Friday Memes: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. 380 p. Simon Pulse, May 30, 2017. 9781481478687.

Publisher synopsis: A laugh-out-loud, heartfelt YA romantic comedy, told in alternating perspectives, about two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married.

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

First line: Dimple couldn't stop smiling.

Page 56: Dimple hadn't met Celia until after she'd already put in an application (well before Papa and Mamma had actually said yes-she had to save her spot, just in case), so they hadn't requested each other. She wondered whom she be paired with. Hopefully, not that frosty blond girl who looked like she ate little kids for dessert, though Celia probably wouldn't mind, judging from the way she was still darting glances over at that group.

I picked this arc up at Midwinter just on the cover alone. Isn't it adorable?