Audiobook Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 30, 2017
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

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.

Dimple Shah has just graduated from high school and her mother is chomping at the bit to find her a suitable Indian boy to marry. However, Dimple has other plans – she’s been accepted to Stanford to study computer programing. But first, she is attending a six-week summer programming camp where she hopes to win the competition for developing the best app.

Rishi Patel is a traditional Indian boy. He would love to be a suitable boy for Dimple, even though he has never met her. His parents are friends with her parents though, and arrange for him to attend the same camp so that he and Dimple can meet and hopefully start the wheels towards marriage turning. Needless to say, this is not the greatest plan! Dimple and Rishi’s first meeting involves her throwing iced coffee in his face. (Such a waste!)

When Dimple Met Rishi is a sweet, young adult romantic comedy. It alternates quickly back and forth between Dimple and Rishi’s point of view so you always know what they are thinking. The audiobook uses both a male and female narrator, making it easy to keep track of whose perspective you are listening to.

I appreciated that Dimple and Rishi were open and honest with each other. When it comes time for their relationship to become intimate, they have a conversation about it well before taking action. It would have been very easy for the book to veer off into cheesy after-school special territory at this point but it didn’t. Sandhya Menon’s characters sound like real-life teenagers, not like they are trying to teach the reader a lesson.

When Dimple Met Rishi is now a Netflix series called Mismatched. I plan to check it out soon – I hope it’s as charming as the book.