"While You Were Dreaming" by Alisha Rai is a charming, heartfelt story that beautifully combines romance, identity, and the power of secret heroism. Sonia Patil’s plan to meet her crush at Comic-Con takes an unexpected turn when she ends up rescuing him in disguise, sparking a whirlwind of complications. As she juggles her crush, a hidden identity, and the weight of her family’s struggles, Sonia’s journey is both relatable and inspiring. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC! I’ve already purchased a copy for my library system. This book is a must-read for fans of unique love stories and heartfelt drama!

✨If you love rom-coms, secret identities, and a dash of real-life stakes — While You Were Dreaming is the book for you! 💫

Sonia is the most relatable heroine — navigating crushes, cosplay, and family struggles while accidentally becoming a local masked hero! I loved how this story blends laugh-out-loud moments with heartfelt ones, especially as Sonia tries to protect her family while figuring out her own dreams. 💖

Also, who doesn’t love a comic-con moment + swoony romance? 😍🎭

I have loved Alisha Rai's adult romances, but this was my first YA romance by her. It was just as gorgeous as her other work and made me even bigger a fan. The diaspora coming-of-age experience with so many cultural references was definitely the highlight of the book for me, but the romance is extremely cute too and I was definitely rooting for the couple!!

This story was very well thought out and written. I enjoyed Sonia's story so much and can't wait to get into more from this author. This story touched on friendships, love for self and others and figuring out when it's time to make lemonade from lemons. This is a great coming of age story

"While You Were Dreaming" by Alisha Rai is a seriously heartwarming YA read that's like a cozy blanket for the soul. Picture Sonia Patil, a cool cosplayer, accidentally rescuing her crush and stumbling into a South Asian family's restaurant. It's a wild ride of family drama, teenage angst, and adorable romance.

Sonia's dealing with her mom's deportation, body image issues, and good old teenage anxiety. But guess what? The South Asian diaspora feels are strong, and Rai serves up a delicious mix of cultural vibes, cosplay goodness, and mouth-watering food mentions.

The characters? Oh, they're like friends you wish were real. Sonia is the bomb, and the supporting cast leaves an impression that lasts. Alisha Rai brings in a mystery vibe that keeps you hooked with unexpected twists and turns.

Now, let's talk romance. Sonia and Niam? Adorable. It's the classic falling-for-the-older-brother trope, and Rai nails it. The innocent, closed-door scenes are sweet and perfect for our 16-year-old heroine.

In a nutshell, "While You Were Dreaming" is that perfect coming-of-age story you didn't know you needed. Whether you're into Mary H. K. Choi or Sajni Patel, this YA gem with excellent representation is a must-read that'll leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Marvel vibes. A solid YA debut from an author I have ADORED!

This author can do no wrong, that's all there is to it.

Loved the MC, total BA.

I love Alisha Rai. This book was sweet and family oriented. I wish the immigration struggles had been included in the marketing. It’s way more about fighting for yourself and your family than about super heroes.

4.5 stars I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. A story about an undocumented family, deportation, the relationship between sisters, friendship, and learning to stand up for yourself. It was a beautiful story with well developed characters and complicated, realistic relationships.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books for this digital arc of WhileYouWereDreaming in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

I picked up this book blind based solely on my love of the author and her romance novels. I was not disappointed. I probably should have guessed based on the title it would be a take on While You Were Sleeping, which is not one of my favorites, but despite my dislike for the old rom com, I did love the book.

While there was plenty of typical teenage angst, many of Sonia’s concerns ran deeper than that. In addition to the normal teen issues of broken friendships, mean girls, crushes, and cute boys, Sonia is facing some real-world issues and maintaining secrets that could destroy her family. She’s a very relatable character who you can’t help but root for. This book is humorous, sweet, heartbreaking, and so much more.

Who was that masked hero? The world may never know! This was so fun and sweet. The thrill of the not being caught infused with winning over your crush makes for a good story.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book.

After saving someone's life while wearing a superhero costume, Sonia has to fly under the radar to protect her undocumented sister.

I thought the plot wrapped up a little bit too neatly which disappointed me. It also was pretty predictable the whole way through. I did like the representation of a family that faced/is facing the threat of deportation.

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

When Sonia flees the scene after rescuing her crush (while wearing a handmade costume), her life begins to spiral. Her sister is undocumented (and her mom was deported), so she can’t draw attention to herself. However, she realizes having a secret identity might just take superpowers.

I’ve loved all of Alisha Rai’s romance books, so I decide to read this YA book. This was fun, and I enjoyed it - but not as much as I enjoy her adult romances. If you enjoy young adult, I think you’ll really like this.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

I felt so emotional while reading this book. Sonia reminds me of myself when I was in high school. I love the familial relationships and the story of figuring out what it means to know yourself.

This book was a bit outside the type of books I usually read, but it was cute. I am a sucker for the trope of unrequited love and finding out that what you really want isn't always what you think.

You enter Sonia's life and immediately feel her internal struggle; her anxiety, her worry about her family and the soul crushing ache that comes from a crush that you think will never be returned. The comic book bit was something I have never read before, but it was interesting and a cute way to add something else to the story. I am sure people who love comics and the movie it's loosely inspired on would appreciate some of the Easter eggs more than I could BUT it was still an adorable story. It had it's light moments, but also the heavy with Sonia's fear and sense of responsible about keeping her sister safe. There was a nice balance of heavy emotions and comedic relief to keep the story balanced. 3.5 stars

This was a wonderful book. I am so glad books like this exist. I am asked a lot for books that cover complex topics, but that do so in a thoughtful but interesting manner. This one will now be in my list of recommendations. I found myself swept away in this story and rooting for the characters.
And lets be real, I love a good fake identity plot and this one does not disappoint there, but brings a lot of heart with other topics it takes like being undocumented.
When I read books like this I often find myself wishing books like this existed when I was younger and I'm so glad they exist now.

While You Were Dreaming introduces Sonia Patil, whose mother originally came to the US seeking treatment for her daughter Kareena's leukemia. When her mother is deported, Sonia, who was born in the US, is terrified her undocumented sister will be deported as well. During a local Comic-Con, Sonia, who is dressed as a superhero, rescues James Cooper, who falls in a canal. A picture of the rescue goes viral, and Sonia struggles to remain under the radar. When she visits James' family restaurant to check on him, his family mistakes her for his girlfriend. She finds herself not only drawn to the close-knit Black/Indian American family, but his older brother as well. This homage to the 1990s film While You Were Sleeping explores the topics of undocumented immigration, health care and the toxic use of social media with a blend of reality and romance.

I found this one a bit strange over all, It does some interesting things in it's exploration of undocumented people and broken relationships. While the plot is a bit mediocre the additional elements make it worth a read.

This was really cute! I loved the while you were sleeping retelling and the interesting twists and changes this had. Great themes. My complaint was that it was just too long and at times dragged because of that. It would have been better to be trimmed down a bit here and there. Aside from length, I would still recommend to While You Were Sleeping fans.