10 Things I Hate about Pinky is everything I want a summer romance to be. It has my two favorite tropes (hate-to-love, and fake relationship to real relationship). It has character growth for almost every character, and I basically devoured this one. Though I could see where the story was headed, I liked that. I wanted to see how they were going to get there, and the predictability was just what I needed to read in this time when everything seems very uncertain and unpredictable.

This was an enjoyable book to read. Parts of it were rather unbelievable to me. I liked it better than #2 There's Something about Sweetie, but not as much as #1 When Dimple Met Rishi.

Have you preordered this book yet? If you haven't do it now, you won't regret it. In full disclosure, I adore all of Sandhya Menon’s books but especially those in the Dimple and Rishi universe. I was so excited for the opportunity to review 10 things I Hate about Pinky. This novel revisits Samir and Pinky (from There’s Something about Sweetie). It has been wonderful that these two have gotten the attention they deserved being the main characters instead of just the sidekicks for Ashish. What happens when Pinky tries to prove to her parents she can snag the guy they would want for her by pretending that Samir is her boyfriend for the summer? When opposites begin to attract, do they deny their feelings because it’s all pretend anyway, or try to pursue something more?

I love how Sandhya’s titles have a rift on the classic white rom-com and how this one follows the plot a bit of 10 things I hate about you, but takes it’s own desi fun turn. The true struggles of being a desi kid are explored in all of Menon’s novels and this one is no different. While I do love that most of the desi parents depicted in Menon’s novels are pretty progressive, I do yearn for ones more like mine, stubborn to a fault! However these parents give me hope for kids today and maybe examples for adults like me.

The publisher Simon and Schuster Children’s publishing generously provided me with a copy of the book upon request on NetGalley. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

This universe of books is well worth diving into. 10 Things I Hate About Pinky is the third book in the When Dimple Met Rishi universe. They are all stand alone books, but you'll be depriving yourself of some of the cutest YA rom-coms if you don't get started. Pinky and Samir are enemies, but a agreement for fake dating starts feeling real as the spend a summer together in Cape Cod.

Sandhya Menon writes such fun, adventurous characters. Her girls are complex and multi-faceted and her guys are one dimensional and boring with one main trait. I've loved getting to dive into this world and these cultures. Pinky and Samir give good Lizzie and Darcy vibes from Pride and Prejudice as well as some good Kat and Patrick vibes from 10 Things I Hate About You.

So there were a lot of elements I liked in this book:
Fake dating trope, teenager passionate about causes, talking about mental health, weird baby animal as pet
Unfortunately, this book was pretty meh for me.
Pinky didn’t feel like a “rebel,” just a pouty teenager.
I felt like I didn’t get to know Samir or Pinky other than surface level annoyance.
I was confused about Ms. Kumar (Pinky’s mom) being so apathetic about social causes.
People don’t stop caring about things just because they grow up
If you liked previous books in this world, you’ll probably like this one, but it was just ok for me.

Four stars

Of the three books in this series, I think this one - which, let's be honest, should really have been titled _10 Things I Love about DQ_ instead - is my favorite.

Fans of one or both of the earlier Dimple and Rishi books will enjoy this because the characters are likable, round, and surrounded by interesting counterparts. Though Pinky and Sam appear to be opposites, they - wait for it - find that this actually attracts them to each other. In the process, they also learn how to be better, happier people, and this notion of being happier with than without comes up often. The best part, though, is absolutely every moment with DQ, and I'm going to avoid saying even one specific word about that so as not to spoil.

Like Menon's other books (I've read the first two in this series and _Of Curses and Kisses_), I wished very much that this were at least 50 pages shorter. The characters process their thoughts - their SAME THOUGHTS - a lot. I would have liked to see them either get to these realizations sooner or at least do other actions or think about anything else. There are moments that feel redundant. What I found strange about this feeling of too much was that I also experienced wanting to know more about some characters and events (including but not limited too Cash - who is trash - and the barn, which seems like a focal point in the beginning but then just fades away). Perhaps a different balance is what I craved here more than less of the work.

