I received a copy in exchange for an honest review this does not influence my review in any shape or form.


You are 21 years old, you are in college working extremely hard to get into Medical School to become a doctor. Why do you want to be a doctor? Silently you whisper because it’s all I know but out loud you said, “I want to help people”. You have walked a very straight line, no detours just focusing on the task ahead. You follow every rule your parents have given you; your family influences every decision you make. You’ve never even considered a love marriage because you’ve grown up knowing you will have a semi-arranged marriage. You’ve never questioned it.

That is until one day a guy comes to your rescue, let’s you copy of his homework.. And now, those green eyes just can’t get out of your head. You slowly start seeing each other but this goes against everything your family has wanted for you. But do you risk losing someone who could truly be the one or do you do what your family has always wanted?

This is the story of The Rearranged Life. This is Nithya’s story.

Our Story

The Rearranged Life is told in first person point of view by our main character Nithya.

What I loved most about the story is that Annika gave you background information about the Indian culture to really give you an understanding to Nithya’s character and her family. I was able to make the connection with Nithya because of all the background information we were given throughout the book. I was afraid of not being able to connect with Nithya because I didn’t understand her culture and how she viewed things. Thanks to the wonderful job Annika did I was able to connect her.

I loved the pace of the story, the fact at times your heart stops beating for a moment because you are so worried for the characters. I also loved how at times, I was feeling what Nithya was feeling. When she didn’t know what to do, all the confusion and emotions I felt like they were mine.

Our Characters

For a first time author, I thought Annika did an amazing job with her character development.

When we first meet Nithya it is the beginning of her senior year. The important year. Not just because she’s a senior about to graduate college but because she’s applying for medical school. The stress is getting to her. She is a perfectionist to say the least. Becoming a doctor has always been the goal. From the time she was young she was to pick a career either in the medical field or business so she ventured into medical field without really considering any other options. That is until she meets James.

James is the guy who sits next to her in chemistry and lets her copy off his homework when she forgot an assignment. He also saves her one night at a party. He is a loving, caring, smart and sensible man but he is American. Someone Nithya could never consider dating without destroying her parents heart. But the thing is you can’t help who you love. He challenges her, he questions her, he makes her think outside her comfort zone.

Nithya grows from the first page to the last page. She is able to start thinking outside her comfort zone even when she feels it will disappoint everyone. She finally starts thinking for herself. It was absolutely wonderful to see her grow as a person despite the fact that sometimes she doubted everything. There were times, I did not like Nithya but other times I wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

You can't help who love, you're not suppose to
I loved the romance between Nithya and James. I loved how Nithya was able to relax and not overanalyze the whole situation. He was able to read her, understand her and help her even when she didn't want to admit she needed it.

I loved how the relationship had actual dates and cute dates. It wasn't over the top with tons of sexual tension it was sweet and made you swoon. Seriously, it was a breath of fresh air.

I also loved how despite the obstacles at hand they tried to figure things out. Unlike other books where everyone walks out, we don't get that with this book. We see a real couple working out real issues.

Overall,

This book tackles real issues such as in falling in love and marrying outside your culture. We see the different point of views throughout the book “betrayal”, “parents failed”, “lost of culture”. And we see how a couple can work through those things.

I am Mexican American, although our culture is very different from the Indian culture. I could see some similarities. For instance, learning to speak the languages spoken in India to keep in touch with the culture and relatives is something my family does. I speak English and Spanish. I am a mother of three who also speak English and Spanish to be able to communicate with relatives. It was something I considered extremely important when I became a parent. Marrying outside your culture does happen in my family and I have heard my grandma voice her disappointment and make snarky remarks about it but I understood why she thought like this but I believe in love who love.

I also loved the quote ”We have to be as Indian as the people in India and as American as the Americans. We can’t win.” . I think a lot of people from different cultures can relate its hard to find the happy medium between both. The battle to find a happy medium is what we see Nithya do. She is in the middle of both cultures attempting to navigate between both. At times, you could see she didn’t know where to go but at the end I think she did the right thing.

I loved this different kind of love story and I loved learning more about a culture I did not know much about. I hope to read more stories like this. I also hope to read more from Annika.

If you’re looking for a different kind of love story with real issues not the ones we read in most stories now at days. Then pick this book up. It is new kind of romance. One worth reading. ( )