Another homerun from Sandhya Menon ----- I laughed and cried and just loved the heck out of Twinkle and her story, every bit as much as I loved Dimple's when I first discovered that Sandhya Menon is one of those authors that turns out pure bliss in novel form. Real life is hard, so it's fun to get the chance to escape into something you know is going to have a happy ending, and From Twinkle, with Love has the BEST ending and the sweetest love story. A must-read for all my fellow hallmark addicts, because this book is like hallmark, just with better writing. ;)

Sandhya Menon is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers! Though From Twinkle, with Love is not my favorite book by her, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I also love how she infuses Indian and Indian-American culture into her stories, which opens readers' eyes to the culture.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection and will recommend it to students.

A sweet funny story with a great family background. I love how warm this story feels and how real it all goes. Would recommend to friends,

I loved Sandhya Menon's debut, WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI, last year, so I had high expectations for FROM TWINKLE, WITH LOVE, and I still do for ASHISH MET SWEETIE. So, let me break down FROM TWINKLE, WITH LOVE a little bit:

-What I liked:

-Sahil: Sahil is PERFECTION. He was such a wonderful, warm character. I loved how passionate and nerdy he was, and I completely understand his need to outshine his twin brother, Neil. But, Sandhya Menon has written wonderful male characters in WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI as well, so Sahil being wonderful was expected.

-The writing: Sandhya Menon's writing style is evocative of Stephanie Perkins' ANNA, LOLA, ISLA days, where it's just super fluffy and wonderful.

What I didn't like:

-The epistolary format: In some cases, this format can work. (But, it rarely does for me.) I'm not a fan of this type of format at all (but I still picked this book up because it's Sandhya Menon). I think it honestly just detracts from crucial storytelling elements that books (especially YA contemporary romance) needs. Because FROM TWINKLE, WITH LOVE was told in an epistolary format, there was a huge amount of telling versus showing going on. I felt like we got told more than we were shown, which distanced me from Twinkle and made me enjoy the book less.

-Twinkle: Twinkle was fine. But her indecisiveness about Sahil or Neil, when Sahil was obviously the better choice, drove me up the wall. Everyone can be indecisive, but there's a limit, you know? Also, her sudden Superiority Complex of an Attitude (that wraps up in a nice little bow at the end)? It was unnecessary and no believable buildup to it.

-The drama with no backstory: If Twinkle is writing this diary to female filmmakers she admires, why can't we in turn know more about why there is so much drama between Twinkle and Maddie beyond Maddie making new friends and leaving Twinkle?

Overall however, I like this book. I'd recommend it, but if possible, reading (or rereading!) WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI after this one. I'm still very much looking forward to what Sandhya Menon writes next!

I think this book would be well-suited to a younger YA/upper middle grade audience. While I really liked the author's other YA books, this one felt a lot younger. That's not a bad thing, it just didn't work as well for me. The character's obsession with popularity, etc. was not interesting to me and the drama felt manufactured and unnecessary.

From Twinkle, with Love is in my top favorites from 2018. My students love reading this one and discussing it. Menon has an amazing gift at developing her characters and moving the plot forward without being too predictable.

I lived for the previous installments of these books, but From Twinkle, with Love miiiiight just be my new favorite. Twinkle was such a fun, lovable MC, and I found this story to be incredibly heartwarming and beautiful. This series is one that I absolutely recommend to friends and customers, and Twinkle is probably one that I'll personally reach for the most!

Absolutely love this series!

*thank you so much to the Publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book!*

***3.5 STARS***

Review is scheduled to post on Thursday 4/30/2020 at 8am EST

My Review...

This is the part where I tell on myself...I have not read When Dimple Met Rishi. I still don't know If I missed an Easter egg or two reading this one first but it doesn't feel like it. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook version, this is a story of a young aspiring filmmaker who happens to be a self appointed wallflower. Twinkle Mehra has big dreams of becoming a big time film maker but she has yet to find her voice. We follow her as she makes mistakes, gets grounded/humbled in the things that matter most, and also falls in love. Twinkle is not a like-able MC, she managed to get a few eye rolls from me but I also smiled a ton. Having always been cast aside by the in crowd & her long time BFF, she can come across as a bit defensive. We see her take on the project of co-producing a film & navigating the changes in her closest relationships. Female/female friendship dynamics aren't often discussed in YA books, I appreciated seeing the good & the ugly. Twinkle doesn't seem to like change but her big dreams call on her to see things differently. Most of all, staying true to herself is the biggest challenge. This being a contemporary romance, we get introduced to Twinkle's love interest. Unlike other YA Contemporary book boyfriends, I found Sahil to be very caring & just an overall nice guy. He values Twinkle for what she brings to the table the minute she expresses her ideas for the film they're co-producing w/out hesitation. They work well together but above all else what makes him stand out is that he wasn't with letting Twinkle stoop to lower levels. He stood up for his beliefs & let her know when she wasn't being a good friend.

This book also touched on the effects of having two parents in the home that are more work oriented. Twinkle harbors some resentment towards her mother for her often times physical absence. She takes this to mean that her dreams in film making aren't supported. there were some really good talks in there. My favorite side character is Dadi, Twinkle's grandmother who has a whole VIBE to her. She believes in astrology & gives Twinkle subliminal advice/messages she received. Dadi is over all the cool grandmother I would've LOVED to have had. What I loved most about this story is that it's told in the format of letters Twinkle writes to some of her favorite female film makers. This added a authentic feel for Twinkles love of film & everything that about that world. I absolutely will read When Dimple Met Rishi since I see it's the first in a series & already got a look at the third book!  *Heart eyes*

This book was such a page turner! Sandhya Menon’s characters are so spunky and sassy, and I love everything about them. The premise of this book was great, and it was hilariously executed.

