Rakhi is a twenty-three-year-old haunted by the grisly aftermath of an incident that led to the loss of her best friend eleven years ago. Constantly reminded she doesn't belong, Rakhi lives alone in a Mumbai slum, working as a lowly office assistant at Justice For All, a struggling human-rights law organization headed by the renowned lawyer who gave her a fresh start.

Fiercely intelligent and in possession of a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue, Rakhi is nobody's fool, even if she is underestimated by everyone around her. Rakhi's life isn't much, but she's managing. That is, until Rubina Mansoor, a fading former Bollywood starlet, tries to edge her way back into the spotlight by becoming a celebrity ambassador for Justice For All. Steering the organization into uncharted territories, she demands an internship for Alex, a young family friend from Canada and Harvard-bound graduate student. Ambitious, persistent, and naïve, Alex persuades Rakhi to show him "the real" India. In exchange, he'll do something to further Rakhi's dreams in a transaction that seems harmless, at first.

Loved this debut novel - really connected with Rakhi as a character she's scrappy and ambitious and isn't afraid to be herself. I also really enjoyed the portrayal of Mumbai - I always love reading stories about place that I don't often get to visit and this gives that insider view. I'm not a fan of flashbacks usually but this book did it pretty well and it helped shape the story. 4/5 Stars

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my digital copy.

Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to read this book early. The storyline was okay but I couldn't connect to any characters in the story. It just didn't stand out to me.

Such Big Dreams is a profoundly impressive debut that explores hidden depths of the "real" Mumbai through the eyes of a tenacious underdog, Rakhi, as she strives to carve out a life of her own in a world that wants to use her for its own ends,

Three-sentence summary: Twenty-three-year-old Rakhi lives in the shadow of tragedy, but makes her way through the world thanks to her steady job at Justice For All, an NGO on the brink of closure. When a powerful family offers their support to the organization in exchange for an internship for their naive Canadian friend, Rakhi strikes a deal with wide-eyed Alex: she'll show him the "real" India, and he'll help her apply to college. While pursuing her dreams at first seems harmless, Rakhi soon finds herself entangled in other, more powerful people's ambitions, and must decide once and for all whether to remain in the safety of what she knows, or take a risk for the sake of a better, fuller life.

Several reviewers balked at the heavy incorporation of Hindi words without definitions or contextual explanations, but I view this as an intentional choice to force readers to experience exclusion from the "true" culture in the novel. We are outsiders in Rakhi's world, and while she's happy to show us around, cultural barriers ensure we'll never see the full truth.

The book's first half lacks tension, so much that I'm not sure every reader who picks up the book will stick around for its conclusion. Such Big Dreams is more character and culture study than compelling fiction, but a worthwhile read all the same.

Thank you to RHPG/Ballantine for the advance copy.

When all of your relationships have been transactional, how do you know when you’re actually free? With a poverty stricken childhood that made her into a survivor, Rakhi finds herself straddling two different worlds as she tries to find her way. Although the writing is worthy, I couldn’t get into the story and ended up putting it down.

I am sorry to say that I did not finish reading this book. I read about 28% before putting it down because it just didn't pull me in. I was frustrated with multiple characters and unfortunately not interested enough to see it through. As someone who has traveled to India multiple times, I did appreciate hearing the Indian perspective of foreigners traveling to India and was hoping to learn more, but I ultimately decided to put the book down and move on.

Loved this one. The writing style drew me in and I was absolutely cheering for Rakhi the while way. Full of twists and turns, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a thought provoking, hearty read.

Rhaki has been on her own since early childhood and has learned to survive by any means. She has found family in those that she navigates the city if Mumbai with. When that family is broken apart when the youngsters are arrested, Rhaki finds a new family in the lawyers at Justice for All, where she is an office assistant. Her life turns upside down when those that she believed to be doing good actually were all corrupt. As much as I wanted to like this book, I had difficulty getting immersed in the story. The amount of Hindi language that was throughout the entire story was very difficult to understand, and I found myself just skimming over and not quite understanding exactly what was being said. I also had a very hard time with some of the decisions that Rhaki made throughout, and I just couldn't find the connection with her that I do with most main characters in books. I found myself not really liking her by the end of the book. All in all, I think this just wasn't a book for me, but feel that others might find it very interesting. 3 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

This debut novel was at times heartbreaking and poignant. Rakhi lost her parents young and was turned out to the streets. She is taken in by an attorney who runs Justice for All and is offered a new job and a fresh start. This was definitely an immersive look at life in Mumbai. It was very raw and definitely rooted for Rakhi.
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Thank you #ballantinebooks and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this story about Rahki and her life in Mumbai. The author gives a great sense of the area and I found myself rooting for Rahki due to her more than difficult childhood. The supporting characters could have been fleshed out more and some of the Hindi language references made reading a bit challenging. All in all it's not a perfect book but I enjoy reading about women in different settings.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with the subject matter of this one but that was my issue, not the authors. This was gripping and heart breaking. I really liked it. I think I will try this again when I am in a better headspace.

Stunning debut! Great commentary, fresh and entirely immersive story telling. This is a great read if you loved How To Kidnap the Rich or White Tiger.

Hooray for incredible debut novels!!! Reema Patel has really written an impressive, eye-opening narrative set in the streets of Mumbai. Rakhi, a young office assistant, who knows all too well how precarious life can be, learns just what it takes to survive in a world where she never quite feels she belongs. Her story pulled on my heartstrings from page one. The harsh realities of life in the city of Mumbai are brought to light in this novel that ignites a fire in both characters and readers alike.

Many thanks to @randomhouse and @NetGalley for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel.

