Sandhya Menon

When Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel meet at a Stanford University summer program, Dimple is avoiding her parents' obsession with "marriage prospects" but Rishi hopes to woo her into accepting arranged marriage with him.

When Dimple Met Rishi

Bria

Rishi being a perfect gentleman? In this economy??? Anyway he's adorable and I love him and Dimple in the same way I love Yadriel and Julian from Cemetery Boys 😍😍

Sarah Sammis

I wanted to like it. I liked the inclusion of Karl the Fog but the two big plots — Insomnia Con and the romance between Dimple and Rishi were both so by the numbers predictable that I was bored through most of the book.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2017/comm...

taryn

Denaiir

Cutecontemporary but really nothing special, I was expecting a lot more since everybody was raving about this one. It was quite predictable and none of the characters made me swoon.

Kahli Scott

A fun summer love story, but I would have preferred if there was less mushy romance and more detail about the 'coding camp' the story's set at. Dimple's love for coding was the most compelling part of the story but it wasn't done justice. I really liked Rishi's pride in his culture and that he wore his heart on his sleeve - so done with 'bad boys' in YA romance. Parts of the story were distractingly unrealistic, but overall it was sweet and entertaining.

Nessa Luna

I think I might enjoy contemporary books a bit more if I stop being that person that’s like ‘well they’re going to end up together anyway so why should I bother?’. That being said, I ended up enjoying When Dimple met Rishi more than I had expected. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators really made it a lot better for me. I loved the dynamics between Dimple and Rishi and even though I wasn’t a fan of the whole arranged marriage part (I know it’s a big thing in India, yes, still don’t like it) I loved the way this book went. Will I pick up the sequel? Maybe, if they’re available as audiobooks.

CAWPILE: 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 (Avg: 6.86)

alexandra

i can't believe we've been blessed with a book that is equally cute as it is culturally diverse. i couldn't stop smiling while flying through this. :''')

full review to come~~

dija

My name is Khadidja and am DNF-ing this 

The main reason i DNFed this is that i don't want to give 2 stars
and if i did finished it, i will be obliged to give it ★★ because the 2nd start is actually for me and my efforts of finding good in this. 

So, the tragic story behind this read is that : 
I am reading a heavy book that isn't matching my mood and am struggling to read 10 pages at once, so i thought that a light cute cotemproray would do.
So i picked this

But what i got?
A so very annoying MC that will probably be reminding you how she's different by not wearing makeup in your sleep.
A plotless plot. 
Offensive binchy lines.

So no, thank you. Bye

Jamieson

“It was his damn fool heart. Ever optimistic, always looking for a sliver of sunshine in a sky clotted with thunderclouds.”


im actually angry people made this book out to be SO HORRIBLE like yall were out here saying dimple was abusive like literally what the fuckgjjdfgd

I have 3 things to say

1: im convinced yall have never met men in your life bc im telling u if a random man came up to me and said hey future wife i would fLIP my shit too

2: rejecting traditional femininity yourself (ie. I don't wear makeup and think its dumb people want me to) is literally not the same as bashing girls who do wear makeup and going "im not like other girls" DIMPLE'S BEST FRIEND IS A BISEXUAL GIRL WHO LOVES DRESSING UP OWNS A DESIGNER WARDROBE AND WEARS MAKEUP FULL TIME AND DIMPLE SUPPORTS HER. SHE SUPPORTS HER AND NEVER SAYS SHE'S DUMB FOR DOING THOSE THINGS. READING COMPREHENSION oh my god people

3: Dimple is a cool, badass, take no shit woman and people are ALWAYS saying they want more strong, independent, badass girls but as soon as you get one you go off ??? the irony when the same people who hate Dimple love Lila Bard and Kaz and those girls from ToG qwhite interesting lmfaaooo

In conclusion: I have lost trust in some people here because there's a difference in saying why you didn't like a book and just randomly making shit up that didn't even happen IN THE BOOK to be super extra about bashing a book

actual review to come

brianna

“This is our life. We get to decide the rules. We get to say what goes and what stays, what matters and what doesn’t.”
 

3.75 stars

Ugh, I really wanted to love this more than I did. This was one of my most anticipated books from 2017 and I didn't get to it till now and tbh I'm disappointed. I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style and the insta love was a lil extreme. With that being said, it was still a cute read, just not really what I was expecting.

