A beautiful and heart wrenching debut novel about Rakhi, a girl who grew up in the slums of Bombay alone after her parents died. She became an office assistant at a civil rights nonprofit, Justice for All, when an intern, Alex joins the company one summer and latches onto Rakhi.

I do not know much about the slums of India or much about India in general so this was very eye-opening. This seemed to be a very realistic portrait of life there and I was so shocked that the author based one of the major plot lines on something she actually observed happened. I really liked how the author wrote the character of Rakhi; she was flawed but you are rooting for her the entire time. There were so many heartbreaking things that happened in this book and it really showcased the resilience of humans. I was hooked from the first page but it was a slow-burn (although very enjoyable) until the last 10% when a lot happened. And then it wrapped up almost a little too neatly.

This book was a great look at culture and social issues and it will stay with me for a while. An excellent debut and I look forward to what the author writes next.

Reema Patel, a Canadian attorney with human rights experience in Mumbai, has written a page-turner of a sociological novel set in a Mumbai human rights NGO. A former street kid, central character Rakhi has been working at Justice for All the past five years. Her boss and Justice for All director, known as “Gauri Ma’am,” found her a home in a Mumbai slum, gave her a job, and is attempting to help her recover from childhood trauma that still causes nightmares and behavior issues.

An office assistant, Rakhi seems largely tasked with making tea and taking care of the foreign interns. Her low salary offers no chance of getting out of the slum. Similarly, a cut in Justice for All’s funding forces the closing of auxiliary offices in other cities and threatens the organization’s very survival.

A new Canadian intern named Alex Lalwani-Diamond has arrived at an abnormal time--two months after the other two interns. While Saski and Merel, Dutch graduate students, are more interested in entertaining themselves outside the office, wealthy Alex quickly takes an interest in Rakhi and her slum life. After Rubina Mansoor, a former Bollywood star, shows up at Justice for all, readers eventually learn the story behind Alex’s rather mysterious appearance.

Rakhi’s story shifts back and forth between the present and the past, as Patel fills in her background, which makes a friendship with Alex dangerous. Readers come to know Rakhi’s friend Tazim, a neighbor in the Behrampada slum, who works as a maid. They also come to understand Rakhi’s troubled life and her traumatic separation from Babloo, the street boy who had helped her when she first arrived in Mumbai.

Almost a character in itself, the Behrampada slum is a crowded “island city” within crowded Mumbai, hut after hut “with too many people with too-big dreams.” Now a sign has gone up about a luxury hotel to be built in the area.

Will Rakhi be able to fulfill her dreams? Will Justice for All find the desperately needed funding? What will become of future Harvard graduate student Alex’s interest in Rakhi? What will become of Rubina Mansoor’s interest in Justice for All? Don’t expect easy answers and happily ever after. This is not a Rom-Com.
Reema Patel knows Mumbai where poverty and dreams collide with power and greed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for an advance reader copy of Reema Patel’s highly recommended debut novel.

Review posted on BN.

Such Big Dreams is not a book I normally read. Reema Patel does a great job showing how a lot of people in India struggle to survive. Rakhi lives in the Mumbai slums after living on the streets for years. She is smart but doesn't have confidence in herself that she is smart. The story tells the life of Rakhi how she became to be on the streets, how she was given a chance to make a living and how she tries to better herself. It's about determination, friendship, dreams, struggles and what the people in Mumbai go through who live in the slums. It's a wonderful story and everyone should read.

Such Big Dreams was a little slow for me. Perhaps because I didn’t really love any characters? Rhaki came off as a shell of a person. Street kids in India have a terrible life and getting off the streets to only live in a shack isn’t much better. I would have preferred learning more about her life and less about the office politics.

Rakhi is a 23 year living with the haunting aftermath of the death of her friend. As she tries to rebuild her life, while working for a non-for-profit, Justice For All, she makes a deal that is supposed to help her further herself, but will it, or will it make things worse?

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Ballantine Books & Net Galley.

I really enjoyed this debut novel. I found myself rooting for Rhaki and enjoyed watching her grow and
persevere through often what felt like insurmountable struggle. It took me a minute to get into the book, but at about the 15% mark I found I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed feeling immersed in India and liked that the author sprinkled in words (without a glossary of what they meant) from India (I wasn't sure which language to attribute it to). You can mostly understand them from the context clues.

This would make a great book club read.

what a big accomplishment for a debut. there was a lot at stack when discussing difficult choices and moral compromises, but Patel handles it gracefully. I enjoyed the flashbacks written within the present narrative.

Happy pub day to Such Big Dreams! Wow I can’t believe this was a debut. Rahki was so well developed and I was so invested in that story. As the book goes on it does get darker and I found the commentary on how few people in the world can be trusted to be unfortunately too real. I think this is a story that will hit people in their cores if they give it the chance.

4.5 stars

There are certain moments in this novel where it felt I was getting sucker punched straight in the heart. I thank the author for that because so often the best reads are when you feel something in regards to the story and characters whether it be sadness, anger, disappointment, happiness, pride, etc.. I got the opportunity to experience a bit of everything and that's why Such Big Dreams left a remarkable impression.

