loves coding and wants to branch out on her own and find her independence. She is such a computer geek she even wants to go to a Summer Camp that is all about coding and web app design before the start of her freshman year. Rishi Patel on the other hand has an Artist's heart. But he feels pulled to please his parents and be the perfect eldest son and is currently lined up to go to MIT (which is nothing to sneeze at) and get an Engineering Degree. He feels conflicted between what would be the 'sensible' route and going with his heart, which is something many people can identify with, myself included.

Dimple and Rishi's parents are extremely traditional Indian parents, meaning they want to arrange their children into marriages and ensure their happiness. This being said, Dimple is 100% against this idea where as Rishi wants the stability and security this idea gives. But unbeknownst to Dimple only, this Summer Camp is the primed place to drop some hints and do some subtle or not so subtle nudges from Rishi and both set of parents.

From adorable and awkward meet cutes to amazing dates with perfect views, WDMR is the perfect summer Contemporary YA Romance to sit by the pool and soak in. I recommend drinking an Iced Coffee beverage, ;) i myself prefer Iced Vanilla Lattes.

The setting was gorgeous California and you definitely felt transported htere and this story is just rife with Hindi and Bollywood references that you feel easily immersed into this culture.

I'd say I personally would want a pronunciation guide but that's just because I like to pronounce things correctly, and i screw up things in every genre...may or may not still think Tobias has a different pronunciation in Divergent than a friend says is correct. But i digress.

Definitely pick up this story when next possible, or even better yet, order it online and have it delivered. Either way, read this adorable story.

The Good: This book was so delightful! I rarely say this about any book, but I could honestly see this being turned into a movie someday. Perhaps it was an effect of listening to the audiobook, but everything from the setting to the characterization to the pacing just screamed romance movie to me. I would pay lots of money to see it! Dimple and Rishi were both such beautiful characters, and I loved being inside each of their heads equally. Dimple’s drive and her stubbornness and her no-nonsense approach were wonderful, but the way that Rishi brought out her soft side was so great. Rishi was like, the Absolute Sweetest(tm), perfect boyfriend material. But I loved that they were both flawed, too. The Aberzombies--I totally loved that idea and that name. I never got tired to hearing it. Also, I totally loved how this adorable love story also balanced the challenges and nuances of reconciling one’s culture with modern sensibilities, and showing that it’s not entirely impossible.

The Bad: The biggest flaw for me wound up being the pacing. I feel like this book was a little too long (the audiobook was ten hours in length), and there were several scenes and points that could have been trimmed, especially in the second half. As much as I loved seeing them bond, I was interested in the external plot, too, and that was given less attention. The talent show section seemed to get a little too much time that wasn’t needed. However, I think that this was my only quibble with this book, and I might have had a different experience if I was reading it.

Representation: Obviously, this book gets high marks for rep for featuring Indian American protagonists and an arranged marriage plot that wasn’t sad. Both sets of parents were super supportive despite usual arguments between parents and children. There was nuance in the characters, too, in how they related to or didn’t relate to their heritage. The supporting cast was small, but featured a girl who was half-Dominican. The white kids were the antagonists. There was also attention paid to the fact that Dimple, Celia, and Isabelle were some of the only girls at the coding program. There was no on-the-page LGBT+ rep, but I was reading between the lines and was lowkey shipping Celia and Isabelle early on, because I thought at least one of them was bi. That didn’t end up happening, though, so it’s only a headcanon. As I’ve said before, though, not every book can do everything, nor should it, and the story being told here was done with such skill and nuance that I absolutely adored it.

Favorite Line: “He wondered if he should feel a stab of jealousy - Dimple bonding so well with his muscled, much cooler younger brother - but all he felt was this warm, almost gooey feeling in his chest. Like his heart was wrapped in microwaved Nutella.”

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars!

When Dimple Met Rishi follows Dimple and Rishi who were arranged for marriage by their parents. Dimple who was unaware of this arranged marriage excitedly went to this programming summer camp where she meets Rishi an artist who's planning to pursue engineering because his parents wants him to do so.

I enjoyed this book but only because of Rishi. Rishi is an adorable bean. He's too precious and I love his devotion to his culture. I also like how nice Rishi is and how talented he is and how much he cares what his parents think. Dimple, on the other hand, is a rude chick who basically trash talked Rishi. She's annoying and if it wasn't for Rishi, I'd probably DNF this book. But annoying Dimple slowly vanishes right around half way through this book. But really, if you can endure her, it'll all work out in the end. Believe me.

At some points, I relate to Rishi and Dimple and that just made me like him even more--Rishi on his lack of confidence and just be that shy kid, and Dimple on her don't-care-about-marrying attitude and no-make-up-and-comfy get up. I mean. Why is Dimple's description here (see above quote) so me!? (minus the last part, I guess).

The development of Dimple and Rishi's relationship is super cute though. I mean just look at Rishi's efforts and how Dimple basically just pushes him out and all. I'd say that there was a really smooth development right there and the two of them are just super cute and fun to read.

Another issue I had with this book is how it tries to touch other topics in such a whim. I'm mostly okay with touching other topics but some that this book touched just felt 'meh' and could have been left out. I'm not saying including other topics/issues is not important. It just felt that Sandhya Menon's take didn't work out for me. Some of which annoyed me such as her take on bullying (aka the a-hole rich kids who make fun of Dimple and one of which became Celia's (Dimple's roommate) partner as well as Celia's attempt to climb the social ladder. However, there are parts which I like such as Rishi and Ashish's relationship -- there was a good development on their relationship which is something I love (sibling relationships on books are one of my fave!).

OVERALL, I enjoyed When Dimple Met Rishi. It had a rough start for me. I like the development of Rishi and Dimple's relationship. There was time and effort (on Rishi's part) and really smooth growth on both Rishi and Dimple as characters. When Dimple Met Rishi is a nice, quick, and fun contemporary romance to read!

Although it was a sweet love story, nothing about it was believable. The main male character, Rishi, was too perfect. He always had such logical and astute reactions and responses (what 18 year old boy is like that?!). Dimple was overdramatic and I liked her -- especially that she was into coding -- but we barely got to see any of that. Supposedly this book was about a summer coding conference, and yet we barely spent any time on the coding plot line. There was significantly more time spent on a talent show, and I'm still not sure WTF a talent show where people sing and dance had to do with a summer coding intensive. They never even had a class where they met with instructors to learn more about coding! It was ridiculous!
I also found the chapter breakdowns distracting. Chapter after chapter would detail the same boring evening, and then suddenly three weeks would go by with no explanation and it was the next chapter. It felt very oddly paced.
I wanted to like this and be wowed it. I did enjoy the peppering of Indian culture, but it wasn't enough to sustain an entire book.
The secondary characters were two dimensional and appeared only to be there as plot device. There were many times when entire pages would pass and I'd wonder, "Why are we still talking about this? Does it matter why Celia missed dinner?!"
That being said, I read it to the end, and wanted to see what happened.

I stayed up waaaaaay past my bedtime to finish this I was enjoying it so much.

Dimple is a modern girl. She is passionate about a career in coding and just doesn't care about the things her mother is heavily invested in like personal appearance and finding the "Ideal Indian Husband". But her rebellion against her mother's wishes may prevent her from finding and recognizing love when she sees it.

Rishi feels the responsibility and burdens of being a first born son. He wants to honor his parents and takes pride in doing things he knows will please them. He'll go to MIT and pursue engineering and set aside his artistic dreams as a childhood whim. So when they suggest he meet a girl that he might one day marry, he's happy to go along with the plan.

When Dimple meets Rishi their opposite positions (dutiful son/rebellious but loving daughter) set them at odds but the fact is, they just really enjoy each others company. So instead of generating conflict, they challenge each other in all the best ways.

I loved that Dimple was a girl in STEM. We don't see nearly enough of this and having it in YA is key, as young girls can see their tech dreams as something attainable. She is the "before" nerd in all those "girl gets a makeover and gets the guy" movies, except that she doesn't need a make over to get the guy and she never does set aside her glasses, tame her wild hair or slick on makeup. The message that being yourself is wildly attractive is another great one.

Rishi is the opposite of every brooding dudebro YA hero you've ever met. He has no chill. He likes Dimple and he is eager to please (her, his parents, a guy he just met who complements his art). It's fantastic having a hero who is unashamed of being himself, stands up for himself and his friends against bullies.

There is sex in this book but there are also conversations about the decision to have sex and the use of protection, which I think is pretty necessary in today's context.

The main characters do not drink but are in a situation where others are drinking. The only thing I didn't like about this was that it was just never clear to me whether they were drinking something that had been spiked and eating brownies that had been laced, or not. I liked that Rishi was very cautious about food and drink at a party with strangers but I also didn't like that it remained sort of unresolved as to whether he and Dimple had accidentally had alcohol/had drugs.

