A New York Times bestseller An NPR Best Book of 2017 A Buzzfeed Best YA Book of 2017 A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2017 A School Library Journal Best Young Adult Book of 2017 A Bustle Best YA Novel of 2017 A PopSugar Best Young Adult Novel of 2017 A Book Riot Best Book of 2017 A Paste Magazine Best Young Adult Novel of 2017 “Effervescent.” –Chicago Tribune “Full of warm characters and … Riot Best Book of 2017
A Paste Magazine Best Young Adult Novel of 2017
“Effervescent.” –Chicago Tribune
“Full of warm characters and sweet romance.” –Entertainment Weekly
“Get ready to fall in love with Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel.” —HelloGiggles
The rom-com everyone’s talking about Eleanor & Park meets Bollywood in this hilarious and heartfelt novel about two Indian-American teens whose parents conspire to arrange their marriage.
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.more
I’ve read all the Dimpleverse books, but the first one is still my favorite.
I have been meaning to read this book for a while now and I’m so glad I finally did.
I also don’t think there is that much more that I can say that has not been said about this book.
This book was super cute and fun to read
I enjoyed the characters though Dimple took a few pages to really like. She seemed almost a bit too headstrong or stubborn but that went away as I got to know her better. I really ended up liking her. Rishi, I loved from the beginning. He was sweet funny and yet a little sad side to him but for the most part he is Mr. positive and just has a way to make you smile.
The story as mentioned was super cute and funny. Their meeting first time meeting was priceless. It also had a lot but not overwhelming amount of Indian Culture, which I really enjoyed. It had a great flow and was fast paced and super easy to follow which made it for a quick read. I did liked the setting of the book as far as the Con and I also enjoyed the side characters that actually had a twist to them.
Overall I really loved the book and I would give it 5 stars but of course we have some very predicable drama as well, which I thought could have been avoided and is just such a trope in YA, NA or really any contemporary romance or rom-com.
Aside from that I really loved this book and looking forward of reading more books by this author.
I rate it 4
When Dimple Met Rishi is an absolutely adorable coming of age romance. Dimple is a headstrong fiercely independent young woman. Dimple is striving for the career of her dreams and believes that means she cannot have love. Rishi is bound by duty and responsibility. He believes he needs to marry for practicality and go to school for a reliable career. Rishi and Dimple balance each other and push each other to be true to themselves.
I really enjoyed the fact that this book had a cast of diverse characters. This is the first book I’ve read that focused on characters with an Indian background and I greatly enjoyed it. I definitely recommend this to YA romance fans.
*This is a YA book with sexual content and fade-to-black scenes*
I really enjoyed this book. I can’t remember if it was on TikTok or some other social media that I saw this book being talked about, but I’m so glad I ended up reading it. I also had no idea that there were other book in this world. I’m reading the companion novel about Sweetie now. The fact that I moved on to the next book so quickly speaks highly for this book and how impressed I was with the author. I even looked at her GoodReads page to see what else she’s written.
I think the meet cute in this story is just adorable, and hilarious. I literally laughed out loud. And I like the way the relationship between these two characters progressed so naturally in spite of what their parents tried to do. I also love how both Dimple and Rishi have something they are truly passionate about, and how they help each other with that aspect of their lives.
I’ve been really enjoying reading books about people with different cultures than my own. Not only are they entertaining, but I feel like I’m learning something and opening my eyes to the numerous other ways of life out there.
When Dimple met Rishi she dumped her ice coffee on them. Well, that’s what happens when a stranger comes up to a girl and says, “Hello, future wife.” But how was Dimple to know Rishi was joking and that their parents had arranged for them to meet a computer science camp, hopefully hit it off, and one day get married? She just came for the coding. But who knows what will happen.
This was a super cute YA read. It felt modern and fresh, and I loved the insight into Indian-American culture, especially from the perspective of two eighteen year-olds struggling to understand their place in the world and their parent’s ideals. Some of the characters were pretty stereotypical, and it felt a little simple, but this is common enough in YA it didn’t bother me. It was a great representation love that really did feel like that “first-young-love-feeling” but not that “oh they’re stupid teenagers they’ll grow out of it” kind of feeling. I was really rooting and Rishi and Dimple and enjoyed their mutual exploration of what it meant for them to be together. If you’re looking for a feel-good love story, this one is perfect. Would recommend for those who like/are looking for YA.
