Cover Image: There's Something about Sweetie

There's Something about Sweetie

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3.5 stars, rounded up. This book was really *ahem* sweet! Sometimes a little saccharine, honestly, and Sweetie is just a little too perfect. Still, I enjoyed the body positivity and support from the side characters within the rom-com love story.

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Another adorable book by Menon. I loved the writing and the revisted characters. This was a good story with a strong message about loving your self and accepting those around you for who they are. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Thank you to Netgalley and Katherine Teigen Books for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this companion to When Dimple Met Rishi. Sweetie, much to her mother’s dismay, is fat. She likes herself. She’s a track star. She has great friends. But her mother cannot get over Sweetie’s figure. When she catches the eye of Ashish Patel’s mother (yes, Rishi’s brother) at their farmers’ market booth, Sweetie is hurt to overhear her mother turning down the Patels’ proposal for their children to date. Sweetie and Ashish decide to secretly start dating, but don’t expect what comes of it. Super cute, sometimes a little too cute, and refreshingly body positive. Recommended for grades 8+, and it’s out next week!

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I wanted to love this one because I enjoyed both of Menon's previous books and I remember being really excited when I learned that Ashish was going to get his own book. And I wish I could say I loved it, but it just didn't work for me.
The biggest problem I had with this one was just that it was insanely sweet and everyone is perfect. (Except Sweetie's mom.) And for me, that just doesn't work. Sweetie was a good character but just too good at everything. Seriously, she was amazing at just about everything. Except. Her mom thinks she weighs too much. So Sweetie sets out to discover how to be happy with who she is and is determined to show her mom that she's worthy of love and happiness just the way she is. And those were by far the best parts for me. To watch Sweetie learn to love herself and realize that her weight doesn't get to determine what she does or doesn't deserve and get to do in life. (Though I wish it wasn't tied so closely to having a *super* hot boy fall in love with her.) And then convincing her mom of the same. I actually felt for and connected emotionally with those moments. But otherwise, she was just too perfect. All. The. Time.
As for Ashish, he was pretty much the same. Star basketball player and good at pretty much everything else as well as super hot and charismatic and rich. Except he had his heart broken. So now he can't play basketball or flirt with girls or be happy. Until he meets Sweetie. And then everything changes.
And for me, the over-the-top perfect characters, the predictable bumps in the road, the way they talk to each other like they're their therapists, and how extremely quickly they fall in love and solve all their problems was just too much for me. I just can't connect with perfect characters. And being slightly overweight just isn't really enough of a "flaw" for me, I guess. And this is just personal opinion. Other people have been loving this and that's great. It just didn't work for me.
I think this would be a good book for younger teens and tweens who want to start reading more YA romances because it's pretty clean and sweet. There is mention of *something* that happened in the past between two characters but there's nothing more than kissing actually talked about. Plus, it's pretty upbeat, cute, sweet, and everything works out easily in the end. It's also a great read for slow summer days when you want a drama-free, super cute romance. So if that's what you're looking for, this is it! If you want something realistic with flawed characters and real problems to work through, I don't think this will satisfy your needs.

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Loved this! This was such a sweet rom-com. While trying to move on after being dumped, Ashish agrees to let his parents set him up with a nice Indian girl. This leads us to Sweetie, a track star who is happy with herself despite people trying to make her feel less than for being fat.

The body-positivity in this was awesome. The love and support from both of the friend groups in the book were so sweet and refreshing. I enjoyed how the story touched on some deeper issues regarding self love and empathy without being too angsty. Would definitely recommend!

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A sweet, empowering romantic story about love and family, this book follows two teen children of Indian-American descent as they navigate dating, love, and standing up for themselves. Sweetie is a terrific lead character -- a talented singer and athlete, a good friend, a successful student, but she's held back by her mother's view that she won't be truly acceptable unless she loses weight. Sweetie is tired of the fat-shaming. She actually likes herself as is, and wants her mother to see her as beautiful and not in need of fixing. Meanwhile, Ashish is broken-hearted and feels like his whole energy is off. Maybe it's time to rethink his avoidance of Indian girls and Indian traditions?