Rakhi lived on the streets as a child and did what she could to survive. After a horrific incident, Rakhi is separated from her best friend. At the age of 23, she lives in a Mumbai slum and works as an office assistant for a human rights law organization. She's a bit of an observer and the people there tend to overlook and underestimate her. But when a new intern form Canada starts working at the firm, Rakhi begins to dream of a better future. But sometimes your past has a way of catching up to you, for better or for worse.

Rakhi has this spirit about her that I was drawn to and I felt invested in her. You get glimpses of her childhood throughout and it's heartbreaking. It's a tale of survival from start to finish. In the end, aren't we all just looking out for ourselves? That's a recurring theme and as I think about the storyline and how it popped up in so many different ways, it's both fascinating and depressing. So much to discuss here that book clubs should give this one a look!

Read this if you like: Slum dog millionaire, past/present timelines, strong female leads

This is Reema Patel’s debut novel. It's the story of Rakhi. She grew up orphaned in the slums of Mumbai. She is now a 23 year old, haunted by the grisly aftermath of an incident that led to the loss of her best friend eleven years ago.

She's constantly reminded she doesn’t belong as she 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.

This book was refreshing, sad, and very thought provoking. It's an honest look a systemic inequities, economic growth, and more. We go between present and flashbacks. It's so honest and real. The storytelling, the world building. The character development was all well done. Definitely recommend this book. This came out yesterday. Go pick it up!

Thank you to NetGalley, Reema Patel, and Random House/Ballantine for the gifted copy.

Pros: I think this book would be fantastic work of fiction to read as a book flight with Behind the Beautiful Forevers as both examine the Mumbai slums. My favorite part about this book was reading the author’s note and learning about her personal connection to the story.

Cons: I found all the characters in this book to be unlikeable, which isn’t a requirement for me to enjoy a book, but it kept me from feeling connected to the story. I found it difficult to cheer for the main character because of the decisions she made/actions she took throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Out today! [Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 4/5 stars

SUCH BIG DREAMS is the story of a young Indian woman who has found her way off the streets after a difficult childhood—but risks her life being derailed once again when she makes an unusual arrangement with a Canadian graduate student interning at the human rights law office where she works.

This book is a bit outside my usual kind of read, but I’m glad I took a step outside my comfort zone for it! This is a story that is part coming-of-age novel and Patel handled those aspects perfectly, crafting an absolutely wonderful and lovable main character. Although I found the first several chapters long and a bit slow, the story and characters dragged me in, and the last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat (I was up until 2am reading because I just had to know what happened!)

One of the primary themes of SUCH BIG DREAMS is autonomy—over oneself and one’s life, even when faced with outside forces who claim to know better and to “only want to help”—and how that can sometimes be in tension with the paternalism of charity organizations or the “experts” who try to “fix” developing countries. As a former political science/global politics student, it was fascinating to see these themes explored in fiction, and I’d definitely love to see more reads like this in the future—and will be checking out whatever Patel does next!

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: stories set in non-Western countries/cultures; mixed character-and-plot driven narratives; feminism through a non-white/non-Western lens.

CW: Death of a parent; child abuse/exploitation; sexual assault/rape; fire/fire injury; government corruption/abuse.

"Behrampada slum sprawls out over seven acres in the middle of Bombay—or Mumbai, if that’s what you want to call it—an island city flooded with too many people with too-big dreams."

Such Big Dreams offers a vivid, moving portrayal of poverty and classism in Mumbai / Bombay. The setting is the novel's greatest strength - Reema Patel brings Indian slums to life in eye-opening, heart-wrenching ways and weaves a tapestry of cultural exploration throughout the book. I felt like I was transported to another world as I read.

"India is not like Canada,” I hear her say. “When you go searching for justice here, you have to work twice as hard."

There isn't a huge emphasis on plot or character development; most of the book is devoted to fleshing out the themes of injustice, power dynamics, privilege/lack, and class struggles as Rahki (MC) has experienced them throughout her life.

"This city is mutilating itself with these bloody class divides."

A deeply impactful, thought-provoking read. Highly recommend for fans of Megha Majumdar, Jhumpa Lahiri, Imbolo Mbue or Yaa Gyasi.

——

A huge thank you to Reema Patel, Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel
Genre: General Fiction / Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: 5/10/22

"Even when people hurt us...how we respond is a test of our loyalty to them."

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞: Set in the bustling city of Mumbai, a scrappy orphan who grew up on the streets carves out a space of her own despite class, gender, familial and financial disparities…

I loved this debut so so much. Patel’s voice is so clear and sharp; most importantly, her storytelling is captivating. I simply couldn’t put it down.

Patel’s vivid descriptions truly epitomize arm chair travel—the streets of Mumbai, the vendors and the trains, the palatial halls of the house on Pali Hill, the hutments of Behrampada slum, the cricket pitches and Chowpatty beach—these very real places all come alive with Patel's words. The way she captures a specific place and time reminds me of Joan Didion’s uncanny ability to do the same in a different genre. Incidentally, we have the same fave @essie nail polish color (clambake, pictured here!).