Overall, this is an enjoyable read, and, most importantly, I think fans of the other books will be happy with what they find here.

I have loved this little YA series, and Pinky and Samir's story was a perfect addition!

We get to know our main characters a little in the last book but it was so fun to really get to know their personalities and their stories even more!

Sandhya Menon writes some of my favorite YA characters! They're all unique and know their own minds. I really appreciate that when it comes to a young adult story. We get a story about coming into your own, love, and families coming together.

If you are looking for a really great YA series I really recommend this one! I still think Something About Sweetie is my favorite, but I've really enjoyed them all!

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing an ARC of 10 Things I Hate about Pinky. Sandhya Menon's Dimpleverse is a great place to escape to. Her characters and their families feel like old friends, each with their unique form of love and dysfunction. This is a great book to put in your beach bag or read by the pool. I'll definitely be adding a copy to my library, and I know my students can hardly wait.

This was super cute. I read When Dimple Met Rishi when it first came out years ago, but never got around to Sweetie (I will be doing that now though!). Dimple was solid, but this one I really enjoyed. Pinky and Samir are such likable characters and I love the fake dating trope. It was also refreshing that it never "came out" that they were fake dating. That didn't cause any drama. Pinky's relationship with her mom was also great and I love how centered it was to the story.

I have read all of Sandhya Menon's books in the "Dimple and Rishi universe" and have loved them all. 10 Things I Hate About Pinky was no exception! This book was really cute and sweet. It also tackled the topic of standing up for what you believe in, no matter what anyone else thinks. There is also really great development of the relationship between Pinky and her mom, and highlights how our parents were once their own people with their own passions before they became "Mom and Dad". The relationship between Pinky and Samir is really sweet. You definitely see it coming, but the buildup and how they get to know each other is captivating and well-written. I love how Sandhya Menon writes love stories, but always has a deep focus on the characters discovering themselves and their purposes in life. Highly recommend!!

If you read last year's There's Something About Sweetie, you've already met Pinky, Ash's fierce social warrior best friend, and Samir, Ash's homeschooled by-the-book friend. In this installment, Pinky has traveled to her summer home with her conservative lawyer parents when she finds out Samir's DC internship has fallen through. She impulsively invites him to spend the summer with them as her fake boyfriend in order to prove to her parents she can date "normal" guys. Samir unexpectedly takes her up on her offer, hoping to make a good impression on PInky's mother to gain a future internship with her law firm. This is the type of book I'm loving right now- lighthearted, funny, and keeps my attention. I love the opposites attract trope and this was a fun YA version, especially since I already knew the characters. I hope this isn't the last in the Dimple universe of stories. It's a fun place to visit.

I've loved following the adventures and romantic mishaps of the characters in Sandhya Menon's YA series; they're always light and fun and compelling. This one fell short for me, however. I never really felt invested in the relationship between Pinky and Samir, and I felt that Pinky's conflict with her mother was too quickly resolved - it deserved more than a paragraph at the end.

I absolutely loved this book, I've loved all of this Dimple & Rishi series. They are all very sweet and I can definitely feel comfortable recommending this to younger teens, as well. Are they realistic teen romance ? Maybe not. But they do have strong female characters that believe in themselves. Thank you so much for the opportunity to review and escape.

There were 80 million things I absolutely loved about Pinky. Reminded me of being a teenager myself and had me hoping that, since my son is coming up on the age of first crushes, that I can be better at helping him navigate than my parents where or at least know when to get out of his way :-) A really lovely conclusion to the series.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I have read all the other Menon novels and was thrilled to be granted a copying this novel. I thoroughly enjoy it--the charactwrs, the plot, the true to life angst of a teenager (Pinky) and parent, etc. This novel did lack closure with Samirs mom and the fact she was kept clueless about his busted internship. I kept waiting for that bomb to drop and it never did. The ending was a bit rushed for my taste and I really wanted Cash to be levelled and he never was. Also surprised there was less Indian culture in this than previous books. I hope the author has another novel coming with Dolly as main character. This was a fabulous YA read that was clean yet simmering and full of heart!!!! Love love love this author!

