This book is heartbreaking yet so incredibly hopeful. It shines such a bright light on the slums and underprivileged in India. Rakhi is a character that will stay with me. She wiggles and works her way into your heart through the whole book and at the end you are hurting with her and pulling for her to achieve her big dreams.

In this novel, the MC is a former street urchin turned human rights law practice assistant. She is haunted by events from her past and from the difficulties of her present. She pairs up with a Ivy League assistant who wants to see the "real India" in return for helping her better position herself for her future. She must examine the reality of her life and how her past and future collide. The book is interesting in that it gives an unflinching examination of the reality of life in India.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Such Big Dreams was a fantastic look at the ethical dilemmas associated with voluntourism and saviorism written through the eyes of a hard-working character living in Mumbai/Bombay.

I loved the focus on self-agency while acknowledging the impact a helping hand can provide. I found that while the author herself volunteered in India, there was remarkable understanding of her role and insight into the aftereffects. Any minor complaint I had about the story is overshadowed by the learning experience I had.

It was a beautiful story as the main character discovered her power and I highly recommend it to anyone considering placing themselves at the center of a mission trip or internship abroad for personal growth. You are not the architect of anyone else’s story but you can do good through empowerment and true empathy rather than performative actions.

Thank you @randomhouse and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In many ways, Such Big Dreams reminds me of A Burning and Honor. These three books tackle head on the injustices of the legal system in India. In the case of Such Big Dreams, we're introduced to Rakhi, who grew up on the streets of Mumbai, but finds herself working at Justice For All, a human rights NGO engaged in public interest litigation, as an office assistant after meeting Gauri Ma'am, the head of Justice For All, who becomes Rakhi's patron of sorts.

If you're looking for character development, Such Big Dreams is not the book for you. I had a slight issue with the jump between the ending and the epilogue. But if you're looking for more insights into the NGO world and corporate-government collusion through the medium of a fiction novel, then you'll probably love it. Having taken a sabbatical from corporate law to do human rights work for the past year, I can attest to the accuracy of Patel's portrayals -- honestly, Such Big Dreams can only come from someone who is jaded after getting up close and personal with the "ugly" of the NGO world. The foreign interns who think they're better than local lawyers? Check. The unpaid internships? Check. NGOs selling out for funding? Check. Corporate-government collusion? Check.

Such Big Dreams didn't shock me because of my own personal experiences with the NGO world, but it is a memorable book about money, power, and injustice nonetheless and I can tell the author put alot of heart and research into it (do read the author's note at the end). Such Big Dreams is a testament to how flimsy the legal system is, how frequent it bows down to money and power, and how ethics disappear when money comes into the picture.

**Note to publisher: This review will be posted to bookstagram @movedbyprose closer to publication day**

Such Big Dreams is a debut novel about Rakhi, a former street child who now works as an office assistant in the office of a legal nonprofit. She’s still poor and lives in a Mumbai slum. When Alex arrives from Canada as an intern for the nonprofit, he latches on to Rakhi and wants her to show him the “real India”, not the upper class bubble his aunt and uncle live in. Meanwhile, the head of the nonprofit is approached by an aging star to help raise the profile of the NGO.
Patel does a fabulous job of giving us a real sense of place. Rakhi may not have had much formal education, but she’s smart and understands things intuitively. She especially understands the logistics of being poor in India. As she tells Alex, “ You are reading…But you are not living here. You know nothing about India.” And, as the story goes on, she is one of the few that sees the hypocrisy of the rich and famous. “A procession of people with homes - some of them living in high rise luxury flats built on the remains of slums -shouting about how housing is a human right.”
As the book goes on, it gets darker. Rakhi sees just how evil people can be when money is involved. It’s a sad testament to how few people can be trusted.
Make sure to read The Author’s Note. I was unaware the Behrampada slum fire was a real event. She raises some interesting questions here and the book would make a fabulous book club selection.
My one problem with the book is she includes a large number of Indian words without providing a translation. While I could sometimes infer the meaning, I had to google quite a few of them to make sure I was grasping the definition. And some of those I googled were, let’s say, very colorful.
My thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book.

Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel is a debut novel set in India. This coming of age story resonated with me as I was immersed in a different culture and way of life. Very different from my upbringing. But I enjoyed reading about the struggles and triumphs. While this is not the typical book I would read, I did find it enjoyable and would recommend.

I truly enjoyed this debut novel by Reema Patel . Rakhi was a fierce young woman who never gave up on herself when tested over and over. I did find it difficult to try and follow along with all of the different Indian terms but I truly enjoyed the details that made it easier to picture the ins and outs of the Indian culture particularly in the slums.

