A must read debut! Rakhi, rescued from a girls home by crusading lawyer Maam Gauri is her 23 year old officewalla, responsible for making chai, fetching food, clipping articles from newspapers, and most all for the foreign interns who come to work at Justice for All. The arrival of Alex, a half Indian half white Canadian, shakes Rakhi's world in ways she never could have expected. He spouts the usual refrain about wanting to see the real India but he has no idea what her youth was like or how she lives today. She's been searching for years for Babloo, her friend and cohort who she was separated from when they were arrested as 11/12 year olds. Alex can't understand what its like to live in a slum; he doesn't even know the name of his maid, who is Rakhi's friend. Then Rubaina, a washed up actress who is friends with Alex's relatives, decides she wants to help fund Justice for All and things go topsy turvy again. Patel has created an indelible character in Rakhi, brought the smells and food of India alive on the page, and made me think again about the conditions there (and btw, NGOS come in for a basting). There's tragedy here, there's cynicism, there's hope, there's a story where no one looks particularly good. No spoilers from me but know that Rakhi understands that she is the only one who can save herself and that just when you want to shake your head at her, well there's the ending. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is terrific and I'm very much looking forward to more from Patel.

3.5/5 stars

This was a good debut novel! I thought it was very well-written and a very quick read. The way the story went back and forth to show parts of Rahki’s past was very well done as well. I really admired Rahki as a main character, and though she had plenty of flaws it made her feel more realistic.

With all of that said, the other characters seemed too flat for me. Had we been able to know and understand more about them, I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more. Also, I found myself constantly frustrated at one character or another. While I feel like that was intentional, my constant frustration did hinder my enjoyment a bit. I also thought the ending (excluding the epilogue) was rushed.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more from this author, but it’s probably not a book I’ll come back to again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a child Rakhi was orphaned and ran away from an abusive uncle. Arriving in Mumbai, she was taken in by a street gang and lived on the streets for five years before being arrested and sent to a girls’ school. After graduating she is given an opportunity to work for Gauri Ma’am, the director of Justice For All, a group of lawyers working for civil rights. Gauri Ma’am calls her assistant, but she is an office girl responsible for making tea, and running errands. She is often ignored by the office staff but that changes when Gauri Ma’am brings in Alex, an intern from a wealthy family who will be heading to Harvard in the fall. Alex asks her to be his tour guide so that he can see the real Mumbai. He sees a potential in her that no one else acknowledges and offers to help her fill in applications for college so that she can succeed. Rakhi lives in the slums and doesn’t have the means to pay for college while Alex lives a very different life. They come from two very different worlds and Reema Patel allows you to see the various social levels in Mumbai through Rakhi’s eyes.

Rakhi hides her friendship with Alex from her friend Tamzin, who works as a servant for Alex’s aunt. She also hides it from Gauri Ma’am, who she knows would forbid it. Even though Justice For All works to assist the poor, Rakhi feels that Gauri Ma’am is holding her back. Gauri Ma’am’s discovery of the college applications and a devastating fire finally forces Rakhi to take charge of her own life. She is a wonderful character that shows growth throughout Patel’s story and will stay with you long after you have finished Such Big Dreams. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Publishing for providing this book for my review.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Kathleen Quinlan at Ballantine, and Reema Patel for an ARC of this book!**

Outlier alert!

Rakhi has had a tough upbringing, grittier than most, despite the fact that she lives in a slum in Mumbai, which some might argue is gritty enough. Her childhood left her abandoned, without family she could trust, and living on the street for some time, with nothing but determination and some fellow street friends for company. Ever the outsider, Rakhi is eventually given an opportunity by Gauri Ma'am, head lawyer at Justice For All (a human rights law firm) to work as an office assistant. Rakhi adapts to the environment, but her cynical attitude doesn't change much, and the arrival of a couple of flighty Dutch interns doesn't help to cheer her mood.

Meanwhile, Justice For All has adopted has-been Bollywood actress Rubina Mansoor as their poster child for a special project...but she insists on a place for her nephew from Canada, Alex, at the firm. Unlike the other interns that irk Rakhi, Alex warms to her and wants her to show him India as she sees it, and strictly on her terms. In exchange, he offers her money and a chance to pursue a future that seemed so far out of reach before. But will a dark secret from her past that has been holding her hostage to terrible memories keep her from dreaming the impossible dream?