Pinky Kumar is one part feminist, one part rebel, and one part protester. She often finds causes like building [enter obscure animal here] sanctuaries and does whatever she can to help them. She also tends to dates less-than-stellar guys, dies her hair outrageous colors, and has a tendency to respond impetuously and belligerently-- especially to her mom. Pinky's exact opposite, her mom is a tough-as-nails lawyer who doesn't have much patience for Pinky's causes. So when the barn at the family lakehouse burns down, Pinky's mom blames Pinky-- who seriously had nothing to do with it. In retaliation and to get her parents off her back, Pinky shouts that she isn't as irresponsible as they think she is-- that, in fact, she is dating a guy who is a really great positive influence on her. Trouble is, there is no boyfriend. But... her semi-friend Samir just had his internship fall apart at the last minute, and he is everything Pinky isn't: solid, calm, logical, and demure. And so Pinky and Samir strike a deal: Samir will join them at the lakehouse and pose as Pinky's boyfriend, and Pinky will help Samir land an internship with her lawyer-mom. But... are their differences enough to keep Pinky and Samir from experiencing proximity-induced chemistry?

It took me a long time to get invested in these characters as Pinky is too immature and brash for my likes-- aka pretty much my exact opposite. Her fly-off-the-handle attitude makes it very difficult for me to have sympathy for her, and she never tries to really have a conversation with her mom. Additionally, Pinky and Samir don't start to have feelings for each other until 35% of the way in; that's just too long for me. I was about to DNF it when the sparks start to fly.

I saw one reviewer on NetGalley liken it to The Taming of the Shrew, and while I liked 10 Things I Hate About You (which is based on The Taming of the Shrew), I absolutely could not stand Shakespeare's original work. It just disparages women too much. And while that's not present in Pinky's story, that comment by the reviewer colored my reading of the story.

I have always read and adored Menon's story lines. While this has not been the strongest addition to the world of Dimple and Rishi, the storyline is sweet, and I found myself rooting for Samir. I find many connections to the willful attitudes and passions of my students, and I know they will find their voices represented within these characters.

Um, this book is perfect. Did you read the others? You'll love this one. Maybe even more, I don't know. But Pinky and Samir are the ultimate fight-then-fall duo. July can't come soon enough!

A lovely book that I very much enjoyed. I love the fake dating trope, so this was right up my alley. The tension between free-wheeling, passionate Pinky and straight-laced, over-scheduled Samir felt real and natural, rather than a plot device to make them enemies. It also made sense that they'd end up falling for one another, since they ended up complementing each other.

The author did a nice job capturing the tense relationship Pinky had with her mother, and the ways in which assumptions and misunderstandings were blown out of proportion on both sides, so that there were two people aching to connect but convinced the other person didn't want to. That felt very true to the teen experience.

It had been a while since a read "When Dimple Met Rishi" but I remember enjoying it immensely. I haven't read the second book in the series, but I LOVED this one. I loved Pinky so much. As a high school teacher I saw so many of my students in Pinky, trying to be true to themselves and not change while also trying to find their place in the world. I also adored Samir. Loved both characters, There was one point in the middle of the story when Pink and Samir got together (shocking I know) that that story line dipped a little for me, but it definitely picked up and improved. I think it was challenging for me to read about people that misinterpreted each others words and actions so much without trying to understand, but I think that was the point. So often we come into situations defensive without trying to understand another side of the story or perspective. Loved the story, I wish it didn't end and we got a taste of Pinky and Samir back in California.