When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Out now from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; 384 pages
About the Author: “Sandhya Menon is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels with lots of kissing, girl power, and swoony boys. Her books have been featured in many cool places, including The Today Show, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, NPR, Seventeen, Entertainment Weekly, and Buzzfeed. Three of her books have won the Colorado Book Award, and her Dimpleverse series was turned into a hit TV show with Netflix India. A full-time dog servant, Sandhya makes her home in the foggy mountains of Colorado. With a glass of wine at her elbow, she also pens adult romances under the name Lily Menon” (Bio from author’s website).
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When Dimple Met Rishi is a story of love, familial differences, and trying to pave your own path. This is one of those stories that you can’t help but hope for a happy ending. The two main protagonists Dimple and Rishi are both very intelligent, but their ideals of love are quite different. Martial tradition is prevalent within the novel and while Rishi sees this as a gift Dimple views as something invasive. Dimple’s mother believes that this tradition is important as well. Due to this decides to take matters into her own hands by allowing Dimple to attend a web development program called Insomnia Con. Dimple is unaware that she is permitted to go not because of the educational value, but so that she can meet a potential husband. Rishi himself agrees to go to the program with the expectations of meeting his match. This would only end with a cup of coffee to the face because Dimple wants nothing to do with a relationship. Despite this rocky start, the reader witnesses them working together when creating an app for the program.
It is always a joy to see characters engage with one another and come to realize that they find safety in one another that is not so easily found with others. It shows that safe spaces are created by the relationships we form. It was also important for me to note that both characters stumble as they grow. The mistakes that they make can show readers that getting it wrong sometimes is okay as long as you are providing yourself room to learn from those mistakes. I loved how this novel exhibits how readers can advocate their thoughts like Dimple or believe in themselves like Rishi. When Dimple Met Rishi exhibits that even with different perspectives about the way of life there can still be a level of understanding and appreciation for different ways of thinking. Sandhya Menon captivates a diverse look at Indian American teenagers who are navigating their culture and growing up in the process. Menon also does a wonderful job of not invalidating the way the characters feel just because there is a difference of opinion. Both Dimple and Rishi are loveable characters because of the support that they show one another. This is more than a story about loving someone, it’s about learning how to grow with love.
PRR Writer, Destiny Gilchrist