Was somewhere between a 7/10 (4 star) and 8/10 (5 star) on this one.
Right from the beginning this audiobook held my attention.
That says a lot. Usually with an audiobook, I get distracted easily or fade in and out of listening. With this story, I actaully found myself stopping to listen to what was happening.
Dimple and Rishi are such great characters. You want them to be together. You are so focused on being their cheer squad through this whole love story. Two people, strangers, arranged yet not arranged. All the makings of a great tale and it didn’t disappoint.
You get so invested in this story and the characters. It was everything you wanted and more!
Romance fans are gonna love this one, just like I did!
Dive into the cute and lovely love story of Dimple and Rishi which is full of laughter and funny moments.
Sandhya Menon is my new favourite indian author
Great book even not so young adults will enjoy
This book first appeared on my radar when I saw a lot of hype for its sequel, There’s Something About Sweetie. I have my own set of go-to authors, as I’m sure most avid readers do, and I’ve realized over the years I need a bit more diversity. Don’t get me wrong, the authors I tend to read are not closed minded, but they are also smart enough to write in the voice they know and not try to attempt writing POC, which they are not. I’ve been making more of an effort to seek out authors of color and other diverse backgrounds to help me become a more well-rounded reader. This was a great book for that goal.
Seeing Dimple and Rishi, before they meet, in their home environments is a great eye-opener for trying to understand American women who have a strong traditional Indian foundation at home. The expectations they face from their families vastly differ from those they face with their peers outside of the home. Dimple is a very strong minded and strong-willed young lady. She is fiercely smart and doesn’t care what others think of her. Dimple often feels bad for disappointed her mom, but more because she can’t quite understand why her mom can’t see things from her point of view and at least try to understand her hopes and dreams are different than those her mom has always held for her daughter.
Rishi’s a very responsible young man. His parents aren’t overly strict with him, but they haven’t had to be. He’s the type to fall in line on his own because tradition is very important to him. Making his parents proud is also very high on his list of priorities. So much so that he hasn’t even realized how much he has quashed his own dreams along the way. I wouldn’t say Rishi is uptight, he knows how to have fun and is ready to laugh make jokes. But he doesn’t know how to deviate from what he feels are the important traditions in his world.
Oh, these two together are magic. They have so much to learn from one another. There is an amazing meet cute that had me giggling at the same time it had me feeling mortified for Rishi. Once things are straightened out, the chemistry between Rishi and Dimple is evident…even when Dimple tries to ignore the sparks. In the long run, there is no denying these two together are pure magic.
There are some slow spots along the way, but nothing that drags on too long. And the bumps and roadblocks that you would expect do happen, but the author does a beautiful job of telling the tale of how things work through to the end. I’m now looking forward to reading that initial book that caught my eye even more, as well as seeking out any other work by this author. I love how she shone a spotlight on so many things the children of immigrants have to contend with. (There’s a particularly telling scene in a restaurant that shows the completely disparate paths these young adults often take.) All this being done with a level of entertainment that gets her point across without the reader feeling lectured. That takes true talent.
See more of my reviews at https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/16/when-dimple-met-rishi-dimple-and-rishi/
A glimpse into a culture clash with hopes and dreams tied in.
Very cute love story of two young high school seniors, Dimple and Rishi, whose parents arrange their marriage—without Dimple knowing anything about it. When she arrives at a pre-college program for coding, her passion, Rishi is there too…but not because he loves coding. He’s simply eager to get to know his future wife. As you can imagine, this doesn’t go over well with the independent Dimple. I enjoyed reading about the culture clash between the generations in these Indian-American families, and Rishi is straight up hilarious and sweet/touching throughout.
An enjoyable multi-cultural read.
I loved When Dimple Met Rishi! It features a cute romance. Not only do the two main characters fall in love, but you also start to adore them as a reader. I particularly liked how Menon flipped the theme of arranged marriages into something culturally positive.
All the tidbits of the characters’ beliefs about culture and thinking made for a great book in terms of how to create identity and what things are taken from one generation to the next. I’m also glad that she set this story at a summer conference for web developers.
I did hit a slight snag in the beginning when Dimple is first introduced. It seemed like she took on the rebellious archetype and acted a tad too disrespectful to her elders for my taste. Thankfully, that feeling was short-lived during the first chapter, and I was able to understand Dimple’s perspective soon enough.