The story becomes truly charming as Sweetie and Ashish go on a series of parentally-planned excursions, during which they open up and get to know one another while also embracing their heritage and traditions. You might argue that Sweetie and Ashish fall in love in the blink of an eye... and you wouldn't be wrong. I took this as more of a fairy tale version of teen love than a realistic look at dating and romance. There was just so much cuteness in the chemistry between the characters that a lack of reality can be forgiven.

I really like how this author makes a point of showing the importance of family and tradition, even while supporting the characters in standing up against family pressure and expectations when they don't align with self-expression and feeling healthy and empowered. Sweetie and Ashish respect and value their parents, even when they disagree, and in general, the family relationships are quite lovely. Also, I love the inclusion of Hindi language, Indian-American foods, dress, and customs, and the respect the author shows for these elements.

Big shout-out too for the body-positive message this book provides. As Sweetie makes clear, "fat" is just a word -- it's society that gives it a negative meaning. Sweetie takes a stand and chooses to embrace herself as is -- she's a healthy, athletic, pretty, fat girl, and that's more than okay.

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Is there anything better than a sweet cute contemporary that packs all the feels and leaves you with a smile shinning bright on your face? Something fun and energetic and most of all, just really really good? Nope, I don't think so, at least, not in the book world.

There's Something About Sweetie was so wonderful. Packed full of sweet and heartfelt messages about accepting who we are and being strong and independent while still being respectful of others.

I love not only the strong and powerful messages this book had but also the strong and supportive parents and heritage as well. There truly is something to be said about reading something you don't hear about every day. About a woman being confident in her own body, regardless of what color, shape, or size said body is. About accepting not only others, but ourselves too. Loving others and allowing others to love us in return.

The fact that no one is perfect. We are all learning and doing the best we can. We all have faults and cracks and insecurities regardless of our appearance but we don't let those things define us, we let them make us stronger.

I adored this read. The characters, the messages, the sweet building romance. It was just so real, so fun and really did leave me with a huge smile on my face.

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This is a sweet YA romance with an awesome heroine. Sweetie’s mom is awful though. I was enraged by her. Ashish wasn’t the greatest love interest as he made some really poor choices but Sweetie made up for all his bad qualities. She is so awesome and I adored her.

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I always know that when I pick up a story by Sandhya Menon it’s going to be sweet, fluffy, and full of heart. There’s Something About Sweetie is no exception, however it has the added bonus of being my favorite Sandhya Menon book to date! I was utterly charmed by Sweetie’s resilience and confidence and she’s the perfect type of protagonist I know I would want my future children to encounter when they’re reading YA one day.

There’s Something About Sweetie follows the story of Sweetie, an Indian girl who is a great friend, a respectful daughter, an amazing singer, and a star athlete – who just so happens to be fat. Yet Sweetie doensn’t let her weight define her or dictate her aspirations in life, and her story is full of so much body positivity and confidence that I felt myself feeling empowered after reading Sweetie’s chapters! Yet despite Sweetie’s confidence, the story does tackle the issue of others (such as Sweetie’s mom, family friends, etc) who are fixated on Sweetie’s weight and the pressures and stress that fixation puts on Sweetie, even if she does rise above it. I appreciated the realistic portrayal of being secure in your identity but still being hurt and worn down by others’ negativity- confident and happy people are not immune to sadness or emotional exhaustion!

Most readers are probably thrilled to pick up a story that’s set in the When Dimple Met Rishi universe, as Sweetie ends up secretly dating Rishi’s little brother Ashish. It was fun getting to dive back into the Patel family dynamics (every time Mr. Patel mentioned “hanky-panky” I cackled) and the cameos from Rishi and Dimple were fun little additions. However, Sweetie and Ashish’s romance really stood on its own as well, and I really loved their pre-planned “dates” by Ashish’s parents and how they allowed Ashish and Sweetie to learn more about their culture and have open discussions about how they chose to engage (or not engage) with their Indian heritage.