I absolutely adored reading From Twinkle, with Love! Twinkle tells her story through journal entries addressed to her favorite female filmmakers as she wants to be a director someday. This was such a fun format and I loved how we saw a little of love interest Sahil’s POV through text messages and blog entries too. Such good stuff! Also, Sahil is just the sweetest—he’s so supportive and nerdy and wow I just loved him. And Twinkle’s character development was so great throughout the novel!

DNF'd at 41%

I'm really sad about this, but I just can't read this anymore. I enjoyed Menon's first book a lot, but this didn't feel the same for me. I loved Sahil and his relationship with Twinkle, but I didn't like how Twinkle was with him. And I really didn't like the Maddie stuff at all. I don't know if this is something I would have loved when I was a teen, but as way past my teen years, I have to know when to cut my losses and this is a loss for me. Maybe someday I will try it again, but I just have a feeling this isn't a book that is for me. Make sure though you check other reviewers because there are plenty of people that loved this one. And if this isn't for you check out Menon's first book, When Dimple Met Rishi. That was uber cute!

Twinkle Mehra wants to be a filmmaker and be able to tell stories to the world - stories that really matter. She is super excited when fellow film geek Sahil Roy brings up the idea of making a movie for their school's Summer Festival. It's a dream come true! Plus, it might mean that she gets to spend time with Neil - Sahil's twin brother and the guy she's had a crush on since forever. And also maybe it'll help her reconnect with Maddie, her used-to-be-best-friend who has been super distant lately.

But then she starts getting emails from a secret admirer and Twinkle is positive that it's Neil, finally ready to confess his feelings. Only... now she's really falling for Sahil! And Maddie is still being a lot different than she used to be, and her parents just don't get what it's like to be the only teen in school without a cell phone! What's a girl to do?!

My Notes: I loved the author's other title, but this one wasn't as good for me as "When Dimple Met Rishi." I had a hard time with a lot of the choices she made, and I just didn't find her very likable a lot of the time.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this title!*

Very cute, fun, and charming. I adored all the characters and fell in love with the love story right away. A must read for YA contemporary fans! Love the diversity as well!

I love the authors writing style and the way she develops her characters. It’s also so wonderful to read about Indian main characters as they are not often featured in YA.

Such a sweet and uplifting book! The characters felt very real and the book had great pacing as well. I appreciated that it didn't shy away from tackling teen issues (in an authentic way), but at the same time, didn't get bogged down in judgement. I already purchased this for my library and it won't stay on the shelf. Teens love it!

I loved the diversity. I love that the main character wants to be a famous indian-american film maker rather than all the other contemporaries where they want to be singers or actresses. It was a really cute read

Twinkle is an aspiring film director that makes a gender bender Dracula for her schools end of the year talent show, A Midsummer Night.

She has always seen herself as invisible, a “groundling”, and all she wants is to raise her social standing to the “Silk Feathered Hats” like her ex-bff Maddie.

I gave this story 3.5 out of 5 stars. I think the idea behind the story is super cute, and I was looking forward to the romance that I was sure was going to take place after reading Menon’s previous story. I really did enjoy the overall story, but there were pieces of Twinkle’s character that really started to make me mad.

She spends the whole beginning of the book obsessing over a boy, but only on how he can raise her social standings and not on the boy himself. So, when she comes in contact with a boy that actually likes her for who she is, she brushes him aside because she wants someone better. That really annoyed me. That unfortunately was just the start. She goes into a spiral of bad behavior and bad decisions that ended up making me really mad at her. At first I thought she was naive but in the end I was just mad.

Of course the book did end up all good. Menon did a wonderful job of making Twinkle and some of the side characters grow and change, and I really appreciated that. I ended up finishing the book very happy, I just didn’t get why Twinkle hit such a low in the process of growth. It didn’t seem very realistic for her character to change that much so quickly.

The last little critique I have, like Dimple, we didn’t get to see any of her creative process or the movie she was making. We only heard about it in passing. I want to see more then the teen angst, I want to see the art too.

Overall, I will be reading more from Menon. I have been liking her books very much.

I enjoyed Sandhya Menon other book, When Dimple Met Rishi. So, I knew I wanted to read more books by her. I love the geekiness and passion that these characters share. For me, this was a perfect summer read, I read it in just one day. It’s a contemporary, yet still, not just that, enjoy the film part of this book. It’s become a favorite theme of mine to read about. I liked how the story was told, as in letters.

As much as I did enjoy and have fun with these characters, there were some relationships that I wasn’t a fan of, and I wasn’t a fan of the girl on girl hating. (Even though I know its a real part of life, it just hurts to know that it's a part of our world.) But I do like the outcome of many relationships. My favorite parts of this book was when they had Twinkle and Sahil in them. I felt that the fit together and plays so well off of each other.

This book did bring me smiles but I wasn’t expecting to cry and at the end of this book I did cry.

With that said, I’m a fan of Sandhya Menon. Her writing is light and passionate while still being truthful. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Don’t forget to sparkle!!

5 OUT OF 5 STARS

Sandhya Menon strikes gold again with her sophomore novel. A sweet, swoon worthy book in which the heroine slowly comes to terms with what (and who) it is she really wants (and wants to be), in which the characters' emotional arcs are just as satisfying as their romance.

It presses all the buttons of being a cute contemporary romance with the added bonus of exploring big issues, like representation in film, and accurately depicting what it's like to be a teenager and not know who you are or what you want out of life.

I wasn't the biggest fan of its epistolary nature, simply because I'm too boneheaded to accept that someone would journal during big life moments instead of after, and it didn't think that format added to the story, although it certainly didn't detract from it.