Rakhi is a woman who lives in the slum despite having a nicer job that most of her counterpart. She keeps her past hidden from others as she works out for Justice For All, a human rights law office trying to make Mumbai a better place. Since this is a foundation with rotating doors of foreign interns, Rakhi meets Alex, a Canadian who is earnest in really knowing India and making positive changes, especially for Rakhi.

I don't want to give much more detail about this book because it is INCREDIBLY full of nuance. It was refreshing as well as confusing, the moral lines that all the characters walk are blurred, and then add the extra layer of cultural differences, language and understanding, and you got yourself a beautiful patchwork quilt of humanity going on. I really enjoyed it because it speaks truer to life (IMO) than any blatant villain or hero. Well worth the read.

This book reminds me a bit of Slum Dog Millionaire.

We follow Rakhi, a street kid from Mumbai, from the moments she arrives there as a child of seven, until she finds her voice.

The story is engaging as it unfolds.

Would definitely recommend!

Such Big Dreams is The story of Rakhi who has been living on the streets for so long, moving around in Mumbai slums. her life hasn't improved even if thou she was "saved" by a woman for whom she work and who thought she really cared for her.

Rakhi's life wasn't easy I really had a hard time reading what she was going through, people were terrible to her. there was a constant feeling of sadness and loss of hope as people were very unfair over and over again, there was a lot of bullying and betrayals around her "friends"

Rakhi was a very strong person even though it feels like she is not, as people constantly took advantage of her but she was enduring, persistent, and never gave up even though life was always undermining her way.

Alex is a new intern coming from Canada is also not what we all thought, he was very nice wanting to learn all about the culture, asking Rakhi to take him around so he can see the real culture in India in exchange he will pay her so she could save for a good college.

I really wanted to see more happiness in Rakhi's life, after all, she went through I feel like two pages weren't enough to redeem the pain, I felt a constant sadness during most of the book, and I felt angry with Alex, Gauri Ma'am's, and Babloo these people were to be the best friends and the ones who were gonna help and be there for Rakhi but instead, they were the worst, leaving her without a home, a job and totally alone.

Tazim, Delphine, Lorna, and Claire were among the nice people that really saw Rakhi, the hard work and the tears she had to endure to finally be able to be what she wanted.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of Such Big Dreams in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a pretty read and I enjoyed Rakhi’s story, even though at times I wanted to shake her. The level of naïveté she has is frustrating but also expected because Rakhi is still so young. But she was not wrong to expect the people in her life to be better than they were.

I enjoyed how the author intertwined Rakhi’s life on the streets as a child with her current one working for a human right’s organization. The two meshed well because even with those organizations in her country, Rakhi still had a difficult life. How often do those organizations actually help and how many are a complete scam? Depends on who you talk to.

I could not stand how Rakhi’s boss, Gauri Ma’am, treated her. Rakhi is observant and much smarter than people gave her credit for, but her boss treated her like dirt. I wanted Rakhi to tell her off so many times but knew she couldn’t because she desperately needed that job. But Gauri just wanted control and I hated that she wouldn’t let Rakhi grow.

I think the other characters in the book were very well-rounded, especially the other office workers. They felt real and it was easy to sympathize with the frustrations they had with their boss and the interns.

I do wish there was some closure with Gauri, Rubina Mansoor and her husband, as well as Babloo, Rakhi’s friend from the streets. I felt like their part of the story was incomplete. Other than that, the book is a solid read and I enjoyed it.

Wow. This was such a compelling and emotional read. Several times I had to pause in order to gather myself emotionally. It is a raw story that I am still thinking about well after reading, as these characters will stay with me for a good while. It also highlights some of the living conditions in that area, as well as some of the injustices in the legal system. Overall I enjoyed this book and will be looking to see what the author does next.

I received a copy of the book via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel is a story built around living in poverty in the Mumbai slums; what happens to people living in such awful conditions, how children run rampant along with hunger, and how these people want a better way of life. There's crime, stealing, poverty, hunger and yet there are friendships and lives lived.. The book is based on a true incident, but I don't want to mention it here and spoil it for any readers. I will say it was a difficult book to get through and I was pleased for the ending. The tragedies and difficulties living in a situation like the Mumbai slums is at best horrid! Finally, I found it a challenging read since I do not know words spoken in that language and was lost many times because of that. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the arc.

Such Big Dreams is a story told by Rakhi, a young woman working as an office assistant at a law office in Mumbai. A former street-child, Rakhi has been taken under the wing of Gauri Ma’am, a famous civil rights lawyer leading the office. Even though Rakhi is doing better than when she was homeless, her past is still influencing her and when a new intern from Canada arrives, he tips Rakhi’s life out of the balance she worked so hard to create.

This book is an impressive debut: sweeping and well-written, with a fascinating atmosphere and vivid descriptions of Mumbai. I did find it to be dragging a bit in the middle, but the ending definitely made up for it. Rakhi is a flawed person whose actions sometimes drove me up the wall, but I rooted for her from the beginning and appreciated seeing the world through her eyes - she’s strong and stubborn, with a unique perspective. I liked what Patel had to say about corruption, poverty, and classism, but what I enjoyed the most was the message about taking charge of one’s own fate.

TLDR: Such Big Dreams is a compelling story that paints a striking picture of Mumbai and shines a light on its less known parts. It’s powerful and explores some hard truths about society in a bold, thought-provoking way.

Rakhi, a young woman growing up in Mumbai, is just barely getting by. She has a job working with lawyers, but is treated poorly by the head lawyer and isn't making enough to get out of the slums where she lives. I found this book to be a fascinating look at a culture and life very different from my own. Rakhi is a loveable character and I was rooting for her the entire way, even when she got herself into trouble! Really enjoyable read!