While I really enjoyed the overall story and plot of There’s Something About Sweetie (no one writes a good romance-arranged-by-parents-turning-out-successfully like Menon does!) it did run into some cliches toward the end that were extremely predictable and a little disappointing (specifically the “it’s not what it looks like” couple misunderstanding) and I do wish the ending had some more original conflict. However, this was mostly made up for by other elements in the story, including supportive and fleshed out friend groups and a brutally honest portrayal of the conflict between parents and children who have different ideals for their appearance (some of those scenes between Sweetie and her mom were hard to read, but I’m glad Menon included them). Whether you’ve argued with your parents over your weight, hair color, outfit choice, body piercings, etc. I think most readers will either relate to or remember the struggle of taking agency of your own body during your teenage years amidst some sort of parental disapproval, and Menon doesn’t shy away from Sweetie’s struggles in the story.

Overall: Despite some predictable elements surrounding the romantic conflict, I really, truly enjoyed reading about Sweetie and her relationships. The story tackles issues surrounding body image but still manages to be fun and lighthearted, and there’s an inherent light and goodness in Sweetie that will make every reader want their own Sassy Sweetie as a best friend.

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I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and I’m so happy I did! Ashish has been dumped by Celia, who is in college, and it’s really bringing him down and even effecting his basketball! Sweetie is trying to be herself and not let it worry her too much that her mother thinks she needs to lose weight. I love the relationship between the two characters trying to figure out who they are by themselves while also realizing they may be falling for each other.

While sometimes Sweetie’s mantra of “I don’t need to lose weight to be myself” can get repetitive at times, it’s still a very important message. I love how she faces this issue head on, and that she even addresses it as an athlete. I would highly recommend this title to anyone who loves a good, sweet romance, especially for those that read and enjoyed “When Dimple Met Rishi.”

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Naturally, I was so excited to read this book. After absolutely loving both DIMPLE and TWINKLE, SWEETIE was going to inevitably be another winner. I read the novella As Kismet Would Have It back when it came out and somewhat wished I waited until I read this one, since it technically happens after. Regardless, nothing was spoiled because this story was so wonderful.

My heart broke for her every time her weight was brought up (by a stranger or by her mother) because I fully know what that can be like. It’s frustrating to be the biggest person in a group while your smaller friends complain about how large they are; I dealt with that constantly throughout college and beyond. It was so hard to read the outside people commenting on her weight.

I LOVED Ashish, with his sort-of tough guy, overly confident exterior, and how Sweetie saw right through it from the moment she saw a picture of him early in the book. I also love that they went around their parents to see each other, after Sweetie’s mother decided that she was too fat for Ashish (even though the Patels clearly didn’t have an issue with that). They had instant chemistry and I really believed they felt like there was just ~something~ about the other person that drew them in to each other. It was genuinely adorable. The “contracted dates” thing was well-done and interesting.

There were definitely a few miscommunications or poor decisions made to create drama, but nothing out of the ordinary. It was so cute most of the time because they were honest to each other about their feelings for the majority of the book. I truly can’t think of any complaints for this one. I loved it.

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Rating: 4.5 Stars

Sweetie embarked on project "Sassy Sweetie" in an attempt to challenge people's preconceptions of what fat girls can and cannot do, while Ashish went along with the plan in an attempt to mend his broken heart and reclaim his mojo. What they found was an honest connection and a person, who saw the best in them.

• Pro: I have to commend Menon on how she wrote Ashish, because I was NOT a big fan of his when I met him in the previous book. But, she really let the "true" Ashish shine in this story, and he won my heart. He was vulnerable, kind, sweet, swoony, and he grew tremendously during this story.

• Pro: Sweetie was fab-u-lous! She was a dutiful daughter, straight A student, star athlete, amazing singer, and loyal friend. She was, in a word, effervescent, and I loved getting to know her.