Lorelei Petcu

AHHHHHHH ADKSGSHDBSKS. This was so cute. I can't. It was so adorable and the characters were total dorks and I loved them all. It was so fun to learn a bit about the Indian culture, because I haven't read a book with a main Indian character before. So it was new for me and I was not disappointed at all. 

Rishi was such a cutie, even though Dimple was kinda confusing to me. I don't know... I guess coding brain? Doesn't really work with my book brain.

But it was oh so good and oh so perfect for a fast book to read when your parents aren't looking right before exams (I needed to relax, okay?). I'll say it one more time. I can't help myself. CUTE

Marloes

I enjoyed the story very much, but it wasn’t my most favorite book of all time. Nothing bad to say it about it though, just average for me.

Callisone Dozier

I go into books blind. My expectations when I open a book come from the title, the author, the cover art, and/or friend recommendations.


So, looking at When Dimple met Rishi, I deduced three things.
1 - Dimple would meet Rishi
2 - Going off the girl holding an iced coffee on the cover, we were looking at high school or college aged charaters
3 - Judging from the back of the cover, girl throwing coffee on guy, the meeting would not be ideal

I was not disappointed.


First we meet Dimple, an Indian American born daughter to two East Indian immigrated parents. They are traditional, she is not.  Dimple's mother is looking out for Dimple's IIH, Ideal Indian Husband. While Dimple is dreaming of attending Insomniac Con before going to Stafford to live her ideal life, and this does not include an IIH.


Next we have Rishi, an Indian American born son of East Indian immigrant parents. He is the good first born son, who wants to live his life according to his parents expectations. His plans include the approved future-wife and attending MIT in the fall.


WDMR is a very cute story, so cute I didn't want to walk away from Dimple and Rishi. Although, I liked Rishi better as a character, Dimple's character arc went through the biggest changes, without loosing herself in mix. Menon kept the novel at very good pace. The time period of six weeks moved along smoothly and realistically. I liked that Menon didn't bog the writing down with technical coding jargon, but I did feel Dimple's passion for the world behind computers and apps.


Menon's writing style was very easy to get into, and she had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. I was fully behind these two opposites from the very beginning, and let me tell you, Rishi is swoon worthy. I don't remember any eighteen year old boyfriends being quite so eloquent in real life. I look forward to reading more books by Sandhya Menon.

Dee B. 

4.5. I'm taking away a half star because Dimple really annoyed me towards the end. Granted, I understood why, but it still made me want to thump her. Rishi is a precious sweetheart and deserves nothing less than all of your love.

mevi

1.5 stars.
I read this for #LALATHON 2018 and chose this book because this is outside my comfort zone... and now I know why I don't read these types of books. 
(view spoiler)[Nothing against anyone who reads cliche romance novels... I just can't understand a female main character not wanting a boyfriend to having one in 150 pages. I was hoping the romance would be a side-plot so Dimple could discover herself and win the competition but it was... just a lot of teenage angst and hormones. (hide spoiler)]

Latitude Tamarind

this book was kind of stupid but i am a big sap so i liked it

Noelia Abreu

This was a cute read, mostly in the beginning - the second part was a bit dreadful and I had to skimmed through most of the end to finish it. To be honest, I expected something better but I feel like some reviews I've seen have been super hard. Anyway, I really don't have more to say, it didn't give me all the warm feelings it was supposed to but I didn't hate it either.

Beckah brooks

This book was very cute! I loved it.

I'll start by saying that I loved Dimple. I totally understood her history, why she thinks the way that she does, and why she made all the decisions that she made. Nothing felt out of place with her and I loved it. With Rishi I loved him, but a little less. He can be a little much. But with him I understood and he did things very much in his character. I would have loved a little more development of the supporting characters but oh well.

For the story it was cute! I loved the predicament that they were in and how they slowly fell for each other. My only complaint is that it went by so fast. At one point there was a three-week time jump. I would have loved to see more of them actually working on their app and in classes. But that is just me. I loved it, definitely give it a read.

courtney garrison

This is now my favorite read of 2017. Dimple and Rishi are both so adorable and you can’t help but root them on. If you want a cute contemporary romance novel for this summer/fall this is this book for you.

Dimple is absolutely a great character, by page 5 she calls her mother out on her misogynistic views is fabulous. Her mother believes Dimple should settle down and care only about having a husband and keeping up her looks, while Dimple wants a career and a life outside the home.

Rishi is such a dork, as Dimple calls him. He is such a lovable sweet guy. The way he stands up for Dimple on more than one occasion is so sweet. He struggles with pleasing his parents and trying to find out what he wants to do with his life. He loves drawing comics and is headed for MIT for engineering, or so he thinks.

