This was a very good book. The emotions and scenes were especially vivid. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

In Such Big Dreams, readers read about the strength, persistence, and determination of Rahki while they read. She works for a law firm, Justice for All, and becomes tasked with recognizing that life could be better for her. Personally, the book is a little slow for my taste. It does not appeal to my sense of wanderlust or prove to be enlightening about the spirit and culture of India, but it's a pretty good read.

This another good read for a summer day. I learned a lot from reading this work and I am looking forward to the next book from this author. Always love to read fiction during the summer months and this story kept me interested for the day!

Former street kid Rakhi finds herself living in an Indian slum working as an office girl at a human rights law firm, trying to live normally in Reema Patel's debut novel, Such Big Dreams. Years ago, the main character became involved in an unfortunate incident that led her to live at a home for girls. From that point, she meets the female lawyer who heads the law firm and fights to ensure the firm continues to help others. She's indebted to her boss despite working for very little with no chance to strive for more.

When a new intern Alex arrives from Canada, and the firm gains a partnership with a former Bollywood star, it seems that the firm may be on an upswing. So, too, could this work out for Rakhi who reluctantly befriends the encouraging Alex who resides with his rich aunt and uncle for the duration of the internship. These two events impact the firm and Rakhi in a significant way, and this starts the story.

I was torn about this book. I liked the story and the way it was written. The cultural differences between the characters and life in India are examined well, but it could be depressing and frustrating. Plus, there were Indian slang terms and other words that did not come up when I tried to look them up, so it would have helped to have a key or dictionary to give a quick definition here and there.

Throughout the book, you slowly learn about Rakhi's past and why she ended up as a street kid in Mumbai. You root for her to move past her station to become something more than she and others that she knows expect to be. It's a well-thought out story and surprising. I was very surprised by the ending, and it's bittersweet on all accounts. Well-worth reading if you're looking for something different and a little more serious.

This was a great story. Great for people who love raw heartbreaking stories.

After reading Honor I knew I wanted to read more stories from India and I am glad I got to read this one.

Rakhi is a great character and her development is inspirational.

I liked this one, but didn’t love it. I had hoped to learn more about a culture different to my own but I found it frustrating that I didn’t understand a lot of the language. There wasn’t enough contextual clues for me to go on, and it became tiresome to continually stop reading to look words up. Rakhi had a great story but I didn’t connect with the character.

This debut novel is flying under the radar but is worthy of discussion. It is set in Mumbai and is the story of a former street kid, Rakhi who begins working for a NGO (Non Government Organization) that advocates housing rights for slum dwellers.

Through this novel the author explores class, gender and societal issues of India. The author uses Hindi words to express parts of the story. This may be off putting to some readers. She does give enough context so that English speaking readers can grasp the meaning of the words.
A couple of times in the novel, the author uses phrases that seem more suited to North American conversations rather than South Asian ones.

Since this work is inspired by a real event in Mumbai, this book makes for an interesting read for those who want to read more about India, organizations fighting for equality or people overcoming adversities.

I was sent an electronic copy of this book by the publisher, Random House Publishing Group via Netgalley.

A powerful debut novel from Reema Patel that will open your eyes to the slums in Mumbai. Rakhi is a young woman working as a office assistant for a powerful human rights lawyer. Rakhi ran away from home at a young age after her parents passed. She ends up in Mumbai and lives on the street with her new best friend. When a accident happens Rakhi is sent to the nun to live. She is upset that she is separated from her best friend. The story focuses on her living conditions and her office workers. While at the beach on a holiday Rakhi runs into her best friend that she thought she would never see again. In reconnecting with him she finds that what she thought when she was a young child on the street with him that was not the reality that was. A new tragedy hits the slum where she lives and Rakhi has to reach inside to see what type of person she is going to be. Please pick up this book and dive into a great debut.

Many thanks to Negalley, author and publisher for providing my review copy. If you are a fan of Slumdog Millionaire you'll enjoy this.

"Such Big Dreams" by Reema Patel was a wonderful tale of an ambitions, clever, fierce, and resilient young woman, with very difficult circumstances, living in the slums of India. Painted a sadly vivid picture of a hard and hopeless life, yet, with an empowering light of moving up and forward, despite the challenges. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the copy for review. All opinions are my own.

