too much miya

As I said on my Of Curses and Kisses review, I've meaning to read other books by Sandhya Menon and When Dimple Met Rishi seemed like the right choice: I thought it'd be a fun and easy going reading, perfect for a Sunday night.

And, boy, what a rush.

I started reading When Dimple Met Rishi on Sunday and got through about 12 chapters? Or like, 10% of the story and then life took over and I just couldn't concentrate enough/stop everything I was doing to pick up a book. Anyway, cut to four days later, on Thursday, and I finally found some time (at 11 pm, because I hate my sleep schedule, apparently) and read the book in one sitting, pulling an all-nighter and finishing the whole thing at 6 am, just before I heard my mom's alarm go off and freaked out. It was pretty cool, a great reminiscent of my preteen reading-under-the-covers-at-unholy-hours days.

But now, let's get into the review (written while I was sleep-deprived, I may add).

When Dimple Met Rishi (Dimple and Rishi #1)

by Sandhya Menon

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Pages: 380

★★★/.5

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

“He already knew the first time he saw Dimple’s picture that their story would become a sort of legend”― Sandhya Menon, When Dimple Met Rishi

When Dimple Met Rishi is a college-aged YA (we don't see enough of that, sadly) set in California. It's the perfect summer-love story between Dimple Shah, an aspiring programmer who has big plans concerning her career that include a) winning the competition at the summer pre-college coding program she desperately wants to get into and b) never (ever) finding (or marrying) the Ideal Indian Husband™ (none of which her mom seem to understand or approve).

And Rishi Patel who, on the other hand, is totally on board with what his parents have planned for him. He's supposed to start Engineering at MIT on the fall (even if his passion lies elsewhere), uphold his Indians traditions (which he firmly believes in) and, of course, court his possible future wife at the summer program (he is, by the way, really looking forward to this “suggested arrangement”). So, when they both meet and their encounter is far from being perfect (or amicable), they find out they have so much to figure out yet.

“I feel like I need to speak out, because if no one speaks out, if no one says, This is me, this is what I believe in, and this is why I’m different, and this is why that’s okay, then what’s the point? What’s the point of living in this beautiful, great melting pot where everyone can dare to be anything they want to be?”
― Sandhya Menon, When Dimple Met Rishi

One of my favorite things about this book is how different the two main characters are concerning their Indian background. It shows how there are so many ways you can relate to your heritage (all of them valid) and I couldn't praise Sandhya Menon for this creative choice. That being said, I could relate to both Dimple — being a girl born into a tradition that hasn't been always kind to girls — and Rishi — in his wish to protect and uphold his beliefs and customs and be a part of something bigger than himself.

Concerning the characters, I also found them very refreshing. I stopped reading contemporary romance for a while because I felt it was getting too much of the same, you know? So, it was a nice surprise to find that Sandhya Menon' spin on the classic tropes. I loved how obsessed Dimple was (totally relatable) and how determined she was to achieve her dreams. Rishi was so much better than the usual angsty-borderline-toxic love interest, I couldn't get enough of him!

As for the plot, well, it's a contemporary romance YA, so clearly we all know how it goes: boy meets girl, conflict happens, the girl doesn't like boy, except she does a little bit, then there's banter and they get together, but then conflict (or something related to it) is BACK, they split, there's a big revelation and them BOOM, happily ever after.

What I just poorly described is the plot of every rom-com/romance ever, but how does one make it interesting?

“This is our life. We get to decide the rules. We get to say what goes and what stays, what matters and what doesn’t.”

― Sandhya Menon, When Dimple Met Rishi

Easy, make it a story we want to read. Add real interests of the main characters and separate/personal arcs, sprinkle some twists to the conflict, maybe a dash of family drama. And, of course, TONS of cute romantics scenes and characters the reader will swoon over. That's exactly what Sandhya Menon did and not even sleep could keep me from turning the pages.

Speaking of the author, she's so good writing contemporary. I have to say, I liked When Dimple Met Rishi better than Of Curses and Kisses. I think this kind of summer-love/arranged-relationship spoke more to me than the Beauty and the Beast retelling. Nevertheless, Sandhya Menon is one of this year's greatest finds! I'll run off to read all her other books as soon as I'm done here.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon is the bubbly, happy reading you need. I recommend it to anyone looking for the perfect #ownvoices, refreshing rom-com.

till next time!

“But that was Rishi... he was like a pop song you thought you couldn't stand, but found yourself humming in the shower anyway.”― Sandhya Menon, When Dimple Met Rishi

So, I read the first book for the #asianreadathon! If you haven't read the post, you should know that my tbr is purposely very small, but still, I'm very proud of myself.

The challenges were read a book featuring an Asian character or written by an Asian author who is different from you and read a book recommended by an Asian, so I chose Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon that features an Indian character (and author) — I'm Japanese — and was recommended by Ikram from Readlogy who is Indonesian.