I'm always open for a chance to learn about other cultures and become engrossed in a world very different from the one I've always known, and coming into this book, I'd hoped to gain a real sense of India. However, it was evident from the first chapter of this one that would be nearly impossible for me. For starters, Patel's narrative is full-to-bursting with Hindi words...which is fine....if you already know Hindi. Most other books I've read that use such large bursts of vocabulary either a) clue the reader in to the unknown words via context clues or b) provide some sort of glossary, footnotes, or the like to help an unfamiliar reader learn.

Not ONCE throughout this book can I think of a great example of Patel TEACHING me anything or immersing me in India's culture in a way that felt authentic, which was a bit frustrating. The word firangi, for instance, is used constantly and I looked it up out of frustration pretty early on and good thing I did or I STILL wouldn't be able to tell you what it means...and I've now finished the book. I completely understand that I can look up every word I don't know (and often do when reading a classic with jargon that's unfamiliar) but it isn't my favorite thing to do while reading and really takes me out of the reading experience.

That aside, my biggest issue with this book, aside from the slow-moving and not-that-interesting plot were the characters...namely, Rakhi herself. I absolutely could not connect with her, and actually actively disliked her for the whole of the book (until the Epilogue, where her character makes a random 180 degree turnaround into someone who is less abhorrent.) She acts more like a petulant and judgmental teenager than someone with a secret heart of gold that I felt compelled to root for, as harsh as that sounds. I wanted to like her, but I just couldn't find a single moment of this story where I could. I felt SORRY that bad things had happened to her, but that was about as far as it went.

I also found it ironic that Rakhi was so quick to judge everyone in her life, but then also was constantly annoyed by people judging her, and she didn't show an ounce of gratitude for anything she was given, or even the self-respect to be proud of what she accomplished on her own! Most of the other characters in this book are pretty selfish and untrustworthy too, even those you initially feel could be the ones Rakhi could count on...so I'm not sure why the author chose to go down that road, but it was incredibly depressing. I guess her point is everyone is terrible? I'm not sure I get it.

The author worked on this book for ten years (!) which is honestly a bit sad to me, as I don't think this is the story it could have been. I appreciate her inspiration for the tale, which she explores in her Author's Note, but this was not the powerful, emotional, or heartbreaking tale I was hoping it could be. Perhaps in this case, Such Big Dreams simply led to Such a Big Letdown.

3 stars

A fantastic debut novel about a former street child in Bombay who is now working as an office assistant at a civil rights law firm. The book looks at Bombay slums, the impact of NGOs, celebrities, equal rights, and what it means to have dreams of a better life.

Highly recommended.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from the publisher and NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. To be honest, I had a hard time getting into this book. For me, it was very slow paced and the characters were just not likeable. Set in India, the main character, Rakhi, was formerly a child of the streets. She got into trouble and was placed in a home for girls. That's where Gauri Ma'am found her and decided to give her a chance as a clerk in her law firm--Justice for All. I found Gauri Ma'am to be mean-spirited and Rakhi ungrateful. And that's just for starters. There are many characters in the book--all of whom could use some self-improvement. Rakhi worked like a slave all day long and went home to her 'hut' located in the slums of Mumbai at night. Everyone Rakhi meets seems self-absorbed and displays little empathy for anyone else. The author toggled back and forth between the past and present to give the reader a glimpse of Rahki's unfortunate childhood, but it just didn't resonate with me. I plodded through this ARC until I reached the 85% mark and then things finally started happening. The last 15% of the book was very good when the action finally began. Prior to this, however, I felt that there was just a lot of rambling with very little focus. Evidently this book was just not for me.

Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel is a story of a savvy former child of the street who discovers a chance to live her life on her own terms. Rakhi is a twenty-three year old who is haunted by the grisly events that led to the loss of her best friend. She is constantly reminded that she doesn’t belong, that she is a charity case as she lives in a Mumbai slum and works as a lowly office assistant for Justice for All, a struggling human rights organization. Hidden behind her façade hides a fierce intelligence and sharp wit with an even sharper tongue, Rakhi doesn’t allow anyone to play her for a fool. She knows that everyone underestimates her until a new intern enters the office. Alex Lalwani-Diamond is the family friend of Rubina Mansoor, a fading former Bollywood starlet. Alex is Indian-Canadian on his way to Harvard for graduate school. Ambitious, persistent and a bit naïve, Alex convinces Rakhi to show him the “real India,” which seems harmless at first. As Rakhi’s past and her aspirations collide, she comes face to face with difficult choices and the moral compromises that one often makes in order to survive.
Such Big Dreams is the debut moral of Reema Patel. A moving story of survival and the cost of one’s ambition and power. Ms. Patel’s descriptions are powerful and honest as she reveals the different sides, the different “classes” of India. She peels back the hypocrisy of the rich who build luxurious mansions on the land of former slums and then gets on a soapbox about affordable housing and the state of the people in the slums. I thoroughly enjoyed Rakhi’s character, a young woman who lived a hard life that was not of her choosing. I couldn’t imagine being a seven year old and surviving on the streets and yet that’s where Rakhi’s story begins. She is a survivor and I hoped and cheered her on as she tries to rise above her lot in life and works for a better life rather than resolve that she was born there and would probably die there. The author’s note after the story adds to the emotional power of the story’s events. My one complaint is the author’s use of Indian words and phrases without an indication of the translations or meanings. Overall, I enjoyed Such Big Dreams and highly recommend it.

Such Big Dreams is available May 10, 2022 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

Such Big Dreams is a wonderful debut from Reema Patel.

Our protagonist Rakhi works for a lawyer that saved her from the streets as a child. Rakhi now works at the lawyers office but doesn't get paid enough to have worked her way out of living in the slums.

Such Big Dreams is an appropriate title for this book because Rakhi does have big dreams. She hasn't lost hope that she will one day live a better life. The challenges she has been through haven't ruined her spirit. So when she meets Alex, a Canadian intern at the law office who encourages her to follow her dreams for a better future, she starts imagining what life would be like with a college education.

Unfortunately Rakhi's troubled past is catching up to her at the same time as she is dreaming for a new future.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked and cared about Rakhi and was rooting for her. There was enough suspense to keep the plot moving as I wondered how everything was going to turn out.

I would definitely recommend reading this debut from Reema Patel and will look out for books from her in the future!

Big Lift That Mostly Hits. This is going to be a very different book for most American/ Western readers, as it is essentially an "Annie" tale from a century ago or so in the US, but in modern India. As an American currently charged with "leading" a pair of teams of Indian developers, this was particularly eye opening to me to see just what still can happen over there. (And admittedly, there are quite a few parallels re: Eminent Domain in the US right this second.)

Between Rakhi's struggles as an orphan essentially growing up on the streets before being abandoned in an orphanage to the slums she lives in to the (Indian) "White Knight" that "saves" her - yet expects slavish devotion because of it, Rakhi's tale has quite a bit in and of itself. Then the back third really gets into a discussion-without-saying-the-words of urban redevelopment and the havoc it can wreak on those "least" able to handle havoc. And of course "least" has to be in quotes in the prior sentence because the tale through this section actually does a great job of showing just how resilient those people are - and how fragile those that think themselves resilient can be.

Overall a strong book that could have used a touch better editing - the flashbacks to Rakhi's childhood and back to the current timeline were a bit jarring - but that certainly has more depth than is readily apparent to a casual reader. Very much recommended.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of modern-day Mumbai, but I personally didn't connect with the writing style, though this was definitely on me and not on the author. I know others enjoy this style, so I'm sure many people will love this book.

This is a cross cultural story. Life in Mumbai is difficult for Rahki. She is struggling to survive in the most basic of ways. The characters are spirited and detailed. The author does a good job exploring the culture and how difficult it is to rise through the class system.

Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel is the story of Rahki, a young girl living in the slums of Mumbai. It is an eye opening look into daily life in the slums, especially for those of us who have no idea what goes on there. I found myself rooting for Rahki to better herself, not knowing if this was even an option in her circumstances. The author did an excellent job of immersing us in the daily struggle for food, water and a safe place to live. Thank you to the author,Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and Netgalley for sending me an ARC of this compelling novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rakhi is just twenty-three years old but is still deeply affected by the loss of her best friend eleven years ago. She may work in a law office, but she is still living in the slums of Mumbai. Justice For All is a human-rights law organization headed up by a well-thought-of lawyer who gives her a chance.