I am deeply excited for what more there is to come from @reemapatelwriter and very grateful to @nycbookgirl for gifting me a gorgeous finished copy.

Read if you:
🏡Love a courageous female protagonist
🏡Appreciate a sharp social critique
🏡Have ever worked at or with an NGO
🏡Have been to, are from or want to experience Mumbai

#books #bookstagram #bookclubreads #bookclub #booklover #reading #ilovebooks #currentlyreading #bookreview #book #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #inbookstoresnow #bookblog #debut #literaryfiction #bookcommunity #suchbigdreams #india #mumbai

SUCH BIG DREAMS is the compelling debut novel by Reema Patel. Set in contemporary Mumbai, it is the moving story of a former street child in the slums that gets a second chance working as an office assistant in a human rights law office. Twenty-three-year-old Rahki lives on her own in a hut in a Mumbai slum. At age twelve, after the death of her parents, Rahki flees her cruel uncle’s home and winds up alone on the streets of Mumbai. With only other young street kids as company, Rahki does whatever it takes to survive. But when a horrendous incident lands her in a detention home for girls, she becomes separated from her best friend, Babloo, and the only life she’s known. Renowned human rights lawyer at Justice For All, Gauri Ma’am, takes a chance on Rahki and gives her a job at her firm. Rahki is the lowest person on the totem pole and is often treated as if she was invisible. When a new intern from Canada joins the firm, he inspires Rahki to dream of a better future for herself. But soon, Rahki’s past and present collide and her dreams for the future may be dashed. The characters were wonderfully-portrayed. I so wanted to see Rahki fulfill her dreams. The vivid descriptions of the setting and food made me feel I was there. I was drawn into this powerful story of resilience, survival, poverty and injustice that was both heart-wrenching and uplifting. Highly recommended. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review and early copy.

I loved the overall story and message in this book. About survival, power and determination. However, parts of the book dragged on. It started and ended well, but much of the middle was slow and in my opinion, not necessary. Rahki lives in a slum in Mumbai. After a tough start in life, she finds herself working at a law office fighting for human rights in India. After meeting a Canadian, she begins to question her life and what she wants in the future. A beautifully, heartbreaking glimpse into the slums of mumbai. A story of growth and power of a young girl over her own life.

Thanks netgalley for my advanced reader copy

This is an absolutely amazing book! It’s a very powerful eye opener for how things are in different cultures as well. This is one of the best debuts I’ve ever read.

Rakhi is a young woman who is greatly I’m underestimated by those around her. She’s overworked at a human rights law firm, and while she’s not thriving, she’s getting by. She’s still haunted by the devastating loss of her best friend, and is constantly reminded that she doesn’t fit in. Things do change for her in a big way, and it forces her to make some hard choices.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Reema Patel's debut book, Such Big Dreams, shows the resilience of the human spirit in the most challenging circumstances. This novel is very emotional and touches the core of your being.

Rakhi lived on the streets for five years before being placed in a girl's home. Rakhi is now 23 years old and works as an assistant to a well-known lawyer at Justice For All. Rakhi experiences reoccurring nightmares associated with a childhood trauma that took her best friend 11 years ago. Despite being very intelligent, Rakhi struggles with low self-esteem and feels she will never be worthy of a better life.

Rubina Mansoor is a washed-up Hollywood wannabe who becomes the spokesperson for Justice For All. By praising herself to others, Rubina immediately assumes control and changes the company's planning. In addition to making money, she sees this as a way to rebuild her career. The changes at "Justice For All" test Rakhi's moral standard. Will Rakhi's problematic situation force her to make complex, life-altering decisions?

It is with the highest praise that I commend Reema Patel for her outstanding five ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ debut novel, Such Big Dreams. The book is available for purchase on May 10th.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for the opportunity to review Such Big Dreams. It will grab your heart.❤

Wow! This was a great read. I loved how the author weaves together current day and flashbacks to tell the story of Rakhi, a witty former street child now working at a Mumbai law office. I absolutely loved how the story unfolded over time and the character building was flawless by the author. This book kept me intrigued from beginning to end and I’d definitely recommend this book to others!

Such Big Dreams tells the story of Rakhi, a young woman who grew up on the streets and is now an office assistant at a human rights organization. Told through chapters that alternate time periods, it explores her life, the events that shaped it and the challenges for the future. Will Rakhi ever make anything of herself or will she always live in the slums of Mumbai destined to make the same mistakes over and over again? Do the most important people in her life really care for her or use her for their own purpose?

Reema Patel paints a detailed portrait of a young woman trying to make her way in the world. She doesn’t shy away from making her protagonist unlikable at times. You feel hopeful for Rakhi one moment and disappointed with her in the next. Patel also brings the sights, sounds, smells and flavors of Mumbai alive through festive celebrations, tense protests and the food of the various street vendors and restaurants dotting the neighborhoods.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.