There were just a few things I didn't like about the book:
1. Menon uses the phrase "sell down the river" which I thought was probably not the best choice due to its racist orgins.
2. There is a side romance near the end that didn't work for me, seemed unnecessary and made me uncomfortable.
3. At one point there is a fist fight between people I did not feel would get into a physical altercation given their character up to that point.

But those are minor complaints.

I adored this book!!!

When Dimple Mets Rishi
Am not much of a contemporary reader and this book is a example of why that is.

Disliked:
How fast the romance happened. It wasn’t a hate to like as I expected because I thought Dimple would put up more of a fight. Nope. Especially in the beginning where she’s like I don’t need no man and want to force on her app. And yet your holding Rishi’s hand and kissing him showed more than her actually spending on the app.

How the building of the app and how it’s done was put on the back burner for most of the book. Only being mentioned in the beginning a little in the middle and end. A unnecessary talent show had more pages then the actually reason Dimple was there.

How Dimple kept changing her mind about Rishi and him just being okay with it. Rishi is like a loyalty puppy and he just wants to make Dimple happy. But she gives and takes back and tells him constantly that they can’t be together. The hot and cold act doesn’t flow well with me especially if your hurting someone else by changing your mind so often.

Why the author makes two seemly strong girls talking about dimple and Celia who were excited for the con fall for guys so quickly. Then it’s all about how they feel for them and making them happy and I just become disappointed.

I hated Dimples reason to breaking up with Rishi. And since every contemporary has them breaking up and getting back together that isn’t a spoiler by saying that.

Things I Liked:
There are some quirky things that made me smile like Rishi’s brother is the typically little brother who likes to get under his brothers skin by not following his parents.
I also like the comic/drawing parts no again it has nothing to do with tech. However it shows Rishi’s passion and how deeply he loves what he makes. Also Celia was a cool character when she wasn’t hanging with those “friends” she made in the beginning. I enjoyed the family aspects though I would have liked them more present.

Other than that I was disappointed by this book especially how hyped it is. It’s just to romance base for me and wish there was a bit more of other elements to it.

Book Review:
Pre-reading Thoughts:

To be honest, I didn't think that I was going to get a copy of this book from Jonathan Ball Publishers. I remember sitting on instagram watching as every South Africa book blogger got their copy and thinking that I didn't make the cut. I was so happy that I got my copy towards the end of October. I am so excited to read this book because I have heard really good things about it.

Thank you so much to Jonathan Ball Publishers for always spoiling me! Just a small disclaimer for those reading this review. I have received this book in exchange for an honest review. Please note that this does not affect my opinion in any way. All thoughts are my own

Writing Thoughts:

I did not like the writing style in this book. It lacked detail and sometimes the sentences didn't flow well. One saving grace was that the dialogue was amazing. It was fun, natural and just overall enjoyable.

Plot Thoughts:

The plot was so adorable. Gosh I love amazing contemporaries. The plot really pulled me in. It was predictable but what contemporary isn't. There were definitely some unpredictable moments that were littered everywhere. The plot was fast paced and enticing. I love how this book tackled a couple of issues. These issues where blatant and you had no choice but to look at it and acknowledge them. I also loved the swoon worthy moments. This book takes traditional contemporaries and just makes it into something new.

Character Thoughts:

Dimple and Rishi were fun and accessible. Both had flaws and both had moments that made them realistic characters. I didn't like Dimple as much as I liked Rishi. Rishi probably was the biggest sweetheart ever. He was so adorable and honestly he was a real cinnamon roll. I was kind of disappointed when it came to Celia. She was such an underdeveloped character that had so much potential. She lacked depth.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this was such a cute contemporary. If you love swoon worthy moments then you should definitely pick this book up. The writing lacked detail for me but the plot and the characters definitely picked the story up. The plot was well thought out and enticing. Whilst some of the secondary characters were underdeveloped, the main characters were fleshed out and accessible. I really liked this book! Thank you so much to Jonathan Ball Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book!

Yours in Reading,

Melleny

Firstly, I love diverse reads and this is probably one of the diverse YA books out there when it comes to the Indian culture. I expected to be thrown into the Indian / Hindi culture and that's pretty much what happened.
The integration of habits, rituals, principles and the language made reading When Dimple Met Rishi a unique experience!

When it comes to our characters, I have to say Dimple got on my nerves at times but... I could still definitely understand her? So it's a good thing? Even while writing this is feels weird to come to that conclusion but it is.
She's younger, I'm older so it makes sense that I can't really agree with the way she behaves sometimes. Yet I know I would probably have reacted the same as she did in certain situations. So it ends up being relatable after all, right?

I want Ashish - Rishi's brother - and Celia to have their own stories! Like, I'm so interested in Celia's past and how she became the person she was in When Dimple Met Rishi. Not to mention my curiosity to Ashish' struggles living with a traditional Indian family when he feels he's way more American than anything else. Loved those two side-characters!

What I loved even more is the nerdiness in this novel! Dimple and Rishi being part of a Summer program connected to coding their own app is definitely a fun setting. After the geekiness in Queens of Geek, this probably is my second favorite on my list of geek- / nerd-novels, haha.

I thought there would be way more coding present and actual things connected to the Summer program they were all part of, but this wasn't exactly the case. A pity really, because I love myself some geekiness and nerdiness!

There are those contemporary novels that can be predictable, yet have a couple of surprises as well. This wasn't one of them. I pretty much saw every twist and turn coming and... Well, I expected to be surprised at least once, you know?

4/5

Kathy

No spoilers in this review of When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. It was a good book! I give it 4 stars. I’m usually more of a high fantasy and sci-fi type of gal, but I pick up contemporaries here and there. Then I usually give up on them and put them right back down. ? WDMR, however, captured my attention from the beginning with the fun story line and the great banter between the title characters!

Dimple, a recent high school graduate, is nothing like her traditional Indian parents. She wants to break the mold of her family’s expectations and be a career-driven woman. Her parents, on the other hand, hope she settles down with a nice Indian boy as soon as possible. She’s shocked when they agree to let her spend six weeks of her summer at Insomnia Con, an app creation competition at San Francisco State University. Little does she know, Rishi, the boy they want her to marry, is headed to Insomnia Con, too.

Dimple and Rishi have a chance meeting right away, and it doesn’t go well. And Dimple is furious when she discovers the reason her parents agreed to let her go to Insomnia Con. She feels like they don’t take her passions seriously and don’t understand the choices she wants to make in life. Then Dimple and Rishi get paired together to work on app development, and she discovers he’s nothing like she expected. Even though Rishi agrees with his parents and their traditional ideals, he’s fun, smart, and just an all-around great guy. Can the two of them have a future together, especially one that doesn’t involve immediate marriage like their parents are trying to arrange?

This book was so cute and so sweet!!! I enjoyed learning about Dimple and Rishi’s culture and family values. I loved both of them (especially Rishi!) and how their personalities complimented each other so well. These two dominate the majority of the plot, but Dimple’s roommate and Rishi’s brother provide a few diversions. I also liked the idea of the Insomnia Con competition and how Menon set it all up as well as the little surprises she sprinkled throughout the book, especially Rishi’s hidden talent.

The main characters made many missteps along the way relationship-wise, but they were appropriate and in line with their age and the complications of first love. I was only truly disappointed in Dimple and Rishi once, when they made a mutual decision that went against the morals and ideals they with which they were both raised. But overall it was fun to watch their relationship attempt to blossom.

I recommend WDMR to readers who love a good YA contemporary and even to those of you who (like me) only occasionally pick one up. These characters are worth reading about! Do Dimple and Rishi win Insomnia con? Do they get their happy ending? There’s only one way to find out! ?

Search for 'Book Series Recaps' to read our other reviews as well as our full book recaps.

I’ve always been hesitant going into YA just because my experience with the genre is mixed with cliché and unoriginal premises. 2017 has definitely bee so far a year of new reads and explorations. Following my extreme satisfaction reading the contemporary poet, Lang Leav’s first novel, Sad Girls, I found myself wanting more of the cutting edge nonsense and thrilling “sweep the chick off her feet and then drop her midair” romance that contemporary literature often lacks or deeply tries to go against.

