Book Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Pages: 380

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pub. Date: May 30, 2017

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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." 

Dimple Shah is a very smart eighteen year old from California who, although comes from a very traditional Indian-American family, wants a very different life for herself than her parents have planned for her.  You see, her parents have always wanted an arranged marriage for her with a nice Indian boy, but Dimple has other plans. She is talented with coding and computers and in turn, has been invited to San Francisco State's Insomnia Con, which is a six week competitive program.  Surprisingly, her parents support her decision to go, but when she finds out why, she is not only mad, but extremely disappointed in them.  Rishi Patel is also an Indian-American, but he's a romantic at heart. His parents tell him that his future wife is also going to the summer program at San Francisco State, so this obviously gets him excited as he is more of a traditional young adult.  But he is very smart as well and plans to go to MIT, so he has goals for himself and his future--it's not just about marriage.  Things take an unexpected turn when not only Dimple finds out her parents' plan, but also when she is assigned to work with Rishi on a major project.   Will sparks fly, disaster strike, and hilarity ensue or all of the above?  When Dimple Met Rishi is a delightful young adult read that is smart, funny, and heartwarming.

Dimple is a young adult that so many females can relate to. She is expected to live a certain way thanks to her conservative parents and I think many young adults can relate to this. Dimple has goals, is smart and has so much to offer. She wants more than to just be a wife. You don't have to come from an Indian-American family to appreciate her struggle with this as many young adults feel smothered by their parents' expectations. But what about what Dimple wants? I really liked her and there were so many times that When Dimple Met Rishi made me laugh out loud. The humor in this story was so unexpected, but very much appreciated.

Rishi is a swoon worthy guy in When Dimple Met Rishi. Although I couldn't necessarily relate to his obsession with tradition to the point where he was carrying about his grandmother's ring, I could still respect his values and where he was coming from. He also has decisions to make about his life and many teens will find it relatable. He's a good guy and one that I ended up, obviously, wanting Dimple with. But that's the beauty of this story. Readers know where it's ultimately heading, but it's the journey to get there that is so heartwarming and fun.

When Dimple Met Rishi is like watching your favorite romantic comedy. It was just what I needed and would be perfect to curl up with this fall.