When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

This particular story follows Dimple, an 18 year old girl who just finished high school and is preparing for college. She wants nothing more than to work in web design, and spend all her time coding. She doesn’t want the distraction of romance, and hates that all her mother’s spare time seems to be dedicated to finding her the I.I.H (Ideal Indian Husband). While Dimple's family is Indian, she was born and raised in America, and is trying to escape what she considers the ‘misogynistic’ ideals of Indian marriage.

Rishi was also born and raised in America to Indian parents, but he is very proud of his heritage, wants nothing more than to please his parents, who sacrificed much for him to have a better life. He is happy to have his marriage arranged by his parents. When he is given Dimple's photo, and is told to meet her in San Francisco, he trusts their judgement and starts imagining their life together. There is just one problem, Dimple has no idea who he is!

At times this novel could have come across as far too cheesy and forced, but the main characters are so lovable that I wanted nothing more than for them to both be happy. At times Dimple can be stubborn and a bit of a wet blanket, and Rishi has trouble trying to admit his true dreams (because it may mean disappointing his parents) but I still loved them both, flaws and all. This story was a fun summer read that I will be recommending to a lot of people.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: When Dimple Met Rishi