When Dimple Met Rishi is not something I would typically feel drawn to in a bookstore, despite to cute and quirky cover. I went out and bought and read the novel just because I noticed it to be one of the most popular YA novels currently trending. Upon finishing the novel I was at the same time charmed and rather indifferent…

With her mother’s consistent harping to find the Ideal Indian Husband and a father who’s diabetes adds to the family strain, Dimple Shah is more than ready to begin her new life at Stanford. But that’s not for a couple months. So what’s a fresh high school graduate to do in the meantime? Beach? Summer flings? Binge eating? No such leisure fits into Dimple’s life plan – coding. Easily persuading her parents to let her spend the summer at the San Francisco State University campus, Dimple joins a six-week program, Insomnia Con in hopes of winning the grand prize and bringing her that much closer to meeting her idol, Jenny Lindt, and successfully creating and marketing an app she believes could save lives, including her father’s.

All goes well until Dimple meets mister lovebug, goodie-goodie Rishi who is to follow in his father’s footstep and attend MIT all the way across the country, when his heart is only in his comics. Not only that, but her allows his parents into agreeing to meet Dimple at SF by joining Insomnia Con in hopes that they will eventually get married. Everyone seems to agree to the plan. Everyone, but Dimple, who knows nothing of this prearranged marriage.

Not fifteen minutes into her arrival on the campus and, thanks to the handy dandy picture of Dimple his parents have given him, immediately spots her relaxing under the sun, Starbucks iced coffee in hand. Thinking she knows about the deal, Rishi prances up to Dimple with a perverted and totally creepy “Hello future wife” pick up line. Dimple does exactly what any rational being would do: chucks her coffee straight at Rishi and runs away.

This awkward first meeting leads into a direct unraveling of a kindling romance and quirky relationship between the two Indian-American protagonists when they are inevitably paired together for the Insomnia Con competition. Dimple makes it clear from the beginning that she is not interested in any sort of fling with Rishi, but, of course, events quickly, and I mean QUICKLY take a slightly different turn. Spending more and more time together going out on “non”dates as well as working on the app together Dimple’s aggressive and rebellious personality, and Rishi’s warmhearted and compassionate personality come together as one, and by the end of the six weeks find it unbearable to be apart from one another.

Okay, so, this book is the definition of Young Adult clichés. The boy that comes to change the girl’s plans, the summer romance that becomes serious, the rebellious girl who desperately wants to escape her mother’s blabbering mouth – the list goes on. What makes When Dimple Met Rishi unique from the regular teen read is the writing style and Marron’s successful treatment of her characters. Perception is constant alternating between the protagonists in order to capture what each is feeling, thinking, seeing, and how it drives them to do, say or think. The writing style is fun with plenty of cheesy jokes to make the reader laugh, yet sympathize with the ludicrous, melodramatic personality of each character.

All in all, When Dimple Met Rishi most definitely lives up to the YA prototype, but, this time at least, that’s okay! What’s a couple corny plots here and there if the overall narrative is still a pleasure to read?

Dimple is a no frills girl who likes computer programing and comfy clothes, much to the chagrin of her traditional Indian mother who’d love to see her in fancy clothes and a good layer of makeup. Her mom is all focused on her landing a good husband, but Dimple is not very gungho about the traditional Indian female life plan. She wants to have a career as a computer programmer, and she’s not even sure she wants to ever get married. Her dream summer after Senior year would be going to Insomnia Con and winning the chance to have her app program marketed by her idol Jenny Lindt. She’s sure that isn’t ever going to happen. But she works up the guts to ask, and by some miracle her parents say yes. Dimple is so psyched!
Rishi is a bit more the traditional Indian child. Despite his obvious artistic talent and passion for comics, he’s going to MIT to get a good, stable job to support his present and future family (especially since his brother is determined to be irresponsible and disrespectful). And since we’re on the topic of future family, his parents have been talking to Dimple’s parents and think they’d be a good match. He’s off to Insomnia Con as well. He’s ok at programming, but he’s really going there to meet his future wife. And he thinks Dimple has been told about him as well. Their first encounter does not go well to say the least. And then they end up paired together for the project that lasts the entire Insomnia Con. Both are sure it’s going to be a torturous six weeks. But as they get to know one another, they help each other realize some deep truths about themselves and just maybe might become really good friends or something more.

I was really excited about this book. And much of that excitement was well founded. I loved Dimple and Rishi’s interactions, which reminded me of two Austen characters. They have some great witty banter, and some really cute scenes. I really like how they both pushed each other to be better, and how obvious it is that they are looking out for each other’s best interests. That’s wonderful. I was a bit unhappy with how fast they got really physical in their relationship. They’re both very analytical thinkers, focused on the big picture, who come from a cultural background that isn’t known for physical demonstrations of affection. That said, they are obviously very Westernized (more on that later). And they are teenagers with raging hormones. So…the physical aspect of their relationship felt plausible but still was a stretch for me to believe of these characters from their kind of background.
And I know it sounds odd, but I was a bit disappointed that there weren’t more details about the Insomnia Con or computer programming in the story. I thought it was going to play a bigger part, but it’s really just a setting. There weren’t any details that told me the author knew for sure what she was talking about, or that she did much research beyond a little googling of the topic. I mean Dimple and Rishi spend a grand total of about five minutes on page working on their project. You assume they work more than that, but you don’t get any more details. In fact, from a surface read it sounds like this Insomnia Con is a place to party after Senior year and that no one is really working on their projects. That isn’t to say the author doesn’t know more about computer programming. She may be an expert for all I know. It’s just to say from the evidence provided I know nothing of her level of understanding, and therefore Insomnia Con comes across as flat. We got more details on Dimple and Rishi’s prep for their Indian dance for the talent show than any computer programming, which seems a bit lopsided. (Though dancing definitely makes more riveting romantic moments than computer programming.) Those who pick this book up specifically because Dimple is a programmer, will likely come away disappointed. In fact, if that’s your main interest in this, look elsewhere.
My last qualm with the book is mostly my fault. I went into this wanting a book I could hand to my Indian students (of which there are many at my school) that featured characters they could identify with. But this doesn’t quite fit the needs of my students. And here’s why. Dimple and Rishi are too Western. The students at my school are much more Eastern. We are in Asia, after all. There are whole books written about the differences between Western and Eastern cultures, but here’s a very superficial overview. Western mentality is very individual focused. A happy ending focuses on one person, their dreams, and their immediate wants/needs being fulfilled. They are also not very worried about honoring elders or authority. An Eastern mentality is very community focused. A happy ending focuses on what’s best for the group, the health and stability of all involved, and puts the groups’ needs above personal dreams or desires (and usually, personal dreams are more group-focused anyway). They are super concerned about honor and saving face, and those in authority and/or older have a lot of respect. This story has an ending that is a very Western happy ending. (It’s also why Dimple and Rishi have clashes with their parents. Their parents are Eastern mindset, they are Western – well, Rishi ends up deciding he is...he’s wrestling between the two for most of the book.) The story would go differently with Eastern mentality main characters. That isn’t to say there aren’t lots of teens in the US and Canada of Indian descent who will identify with Dimple and Rishi. It means I’m still on the hunt for a contemporary romance featuring Indian teens who are more traditional and share a mindset with the students at my school. I mean, most of my Indian students will have arranged marriages and are quite happy with that. (And if that gets you riled up, 1) your Western mentality is showing, and 2) it isn’t as antiquated as most Westerners think. The parents are very concerned about the future of these kids they love, they present options and don’t agree on the marriage until the guy/girl meet and give their ok to the match too. And most now wait till after the guy and girl get their degrees. Most of the students I’ve talked to over the years are quite happy with the set up and actually pity Westerners who have to do all the hunting for the right life partner on their own.) Overall, a mostly cute contemporary romance. (But make sure you look at the content notes before recommending it. There is some mature content.) I’m wavering between 3 and 4 stars right now. The parts I loved I adored, but there were some definite disappointments too. Let’s say it’s really 3.5 but rounded up to 4.

Notes on content: A small handful (5-6?) moderate and mild swears. There’s some really heavy kissing and a fade to black sex scene. Other characters mention sleeping together and hooking up, and there’s an awful dance for the talent show that one character actually walks out on because it is so raunchy. There’s a fight that results in a bloody nose and busted lip.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon is a contemporary book set in San Francisco. Our two main characters, Dimple and Rishi are Indian-American and this book is such a lovely addition to the more diverse YA reads that we have been getting lately. Dimple’s parents don’t understand her love of coding and desire to do that for a living. They want her to find the Ideal Indian Husband, get married and settle down. To Dimple, that sounds like the most horrifying loss of her identity and freedom, so she’s very surprised when her parents agree to let her attend a coding camp over the summer at SFSU.

Rishi is the perfect eldest son, sure of his duties and ready to fulfill his family’s wishes. He plans to attend MIT in the coming year to major in engineering and computer science. Even though he has other interests, he knows that they are not viable career options and will have to support his family in the future. His parents send him to the same coding camp so that he can meet and get to know his (possible) future wife. It is not an official arranged marriage, but their parents each have decided that they would be good together.