I can not speak for the rep in this book, but I’ve seen nothing but great reviews on this novel and highly encourage you to too. This Book had me googling words to learn more about the culture. I took a lot away from this book. it was such a fantastic read.

The only thing I really wanted more of was the app, Dimple is studying and doing all this for her career and loves it so much. I would have loved to have seen more of that incorporated into the novel. You only really see bits and pieces of them talking about design and what the app will do.

Overall this novel was a fantastic and quick read for me, I finished it in one sitting. It quickly had my attention and I couldn’t put it down. This was the perfect summer read for me and is now one of my favorite books.

Yulande Lindsay

I loved this. Loved it. There needs to be more YA books about normal young people and their experiences. This was sweet and funny as well poignant and tear-inducing. Loved every moment. Looking forward to more of Sandhya Menon's work.

rach

The only reason this didn’t end up on my dnf shelf is because of how many people I know who liked it. I wish I was one of those people, and I kept reading hoping that this book would click with me, but it never did. I just found the characters really insufferable and it was hard for me to get into the romance aspect because of how much I disliked them. It was just okay and certainly did not live up to the hype

Nedu

“Because, Dimple Shah, I am stupidly, idiotically, annoyingly in love with you. You were right about so many things. I was afraid. I was terrified of doing what I wanted and of hurting my parents. I was carrying this huge weight on my shoulders without even realizing it—without even needing to. You’ve made me braver. It’s like you have this paintbrush, dipped in brilliant mauves and teals and golds, and you just totally redid my monochromatic life. I need you; I need your paintbrush.” He pushed a shaky hand through his hair, terrified and exhilarated and breathless. “Wow. I’m not even sure if that made any sense.”

this was so cute, I only wish they was more focus on Dimple's coding process

Nicki

Ugh I feel like I'm a bit of a betrayer but I wish I liked this as much as everyone else did. That being said, I gave it three stars because while I didn't LOVE it, I definitely liked it. Detailed review to come eventually or maybe not who knows?

Emi Gilmore 

2.5/5 stars 
 
People: this books is the worst lol don't read it

 Me: hahahah it can't be that bad

Me: *is wrong*


Usually, this was where I'd put a quote that I liked from the book, but the writing in this book sucked. But I don't wanna mess up the aesthetic of my reviews. So, yeah, you're stuck with that.

So what even is the point of me being on this website if I don't even listen to the thousands of negative reviews on my feed that are there to guide me towards great books? Every single time someone tells me not to read a book, I proceed to ignore everything they say because what do they know? and read it any ways. Guess what? 10 out of 10 times that someone is right. And 10 out of 10 times they end up commenting on my review, laughing at my pain. 

I'm gonna do all of us a favor and just delete my life because I just keep filling it full of disappointment.

In fact, all the disappointment I have been acquiring lately has accumulated into something so large, you can see it from space. All those astronauts in the Internation Space Station are staring down at me at this very moment, shaking their heads and wondering what I did to become so full of sorrow but secretly enjoying a new piece of scenery, as I'm sure looking at space can get very boring.

I should have aborted this book during the first chapter when I was bombarded with middle grade style writing. Actually, no, I'm lying. Middle grade books have excellent writing, as a published book should, which is the exact opposite of this. Middle grade books don't deserve to be compared to this trainwreck. This writing gave me flashbacks to 13-year old me, who spent her days on fanfiction.net writing Good Luck Charlie fanfiction. Except 13-year old me's writing might have been even better? It was definitely not as annoying. But I knew I could have eventually gotten used to the writing, so instead of DNFing it right then and there, I persevered, thinking it couldn't possibly get any worse. But, Spoiler Alert!, it did. 



One day, when technology advances to a point where time machines are a thing that exists, the first thing I will do is go back to the moment when I decided to open this book and stop myself. Just so I go avoid the pain and suffering that is Dimple Shah.

I never thought I would hate a character more than I hate Rowan Whitethorn, but heyyy Dimple came pretty close. 