She smart. Very smart. And though she is looked down on by others, she is managing to get by.

And then she meets Alex. Alex wants the real India experience. And in return he makes promises. It sounds like a good deal. But if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Everything Rakhi knows will be turned upside down. She will have to make choices that are hard for her in order to survive. And she is looking at the reality of the costs of getting yourself back.

Very impressive debut novel!

NetGalley/May 10th, 2022 by Ballantine Books

With SUCH BIG DREAMS, Reema Patel's story transported me to a foreign city and the realities of a life that I cannot imagine. All her characters are deftly drawn, especially Rakhi and Alex. I enjoyed every minute of this intricate, vivid story and stayed up way too late, breathless to see what happened next and where we were taken in a vivid present and a hot-breathed past. A noteworthy and memorable story -- I look forward to more stories from Patel. I received an advance copy of this book and these are my own, unbiased opinions.

This book wasn’t for me. I just couldn’t get into the story like I thought I would from the synopsis. I just couldn’t engage with either the plot nor the characters.

Once I got past the first few chapters of the story and got used to the writing style, I was truly drawn in by Rakhi’s drive and character. Rakhi has been through the ringer, and I truly admired how she remained true to herself despite her circumstances. With flashbacks to the incident that changed her childhood, the story changes from present day to the past, and truly provides an overall experience and was well done in terms of pacing. Reema’s writing truly made you sympathize and feel with the MC, especially with her inclusion of her inner commentary. I recommend this debut—and don’t forget to read the author’s note! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This is a beautifully written slow burn of a book that gets the reader right into the heart of a Mumbai slum. The descriptions of life there are hard to read at times and of course as a reader all you want is for someone, anyone to come in and save these people, or at least offer them a lifeline. But as is real life, there aren't happily ever afters for all. There are no real good or bad people in this book; everyone is flawed and just trying to get by the best they can. The plot circles around characters working in a non-profit law office called Justice for All. In the end, is there justice for all? No, but there is hope for some.

Well, let me tell you, this book had so many nuances to it. Sure, Rakhi was homeless and after being arrested was sent to a girl's home where she was found by a generous human rights lawyer who gives Rakhi a job, a home, and a future. Okay, well that is how Guari Ma'am sees it. But Rakhi doesn't quite see it the same and through the course of the book, Rakhi becomes more disillusioned with the life she is told she is lucky to have and starts to reach out on her own. Her character development is wonderful. A great combination of innocence, street smarts, and luck. The rest of the characters in the book are not as well developed but I think in this case it helps shine the spotlight on Rakhi herself. As seems to be commonplace these days, the story is told in two timelines. As is normal for me, I enjoyed one timeline much more than the other. But, I didn't feel the dread I sometimes feel when moving from timeline to timeline. I feel like the author understood that we might need some context from a younger Rakhi but that it wasn't the main force in the story. You will find yourself worrying and rooting for Rakhi.

A heart-breaking, yet inspiring story about the slums of India. Rakhi was such a multi-dimmensional character. Told through both her present life and snippets of her past, we get a real sense of who she is: a young, naive, but also savvy, girl who grows into a strong, cunning, determined woman. Although not the ending I had expected, I thought it was the right ending for this book. My only reason for dropping it down a star is because I felt like the first half was a bit slow. While it was important to set the scene, it dragged a little bit. That said, it is worth sticking with it because the second half is really strong.

This was a wonderful debut novel by Reema Patel! I so enjoy being able to learn about different countries and cultures and both were very evident in Such Big Dreams.

Rakhi lived on the street for five years as a child after running from her father. She ended up making friends on the streets and was accepted by a group that included her new best friend Babloo. After a terrible accident occurs, Rakhi winds up in a girls home where she is then noticed by a social justice lawyer. Gauri sees great potential in Rakhi and hires her to work at her law firm. Now at the age of 23, Rakhi works as an assistant to a well-known lawyer at Justice For All.

When Justice For All hires a new spokesperson, things at the firm begin to change and they aren't all changes that Rakhi agrees with. Will she be able to continue working there given how she feels about some of the proposed changes? Will she be forced to make decisions that could change the course of her life?

This was one of those books that made you feel on so many levels. You felt true emotion and that is the best thing you can do as a reader. You feel like you're immersed right in the story with the characters. This is one I would highly recommend picking up.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**