Unlike Rishi, Dimple does not know of her parents’ plan and is entirely freaked out when a stranger comes up to her and addresses her as his future wife. Their first interaction is hilarious and sets the stage for a fantastic book to come. Although Dimple is vehemently opposed to Rishi’s attendance as she feels tricked, she knows that it would be unkind to demand that he leave. The two end up spending more time together and become friends. Their friendship was authentic and quite adorable, even though on the surface they don’t have much in common.

Celia, Dimple’s roommate and Ashish, Rishi’s brother are really nice supporting characters. Celia gets wrapped up in the idea of fitting in and we watch as she learns to be herself. She has a number of rapid changes of opinion and emotion that aren’t entirely explained. Sometimes they seem like they come out of nowhere and there isn’t enough context or backstory to support them. That feels like one aspect of the story that could be improved.

Ashish is initially portrayed as the lazy brother who does not care what his parents want for him. He is most passionate about basketball and spends his time doing things that Rishi does not always approve of. It was nice to see their brotherly bond evolve over the course of the novel. Rishi learns to support his brother and judge him less, as a result, their relationship becomes stronger. They learn more about each other and it was nice to see a positive familial relationship depicted. Even his parents are ultimately supportive as they just want their children to be happy.

I would highly recommend this book to young adult/teen readers who enjoy diverse reads, contemporary novels, character-driven plots and coming of age stories. The characters go on a lovely journey of self-discovery and have a lot of enjoyable (and funny) scenes along the way.

This review originally appeared on herestohappyendings.com.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

It's been a while since I've read this, but I'm catching up on old reviews so I thought I would start with this one. While I liked When Dimple Met Rishi, I'm once again going to be the black sheep here because I absolutely did not love it. In fact, it took me like 2 weeks to read - I just found myself constantly falling asleep while reading it, and I'm not sure if that's because of the stress of the things going on in my life at the time, or because I didn't really find the book to be all the interesting. In fact, I found it to be pretty predictable and not all that exciting, and I really hate admitting this because it seems that everyone else really loved this book.

"'I think having a blueprint makes life boring. Maybe I don't want to get married or have kids or any of that. Maybe I just want a career and that's all.'
Rishi looked at her, frank and open. 'And that doesn't sound lonely to you?'"

Dimple knows what she wants from her life. She wants to go to the college of her dreams, but first, she wants to attend a summer program for web developers and aspiring web developers. When she finally manages to convince her parents to let her go because it would be a great plan for her future, she thinks she is in the clear - a few weeks away from her mother's constant plea for Dimple to find a great husband and settle down. Or for her to wear makeup. Dimple just wants to do something she wants to do and follow her dreams.

Meanwhile, Rishi's parents have convinced him that Dimple is a perfect girl for him, and that he would do well getting her to settle down with him. He decides to attend the same program for web developers as Dimple, where he imagines the two of them meeting again and falling head over heels in love, living happily ever after.

Only, it doesn't quite work out that way for them.

In fact, Dimple wants nothing to do with Rishi at first. She even throws her iced coffee at him when he introduces himself to her as her future husband.

When Dimple and Rishi are paired up in class to work on the main project together, Dimple is less than pleased. She tries to get a new partner, but to her dismay, she is stuck with Rishi, and the two of them must work together.

"That first day, after she got over the shock of him popping up out of nowhere, he'd caught her eye. Dimple hadn't been looking for this...whatever it was between them at all. But somehow she had a feeling that love had found her. It was circling them, waiting for the perfect spot to land."

Slowly but surely, the two start to become friends, and then they start to develop a little more than friendship with one another. But what happens when the program is over and the two of them go home?

Just because I found When Dimple Met Rishi to be a bit predictable doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it, because I did. It was a sweet romance with tons of humor mixed in and an awesome girl who went after her dreams and wasn't going to let anyone hold her back from what she really wanted. I loved that. I loved Dimple's character. She was fierce, and I think that YA needs more fierce characters like her. She knew what she wanted, and it wasn't a settle-down-and-get-married kind of romance like her family wanted for her. She wanted to do something really big, and she went after it. She was a truly inspiring character.

There was so much humor in this book and I found myself laughing a lot while reading - especially in the beginning of the book when Dimple and Rishi first meet.

I just wish that A.) The synopsis didn't give so much away about the two of them ending up in love, and B.) I wasn't able to guess exactly how the book was going to end. I guess I wish there would have been some kind of surprises thrown in there, but there wasn't. It kind of followed the same formula as a lot of other YA contemporary romances, and while I can't say it ruined the book for me, I was just hoping for something a little different.

Would I read When Dimple Met Rishi again? Maybe. It definitely made me laugh a few times and it does have a sweet romance, so if I'm in the mood for something like that again, I might reread it. I would definitely read another book by this author, because I did like the way she was able to create such fleshed out characters and add so much humor and witty banter into the story.

When Dimple Met Rishi is a cute story that has diversity, a no-nonsense character who goes after what she wants, and a lot of heartfelt moments, that's for sure. But at the same time, it lacked the ability to keep me interested for very long, and I wasn't able to really be drawn into the story the way I would have liked.

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

When Dimple Met Rishi is a great addition to your summer to-read list! I loved every bit of this book. I really liked that Dimple and Rishi had diverse interests but found common ground. Instead of just avoiding Rishi and being unfriendly, Dimple made an effort to be friends with Rishi. I liked that Rishi treated her with great respect and not rushing her in their romance. I liked that Dimple really knew what she wanted and did her best to figure out how to achieve her goals. I feel that the author did a great job with character development. Some books don't do dual points of view very well, but this book is VERY clear. When the point of view changes from Dimple to Rishi, the section has their names in big bold letters and the transitions are smooth. If you enjoy reading contemporary YA romances, then I totally urge you to read this!

Book content Rating:
Very minor language, which is pretty good for YA. Some sexual content.

When Dimple Met Rishi is about two Indian-American kids who go to an app development summer camp the summer between high school and college. Rishi and Dimple's parents are friends and want their children to meet and get married. Rishi is totally on-board with this, and he goes to Insomnia-con just to meet Dimple and propose (with his grandmother's ring, no less). Dimple has no idea; she's at Insomnia-con to develop an app to help people deal with diabetes. They meet, Rishi basically proposes, and Dimple freaks out. But then they get to know each other, and Dimple realizes that he's not all bad.

I veer away from young adult romance because I find it too angsty and dramatic. But I also grew up Indian-American, and I love that this book exists. There's an Indian girl on the cover, there are Hindi words in the text, there are Indian narrators on the audiobook. All of these things are so great. It is like the YA romance version of Hasan Minhaj's Netflix special. Much about this book rings true, as someone who grew up here to Indian parents. Sandhya Menon made cultural pride and knowledge such a positive thing in this book. I think that is a really great lesson. It really brought more depth and dimension to their stories.

But there were also many things in this book that bothered me. For example, Rishi. He's this really perfect guy. He's super-rich and goes to private school with other rich kids, but somehow he's not spoiled or bratty or super-entitled, even though all the other rich kids in this book totally are. This is never explained. Also, he is really smart and funny and kind. And he is an AMAZING artist who tells his dad that his "brain just doesn't work the same way" as an engineer's brain does. But... he somehow managed to get accepted to MIT, anyway, and is going there to major in computer engineering. Because THAT's an easy thing to just swing.

And then there's Dimple's relationship with her parents. Apparently, Dimple's mom wants her to wear Indian clothes all the time, even at school. (And Dimple does this, as there are multiple comments on her kurtas and odnis). And her mom wants her to wear a bunch of make-up and get married stat. Whereas Dimple wants to wear her glasses, no make-up, and focus on school. This part just never really rang true to me because it seemed like the author really wanted to set up this weird misunderstanding/antagonistic relationship between Dimple and her mom, but it was hard to believe. Maybe that's the way an adult would read the story, though, whereas a teenager would read it quite differently than I do :-)

What frustrated me about this book was that it didn't quite rise as high above the Indian stereotypes as I would have liked. You still have two really good kids who do not rebel much at all against their parents. They both somehow get into Stanford and MIT (because God forbid they go to a state school). They watch Bollywood movies and, conveniently, perform in a talent show with a Bollywood dance number. And their parents want to arrange marriage for them at 18. Honestly, I'm surprised there wasn't a mention that Rishi had won the Scripps spelling bee as a child.

But this book exists, and it is so proudly Indian-American, and it owns that culture, and I love that. I'm so glad that Dimple was going after her coding dreams and that Rishi had a great love for art, but I wish that it could have gone a bit further.

