This book is marketed for those who loved the hit Netflix TV show, “Never Have I Ever.” As soon as I saw that line, I knew I had to request this ARC. I absolutely loved that show and likewise absolutely loved this book.

The characters are well developed and the plot moves along at a pace that kept me engaged the entire time. The book itself covered some tougher topics, but in a lighter way. I love when authors can do this and create a book that deals with tough topics, but in a lighter way that doesn’t instantly make you want to put the book down because it’s too tough to read. I love to read as a form of escapism.

If you enjoyed this book and haven’t seen “Never Have I Ever” on Netflix, I definitely think you should check it out!

This was such a sweet, fun read! I really enjoyed the Bollywood style romance and the references to Bollywood movies. Plus any book that mentions Bend It Like Beckham is already a book I want to read! :)

The romance was definitely not the primary relationship that the story focuses on which surprised me given how the book was marketed, so I was a little disappointed we didn’t get more of Dean and Arya’s love story. But the scenes with the two of them were so very Pride and Prejudice- like that I soaked it all up anyway.

I did really enjoy the story of Arya’s relationship with her family- particularly her sister and mother. There was a lot of emotional depth to this story, and it made this YA rom com stand out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for this ARC to review! :)

This was a BEAUTIFULLY told tale of family going through changes and challenges together. Told through an immigrant daughters' eyes, details the struggles of growing up and navigating the intricacies of love and high school politics. I'd love to see another novel featuring Arya's college journey and how she and her family continues. 100/10 stars!

This was such a fantastic debut! I truly never wanted it to end. Meet Arya Khanna, a high school senior who has a lot on her plate. She's in the midst of helping prepare for her sister Alina's wedding, and while she's thrilled to have her sister back home again, Arya can't shake the lingering resentment that affects their relationship, or the underlying tension surrounding the whole family. On top of that, she's juggling classwork, college applications, and a part-time job at the cozy local bookstore, feeling stuck in the middle of her two best friends after a breakup between them, and navigating confusing feelings for her academic rival, Dean Merriweather. Can Arya achieve her goals, fix the fractured relationships between her family and friends, and still experience her dream Bollywood moment—all in time for her sister's shaadi?

I loved this book so much! I really enjoyed the exploration of themes like culture (especially the descriptions of food and all the wedding preparations!), family, and dealing with change. All of the characters feel really well-developed, realistic, and compelling. It's so easy to get invested in all of their relationships, whether it's family, friendship, or romance. I also love how the story captures everyday life and what it feels like to be at this "turning point"—almost done with high school, looking forward to starting a new chapter, but at the same time, not quite wanting this current one to be over yet. I'd honestly love to read a sequel one day about Arya, Dean, and their friends at college! I just can't wait to see what Arushi Avachat does next. If you love shows like Never Have I Ever and Gilmore Girls, and coming-of-age stories with likable characters to root for, add this one to your TBR list ASAP! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I love that I understood all the Hindi phrases and the Bollywood references. I think it made for a much more fun read.

Perhaps I expected something more complex and dramatic as this was after all a south asian romance LOL. but it didn’t live up to that expectation.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the story was cute and fun and the pace was rather good but I feel like so many of the scenes were left abruptly and not resolved properly.

Coming from an ethnic background myself I think, I understand the complexity of a desi family unit and thus the way things were handled between the sister and the mom was not realistic (I know its a book) but it could have been dealt with way better. Perhaps she was trying for a more realistic angle but not completely resolving everything but it just didn’t do it for me.

The friendships also felt forced, i didn’t feel any genuine feelings there. I didn’t loathe any of the characters so that’s always a plus lol. However all the side characters were flat.

As for the romance, I know we were going for the rivals to lovers (P&P Jane Austen style) and that one scenes where Dean was asking Arya he didn’t understand how Elizabeth can go from hating Darcy to loving him and I think the author try to do the same (getting to know things about him bit by bit until those feelings change) however I think that there should have been more banter that wasn’t hostile but rather lowkey flirting, yearning, annoyance but wanting and I think that didn’t hit the mark for me.

I did like them together just wished there was more build up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This is a super cute and fun debut, will look for more from this author.

The cultural elements are well done and descriptive and the story itself is fun and altogether adorable. Great mix of family dynamics, culture, and a bit of romance.