Of Curses and Kisses (St. Rosetta's Academy #1)

by Sandhya Menon

Genre: romance, YA

Pages: 384

★★★/.5

Synopsis: The first novel in a series set at an elite international boarding school, that’s a contemporary spin on Beauty and the Beast.
Will the princess save the beast?
For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right?
His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can't shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck…
As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending.

"One thing she’d come to realize–sabotage wasn’t always cloak-and-dagger. I wasn’t always dead-of-night escapades, or masked people swathed in midnight and stars. Sometimes it looked like this: ageless mountains that kept watch and saw all. An elite boarding school 8,800 miles away from home. And somewhere deep inside, an unsuspecting aristocrat."― Sandhya Menon, Of Curses and Kisses

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon is an enemies-to-lovers(?) romance set in an elite boarding school around Aspen. As a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast, we follow Princess Jaya Rao of the Imperial House of Mysuru and Grey Emerson (or Lord Northcliffe) as they navigate through their family feud (that has been going on for generations now) and a secret revenge mission.

I have to admit I (an anti-monarchy, done-with-retellings reader) enjoyed Of Curses and Kisses more than I thought I would. Don't get me wrong, it was not a five-star book for me, but nevertheless, I thought it was a good reading, a fun and light (even if somewhat predictable) one.

Anyway, concerning the characters, I think it was the highlight of the book. I liked that the author maintained a few characteristics from the story everyone knows (like the main characters' love for books) while changing some key elements that allowed the story to feel new as well.

“You could break his heart,” she whispered to her reection. “You could make him fall in love with you and wreak havoc on his life, just like he wreaked havoc on yours. You could teach him to never come aer the Raos again.” ― Sandhya Menon, Of Curses and Kisses

Jaya was relatable enough for me, being the older sister, worrying about family duty, and struggling with what is expected of her. Even her vendetta/plan of seduction regarding Grey was interesting enough for me to keep turning the pages. Can you imagine Disney-Belle doing something like that?

And as for Grey, well. My problem with straight romances is that it is saturated with brooding, mean, wall-punching guys, and, as far as they go, Grey was ok. Even if he did brood a lot and was constantly described as 'feral/wild animal', he wasn't in any way mean (the bar is low, ladies). However, if I appreciated the fact that Jaya is different from Belle (and therefore more interesting), I can not say the same about the Grey/Beast situation. They are both sad and lonely but at least in this book, the love interest is cute.

Concerning the plot. Well, it was cliche-as-fuck but not bad, necessarily. Three years ago, I would've eaten that shit up, 2020-quarantined me, however, was unimpressed, to say the least. I'd like to note that the author did make an effort to leave behind some of the cliches. The mean girl-turned-friend twist was refreshing and I'm totally here for the boarding school trope. It's just that the romance parts were a bit... bland. I felt like I had read similar stories a thousand times before, which is really not the goal while reading a retelling. I wanted a revamp of the fairytale but instead got a 21st-century remake (which, again, is not bad, but I can't help to feel a bit disappointed).

Bit by bit, she was chipping at the block of stone he’d always surrounded himself with. Bit by bit, she was unearthing who he really was underneath. And to his astonishment, Grey was okay with that. He was kind of excited to see who he was underneath too, even if just briefly. ― Sandhya Menon, Of Curses and Kisses

The ending was, well, I think it was responsible for the loss of one whole star. I always say finales are a hit or miss for me and, gods, the last thirty pages were a huge miss(take). It felt rushed and convenient and, worst of all, predictable. I could see that outcome from a mile away. It was foreseeable and, at the same time, lacked depth. The characters were neither ready to act the way they did nor ready to make the decisions they made. Also, I suspect there was supposed to be a big plot twist at the very end, but it just felt lazy.

I'm aware I come out as a hater, but as far as readings go, I enjoyed Of Curses and Kisses very much. One can not read an entire book (all three hundred and eighty-four pages) in one sitting without being entertained. And because of that, how great of a reading it was, I'll definitely be checking out other books by Sandhya Menon in the near future (I got my eyes on When Dimple Met Rishi already).

Lastly, some other points that stood out to me while reading were, first of all, the love interest being described upfront as "having something feral about him, reminiscent of a wild animal. Or a beast." does not paint a great initial image (at least in my mind), even if it is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. And second of all, to put it mildly, fuck the monarchy. I don't know if it's the fact that I was born in a Republic in which the monarchy hasn't been around for over a century, but I couldn't help to roll my eyes at this quote,

"I'm a royal, reputation is half — if not more — of what we do. If people don't feel they can trust us, that we're... better than them, in some way, they're not happy. And if they're not happy, we can't lead them the way we're meant to [...] Well, it's not that we're better, exactly, it's that they must think we are. They have to feel that we were born more able to cope with dilemmas and problems on a large scale. It makes them feel safe, taken care of. It's for the greater good."

It's 2020, thank you very much. We believe in democracy and wealth distribution.

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon has its ups and downs but it was an overall enjoyable and cozy reading. It definitely has feel-good potential and I recommend it to anyone looking for a cute retelling with a representation twist.

till next time!

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