The only other minor issue I have is that it’s a very predictable love story. Sure, there are obstacles along the way, but it’s definitely a general rush to happily ever. I do applaud Menon, though, for making Dimple a thinking woman who stands up for herself and makes sure she doesn’t just get reduced to a role or caricature.
Overall, an adorable love story.
This was as wonderful as everyone said. Why didn’t I get to it sooner?! Dimple and Rishi captured my heart from the start and I could not get enough of the evolution of their relationship. This was a heart-warming, happy read…although it made me cry too because of how strongly I empathized with the characters. It was also refreshing to read a book that got the San Francisco setting right!
Charming new adult romance whose main characters just happen to be non-European American something we need more of. Give this book a chance.
Very cute story
Everything I love about romantic comedy, packed into a YA romance with an Indian-American hero and heroine, a fun STEM workshop setting, great friends, first love, comic art, and a bit of drama with iced coffee.
I didn’t know how much i needed this book! In a sea full of whiteness in YA, When Dimple Met Rishi is really a breath of fresh air that really makes me understand why reading about PoC MC’s are so important to me. My favorite thing about this one was that there was no “white gaze”, in fact, ALL the MC’s and side characters were of color for the most part(all the important ones anyways) so I couldn’t help feeling more engaged knowing they would be the center of the universe. Even if only for this one book.
The thing about this book is that even though they’d only known each other for the few short weeks of their summer workshop, they really made me feel like you can fall in love in just a few weeks time. This book was pro-intimacy and discussed safe sex practices that I feel like are so necessary for books marketed towards teen audiences. And plus they were two brown kids loving each other. While I’m a huge fan of IR couples in books, I love when two people of similar cultures bond even more. Especially when it’s two PoC. This one was just a huge win for me. I don’t think I’ll read anything I’ll love more than this for 2017!
I think what I really loved about this book was how supportive both Rishi and Dimple were of each other. They really pushed each other to fight for what they wanted and it led to such a beautiful and much anticipated HEA. I’ll admit, I prefer first person narratives, but this book was so darn good, it made me forget that it was 3rd person, something I don’t say about every book.
Overall, Dimple was such an amazing heroine who was smart and was her own person outside of Rishi, and Rishi was Book Bae for real. Very Recommended!
Loved this book. A great YA that really gets into two completely different viewpoints people. A very strong contemporary teenage girl and a teenage boy who embraces his Indian family’s viewpoint of arranged marriage.
I have so many conflicting feelings about this book, and I find myself more and more indecisive the more distance I have from it.
I LOVED the first third or so. It was everything I dreamed. Dimple and Rishi are ADORBS and their friction at the beginning reminded me of “Bride and Prejudice” in all the right ways. I was locked in and ready for a fun, brimming battle of attraction and wit, simmering up to a romantic ending. But… that wasn’t actually the way it went?
Some things sadly got in the way for me:
– The romance was pretty darn fast and all-consuming, despite Dimple telling us often that it wouldn’t be. Some points go to the story for Dimple being semi-aware of this, but personally I would’ve liked it more if the romance had been left on simmer while the characters got on with other things.
– I liked that Dimple and Rishi challenged each other’s values… but in the end (as with most stories) I felt a little like the modern voice was teaching the traditional one. Rishi’s character definitely changed the most in the course of his arc… and I’m just not sure that Dimple’s arc really balanced it.
– Some of the things Dimple got Rishi to do against his better judgment (simple example: pressuring him to eat a semi-suspicious brownie at a party, which she knew was harmless (but didn’t tell him), just to get a reaction) made me feel a bit sorry for Rishi and a bit ambivalent about Dimple. It bothered me that she could manipulate his convictions for fun, instead of respecting his nerves and morality with honesty. But I know that could very much just be a me thing and most readers probably wouldn’t even notice.
– I didn’t connect great with the side characters in the second half of the book, and they sort of felt like they were having drama to add length…?
– I felt disappointed in the lack of STEM on the page. On-screen plot time centers more around the talent show (Rishi and Dimple do a dance) instead of the actual creation of the app. I expected/wanted a story about app creation (and I liked Dimple’s idea!), but that didn’t really happen.
Overall, it was a fun read. I really liked so much about Sandhya Menon’s writing and I was giggling through most of the book. Will definitely be looking forward to her next release!