✰ 4.5 stars! ✰
This book was super enjoyable! I really liked the incorporation of culture (especially the food descriptions).
The characters felt realistic and I loved the complex dynamics Arya had with her family. The romance was cute and I appreciated how there was just the right amount to not take away from the other aspects of the book.
Overall, this was such an impressive debut!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

oh my goodness! this was adorable and fun and sweet and cool and hilarious! i loved this book so very much and i hope that you'll pick it up! thank you so much to netgalley!!!!

I really really enjoyed this book!

Arya is helping her older sister plan her wedding. She’s trying to have fun and make the most of it but there are a lot of stressors for Arya.
First is that she has barely seen her sister in years. When her sister dropped out of college she basically dropped contact with the family for three years. Yes, Arya is happy she’s home but she’s cautious and it’s not all easy going to try to get back to their original connection.
And in connection to that, Arya’s mom seems like maybe she has depression. So it hurt Arya to see her mom struggling more while her sister was gone.

In addition to these dramas, Arya’s two best friends used to date but have broken up. Her female best friend has kept her at a distance and it’s been easier staying connected to her male best friend. Arya wants to keep them both but she doesn’t know how.

She also suddenly finds herself seeing her former nemesis Dean in a new light.

It might sound like a lot of drama for poor Arya but I feel like she handled things pretty well and still managed to have some fun in the process.

This book was really well written. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next.

I received an early ebook edition from NetGalley then received a physical arc. Thank you!

This was my first YA book in a while, and this was a great book to get back into the genre! Arya was a great character who dealt with a lot of stuff in her life in very teenage way. I loved how you could tell how much she loved her family and friends. She worked so hard to be honest about her feelings with those she loved and owned up to her mistakes. Also loved all the senior year drama and the lovely fall feels. A wonderful read!

Told in the style of a Bollywood Film, Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment is a captivating, adorable, and simultaneously moving young adult romance. Arya is entering her senior year of high school, and there is a lot going on in her life. Her sister, who abruptly left after a blowout with their mother, has returned home engaged and preparing for her Shaadi. Her two best friends, who were dating, recently broke up, causing awkwardness and tension in her relationships with them. And at school, Arya is thrust into the role of Student Body Vice President after she lost the election to her rival since Freshmen Year, Dean Merriweather, who the blurb describes as “frustratingly attractive.” Arya must cope with her built up resentment toward her sister, a fallout with one of her best friends, and her budding friendship with Dean that could be turning into something more.

To say that I loved this novel is an understatement! Despite being the author’s debut, Avachat comes off as a seasoned writer, expertly crafting an excellent romance novel. This book contains so many elements that readers will enjoy, including a rivals to friends to lovers romance and complicated family dynamics. Arya is a loveable character, who absolutely gets bonus points for being a Swifite and working at a bookstore.

I can’t even explain how much I adored the romance in this book. There were so many cute moments between the couple as they fell in love, and watching their relationship develop was truly a joy. Dean is such an amazing love interest for Arya, and their relationship was everything I could have hoped for and more.

I also adored the family dynamics in this book. Arya’s relationship with her sister is complex and layered, and there are moments in the book where I was on the verge of tears. The
concept of her mother’s sadness and her father’s flaws were also interesting and thought provoking. This, combined with the romance and the complicated friendships, allowed me to be captivated the whole time I was reading.

There is so much to love about Ayra Khanna’s Bollywood Moment, and I could truly praise this book for the rest of time. I highly recommend checking this out when it comes out on January 9th, 2024!

This book really touches on a lot of difficult topics. From sibling rivalry, depression, and friend breakups, this book touches on it all while throwing in some enemies to lovers romance! I also really enjoyed learning more about a culture that wasn't my own. This book really kept my attention the whole time. It was sweet and held a lot of feeling. Arya the main character is likable and you feel for her as she goes along in life. I really enjoyed this and I highly recommend! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

This book was so much fun! I had no idea there would be academic rivals to lovers, so it was a nice surprise to see some romance throughout the novel. I also loved the nuance when discussing family dynamics. This book was not at all what I expected, and the surprise of having a book about a complicated and frustrated mc turned out to be a good one! I really liked this South Asian coming of age novel and will be recommending it to all my YA contemporary loving friends!

