How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life: A Novel (edition 2006)

by Kaavya Viswanathan

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When Opal Mehta was six years old her parents moved from India to New Jersey so that they could get their child a place at the finest learning institution in the world: Harvard University. To achieve this goal, the Mehtas carefully and thoroughly constructed HOWGIH (How Opal Will Get Into Harvard). Opal's life so far has strictly adhered to this plan - cello lessons at age 6, foreign languages at 7, mechanical engineering classes, horticulture and mosaic art classes after that. Now, armed with a sterling set of academic and extra-curricular credentials, Opal has applied to Harvard. Failure is not an option. But the first question the admissions officer asks her is 'What do you like to do for fun?' She is stumped. Studying and hard work are all she's ever known. Boys hold no appeal (well, perhaps Sean Whalen, but he thinks she's a nerd.) But when she tells her parents, they simply take it all in their stride. 'There is no problem too big for us Mehtas,' declares her father. And so HOWGAL - How Opal Will Get A Life - springs into action, with hilarious results ...… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	Raphe
Title:	How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life: A Novel
Authors:	Kaavya Viswanathan
Info:	Little, Brown and Company (2006), Hardcover, 320 pages
Collections:	Your library, To read
Rating:
Tags:	to read

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How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life: A Novel by Kaavya Viswanathan

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Showing 1-5 of 22 (next | show all)

I had been reading a lot of serious stuff and a lot of serious stuff had been happening, so I chose a pile a fun fast reads. This made the cut and did not disappoint. I liked the smarts combined with the funny. The sentences seemed to flow and I couldn't stop listening. Aarti Majmudar did a great job narrating, so I easily differentiated sexes and ages. I am looking forward to more from the author and the narrator. (

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nab6215 | Jan 18, 2022 |

Plagiarism scandal aside, it's not written very well. I had to keep re-reading sentences because they were formatted so awfully! But I did think it was a clever entertaining premise and wanted badly to find out how it ended so it kept me hooked. If you're a stickler for grammar or sentence structure - this book will drive you nuts! (

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Bookapotamus | Jun 27, 2018 |

This story follows Opal Mehta, an extremely smart east Indian high school student whose whole life has been based on her getting accepted into Harvard. While at her early admissions interview, the Dean asks her one simple question. "What do you like to do for fun?" Unfortunately, her over-achievement in academics makes it impossible for Opal to answer. So Opal and her dedicated parents come up with a plan to get her a life and the story unfolds.

Stephanie H. / Marathon County Public Library
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mcpl.wausau | Sep 25, 2017 |

The YA version of "Millicent Min Girl Genius." Opal and her parents' big life goal is for her to get into Harvard. She comes fully equipped with overachieving academic credentials and abilities and has been obsessive about getting involved in the proper school activities. But all her work doesn't prepare her for the question asked during her admissions interview: "What do you like to do for fun?" When Opal is unable to answer the question, the dean suggests she work on her nonacademic life. Opal and her parents draw up a strategic plan for her to dress fashionably, develop a romance, and get in with the popular crowd. Opal dutifully follows the plan with as much determination as she had for preparing for Harvard, but finds it's less fulfilling than just being true to herself. This was the book that was pulled for plagiarism.

Salsabrarian | Feb 2, 2016 |

Something about the plagiarism scandal surrounding this book really gripped me--I remember reading each new report with a vicious, intense rush of schadenfreude. Everything I learned about the author and her life made me loathe her more, and it was deeply enjoyable watching her get her comeuppance. Given how invested I’d become in the whole thing, I decided that when I came across a free copy of the book, I would read it.

Well, I finally got my free copy, and I read it. I didn’t enjoy it much, but then I wasn’t really expecting to, since it’s not exactly my genre of choice. I do think the concept is kind of clever (though maybe too slight to sustain a whole novel). Its emphasis on cool, current brands and trends means that it is looking pretty dated at this point.

Given my hatred for the author, how could I give this book anything but one star? (

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thatotter | Feb 6, 2014 |

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How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life

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When Opal Mehta was six years old her parents moved from India to New Jersey so that they could get their child a place at the finest learning institution in the world: Harvard University. To achieve this goal, the Mehtas carefully and thoroughly constructed HOWGIH (How Opal Will Get Into Harvard). Opal's life so far has strictly adhered to this plan - cello lessons at age 6, foreign languages at 7, mechanical engineering classes, horticulture and mosaic art classes after that. Now, armed with a sterling set of academic and extra-curricular credentials, Opal has applied to Harvard. Failure is not an option. But the first question the admissions officer asks her is 'What do you like to do for fun?' She is stumped. Studying and hard work are all she's ever known. Boys hold no appeal (well, perhaps Sean Whalen, but he thinks she's a nerd.) But when she tells her parents, they simply take it all in their stride. 'There is no problem too big for us Mehtas,' declares her father. And so HOWGAL - How Opal Will Get A Life - springs into action, with hilarious results ...

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