Title: When Dimple Met Rishi
Author: Sandhya Menon
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance
Series: Standalone
Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book through my local library and reviewed it.

I finally got to this book in my library stack, and I had my last renew on it. I'd heard many great things about When Dimple Met Rishi, and I didn't want to miss it. I'm so glad that I read it. First of all, Indian main characters! Diverse books for the win always! Plus, that cover was just so adorable; it felt like I was standing with the smiling girl in the sunshine. But the cover was nothing next to what this lovely, bittersweet book contained. I fell in love with it, and it was an insanely funny, inherently hopeful roller coaster of a rom-com. The romantic in me just melted. Sandya Menon has become one of my favorite authors of 2017 with this book!

Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel are both Indian, but they are two very different people. Dimple is headstrong and independent, intensely focused on making her dreams of being a well-known coder come true. Rishi is a practical romantic with a deep love of tradition and family, as well as his own Indian identity. The two young adults collide at a workshop in San Francisco, and, with a series of events straight out of a romantic comedy, begin to actually think that they have a chance together. But Dimple begins to pull away, and the two must decide if their budding love is worth fighting for.

I loved this book! I loved the way that it gave the reader a peek into real Indian culture. I loved the pacing, the tone of it, but especially Dimple and Rishi, two very real and contrasting individuals. One of my favorite parts of the story was the spark between them. I live for an author that can do banter well, from a reading and writing standpoint! It was so cute, funny, romantic, and hopeful. It made me remember the feeling of what it is to be in love for the first time, and it was so bittersweet. I laughed often, and cried just as much. This book made me feel so much. I loved Dimple and Rishi's families as well, the thing that brings them both together in the first place. It was just so lovely and fresh and hopeful, and I enjoyed every minute of it! One of my favorite books of 2017! The bottom line: A romantic first novel that made me laugh, cry, and swoon, When Dimple Met Rishi is one of the best books of 2017! Highly recommended! Next on deck: The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy!

One coder girl, one suppressed artist boy, and one arranged marriage equals a very cute, bubbly summer contemporary.

Dimple is a girl with simple dreams: she wants to win her coding camp’s app competition, go to college, and focus on her work. None of these goals involve the Ideal Indian Husband. However, her parents have another idea. They want Dimple to marry Rishi, and Rishi is all for that.

Honestly, Rishi and Dimple were crafted so well. Each character had a unique personality that readers will relate to on various levels. Dimple’s the awkward, work-focused girl, and Rishi’s the obedient, lovable boy. Their journeys would have been fun to read about even without Dimple having met Rishi and vice versa. Them being together in their hilarious meet-cute, though, makes the story even more engaging.

The plot of the book revolves entirely around the arranged marriage their families set up as well as the summer coder camp Rishi and Dimple go to. Because of the two-month timeline, the story is short and sweet. Dimple is super invested in creating a winning app, while Rishi just wants to win Dimple’s affections. And boy does he ever. ;)

While this story was super cute and sweet on a major level, I was hoping for a little more depth in some areas. For example, the coding aspect of the camp wasn’t highlighted as much as I was hoping it would be. I would have loved to have seen Dimple’s actual app-making process come to life in this book. Another nitpick I had with the book was the development of the side characters. There were some obvious tropes and stereotypes in their relationships that had me rolling my eyes a bit.

Despite its minor flaws, When Dimple Met Rishi does exactly what it’s intended to do: it provides a fun, adorable story with two unique characters.

All in all, if you’re looking for a book that puts a twist on the arranged-marriage plot, Rishi and Dimple’s story might just be for you.

3.5/5 stars

*Note: I was gifted this book from a representative at Simon Pulse. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Based on review copy

Plot: Oh Sandhya Menon, you have written the perfect summer read! I'm not a contemporary reader, but after I read the summary of When Dimple Met Rishi I knew I had to have it! This novel was nothing short of refreshing and just good fun! It took place over the span of 6 weeks at a workshop at a local university called Insomniac Con. Dimple saw this as the perfect venue to showcase her skillset and Rishi thought it would be the perfect place to meet his future wife. Needless to say, things did not go as planned. Because this book did take place over 6 weeks, the romance did feel very whirlwind and did not hold back in the cheesiness.

In addition to the romance, I loved how Menon was able to address a wide variety of topics: being a child of immigrants, women in STEM, and just knowing your self-worth. One thing I want to comment on is that while I consider this book to be mostly from Dimple's perspective, it does alternate between both her and Rishi's voice, and these alternative perspectives are done within the chapters. I think that is worth mentioning because it took me a few chapters to understand the flow.

Characters: Dimple Shah was a force; she was intense, introverted, but wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I can't even begin to express how much I loved her. As the daughter of immigrants, she felt like she never belonged - that she was too "American" for her Indian family and that they didn't have the same priorities. Rishi was the complete opposite. As the oldest son, he was determined to drink up his culture and do as expected of him. He considered himself very practical, but his artist's heart made an appearance time and time again in When Dimple Met Rishi. I absolutely loved how the parents played an important role and their family dynamics. I also fell in love with Menon's commentary on privilege. At a web development workshop, Dimple was surrounded by young white men, and she really fought to prove herself.

Worldbuilding: When Dimple Met Rishi took place primarily in San Francisco and that was a perfect setting for this novel. Having never been to San Francisco myself, I felt a part of the landscape. Menon described every natural phenomenon and view so well that I could imagine myself there right alongside Dimple and Rishi.

Short N Sweet: When Dimple Met Rishi was the perfect coming-of-age novel for this generation.

14 pages into When Dimple Met Rishi, I was worried I would not enjoy this at all, however, I did very much enjoy this one.

Overall, this was a cutesy read and I loved getting to know Dimple and Rishi. Dimple is stubborn and sure of herself and determined. Being in her head was almost like being in my own. She knows her goals and she’ll do whatever it takes to get what she wants.

Rishi is such a romantic and it’s adorable to read. They compliment each other so well that it’s almost…kismet. (I couldn’t resist).

What I love about their relationship is that it’s real. They struggle with real issues and at times they say things bluntly and directly and they get angry and happy and it’s just real. They could be a real life couple and not a couple out of a novel.

I wish there had been more about Insomnia Con and the app development. Dimple is a geek and a nerd, but it doesn’t really show throughout the story. You could place this story anywhere else, and the outcome will be the same.

The discussions about family and pressures and doing what you want versus doing what’s expected of you is a subject that transends all cultures and is easy to relate to. Speaking from of latino household, I can relate to the pressures of trying to please your family, doing the responsible thing, but also following your pasisons. I think When Dimple Met Rishi handled this spectacularly.

My final rating is 4.5, and that .5 is minor things that irked me and brought me out the story. Dimple does something that’s glossed over, but honestly would be a huge problem to any other person. And of course, there’s very little Insomnia Con and whole lot of kissing (but I’m almost completely okay with that). Overall, this book is adorable and cute and warms your cold, bitter heart right up. ?

One coder girl, one suppressed artist boy, and one arranged marriage equals a very cute, bubbly summer contemporary.

Dimple is a girl with simple dreams: she wants to win her coding camp’s app competition, go to college, and focus on her work. None of these goals involve the Ideal Indian Husband. However, her parents have another idea. They want Dimple to marry Rishi, and Rishi is all for that.

Honestly, Rishi and Dimple were crafted so well. Each character had a unique personality that readers will relate to on various levels. Dimple’s the awkward, work-focused girl, and Rishi’s the obedient, lovable boy. Their journeys would have been fun to read about even without Dimple having met Rishi and vice versa. Them being together in their hilarious meet-cute, though, makes the story even more engaging.

The plot of the book revolves entirely around the arranged marriage their families set up as well as the summer coder camp Rishi and Dimple go to. Because of the two-month timeline, the story is short and sweet. Dimple is super invested in creating a winning app, while Rishi just wants to win Dimple’s affections. And boy does he ever. ;)

While this story was super cute and sweet on a major level, I was hoping for a little more depth in some areas. For example, the coding aspect of the camp wasn’t highlighted as much as I was hoping it would be. I would have loved to have seen Dimple’s actual app-making process come to life in this book. Another nitpick I had with the book was the development of the side characters. There were some obvious tropes and stereotypes in their relationships that had me rolling my eyes a bit.

Despite its minor flaws, When Dimple Met Rishi does exactly what it’s intended to do: it provides a fun, adorable story with two unique characters.

All in all, if you’re looking for a book that puts a twist on the arranged-marriage plot, Rishi and Dimple’s story might just be for you.