An entertaining debut, I enjoyed reading this novel set in modern India featuring characters from different backgrounds working in a human rights law firm in Bombay. The main character is a former street child, and there are also foreign interns experiencing India, the boss set on achieving human rights wins at all cost, as well as various other side characters from the law firm and slums where the main character lives.

The only critique I have is that the main character isn't as fully realized as she could be, with her backstory touched on, but not emphasized. This made it hard to understand why she made many of her choices.

Overall, this is definitely for readers who love novels about modern India, and it's also quite a lighter read than earlier this year's Honor by Thirty Umrigar.

This is Reema Patel’s debut novel and based on her clarity in describing human nature alone, I see a bright future for this author.
Rakhi grew up a street kid in the slums of Mumbai. The flashbacks to her childhood are sad and difficult to read, so imagine how the kids feel that live this life every day while we sit and read our books. It’s that moving. Ms. Patel has devoted years of her life working in Mumbai, so her depiction of the children’s daily struggle to live is brought to life in her words.
After a petty crime goes horribly wrong, Rakhi is saved from the orphanage and certain death in prison when she catches the eye of her benefactor, the executive director of a human rights law firm, Gauri Ma’am. Rakhi does well in school and begins working as an intern at Gauri Ma’am’s establishment.
The stark difference between Rakhi and other employees at the firm is as vast as night and day. They enjoy meals, a roof over their head that doesn’t leak, and nice clothing that is always clean. Rakhi struggles to keep up the facade. This aspect alone insinuates the point, that once homeless and expendable, always that way in India. When a new intern takes a job at the law firm, these differences are suddenly smeared in Rakhi’s face. As she struggles to trust those who want to help her, she sees cracks in their facade that are reminiscent of lessons she painfully learned as a child on the streets.
Full of colorful descriptions of Indian food, habits, and social lives, and what living in a city the size of Mumbai entails (think transportation, restaurants, sanitation), Reema Patel’s first novel is a must-read for anyone who appreciates sincere human drams stories.
Sincere thanks to Random House- Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is now available.

I picked up Such Big Dreams because once in a while, I like to read something outside my comfort zone. I always tend to reach for the same type of book and this one really sounded good (and gave me all the Slumdog Millionaire vibes.) Such Big Dreams didn't disappoint!

Rahki is a spitfire. She's part street kid, part blossoming entrepreneur. She's definitely dealing with some imposter syndrome, but throughout the book she really learns a lot via the school of hard knocks. She came to work for the law firm through the charity of the owner, and is basically her right hand gal. But it comes at a price. She's never seen as someone who can actually be successful and rise above. Although she's come a long way, she still lives in the slums and can't rise above her current station.

Throughout the book, Rahki goes through a transformation. Although she was street smart before, she didn't realize that often times, the people who don't live on the street, can be just as sneaky and underhanded. Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advanced readers copy. This one is out now!

I felt a tremendous amount of sadness after reading Patel’s book. Sadness for the improvised, heartbreak for the street children with their afflictive misfortunes. Corruption, callousness, and selfishness described left me angry, stunned, and shaking my head - where is the regard for our fellow contemporaries.

I enjoyed the descriptions of India, the struggles, and the general overall feeling of the county and its people. I appreciated the many Indian vocabulary words used, however, a glossary would be helpful it was frustrating to continuously pause and search for definitions on my own - slowed reading journey which I didn’t welcome.

I would recommend this book to others, especially those with an interest or curiosity regarding India. The book has a slow pace and its characters are outlined as opposed to being filled in with color, regardless it is penetrative.

I'll be honest: reading the first half of Such Big Dreams, I kept wondering if this was a title I should put aside without finishing. At the midpoint of the novel, however, the action and conflict picked up, and at the end I was doing that reading-as-fast-as-I-can thing because I *had* to know what would happen next. Such Big Dreams is a novel the most definitely rewards a bit of stick-to-it-ness. The novel takes a cynical, but not necessarily negative view of NGOs: non-governmental organizations established to try to remedy a country's ills, think of Doctors without Borders or the International Rescue Committee.

Such Big Dreams' central character—and the narrator of the book—is Rakhi, a former street child living in a Mumbai slum and working as an office assistant for an NGO, Justice for All, that fights to prevent the unannounced, uncompensated razing of exactly the sort of "unofficial" neighborhood in which Rakhi lives. As is true for most NGOs, funding is tight. Justice for All has had to recently cut staff and satellite offices, and is still in a financially precarious state. One of the ways Justice for All tries to make ends meet is by accepting unpaid interns from wealthier nations—interns who generally become disenchanted with NGO work fairly quickly.