I don't even think I can form a paragraph of all the reasons why she's the worst, so here's a list

• not like other girls
• doesn't wear makeup bc she's not like other girls
• mentions the fact she doesn't wear makeup at least 30 times per chapter
• throws iced coffee and some guy because he "attacked" her and by attacked I mean he spoke words to her and obviously that isn't okay
• even as a person who doesn't drink/like coffee i know that is a giant waste of like $5
• but at least she's a "strong independent woman" 
• actually, her exact words are "she was no delicate flower"
• and rishi's exact words were "spirited" which he said about a million times before page 35
• and also by "strong independent women" i mean she's a controlling bitch who is physically abusive
• SHE LITERALLY PUNCHED RISHI AND HURT HIM AND FELT NO REMORSE
•  "Dimple punched him in the ribs, lighter than she wanted to, but he still winced."
• She never lets Rishi have any say on anything?
• Like she decided what they are gonna do for their app
• And also what they are going to do for the talent show
• doesn't wear makeup
• Also there was a part when someone told her how to pronounce his name AND SHE FUCKING TOLD HIM HE WAS PRONOUNCING HIS OWN NAME WRONG
• Like If I tell you "Emi" is pronounced as "Kate Middleton" my name is fucking pronounced Kate Middleton and not like "Emmy" seriously
•  also I've had a person once message me and ask me how to pronounce my name? I thought it was pretty simple but there's a pronunciation guide for y'all in case you were ever wondering
• But wait, it gets better
• Because LIKE TWO PAGES LATER SHE GETS MAD AT THEM FOR PRONOUNCING RISHI WRONG
• Like don't you understand where their anger is probably coming from now??
• Also, because she's not rich and doesn't wear makeup she's better than everyone else
• also there was one part when rishi called her an introvert and I was like wtf??? since when???? not once in the book were we ever shown she's an introvert. no introvert I know would throw iced coffee at people and go to 40,000 different social events. 
• but let's jump back up to the beginning of the story right after she met rishi WHEN SHE HATED HIM FOR NO GODDAMN REASON
• Like maybe he said the wrong thing, but it wasn't necessarily creepy or anything. People have definitely said a lot worst to someone then "hello future wife" 
• Bc that is what he said that made her throw coffee at him and hate him for no reason
• it's not a reason to hate someone 
• also in case you forgot, she doesn't wear makeup. she mentions it so much so we don't forget. 
• also she was so vocally rude? like i know you don't like these rich kids aka "aberzombies" but she is so rude to them. and wonders why they are rude to her in return. 
• and also, it's not like the do something to make her rude to them. she hated them the moment she laid eyes on them.



Urgh I don't even wanna talk about her anymore. Let's move on.

Rishi was okay. I didn't hate him. He had his redeemable moments. But honestly, I was too busy being annoyed with Dimple to really pay too much attention to him. Which is a shame. He seemed cool. 

So what was the plot of this book? Because I thought it would be about a girl who goes to coding camp and meets boy and does coding and stuff like that, but hahahahahahah nope. It was just Dimple being totally unbearable. The coding stuff didn't even happen. It was mentioned briefly here and there, but Dimple and Rishi didn't mention it as much as SOMEONE ATTENDING AN ENTIRE COURSE FOR CODING SHOULD BE. I don't know much about coding. I've kinda messed around with it here and there, but as an extremely amateur clueless person. But I would imagine that coding an app would take quite a lot of focus and dedication, especially when there is such a limited timeline. (view spoiler)[ WHen Dimple was so upset when she didn't win, I WAS LITERALLY YELLING AT THE BOOK THAT MAYBE IF YOU ACTUALLY SPEND TIME ON FREAKIGN MAKIGN YOUR APP YOU WOULDN'T BE IN THIS POSITION ARHGAUSJD. Also, she was mad that the "aberzombies" won because of their zombie beer app and it wasn't as great as hers. Like seriously girl? You haven't seen their app. It could be effing amazing, and it applies to a bigger target audience then your app does. Just because you think someone is entitled and big-headed and won just bc they have money doesn't mean they didn't create an well-developed app.

Dimple, that entire scene:



 (hide spoiler)]

There was also a talent show thrown into all that drama for absolutely no reason. It makes no sense. Let's take time away from these kid's *very busy* coding free time and make them show off their talents. And give them a prize that is absolutely worthless if they don't win the coding competition. Like wtf. Please explain this to me. And then this talent show gets 10x more screen time then the actually coding aspect of this book does. 

Literally, the only cool thing about this book was the exposure it provided to Indian culture. Honestly, that's amazing. Let's keep that up. 

Thank god it only took me three hours to read this book, I'm not sure how much longer I could have lasted before I lost all my brain cells. I can't believe I spent money on this.

This is what I should have done with my money instead of buying this book:



In conclusion, there are so many other books in this world that are so much better than this book and have characters who aren't Dimple Shah.

When Dimple Met Rishi

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