Sajni Patel

Sleepless in Dubai

Cute read fr my desi heart swoons for Yash and Nikki🥹

Shanthu

❝ “Be the light. No matter how much our flame dims over the year, this is a time for renewal. Don’t let the negative energy keep you in the dark. Bring your flame back to life, let it roar, and be brighter than ever. ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite Middle Eastern or Indian food? OR What's your favorite holiday? ❓

🦇 High school senior Nikki is ready to celebrate Diwali in style—not at home, but during a five-day trip to Dubai! There's only one hitch: her childhood friend and neighbor, Yash, is coming with his family. After a fight at the beginning of the summer, they've been estranged. To celebrate the true meaning of Diwali (and earn back her parents' trust), can Nikki let go of her dark resentment to let light and forgiveness in?

💜 The bookish bats who know me are aware that a) I'm Middle Eastern/Palestinian and b) I love books by South Asian authors that make you salivate because of all the delicious food. The moment Nikki mentioned Arabic coffee, I was like, "This is my girl." I've had the fortune of traveling to Dubai before and can attest to its stunning sights, so I connected with the story right away. Yash is adorable, Nikki's little sister is a freaking HOOT (I have three younger sisters, so I felt Nikki's mixed frustration/amusement). Reading this book was an adventure through Dubai without the long, exhausting flight. Getting to celebrate Diwali with Nikki through the food and customs was an absolute delight. 

🦇 Unfortunately, Nikki is a difficult character to love from the start. While this is listed as YA (Nikki is about to start her senior year of high school), she's stubborn, childish, and a bit of a crybaby. She reminded me a little bit of Usagi from Sailor Moon. Her stubbornness toward Yash doesn't relent for most of the story, and since there's technically a third-act breakup, it takes a long time for her character development to really come into effect. Nikki's voice is off at times, too; the random "Bros" and ending her thoughts with exclamation points only make her seem younger (even though she wants her parents to recognize her maturity). Though the vacation only spans five days, the story drags at times, too. The biggest issue for me was the predictability; from the first chapter, anyone YA reader can guess every plot point moving forward. While the rich culture of Dubai dazzles and lives up to the real-world splendor, the rest of the story fell flat for me.

🦇 Recommended to fans of YA, books with TONS of delicious food worth salivating over, and friends-to-lovers stories with plenty of angst. 

🎇 Friends to Enemies to Friends to Lovers

🦇 Major thanks to the author @sajnipatelbooks and publisher @abramskids / @piquebeyond for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #SleeplessinDubai #Netgalley

Jazelle H

🦇 Sleepless in Dubai Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ “Be the light. No matter how much our flame dims over the year, this is a time for renewal. Don’t let the negative energy keep you in the dark. Bring your flame back to life, let it roar, and be brighter than ever. ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite Middle Eastern or Indian food? OR What's your favorite holiday? ❓
 
🦇 High school senior Nikki is ready to celebrate Diwali in style—not at home, but during a five-day trip to Dubai! There's only one hitch: her childhood friend and neighbor, Yash, is coming with his family. After a fight at the beginning of the summer, they've been estranged. To celebrate the true meaning of Diwali (and earn back her parents' trust), can Nikki let go of her dark resentment to let light and forgiveness in?

💜 The bookish bats who know me are aware that a) I'm Middle Eastern/Palestinian and b) I love books by South Asian authors that make you salivate because of all the delicious food. The moment Nikki mentioned Arabic coffee, I was like, "This is my girl." I've had the fortune of traveling to Dubai before and can attest to its stunning sights, so I connected with the story right away. Yash is adorable, Nikki's little sister is a freaking HOOT (I have three younger sisters, so I felt Nikki's mixed frustration/amusement). Reading this book was an adventure through Dubai without the long, exhausting flight. Getting to celebrate Diwali with Nikki through the food and customs was an absolute delight. 

🦇 Unfortunately, Nikki is a difficult character to love from the start. While this is listed as YA (Nikki is about to start her senior year of high school), she's stubborn, childish, and a bit of a crybaby. She reminded me a little bit of Usagi from Sailor Moon. Her stubbornness toward Yash doesn't relent for most of the story, and since there's technically a third-act breakup, it takes a long time for her character development to really come into effect. Nikki's voice is off at times, too; the random "Bros" and ending her thoughts with exclamation points only make her seem younger (even though she wants her parents to recognize her maturity). Though the vacation only spans five days, the story drags at times, too. The biggest issue for me was the predictability; from the first chapter, anyone YA reader can guess every plot point moving forward. While the rich culture of Dubai dazzles and lives up to the real-world splendor, the rest of the story fell flat for me.

🦇 Recommended to fans of YA, books with TONS of delicious food worth salivating over, and friends-to-lovers stories with plenty of angst. 

✨ The Vibes ✨
🌴 Young Adult
🇦🇪 Travel / Foreign Food
🎇 Friends to Enemies to Friends to Lovers
🪔 Diwali Celebration
💞 Rom-Com

🦇 Major thanks to the author @sajnipatelbooks and publisher @abramskids / @piquebeyond for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #SleeplessinDubai #Netgalley

Sleepless in Dubai

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