Rakhi, as a former street child, is presented by Justice for All as a success story—a girl in trouble with the law and with no prospects for earning an honest living, who has risen to lead a responsible life. That's how her employer likes to tell Rakhi's story, but in the organization itself she gets little respect, runs endless errands and is often asked to work late into the night. With little control over her own circumstances, Rakhi feels like anything but a success.

This set-up quickly becomes complicated as Justice for All pairs up with a "celebrity" spokesperson, Rubina Mansoor, an aging, second-string performer in Bollywood movies who is best known for a highly sexualized dance number from one of those films. At the same time, Rubina's wealthy Canadian "nephew" Alex joins Justice for All as an unpaid intern. From the start, both are awkward fits with the NGO. Rubina is much more interested in promoting herself and garnering headlines than she is in addressing the problems Justice for All focuses on. Alex, meanwhile, alienates most members of the organization with his unearned privilege and lack of knowledge about Justice for All—and of life in India overall.

Rukhi finds herself in the middle of these awkward transitions. Alex supports her aspirations, but has almost no understanding of her actual life circumstances and the challenges she's up against. This set-up takes the first half of the book and moves along in prose that is capable, but lacks liveliness. As, I mentioned at the outset, this changes, the pace quickens, and the stakes grow higher as the novel progresses.

If you're someone who can launch themselves into a book knowing the payoff will be delayed—but that it *will* come—you should get your hands on a copy of Such Big Dreams. The economic realities, political shenanigans, and individual struggles it presents will stay with you long after you've finished reading.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

I went into this one blind with no real expectations other than to be educated about Indian culture. Early on I was hopeful, but unfortunately this one didn’t land for me.
I found myself feeling unsympathetic toward the protagonist for 90% of the story and had a difficult time connecting to her.
I believe this author has a lot of potential for writing incredible books in the future, but her debut suffers from erratic pacing and unlikable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“You’re not born only once, on the day your mother gives birth to you. Life forces you to give birth to yourself over and over again.”

Quick Summary: This book follows Rakhi, a former street child in Mumbai, who meets Alex, an intern at her employer, Justice For All. Alec pushers her to think beyond her life as an office assistant and think about what she wants her life to look like.

SUCH BIG DREAMS is a debut novel that sheds light on poverty and classism in India. This book gave me THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE vibes! Rakhi is a character that is easy to cheer for while your heart breaks at her circumstances.

The setting was a big player in this novel. I could clearly envision the slum that Rakhi lived in, the streets she lived on as a child, and the affluent gated communities.

SUCH BIG DREAMS is a slow burn! The build is pretty steady until the last 15% of the book or so.

I would recommend this book as a great choice if you enjoy reading about problems in other countries. I also suggest it for fans of HONOR by Thrity Umrigar and THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE by Abi Daré.

4 stars

I will never emotionally recover from this book. Rakhi's never-ending quest to purely just survive was difficult to get through. I found myself almost dreading picking up this book sometimes because I didn't know how much more my heart could take, but what an incredibly moving book.

"Such Big Dreams" is an enjoyable, dynamic debut that paints a dynamic picture of Bombay. It's incredibly emotional and a beautiful story of hope.

3.5 ⭐️

Being a character-driven reader, I usually try to connect with one or more characters and follow them through their journey. Honestly, I struggled to make that connection here. Yet, the significance of the story packs a punch.

Rahki starts on the streets of India and then finds herself working in the office of Justice for All, a human rights agency. Rahki is street smart but naive in the ways of the “world.”

The difference in her world - the slums of Mumbai - is glaringly contrasted with the shining, polished life of Alex, a fellow intern at Justice for All. Alex is from Canada and will soon be a Harvard grad student. He wants to see the real India and asks Rahki to be his tour guide, all while encouraging Rahki to reach for her dreams.

Let me say that this story put me right in the heart of Mumbai, with the sights, smells, food, and even the reality of how the poor live and are treated. Even though I felt that the story moved a bit slowly, and it was more descriptive rather than emotive - there are some profound messages about the poor being exploited and how greed is rampant in poverty-stricken Mumbai.

*𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴!

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse for the gifted ebook and @PRHaudio for the audiobook.