• Pro: I like that Menon chose to make Sweetie a fat character, and challenged many of the misconceptions people have about those, who are overweight. Pairing these two went against the norm, and highlighted the idea of looking beyond appearance and seeing the "whole" person.

• Pro: Both Ash and Sweetie had amazing friends, who were there to support them on their journey, and also enhanced the story adding to my enjoyment.

• Pro: Yeah! for present and loving YA parents. I couldn't get enough of Mrs. Patel, and how both she and Mr. Patel so openly cared for Ashish. Though Sweetie's mother might not have gone about it in the right way, she did love and care for her daughter, and she grew, along with Sweetie and Ashish, over the course of the story.

• Pro: The romance was sweet and adorable, and I loved the dates the Patels arranged for Ashish and Sweetie. Not only did we get to see them interact with each other, but we got a good glimpse into their culture as well.

Overall: Another wonderful YA romance from Menon, which left me with a smile on my face and a song in my heart.

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There's Something About Sandhya Menon... the author who releases one adorable book after the other. Right from the time of her debut When Dimple Met Rishi, she somehow always manages to hit all the right notes, and deliver totally delightful reads every.single.time. And this book is no exception.

I know most of us will introduce this book as Ashish's story (from When Dimple Met Rishi) because we "met" & loved him first. And okay, while it is his story too, and he is somehow even more adorable in this book - make no mistake - like the title & the cover indicate - this is, for the most part, The Sweetie Show!

And what a show it is! Sweetie Nair is the sweetest kind of badass there is. And I realize there is a contradiction here, but that's Sweetie Nair for you, and you really have to read the book to know what I mean.

But I have to say this - an overweight, yet athletic & fit Indian American teen who is confident in her own skin and is out to prove that she is more than her dress size, is just the kind of champion that the YA body positivity movement needed, and they've now found it in Sweetie Nair, who btw totally rocks the fat girl game!

And the book & story do justice to this amazing heroine. Because it's a super sweet & heartwarming YA romance, that has it all from adorable characters and swoony romance to open communication, to adult involvement (okay maybe a little more than needed) to good cultural representation, minus the needless angst (though I have to say I do love a good dose of romantic angst every now and then).

All in all: An adorable love story to go bonkers over! Highly recommend it to all teens and young adults, but especially to the desi kids!

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Being a romance from the perspective of desi characters is wonderful and interesting to read about. It normalizes aspects of the desi culture. It also tackles a lot of important issues. One characters is getting over a heartbreak, while the other is dealing with stereotypes and fat-shaming. Menon handles both well. She creates friendship dynamics that are powerful and important, and teenage characters that are close to a respectful of their parents.

However, this is very much a YA romance novel. This book is meant for teenagers and speaks in teenage language and operates in the way that teenagers think. I cannot wait for this book to be in the hands of my students and teenagers who can better connect with the story. This is the kind of book I wish I had when I was that age.

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I have got to say it, there really is something about Sweetie. Something magnetic, something amazing. And once you pick this book up, you won’t be able to deny it either. I went into this book with some pretty high expectations, having enjoyed both of Menon’s other books, When Dimple Met Rishi and From Twinkle, with Love. So I was fairly confident I would connect with this book as well, since I knew what kind of writing style and plot type I was getting myself into. But trust me when I say, Menon has really hit her stride with this book. I don’t know if it’s the fact that she’s already got two books under her belt, or the fact that she seemed to connect strongly with Sweetie as a character and was, therefore, able to shine even brighter, but whatever it was, this book stands on the shoulders of its siblings and I can only hope that it gets the praise it deserves.

