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this is the best type of romance, I want to keep reading more Bollywood and watch more Bollywood movies because this is amazing and everyone should be reading this book

A fun YA romcom read, with the typical desi family dynamics, a personal journey through our FMC, and some cute as hell Bollywood references! I always feel like YA novels could use with a bit more depth, even if we are dealing with not-adult characters. That led to the docking of my rating, but I really did find this to be a fun and entertaining read!

I really, really enjoyed this book. I liked the descriptions of all of the Bollywood and Hindu traditions. I don't have any personal experience with either, but it was so well written that I didn't feel like I was in the dark or missing something.

I will not be reviewing this title as I am participating in the St. Martin's Press boycott. More information can be found at @readersforaccountability on Instagram.

This book was so funny, I was crying laughing throughout it! I loved the setting and context too, I love books where I can learn about different cultures without feeling like I'm reading a textbook and this book did a wonderful job of letting the reader learn through context rather than being spoonfed information.

This was cute and I had a good time reading it. If you're looking for a fun quick YA contemporary. romance, I'd recommend checking this one out. I liked the characters and the plot. I didn't really have any expectations going into this book, and I just enjoyed myself while reading it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute and fun read that also tackled relationship issues, friendship issues, and family drama.

The romance was cute and sweet, a classic enemies (or rivals) to lovers trope, but I think where it really shined was with all of the family drama. As an eldest daughter, I felt for Alina, but it also helped me understand my younger sibling’s point of view.

Another highlight for me was the wedding preparations and celebrations. I loved reading about the outfits and the events, it really made me want to be there celebrating with the family.

A perfect read all year round, it was an adorable novel that made my heart warm. I have rounded up from 4.5 stars to 5 because it was a breath of fresh air.

Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat
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Arya has a lot going on this year: her sister is home and getting married. Her friend group is changing, and she doesn’t want it to! She’s prepping for college. And her high school nemesis is annoying, but also cute, and she is not as annoyed with him…?
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What I liked:
-I was super impressed with this book. It was funny and yet kept right on smacking me in the face with the emotions. I full on WEPT in the later chapters at some of the heartfelt conversations that were had.
-There were some heavy subjects that were tackled here and I thought they were done well.
-I just loved Arya so much and my heart went out to her and everything she was going through.
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4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 If you love emotional YA romcoms then this will be right up your alley. Also I feel like this would be a hit for fans of Emma Lord books.

Arya, a high school senior, is excited to catch up with her older sister, Alina, who is home in anticipation of her upcoming wedding. Arya has so much to juggle this year between college applications, helping her sister with the details of her wedding, family shenanigans, and typical high school friend drama. On top of that, she is serving as the VP for student council and must work closely with her nemesis and senior council president, Dean, to plan their school formal. Once they start to work together, they realize that they may not be enemies after all. Arya must learn to manage her life, have the best senior year ever, and throw the best celebration for her sister.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cute YA rom-com debut! I thought the relationships (between family, friends, and love interests) were the ultimate highlight of this book. I really loved Arya as a character and I appreciated being inside her head during the whole story. Overall, such a sweet and fun read that is exactly what I’m looking for when I want to read YA fiction!

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The premise of this book sounded cute, but it ended up falling flat for me. I can understand what the author was trying to do with the relationship between Arya's sister and their mother, but it ended up invalidating the sister's feelings. Arya was often rewarded for bad behavior, and things just wrapped up a bit too neatly considering the amount of drama that was shaking up throughout the book. I think YA books can absolutely tackle complicated family dynamics, but everything about this was a bit too black and white when this stuff often lives in the gray.

This was exactly the YA book I needed! A fun story about falling in love…
Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment by @arushi.24 is a lovely coming of age story as Arya attempts to figure out her family, friendships, future and love life!
#ilovetoread #yaliterature

This was a really cute YA romance. I loved the characters and the premise of it being like a Bollywood movie. It did read a little young, but I'm not a teenager, so I'm technically not the target audience. Overall, this was cute and I had fun while reading it.

This had the potential to be super cute but it fell flat for me. I didn't get any chemistry between the two and I didn't like the best friend, she was horrible.
I hope this book does wind up in the right hands and that it's loved by those who need it and my library will most definitely get a copy of it for that reason but for me I didn't enjoy it sadly.

Thank you to the punisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I had to many books on my list to get through this one. I started it and got through a couple of chapters but it didn't hold my attention very well. I couldn't get into to the situation. I do wish I had given it more of a chance. I may have changed my opinion further in. I just haven't had time to get back to it.

This was a really cute read! Definitely gave off Never Have I Ever vibes and I am not mad about it. The main characters enemies to friends to lovers was perfectly written. I'm a sucker for that trope.

This was a really good YA contemporary novel, and I love the cover of it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Very cute read. Though culturally women may not be encouraged to be strong and vocal about it - I would have like Arya to be more. The enemies to loves trope fell flat as Arya didn't really develop the needed characteristics or attitude to pull it off.

Avachat's book is a cute afternoon read about a young girl dealing with first love, ambition, and family trauma.
Key themes: Rivals to lovers, coming of age, family conflict.

Overall, Arya is a believable and likeable character. I enjoyed getting to peek into a culture that I am not as familiar and found myself pleasantly surprised that things are explained in way that doesn't beat the reader over the head.
The teenage side characters are mostly likeable, and the adult side characters are relatable and relevant to the plot.

The only negative I have is there were too many "smiles followed by glancing down" references. Seriously. there are a lot.


Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

As a desi person who grew up in North America, this is the kind of book I wish I had had when I was growing up! Such a beautiful little story, truly felt like a Bollywood movie meets Never Have I Ever! Arya was so relatable and the chemistry and blooming romance were adorable. I wish to see more desi rep in romcoms that are at this level of excellence and pure joy!