This was a cute fluffy coming to age novel but I did felt that overall, it was extremely rushed. The major plot events throughout the novel happened so quickly and I felt like the payoff for said events wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Arya's family dynamics were very interesting to me but I didn't like how Arya's mom depression seems to be brushed aside for the majority of the book. I really wished the author delved deeper with that because it just seems weird how Arya's mom is struggling with depression but we as readers don't really understand the true cause for said depression. Arya's father is also written as clueless and not a good husband but why is he like that? That question is never answered throughout the novel.

Arya and Dean were cute but it was so obvious that Dean had a crush on her. I was definitely not really getting enemies to lovers with the two like that. Overall, I enjoyed the book for what it was but I did wish the author delved deeper into the characters because I felt like most of the characters development was rushed. I also wished that we got to see more of Arya's sister wedding. I was waiting for the whole book for it but we only got a little glimpse of it towards the ending.

Arya Khanna is a remarkable debut that resonates with genuine emotion and sincerity. With its intricate portrayal of a multifaceted family, a heartwarming romance, and moments of irresistible humor, this novel introduces a captivating new voice to the contemporary literary scene. The delightful progression from rivals to lovers, fueled by his exploration of Jane Austen and Bollywood films on her behalf, adds an enchanting layer to the story. The exploration of the intricate sisterly bond and Arya's journey through self-discovery, familial dynamics, and friendships adds depth to the narrative. The book boasts a rich tapestry of characters, each uniquely crafted, and evokes a myriad of nuanced feelings. Anticipation brims for the wider release of this compelling tale into the world.

Perhaps since I am not the target audience for most young-adult fictions and/or romances, I’ve come across very many that felt empty to me. I think what they lacked was something that I felt I could connect to, or something worthwhile to take away from a story geared toward younger, more impressionable audiences. That being said, Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment definitely fulfilled my wishes for an engaging and worthwhile young adult story. I felt that we were able to connect with Arya and the side characters throughout the entire story. I really enjoyed how Avachat conveyed the Khannas in terms of their relationships with each other and how Arya was effected by them. The story was fun and felt realistic to the experiences of a high school girl. I enjoyed the writing style and the pop culture references! I think once this book hits the shelves it will be a huge success amongst teenagers and adults alike!

I thought this was a great YA book. It had all the aspects of a good book and the plot never fell flat. I loved the si culture that this book had, and thought that it was amazing representation. This is definitely one of those books that I can see my library never having in stock. I am so excited for people to connect with this book the way I did!

Grab yourself a chai (maybe iced, if it's warm outside), curl up in a comfy spot, and settle yourself in for an enjoyable read.

Arushi Avachat has written a charming confection of a YA senior year romance-tinged story, with a deeper underlying premise that surprised me, and will draw the reader in. You know from the moment you see the pink Bollywood-tinged cover that you are going to get a happy ending, but there are enough bumps along the way to make it interesting (which might be my sweet spot as a reader).

Arya, the main character, has a lot going on as her family prepares for her long-absent sister's impending Shaadi celebrations. Along with all the requisite shopping and pre-wedding gatherings, she's navigating school, feeling unmoored by the breakup of her two best friends (who does she support?) and surprising herself with maybe, sort of liking the guy who's been her nemesis throughout high school. And her family isn't exactly functional.

It's the family piece, as well as the navigating evolving friendships, that is particularly well-captured here. Arya has to really work to figure out whether her relationship with her sister is worth salvaging, and also to try and bring her mom and sister together in some kind of meaningful way. I've been watching The Marvelous Mrs Maisel lately, and wondering if Midge's dad, Abe, might make an interesting comparison with the role of Arya's dad.

Readers coming in with a solid backing in Bollywood stories will enjoy the familiarity of the way all of this plays out.
4 solid stars, and your YA readers looking for a rom-com with a little bit more going on underneath the frills will enjoy this.
Thanks to St Martin's Press and Net Galley for the e-arc.

I loved this book so much! It had so many fun Bollywood references and I loved recognizing songs/ideas. Arya is such a loveable character and I really enjoyed following her story. This is a great book!

I adored this novel!
I love how naturally Dean and Arya's enemies to friends to lovers story line progressed. I love that there wasn't an insta-love vibe and how we got to see them grow throughout the story.
The only character I felt was unreasonable was Lisa but I like that she communicated with Arya toward the end.
If you're wondering whether you should read this or not, YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD. It was worth every moment I spent reading.