The setting: Mumbai. Rakhi, a former street child, now works at Justice for All, a human rights law office--basically as an office assistant/peon. Her story [told in flashbacks], is horrific. She has no one save a neighbor and her young son, who live in the same slum. She still mourns for her best friend, Babloo, who had the same awful experience/life she did. Sent to Asha House, a school run by nuns, until she was "rescued" by Gauri Ma'am, the head of the office who had conditions for her employment and rules with an iron hand.

Other characters include Alex, a Canadian intern, who figures prominently in Rakhi's story [as do his relatives]. Rubina Mansoor, a fading former Bollywood star, who decides she will be the celebrity face of Justice for All, and sets in motion some plot twists. And Vivek, one of the lawyers at Rahki's workplace who I quite liked.

Suffice it to say I enjoyed this book immensely. A fast read. I loved Rakhi.

4.5. Not rounding up because towards the end of the book [no spoiler from me], I had a bit of a disconnect/disbelief/gap in a particular turn. Another complaint: although I love reading a book about a different culture [as one can learn so much--and I did get a deeper understanding of Indian life], a glossary would have been extremely helpful for all the foreign terms.

This is Patel's debut novel. I can't wait to see what she does next!

Shouts out to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

There were certainly elements of this book I admired. We get a dynamic sense of Mumbai, in its many iterations, and Patel naturally weaves these settings into a (sometimes literally) colorful mosaic.

Our protagonist, as well, struck the rights chords and turned out to be a worthy follow. She had just enough flaws to keep her relatable, with just enough grit and charm to keep us cheering her on.

Other elements of this novel I found severely lacking. The secondary characters are thin enough to be slipped under a doorway. The writing is pedestrian for the most part and suffers from contemporary flatness--there is no subtext, we only have text, every gesture or motivation clearly spelled out on the page. We wouldn't, of course, want to be trapped in that scary world of ambiguity.

The greatest sin was the lack of stakes throughout, leaving us with a sludgy, plodding storyline. This is a good novel to skim through on the beach, several drinks in, lulling you into an afternoon nap. Later, when someone asks you what the book is about, you can shrug your shoulders because you don't really remember and say, "lots of things." Then you can keep living your life, unburdened, as it should be.

This Is a stellar debut novel. I felt immersed in MC world and drama. It honestly made me extremely grateful for my life. I can not imagine living and surviving alone at the age of 7. The plot seemed a bit predictable only because most Indian movies I’ve seen use the same formula. That doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a great story to read. I was rooting for Rakhi from the start. She’s has spunk, wit and a caring heart.

This is a good book, but fell short in terms of character development for me. Overall a solid storyline and novel but not a new favorite.

this is a good story. it has most of the “right” ingredients - set the stage, huge build up, dramatic explosion where everything goes wrong, decent ending. i got the impression the author put a lot of thought and work into the story she wanted to tell, especially after reading the author’s note which details how the idea for the novel came about. i was a bit underwhelmed by the character development, especially Tazim and Babloo. with deeper character development, i would have felt so much more while reading. but i didn’t feel particularly moved by anything that happened. i also thought some of the main parts of the story were just left hanging but with more, they could have been really powerful components of the story.

really curious to see how this one will resonate with people.

Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel is a coming of age story set in the large city of Mumbai, India. Bamsari, at age seven, has lost her parents, been sent running from her uncle and ends up on the street. The sheer corruption of the government is like another character in this tale. I found this novel to be an enlightening take on the crushing poverty many Indians experience, even as other's flourish.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC copy of Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel in exchange for my honest review. Such Big Dreams is a brilliant story told by Ratki;; a young Indian woman dealing with the haunting and traumatic memories of growing up homeless on the streets of Mumbai. This beautifully written book immerses the reader into the culture. experiencing class divisions, cuisine, human rights work and a cast of compelling and unforgettable characters. Ratki manages her way through her history of poverty, survival and starting again and again with resilience and the courage to follow her heart. I loved this book and even picked up a few delicious recipes to try out. Congratulations to Reema Patel for this excellent debut novel and thanks for this unforgettable learning experience.

A young woman rises from the streets, with dreams of moving beyond the slums of Mumbai, but learns that class divisions are hard to scale.

I loved the character Rakhi. After the death of her parents she ran away from a cruel uncle. As a child of the streets, she is welcomed into a gang of children lead by her perceived savior Babloo. After their involvement in a crime, Rakhi is sent to a school run by nuns where a lawyer for Justice For All discovers her and takes her on as a pet project.

Now an adult, Rakhi’s mentor treats her like a servant while offering hope for freedom and self-determination without trusting she is ready for them. Then, the Canadian Alex comes to intern at Justice For All. He notes Rakhi’s innate intelligence and pushes her to think for herself and reach for her dreams.