3.5/5 stars

*Note: I was gifted this book from a representative at Simon Pulse. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Based on review copy

Plot: Oh Sandhya Menon, you have written the perfect summer read! I'm not a contemporary reader, but after I read the summary of When Dimple Met Rishi I knew I had to have it! This novel was nothing short of refreshing and just good fun! It took place over the span of 6 weeks at a workshop at a local university called Insomniac Con. Dimple saw this as the perfect venue to showcase her skillset and Rishi thought it would be the perfect place to meet his future wife. Needless to say, things did not go as planned. Because this book did take place over 6 weeks, the romance did feel very whirlwind and did not hold back in the cheesiness.

In addition to the romance, I loved how Menon was able to address a wide variety of topics: being a child of immigrants, women in STEM, and just knowing your self-worth. One thing I want to comment on is that while I consider this book to be mostly from Dimple's perspective, it does alternate between both her and Rishi's voice, and these alternative perspectives are done within the chapters. I think that is worth mentioning because it took me a few chapters to understand the flow.

Characters: Dimple Shah was a force; she was intense, introverted, but wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I can't even begin to express how much I loved her. As the daughter of immigrants, she felt like she never belonged - that she was too "American" for her Indian family and that they didn't have the same priorities. Rishi was the complete opposite. As the oldest son, he was determined to drink up his culture and do as expected of him. He considered himself very practical, but his artist's heart made an appearance time and time again in When Dimple Met Rishi. I absolutely loved how the parents played an important role and their family dynamics. I also fell in love with Menon's commentary on privilege. At a web development workshop, Dimple was surrounded by young white men, and she really fought to prove herself.

Worldbuilding: When Dimple Met Rishi took place primarily in San Francisco and that was a perfect setting for this novel. Having never been to San Francisco myself, I felt a part of the landscape. Menon described every natural phenomenon and view so well that I could imagine myself there right alongside Dimple and Rishi.

Short N Sweet: When Dimple Met Rishi was the perfect coming-of-age novel for this generation.

14 pages into When Dimple Met Rishi, I was worried I would not enjoy this at all, however, I did very much enjoy this one.

Overall, this was a cutesy read and I loved getting to know Dimple and Rishi. Dimple is stubborn and sure of herself and determined. Being in her head was almost like being in my own. She knows her goals and she’ll do whatever it takes to get what she wants.

Rishi is such a romantic and it’s adorable to read. They compliment each other so well that it’s almost…kismet. (I couldn’t resist).

What I love about their relationship is that it’s real. They struggle with real issues and at times they say things bluntly and directly and they get angry and happy and it’s just real. They could be a real life couple and not a couple out of a novel.

I wish there had been more about Insomnia Con and the app development. Dimple is a geek and a nerd, but it doesn’t really show throughout the story. You could place this story anywhere else, and the outcome will be the same.

The discussions about family and pressures and doing what you want versus doing what’s expected of you is a subject that transends all cultures and is easy to relate to. Speaking from of latino household, I can relate to the pressures of trying to please your family, doing the responsible thing, but also following your pasisons. I think When Dimple Met Rishi handled this spectacularly.

My final rating is 4.5, and that .5 is minor things that irked me and brought me out the story. Dimple does something that’s glossed over, but honestly would be a huge problem to any other person. And of course, there’s very little Insomnia Con and whole lot of kissing (but I’m almost completely okay with that). Overall, this book is adorable and cute and warms your cold, bitter heart right up. ?

"When Dimple Met Rishi" is undoubtably one of the cutest contemporary books I've read in a while. Are you looking for a summer read that will sweep you off your feet? One that's diverse and addictive and nerdy-cute? Then this book is one you'll probably enjoy.

What I love most about this book are the characters. Dimple is so driven and serious and she knows exactly what she wants. I love that she is so in tune with what she wants in life and won't let anything get in the way of her goals. She rebels against her traditional Indian mother's wishes because she knows it won't make her happy. Conversely, Rishi is hyper-aware of his parents wishes and will do anything to keep them happy. Even though he shoulders these responsibilties, he is still such a light, happy person. He's funny and confident in himself and loves his Indian culture. Rishi and Dimply's personalities perfectly balance each others'.

I was so surprised by the many scenes in "When Dimply Met Rishi" that actually made me laugh out loud. There are myriad hilarious scenes that will entertain you to no end, so watch out for them. I also really liked the writing style of this book. It was told in two points of view, and it worked really well for this story. The pacing was really good, and the diction in this book was stellar.

The romance in this book is nerdy-cute, and I adored every second of it. Dimple and Rishi's personalities are just perfect for each other! I loved their jokes and cute moments. I love that they also have great communication and always voice their concerns with one another instead of letting it fester and cause issues. I also love the Bollywood mentions and Indian references which really brought a touch of diversity to this book.

Honestly this book is about so much more than a young romance. It is also about family and self expectations and figuring out life's many problems. I thought Sandhya did such a great job portraying a message of doing what will make you happy in life no matter other people's wishes, especially as Dimple and Rishi are both incoming college freshmen. They have the rest of their lives in front of them and college is the starting point to determining the career and lifestyle choices that will help set their course of life.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I have no doubt many others will as well. So if you're looking for a diverse, fun romantic read then check out this book!

*Applause, Applause*

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sandhya Menon for writing such a beautiful and adorable story of first love. Today, my eyes are wet with tears of joy and my heart is filled with glee courtesy of this lovely book.

This book tells the story of when a boy, who is loyal to his parents and their cultural traditions, meets a girl, who rages against the patriarchy. Both Dimple and Rishi are recent high school graduates, and the first generation of their families not born in India. They are sent to San Francisco to partake in Insomnia Con, an intense IT summer program and competition. While Rishi is well aware that he is there to meet his future wife, Dimple is not. She is filled with ire, when she discovers her parents attempt to marry her off, but later decides to give Rishi a chance.

Characters: I could not have asked for better MCs. Both Dimple and Rishi are amazing. Dimple is this intelligent young woman, who is comfortable in her own skin. She wants to be appreciated for her mind, ambition, and skills, not for her hair and makeup.

Rishi is just perfection. He is honest and wears his heart on his sleeve. He a good son and brother, and takes his responsibilities very seriously. He was all in from the start, and I wish I had kept track of how many times I swooned, said "awww", or cried happy tears due to him.

The Story: This was a story of falling in love, and it was beautifully told. With each page, their love grew and flourished. It was so touching to watch it unfurl. Every first love should be this wonderful!

The Cultural Aspects: Fact - I studied three foreign languages in high school, and had pen pals all over the world, because I love learning about other cultures. Therefore, I really enjoyed how Menon shared her culture with us in this book. I liked the juxtaposition of the role of Indian culture in each protagonist's life. Rishi was the ideal Indian son. He abided by all his parents wishes, even when they clashed with his own, and he wanted to educate people about his culture/language/religion. Dimple was sort of the opposite, but together, she and Rishi were able to find that middle ground, where they could be true to their culture, while also being true to themselves.

Overall: A hilarious, adorable, and endearing story of falling in love, and finding yourself in the process.

OMG this book is so adorable, I almost couldn’t handle it. No. Seriously. I don’t think I’ve read a YA Contemporary Romance as adorable as When Dimple Met Rishi in like FOREVER!

I was either smiling like a lunatic or laughing out loud on the bus, on the street, wherever I was, because it was THAT good.

And you know what? It wasn’t the story about two white kids falling in love. Look, I’m not a reader who’ll refuse to read a book because of it’s about white characters or trash an author because of lack of diversity, but I NEED, NEED, NEED to see more beautiful stories about underrepresented voices with stunning covers and the kind of publicity and hype When Dimple Met Rishi got. It allows people to at least know the book is out there and make the decision to read it or not.

Can we take a moment and just stare at the STUNNING cover? 60, 59, 58…

Now back to the story! I LOVED When Dimple Met Rishi. Like LOVED, LOVED and was ready to give it five stars until the last third of the book. So, for now, I’ll stick with the LOVE, LOVE part.

I was surprised to learn this book was told in third-person dual POV, and I was even more surprised at how much it didn’t bother me. It’s no news I’m a fan of first person, but the author did a good job with the narrative here, putting me inside both characters’ heads. Do I think it could’ve been even better in first? Yes, but it didn’t bother me, so that’s a plus.

The first character we meet is Dimple, and dude she’s hilarious. Dimple is the kind of girl who’ll get on people’s nerves because she isn’t afraid to be herself. She got on my nerves from time to time, but I still loved her for that. One thing I’ll say about Dimple is that I admire when I can read about a main character and spot her flaw right from the beginning, because that makes her more real. For me, it was clear that Dimple was independent to the point of selfishness at times. Again, that’s fine. She felt like a real person. That’s a plus, as far as I’m concerned.