What strikes me most about this book is, of course, Sweetie. Her characterization is something that we’ve been sorely lacking in Young Adult fiction for some time, and it’s about time someone like Sweetie had her time to shine. The thing about Sweetie is her acknowledgment, to herself and to those around her, of her self-worth. She does not question it, like so many rom-com ya heroines are wont to do. I don’t actually have anything against a self-doubting main character, especially in YA, because real teens do tend to be filled with self-doubt, and seeing characters they can relate to deal with similar struggles, and survive those struggles, is important. But seeing someone like Sweetie is equally important. Letting those teens know that believing in yourself and recognizing your worth is important, and possible. Sweetie is powerful. She is strong and knowledgeable and talented. And she doesn’t let anything stop her, not society, not boys, not herself.

Her only hangup comes in the form of wanting to please her parents, particularly her overly protective mother, who sees Sweetie’s size as something that will cause Sweetie pain in the form of embarrassment among her peers, so she has always been at war with it. But Sweetie has always acknowledged her size as something that simply is. It’s a part of who she is and she has nothing against it, personally. She is still the best runner on her school’s track team, she is still a healthy, happy person, and she has never seen a reason that she shouldn’t be, regardless of how fat she may be. But her mother’s fears and embarrassment are influential, because Sweetie is young and loves her mother and desperately wants to make her happy, but not at the cost of what it means to be Sweetie. Their struggle over the course of the book to understand each other is, in my eyes, the true story being told here. Yes, there is romance, and I will get to the lovable Ashish shortly. But for me, the story was always about Sweetie and her personal battles and growth, some including Ashish and many not. The way Sweetie is at war with her mother over her weight and what that may and may not mean for her opportunities in the world is the most powerful story this book tells, and the most heartbreaking one. But it is not without hope, as Sweetie asserts her value, even if not always openly to her mother, throughout the entire book. Her mother’s words often hurt, but they are never enough for her to stop believing in herself. Sweetie Nair is the hero we need in Young Adult literature today.

There is more to this story, of course, than the Sassy Sweetie Project and her projecting her worth for everyone to see. We get one of the most precious first love stories between her and Ashish Patel, who readers of When Dimple Met Rishi met briefly as the cocky younger brother of titular Rishi. In this story, however, he takes center stage. Well, slightly off center stage. As the title would suggest, this story focuses on Sweetie and her story. But Ashish gets his own perspective chapters, and I am so grateful that we get to see him develop into a full character. He is sweet in ways I never anticipated, and his unwavering support of Sweetie in everything she does is truly inspiring. As in it inspires me to say boy bye to anyone not on his level. I mean really, from the get-go he is immediately confused and abrasive towards Sweetie’s mother’s stance on why the two of them should not date (Sweetie’s weight is such that people would laugh at her for trying to date someone as athletically built as Ashish). But Ashish himself never sees it that way, and he is vocal in that fact. He doesn’t just agree with Sweetie, he lets the whole world know how much he agrees with and supports Sweetie. He doesn’t keep it to himself or even keep it between the two of them. His outspoken belief in Sweetie and all she’s trying to prove-to the world, to her mother, to herself-is his greatest attribute. He never hesitates, never lets what society might try to dictate shade his feelings. Their blossoming romance remains untainted, and is something more teens deserve to be exposed to.

Menon really did that. She gave us a fat, Indian, track star, unashamed hero, and you can’t help but love Sweetie for everything she is and believes. Right from the beginning of the book, the characters felt so close to my heart, I just didn’t know why yet. The way they are written feels so genuine to the teenage experience, and I wish that I’d had Sweetie when I was sixteen. Her positivity is infectious. Her belief in herself seems so obvious that it’s hard to remember why you ever didn’t believe in yourself. There is something about Sweetie, and it’s something we could all use a little more of, especially when you’re sixteen and scared of the world. Sweetie will lend you her strength until you realize it was yours all along. Even if you’re not sixteen, it’s a lesson worth repeating.