A series of events build to a dramatic conclusion. An aging movie star wants to rebrand herself and chooses Justice for All as her pet project. It could help the floundering NGO back on its feet. The star takes over control. Alex’s rich family will do anything to advance their business. Babloo reenters Rakhi’s life and she discovers he is not the hero she believed him to be. Rakhi is inspired to claim her future. It all leads to disaster.

A fantastic read, this immersive novel has great characters, a propelling story line, and insight into contemporary life in India.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A child who grew up on rhe streets of India is given a chance at a better life, but that chance comes with conditions. Her romanticized view of her prior life leads her to search for another street child who was pivotal in her childhood. She also meets a volunteer who shows her kindness. In the end, she faces betrayals and heartbreak but finds the strength to forge ahead on her own path for success.

A loving optimistic character--in the darkness of a desperate living situation where others have their own agendas, she creates light and hope.

This is the gritty side of Bombay. The one I’ve seen as I’ve walked along the streets to do some shopping or in a taxi going to visit friends or family. As an Indian who grew up in the US, I could appreciate how Alex was viewed by the locals. This is the India many complain about when they think about the dirty streets and beggar kids looking for any opportunity to put food in their stomach. But Rakhi/Bansari shows us the possibilities available to everyone if given the chance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This begins at night, as the recurring sleep terrors for Rakhi, a woman in her early twenties whose nights are haunted by dreams engulfed in flames that leave her clutching her throat, gasping for air even as she navigates the thin veil from night terrors to reality. She follows the instructions she’s been given for the panic that strikes her each time. She looks around her room, naming each object, ending with the words she’s been instructed to reassure her that she is safe. She’s been doing this for eleven years. Not every night, although they used to be, and although they don’t recur nightly these days, they happen several times most weeks. What hasn’t changed is how real they feel each time.

As this begins, twenty-three year old Rakhi is living in the Behrampada, a seven acre slum in Mumbai, where leaky roofs, fights, and rats abound. When she can finally sleep through the noises as they abate, she’s grateful for nights of uninterrupted rest which help refuel her for her job working for a human rights law firm, and the executive director, Gauri Ma’am as she refers to her, who found her soon after she was separated from her best friend, and was sent to the Asha Home. When it was time for her to leave the Asha Home, she was eager to prove that she was worthy of the job that Gauri Ma’am had waiting for her.

As an assistant, Rakhi is talked down to and treated as if she is invisible by the interns working for the firm, until a new, Canadian, intern arrives. Alex, who is half Indian, will be headed to Harvard soon. Until then he wants to fully immerse himself in the culture, and see the ‘real’ India with Rakhi as his friend and guide.

Rakhi is haunted by her past, both the things that have happened to her over the years, as well as the things she’s done. As a result, she seems to feel to some degree undeserving of the life she’s made for herself, and at the same time, somewhat resentful of the way she is treated at work - as though she is unworthy of recognition. The only one who treats as a person is Alex, who believes in her - until he doesn’t.

Her journey begins with shattered dreams, and a realization of the cost of all these years spent on someone else’s dreams, instead of following her own. She needs to take a risk, and choose a new dream to follow, one that will allow her to take back her story, and her life.

A moving, and powerful debut of second chances, believing in yourself, and following your dreams.


Pub Date: 26 April 2022

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Ballantine Books

4.5⭐️ Reema Patel’s debut novel was so much more than I thought it would be! If you’re a fan of women’s fiction, and want a gripping and insightful story that transports you right to the streets of a third world country, this book is for you!

After losing her parents at age 7, and escaping from the home of her abusive uncle, Rakhi fled to Bombay, India where she grew up living in the streets and begging for food and money to get by. In her late teens, Gauri Verma, the director of a human rights law office, found Rakhi and took under her wings. She slowly taught Rakhi English and gave her an assistant job at her office, where Rakhi has been working for the past 6 years. She then meets Alex, a Harvard-bound intern from Canada, and he and Rakhi form an unlikely friendship. Alex encourages Rakhi to pursue college, which she never thought was possible, and as the story progresses, Rakhi's past and present coincide. 

I thought that Reema Patel did such a great job taking the reader through the "real India." It was eye-opening to learn about the class divide, living conditions in the slums and even the everyday commuter life. The descriptions were vivid, from the sights to smells to sounds, and the characters were well-developed, making Rakhi's life story feel totally plausible. The dialogue was well-written, especially when Rakhi and Alex were communicating in English, which Rakhi was not fluent in. Also, some powerful themes were embedded into the story that had me rooting for Rakhi despite some of the not so great choices she made earlier on. And the ending!! Wow!! There were so many different directions this book could have went, and while parts were emotional, I loved how it all wrapped up.

Read if interested in:
-Indian culture, customs and food 
-Poverty vs. privilege 
-Human rights work
-Flashback chapters 
-Second chances 

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review