Dimple’s most important interaction (aside from the romantic one) is with her mom. These two women are completely different and want opposite things out of life. Dimple wants a successful career, independence and to live life as she sees fit. Her mother, ruled by her culture and values, want Dimple to get married and have kids. This conflict leads to some hilarious moments, but also some heartfelt ones. I teared up a bit with these two, I have to confess. Mostly, I loved everything they made me feel.

Now, the story takes adorable to the next level when Dimple meets Rishi (couldn’t resist). No, you guys, I’m serious. The way they meet is epic and made me laugh out loud. From that moment on, all I wanted was for more of Dimple and Rishi.

Speaking of Rishi…OMG, OMG, OMG, book boyfriend material alert!!!

This dude is special because he’s so, so adorable and perfect. I loved Rishi to the moon and back. I adored how attentive he was and how respectful of Dimple’s wishes and decisions he was from moment one. Not once did I feel like Rishi was anything but a gentlemen.

Unlike Dimple, Rishi is all about tradition. He takes his parents’ dreams and hopes for him as his own (even though he shouldn’t) because he sees it as a way to respect them. He learns with time to balance that and find a way to fulfill his dreams without disrespecting his parents, and watching him get there is a joy.

Since Dimple and Rishi are so different, I didn’t know how the author would go about making them fall in love, but there was no need to worry about any of that. It was freaking brilliant. Peerrrfect. It came with time, through the two of them sharing their dreams and fears, through friendship. Damn. It was sooooo good!!!

I don’t have words for how absolutely perfect the first 2/3 of this book were. I mean…. PERFECT!!!

But then something happened.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!

*****SPOILER********

The story lost its sparkle to me when the break up scene (and even a few chapters before that) happened. Look, I’m not mad at the break up. This is how romance works: characters meet + characters interact according to romance trope chosen (fight, become friends, kiss, all the above) + characters fall madly in love + characters break up + characters get their happy ending. This is how it is and how I like it.

My problem with the break up here was how it was handled. The motivation behind it felt… not exactly weak, but jarring. But that I could forgive. While I grew increasingly mad at Dimple for wanting to throw what she had with Rishi away because of her fear, I also understood it. I understood when she said that it looks like women can’t have everything, that it looked unfair of her to ask for everything (a successful career and a happy romantic life), because sometimes that’s true. We have to sacrifice so much, especially when we are part of the minority. I also understood because she’d been fighting her mother’s desire for her to settle down for her entire life, and going with Rishi could feel like she was following that path instead of doing what she wanted. I got all of her fears and, although it hurt me to see her hurting Rishi, I even sympathized with her here and there.

What I couldn’t get behind was the author’s decision to not have Dimple take the lead in fixing the mistake she made.

We’d been following Dimple’s journey to becoming this independent, strong woman from page one, but in the end, she didn’t act that way. She should’ve been the one to fix what she broke. As simple as that. It wasn’t up to Rishi to meet her halfway.

I get it that in relationships both have to compromise and contribute, but Rishi wasn’t the one to break Dimple’s heart and break up with her. That was Dimple. It was up to her to realize her mistake, work through her fears and insecurities and then go fight for his life. She had to take responsibility. When the author made the decision to have Rishi also make the move to go after Dimple, I felt cheated of Dimple’s character development. I truly hated it. It ruined the ending for me, and that makes me so, so sad. Had Dimple acted like the strong, independent woman she’d been up to them and taken responsibility for her action, the whole thing would’ve felt so different, so much better, so much more satisfying.

So, yeah, I’m devastated the story didn’t end in a high note for me.

******END OF SPOILER********

Putting that aside, this book deserves all the attention it’s been getting. It’s a cute love story between two interesting, intriguing, real and adorable characters, written by an author who understands the culture because she lives it, and perfect for YA contemporary romance fans. I highly recommend this book and I simply can’t wait for more beautiful diverse stories like this.

When Dimple Met Rishi is probably the best romantic comedy I have ever read! It's fun, hilarious, relateable, and swoon-worthy!

Dimple is a strong, smart, and ambitious girl that has her mind set on becoming a web developer. She does not believe in being traditional, and has no interest in being set up with "the ideal Indian husband". Rishi is a traditional and hopeless romantic, with a hidden passion for art and comics. Unlike Dimple, he is open to being set-up and following the footsteps of his parents when it comes to love.

They meet in a summer program, and their first encounter was a DISASTER! They must work together to develop an app for a contest, and this is where their relationship really develops.

THEY COULDN'T BE ANY MORE DIFFERENT, AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES THE STORY SO GOOD!

The book is a predictable YA romance, but it's also perfect in every way. It has amazing character development, the story is fast paced but not "too fast", the representation is AMAZING (South Asian representation!), the characters are fun and relateable, and you just want to root for them to be together! Even the secondary characters are full of life and have their important moments. I loved it all!

There was ONE detail that I didn't like about the book, and it has nothing to do with the way the author wrote the story... it's just something personal that I hate to see in YA novels, which I won't mention because it's a spoiler!

Other than that ONE detail, as I previously said, the story is perfect in EVERY WAY!

Today I also learned that we'll be getting a companion novel, "When Ashish Met Sweetie" and I am SUPER excited for it! Ashish is Rishi's brother, we'll see more from him! The bad news is that it's a 2019 release, so we got a loooot of waiting to do!

I thoroughly enjoyed this creative, funny and fresh YA romance. In the process of being swept away by very realistic and endearing characters, I also learned a few things about Indian culture. I wish there were more YA books like this -- stories told by teenagers with an interesting, multi-cultural life perspective to share with young readers. I loved that Dimple is unconventional and a talented code writer -- definitely not the standard prototype for a YA romance protagonist. I also appreciate that Dimple was not portrayed as perfect, like so many girls are in this genre.

The romance itself took hold of my attention almost immediately -- I developed a strong reader's crush on Rishi... which almost feels inappropriate as a 36-year-old married woman. The author definitely made me feel like I was 18 again, so I'm going to classify that crush as "not embarrassing in the least."

I would recommend this novel to middle-aged women looking for a fun, nostalgic read... as well as to the author's obviously intended audience of 14-20 year old girls.

Finally got to read this book after hearing so many amazing reviews and comments about it and I loved it so much.

It was so entertaining the characters, every single one, seemed honest and real, I loved the culture and the way they talked with their families and about their families and their experiences growing up. I’m Mexican and they are Indian – American and so many things about out cultures were different but having family as your core is very similar to my experience.

Rishi seemed so adorable from the beginning and yes he had a really rough first meet with Dimple but I loved that he realized what he had done wrong and acted accordingly, he was a gentleman, he supported her every step of the way and was there for her in the most amazing way, there were big alpha male fights or declarations, he was just him and sweet, kind, real and honest.

Dimple is an inspiration, she truly is and I really hope so many people read this book because it is full of life lessons and sweet and tender moments between the characters that we are introduced to.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

First of all I would like to say that this is the best contemporary romance book I have read all year. I realize it is only April but I’m pretty positive it’s going to stay that way. This book was rich in culture and romance and I loved every single moment of it. LOVED IT I TELL YOU.

Dimple was so fierce and sassy. She wasn’t afraid to break the social norms that her heritage came with. She wanted freedom, the ability to explore her options and career without worrying about marrying the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Rishi on the other hand was ready to throw out his fiercely loved hobby of art in the pursuit of a stable career with a sustaining marriage built around compatibility, not love.

Together their personalities clashes in the most epic of ways. Set on a summer college program called InsomniaCon the whole thing had this wonderful summer feeling. Even when things don’t always go as planned I was still so captivated with the story.

A few things I loved was the sense of tradition and culture from everyone while still being realistic to the nature of teenagers who are trying to find their own identity. Also, the sex positivity! I LOVED the way Sandhya Menon touched on the “what our parents want versus what we want” when it came to sex. Ultimately it’s not up to anyone but you and your partner. Loved, loved, loved that message.

I’m not going to spoil it but this book was amazing. I absolutely recommend this to everyone. Sandhya Menon has just become an auto-buy author for me

I absolutely loved this cover and after reading the synopsis, couldn't wait to get my greedy hands on it.

I loved Dimple and Rishi. They're both so smart and so alike and different at the same time. She's sort of rebelling against the traditional ways of her family and he's all for it and I was captivated by reading them figure it all out.

The plot for the story was delightful. I loved having them thrown into a situation away from home and becoming somewhat dependent on each other. It definitely made for some sweet swoony moments -- as well as some frustrating ones.

Overall, it was quick, fun, and mostly fluffy read. I loved seeing the culture represented and can't wait to get a finished copy on my bookshelf.

**Huge thanks to Simon Pulse for providing the arc free of charge**

This. Is. Fantastic.

