When Dimple Met Rishi

Such a cute read!!! Fun, light, happy and romantic. ( )

I admit after all the groaning I did while reading this book, the last few chapters were sweet and sentimental. BUT, Oh my goodness. The romance was ridiculously fast and Celia was an idiot the whole time. She was just there doing stupid things just for there to be an obvious conflict. A lot of the story just didn't sit right with me mainly because these two people liked each other way too fast. Already butterflies in like chapter 11. This could have been so much better.... ( )

This is a delightful, heartwarming, slightly far-fetched (but aren't the best stories) teen romance.

There are scenes that subtly reference past bullying, racist incidents aimed at the main characters, misogynistic episodes, plus multiple incidents where the wealth of some characters is used to the detriment of others, but they are predominantly seen from Dimple Shah's American born, traditionally raised, feminist middle-class Indian perspective. And she is such a fabulous character.

The other viewpoint character is Rishi Patel, but he only comes in to it once Dimple meets him, so more mention than that risks spoilers.

They meet at 'InsomniaCon', a six week summer residential 'camp' for young adults that is aimed at pairs developing a phone/web app. This is Dimple's passion, and the aspects of the story that deal with her fight to carve out a space for herself in a very white, very male field are very well handled -- the punches are only slightly pulled, because otherwise this would be less a love story and more a scream into the void. ( )

I enjoy romance movies. But I've never much cared for romance novels (not bodice-rippers romance novels - ew. But even meetcute novels (John Green) don't really appeal to me). I think this helped me understand why. In movies, chemistry between characters can come across in so many ways. In novels, you often kinda have to just take the author's word for it. This book is very much like the old Twain quote "Don't say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream." I don't have to simply accept that Rishi and Dimple have astounding chemistry. I can FEEL it in every line. ( )

DIMPLE SHAH is an only child who loves her parents but is desperate to leave the nest: she thinks that her mother, particularly, only cares about her appearance and marriageability, when what Dimple cares about is coding. She's been accepted to Stanford, but in the meantime, she longs to go to Insomnia Con, a summer program in San Francisco. To her surprise, her parents agree that she can go - but she doesn't realize she's being set up with...

RISHI PATEL, described (by his brother) as a thirty-five-year-old in an eighteen-year-old's body. Rishi is a Good Indian Boy who loves and honors his parents and his culture; he feels a duty to go to MIT, become an engineer, marry an Indian woman, and produce grandchildren. He is genuinely excited to meet Dimple, but their first interaction is a disaster, because he doesn't know that she has no idea who he is.

Menon neatly avoids tired plot points and character (re)actions; despite their terrible meet cute, Dimple and Rishi work together as partners at Insomnia Con and get to know each other; though Dimple has made clear she is not interested in giving up a career for marriage, she comes to care about Rishi, and they make a good team. Rishi is secretly a comic book artist, and when Dimple finds out about his passion, she encourages him to follow his dream, even if it's not practical. Each partner takes steps to defend the other (from the "Aberzombies," for example) and advance their interests (with each other's mentors).

A secondary plot line involving Dimple's roommate Celia and Rishi's younger brother Ashish is woven nicely into the primary story of Dimple and Rishi, and the ending is cinematic.

Dimple is an outspoken feminist with career goals and a big heart; Rishi is considerate and kind. It's easy to root for this pair.

See also: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon, I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle, You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

Quotes

...like they didn't know what to do with someone who was so obviously at home with his uncoolness. Someone who had the audacity to feel like he was the cool one when he so obviously wasn't. (105-106)

Lajawab: without answer. (221) ( )