I'm so grateful I received an ARC of this book. I feel bad for the poor, unfortunate souls who have to wait until September 24th for its public release. "Payal Mehta's Romance Revenge Plot" is a witty, YA rom-com you won't want to miss!

I went into this book with high expectations. It didn't disappoint! It has academic rivals-to-lovers, diverse characters, LGBTQIA+ representation, and a heartwarming message about staying true to yourself.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is its characters. The main character, Payal, is quirky, headstrong, and completely clueless when it comes to romance. She also says some of the funniest lines! I lost track of the number of times I laughed. Her two closest friends, Niel and Divya, also play a large role in this story. I love their friendship dynamic, and I like that they have personalities outside of being "the side-character friends". Niel and Divya have hobbies and subplots of their own, which is so refreshing to read about.

And then there's Philip. If anything ever happens to Payal (God forbid), I will happily take this man for myself. I love Philip's dry sense of humor. The way he teased, challenged, and supported Payal made him prime book-boyfriend material. Forget love ballads—I want a man who creates bullet-point lists in Google Docs and teases me when I call him out in the comments.

The only reason I'm not giving this five stars is because nothing unexpected ever happens. It's clear how the story will end, and nothing serious arises to challenge that. I wasn't anticipating bank robberies or thrilling murder investigations, but it still struck me how lackluster the actual plot is. I wish the stakes had been a little higher.

Despite this book's predictability, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book shines with its characters and humor. 4/5 stars and a solid recommendation.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher; all opinions are my own.

Seriously LOVED THIS BOOK!! It was such a quick and entertaining read. I found myself cracking up one second and going “omg aww” the next. It was a perfect young adult lit book.

*spoilers*

Things I loved about this book:
It was genuinely so funny and whip smart. The banter between the teens was amazing and I loved all of the Desi culture throughout. I laughed out loud so many times, I lost count.
Payal was such a great character. She was witty and serious, kind and thoughtful, and she was a good friend. I loved how she created the phantom Neil in her mind for advice. It was so fantastic. I loved how she learned about herself and how she stood up for herself in the end.
I loved the friends. Neil and Divya. Even when they made mistakes, you could see why.
I adored Phillip and his incredibly dry, entertaining sense of humor. Effortlessly cool. That bomber jacket though. He was also genuinely so sweet and I loved the Google doc. When you start to see he has feelings for Payal… *sigh*
The footnotes sent me. They were fantastic.
That baseball game.
Payal’s steady gain in confidence.
Oh that magical epic first kiss!!
Phillip’s genuine anguish.
Seriously - the Google doc. I loved it especially at the end.
Payal telling off Jon!!!
The confession at the party!!
That kiss AND hug at the end.

It was soooo good. Keep it on your radar this fall!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was decent? Definitely a really quick read though. I liked the general message but it just felt like something was missing, and it almost fell kind of flat to me. Honestly, it felt like nothing really happened throughout the entire book. Also Neil and Finn are so annoying and I think the whole plot line with them was stupid. It was fine, just exceptionally average and overall not that interesting.