Hi. I, along with most everyone else who has read this book, absolutely loved this book. I was very skeptical about this because it was a YA contemporary romance that talks about fate and love and basically a potential to get really cheesy really fast. But I wanted to check it out because 1) everyone raves about it 2) it was a YA debut and 3) I've never read a book with an Indian/Indian-American main character.

Before I get into an actual review of the book, I want to mention a few passing things that I enjoyed to no end:
1) I want this app to exist in real life? Dimple Shah, why are you not real?? But seriously, as someone who has to take medication constantly (and constantly forgets), I want this to exist.
2) There's a side character who just very passingly mentions being in a same-sex relationship previously while currently pursuing a relationship with a member of a different sex. She's never given a label, and it's literally just one sentence, but it made me really happy nonetheless. (Also, I've seen no one mention it? Why??)

Other things I loved:
- Rishi was a fantastic character, which isn't something I thought I would come out of this book saying. He's very traditional who values his family, their heritage, and the ideas that his parents have for him. But he was so nice and kind and just a lovely human. He's written so well and feels like so many people that I know and love IRL. I basically feel in love with him.
- On the other hand, I was completely expecting to love Dimple, and I did. I cried at the end when she has a couple of lovely scenes with her parents. I've been in a similar position with my own mother, and if I had read that scene (literally just like three months ago) I could have saved myself a lot of trouble.
- I loved seeing parents in this book so much. Just within Dimple and Rishi there are so many experiences and types of parents presented so well. It was great.
- In summation, everything was great. Nothing was awful. Please read it.

When Dimple Met Rishi is an absolutely adorable coming of age romance. Dimple is a headstrong fiercely independent young woman. Dimple is striving for the career of her dreams and believes that means she cannot have love. Rishi is bound by duty and responsibility. He believes he needs to marry for practicality and go to school for a reliable career. Rishi and Dimple balance each other and push each other to be true to themselves.
I really enjoyed the fact that this book had a cast of diverse characters. This is the first book I've read that focused on characters with an Indian background and I greatly enjoyed it. I definitely recommend this to YA romance fans.
*This is a YA book with sexual content and fade-to-black scenes*

This really is worth all the hype. Dimple and Rishi embark on an unconventional journey that tests all the boundaries of their life.
Dimple refuses to adhere to prearranged marriage and finds herself torn between her Indian culture while being raised in America. Rishi proudly embraces his native Indian culture despite being raised in America, in thriving corporate America. These two couldn't be more different. These two couldn't have been more perfectly paired.
Rishi and Dimple challenge each other, question each other, inspire each other...while together. It's not insta-love, it's an instant, soul-affirming connection. The kind that deserves consideration and exploration.
This book has it all. I fell in love with Dimple and Rishi!

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Omg, I loved this book so much. I've been anticipating this book ever since when I first saw it, and I'm so happy that it met my expectations.

First of all, I really liked Dimple. She's such a fierce character and honestly so relatable, specifically about her cultural views. I loved how she wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in. On the other hand, there's Rishi and his very traditional views. Rishi is such a sweet and funny guy. I couldn't help but root for him throughout the novel. I thought both Dimple and Rishi had good character development as they both struggle to follow their own path.

I also loved how culturally infused this book was with the inclusion of Hindi and other aspects of Indian culture like their traditional outfits/makeup and Bhangra.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for those looking for a cute romance book!

This book was so incredibly cute and heartwarming! If I had to only say one word about this book I would have to say laughter. I laughed the entire time I read this and swooned quite a bit too. Dimple and Rishi were just the absolute cutest and I loved their banter back and forth. They weren't too over the top cute so don't worry about eye rolling it was just pure perfection! The story was beyond entertaining as well and I know I will definitely reread this when I need a pick me up!

If you are looking for a fun contemporary book this is definitely for you. I loved every single minute of it!

I am not a modern realistic fiction, light-hearted romance reader. I was a bit concerned going into this one because I wanted to like it; it's a Lincoln Finalist. I was very pleasantly surprised once I started reading. I got into it very quickly and enjoyed the book a lot. It's cute and sweet, and although it uses a lot of the common romance tropes, they're wrapped inside of a story of a young pair that it dealing with tradition and expectations and going off to college and their hopes and dreams. Those things don't take a backseat to the romance, the romance is a backdrop to their lives. I appreciate that a lot.

I listened to the audio version of the sweet, young adult romance.

Dimple and Rishi are likeable characters who are both children of Indian parents. Rishi is traditional while Dimple fights hard to live her life as an American teenager. When they meet at a summer camp preceding their freshman years of college free he believes he's meeting the woman his parents have arranged for him to marry, and she has no idea about her family's plans of matrimony for her.

The story is sappy and predictable in parts but it is a nice love story with a satisfying ending. My favorite part of the story was getting to know the Indian culture a little bit better.

God, these two are so freaking cute!! This one left me with the exact same feeling at the end as Anna and the French Kiss: these two crazy kids are totally going to make it! Which is hard in YA because who stays with their summer before college boyfriend? Dimple does, that's who! And I ADORED Dimple. Her ambition, her humor, her ambivalence about marriage and babies. She was so wonderful and at one point she calls a fetus a glorified amoeba, and I almost fell off the couch laughing, because: hard same kid!! And I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention the relationship with her mom, which was so wonderfully drawn and added the perfect amount of additional tension to the story. Just wow, this book has left me all heart-eyed and happy ??

Book: When Dimple Met Rishi
Author: Sandhya Menon
Rating: 1 Out of 5 Stars

Okay, I really do feel like I’m the only one of my friends who didn’t like this book. I don’t know what it was, but I just could not get into this book at all. There was just something that really off for me.

I really did try to like this book, but it just felt forced to me. I was expecting an Indian girl who went off to coding camp and am almost Sarah Dessen or Morgan Matson style book. What I got instead was a childish character mixed with even childish writing. I don’t know what it was, but the writing and the characters made me feel as if I were reading a middle school level book-a poorly written one for that matter. I really can’t remember the last time I disliked a book this much.

My biggest problem was Dimple. I have never seen a more immature character in a long time. She is rude, annoying, and disrespectful. She needs grow up. I really did feel like she was in junior high, not just graduated high school. She is supposed to be this coder girl who wants nothing more than to go to coding camp and get away from her family’s goal of finding her a husband. Sounds pretty cool right? Yeah, right...That is not what we got. Instead, we got a very self-centered and annoying character. I think I would have liked the book more, if the main character was actually well written.

The writing....Don’t even get me started on that. I don’t remember the last time I winced that much on so few places. There was no flow and it was way, way too choppy. I have read a number of close writers who write so much better than this. Plus, there was no plot. If there was an actual plot to go with the summary, it was missing.

I don’t know what went wrong with this book and I don’t see how it is so popular. Maybe I’m just missing something, but I did not like this one at all. I don’t even know if I’ll read more from this author.

Don’t judge the book based on my review. I usually tend not to like books everyone does and I love books that everyone doesn’t.

I really, really wanted to like this book. It had so much going for it — Indian culture in America, exposure to healthy arranged marriages, women in tech. What’s not to love??

For me, a lot. That “a lot” can be condensed down into two main issues. The first one was that the characters just sucked — all of them. Rishi and Dimple were both too perfect. Rishi is an 18-year-old kid that has never been in a relationship, but he somehow gets everything right. He gets jealous at the right moments, loves Dimple’s flaws (which we’ll get to in a sec), and is sexy without being pushy. It all sounds great, but it felt super unrealistic to me. He was flat; a teenage fantasy rather than a true-to-life representation.

Dimple’s problem was that she was portrayed as a dream girl when she was anything but. She is the epitome of the “not like other girls” trope, which was just annoying. She’s argumentative and at times physically abusive to Rishi, who conveniently brushes this off. And she was inconsistent; one moment melting under Rishi’s gaze and the next being mad that she even liked him. While this could be called a true representation of teenage girlhood, it was not executed well. Finally, all of the side characters were either complete stereotypes or only there to prop up Dimple’s view of makeup and clothes as vapid. A lot more work should have been done on characters before publication.

If the characters had been better, I might have been able to forgive the plot, but given they sucked, the plot fell flat, too. The back cover copy describes the coding contest as a central theme in the novel, but there was precious little page space devoted to tech. Instead, the focus was mostly on a comic convention Dimple and Rishi attended one weekend, and a talent show held as a break from coding. To me, it felt like the competition was used as a token only. If I were Menon’s editor, I would have had her beef up the coding aspect or scratch it altogether. The rest of the novel could have easily just taken place during a plain old boring summer break.

Like I said, I really wanted to like this, but the writing was just too problematic. I’d be willing to give Menon another shot, since this her debut novel, but if her next works are anything like this, I’m done.