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This book was cute.
The beginning kind of had me thinking it was going to be rated lower. Every time Sweetie’s POV was being read it was literally “she can’t do anything, she’s too fat” the entire time. It felt like there was no story on Sweetie’s side, just comments about her weight. That honestly really made me dislike the Sweetie part of the book at first because it was really too much.
I liked the rest of the book though and the end was just perfect. Sweetie and Ashish were the perfect couple. So adorable.
I also loved both of their sets of friends. They just seemed so real and like awesome friends.

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Special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC and the opportunity to read and review this book before its release date. This, however, does not reflect the opinions in my review.

Sandhya Menon has become one of my favorite YA romance writers. She writes with wit, charm, and just enough steam to keep a young reader coming back for more. I devoured her previous books, When Dimple Met Rishi and From Twinkle, with Love and so when I found out I had been approved to read Sweetie early, I was thrilled!

One of the best things about Menon’s writing is her ability to create likable, one-of-a-kind characters. Many people can write a plot driven story, but it takes a special type of talent to write a character driven story and that is largely what we see in There’s Something About Sweetie. Having met Ashish in Menon’s first novel, I had taken him for a cocky, if good-hearted ruffian of a character and, honestly, I was a little worried with how his character would develop over the course of the novel. I’m a person who enjoys a gentle, nerdier male lead and while I certainly don’t mind romantic leads like Ashish, their personality can get grating after a while. In Sweetie, however, we get to see all facets of his personality. From being down-on-his-luck depressed, to hesitantly optimistic, to head-over-heels in love. His growth, from mending his broken heart and choosing to love again, was perfectly paced and, in the end, he became a character any girl would be lucky to have.

What, or should I say who, really shines in this story, though, is Sweetie. Sweetie is a star athlete, very smart, a talented singer and overall very gifted. But she also happens to be fat. As a fat reader, it was so, so lovely seeing a beautiful fat woman on the cover of this book. Not only that, but it was lovely seeing and reading about her living her best life, regardless of her weight. So many young girls these days are conditioned to think of their weight as corresponding to their beauty, their desirability, and their success. I hope that any young teenager who ever felt left out or made fun of for their appearance can read Sweetie and gain just a smidgen of Sweetie’s self-confidence and love for herself. Fat women are beautiful. Fat women are successful. Fat women are so much more than just the size of their jeans.

Overall, I think this might be my favorite Menon book to date. Ashish and Sweetie have a wonderful relationship and their chemistry is unmistakable. There’s Something About Sweetie is a lovely romance, but, more importantly, it teaches you are more than enough – just as you are.

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Another great book from Sandhya Menon! Sweetie Nair is an amazing runner, a deeply religious person, and a dutiful daughter that loves her parents, except....
Ashish Patel is the player, bad boy, the lesser son uninterested in his heritage and culture, except....
They come together when Ashish has lost his mojo and Sweetie needs to prove she isn't just "the fat girl", and find that they really connect and like each other exactly how they are. Sweetie can see that Ashish is wonderful and a great loving son. Ashish can see that Sweetie is beautiful and athletic. They are exactly what the other needs. Now, if they can just prove it to the world and Sweetie's parents...

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I really enjoyed Sandhya's first novel When Dimple Met Rishi and was excited for a new novel delving into the life of Ashish, Rishi's younger brother. Ashish is adorable but definitely comes with baggage from his failed relationship with Celia. But Sweetie is my new favorite character. She is amazing and her story is so easy to relate to for so many young women and girls, including myself, struggling with their body image, weight, and self-esteem. She struggles with trying to fit into her mother's image of a "perfect" young woman but thankfully is willing to break the mold and set her own definition of perfect. She is sassy, vulnerable, and confident. Loved the addition of each character's group of best friends, they added a lot to the story line as well. This was the perfect spin-off novel to When Dimple Met Rishi.
Can't wait to see Sandhya Menon's next book!

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this was just hard for me to read via ebook and that's not fair to the format but i could not get into the character or the story and i was falling asleep while reading i also felt like this book felt young to me, which is actually AMAZING for publishing considering this is YOUNG ADULT and i'm an adult reader so that's my fault but it def. did hinder my experience reading the book

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