When Dimple Met Rishi (Dimpleverse, #1)

by Sandhya Menon

Told in alternating perspectives, this heartfelt YA romantic comedy is about two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married.

• ISBN10: 0606414118
• ISBN13: 9780606414111
• Publish Date: 22 May 2018 (first published 30 May 2017)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 13 September 2023
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: Bound for Schools & Libraries ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[bumblingbookworm]

This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Bookworm

I'm definitely in the minority when it comes to this one - this book is absolutely beloved, but for me it just didn't hit the mark.  This was a cute, fun and diverse read and I enjoyed the writing style.  This was such a breeze to read, I sped through it in no time.  One of the things I loved about this was the portrayal of Dimple's feminist views, I found that a very empowering aspect of the book and a joy to read.

Unfortunately there were some things which stopped me from enjoying it as much as I wanted to.  Firstly, I wasn't a fan of how Dimple treated Rishi throughout the book - I loved Rishi and spent most of the book wanting to give him a big hug.  The romance felt forced to me  - I wanted Dimple to rise above the patriarchy, not ultimately end up with the guy to whom her parents have arranged her marriage. I know it was her choice, which made all the difference, but it wasn't what I'd expected from this book. There was also too much focus on the romance and not enough focus on the rest of the plot.  I was expecting more of the coding storyline and that barely featured - this book could've taken place literally anywhere else.  I wish I'd loved this as much as most people seemed to, but unfortunately it wasn't to be.

[Amber]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

 

I bought this book when it was on sale for 99p, and I have to admit it was mostly because of the ~drama~ surrounding it. As far as I can tell, someone wrote a negative review, people didn’t agree with it, and it all kicked off on Twitter. Obviously I had to make up my own mind because jumping into the chaos (which I haven’t actually done because who has time for Twitter drama any more?) so I bought the book.

I have to admit, I didn’t really enjoy it. It was an okay YA contemporary, but I had issues with it. A lot of this is probably because of who I am as a person, and the person that I am really doesn’t like reading about domestic abuse. I’m quite sensitive in that regard, I suppose.

My main issue was that Dimple kept punching (or wanting to punch) Rishi. I feel like I can make slight allowances depending on the setting and situation, but like I said, I’m pretty sensitive to domestic abuse and anything similar. In this situation it was just too much. I am not on board with anyone hitting their love interest. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Dimple and Rishi’s entire relationship is going to be abusive, or anyone is going to suffer from domestic abuse in the long run, but I couldn’t deal with the punching out of anger or exasperation.

And did I ship it? No.

That said, the controversial coffee scene was hilarious. If some random guy came up to me in a coffee shop and introduced himself as my future husband, I would also throw coffee at him and run the hell away.

I liked Rishi, although I didn’t relate to him at all because our beliefs are just so different. But he was an interesting character. I also liked it when Rishi’s brother showed up because that added something to the plot that was previously missing. I.e. excitement. Dimple was… yeah. Eh. I wish I could have seen her doing some more coding because I wanted to read about a female coder.

I did really enjoy Dimple and Celia’s relationship, which started out online and then grew to an IRL friendship. There were a few hiccups along the way, but I liked them.

So this isn’t the best book. There’s not much of a plot, it’s very basic YA, but I did enjoy the Indian representation and the few funny scenes that were scattered throughout.

[Jo]

1.5 Stars.

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

I had been looking forward to reading When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon since I heard it was being published in the UK. There's been so much hype around this book, and it sounded so good, I knew I was just going to love it. Unfortunately, I didn't.

I'm going to talk about what I liked about it first. I loved how feminist Dimple was, and how she was determined to fight back against what she considered to be patriarchal traditions of her culture. She hated how her mother would always criticise her for not trying to look pretty or for not wearing make-up, because how was she was supposed to get a husband otherwise? Dimple believed her mother thought a woman's role was to get married and have a family, but that's not what she wanted, she wanted a career, and a life on her own terms. I loved that about her, and I love how she fought for it.

At the same time, I also loved how traditional Rishi was, and how much respect he had for his parents and how he trusted them to find him a suitable match. I didn't always agree with him, but I didn't need to to respect him for placing value on his cultural heritage, and believing that an arranged marriage was what would ultimately bring him happiness. He didn't want romance, he wanted a long lasting bond, like his parents have.

I loved how passionate both Dimple and Rishi were - Dimple about coding, Rishi about his comic book art. But whereas Dimple was heading for her dream of becoming a coder, Rishi had decided to put aside his love of comic book art to pursue Engineering, a much more practical job that would earn him a good wage so he could look after his future family.

I loved the diversity of the book. Almost all the characters were people of colour; Dimple, Rishi and their families are Indian American, as is Hari, one of the "Aberzombies" - a clique Dimple and Rishi don't like. Rishi's family are Hindu, and I believe Dimple's are, too. Celia, Dimple's room mate, is half Dominican, and I bisexual, although no label is given. And Dimple's father has Diabetes.

However, I didn't feel Dimple and Rishi had any chemistry whatsoever. Yeah, they enjoyed each other's company and had a good time together, but they felt more like friends to me than two people who were falling in love with each other. And because I didn't feel it, I wasn't rooting for them - I just wasn't bothered. Not that it mattered really, because the story was so predictable. You knew exactly where things were going from the very beginning. Being so predictable may not have mattered so much if I felt there was something real between Dimple and Rishi, because then I would have just enjoyed watching things come about, but as I didn't, the predictability was so frustrating.

When Dimple Met Rishi is cute, everyone says so, and I agree - but I'd go so far as to say that it's too cute. There were so many moments that were just so cheesy, and I rolled my eyes more times than I could count. Although Dimple and Rishi's path to love isn't perfect, and definitely not easy, the book itself felt to me like a "perfect romance novel" - by which I mean that you know, while reading, that it's all going to be so cute, everything will work out, and there will be that happy ever after, there's no question about this - and so it felt fictional. It wasn't a story I could believe was real. I was very much aware that this was just a story the whole way through. It wasn't real enough to be believable for me.

And then there's the problem with not much actually happening. Once Dimple and Rishi get together, it's all mooning at each other and swooning. Nothing happens for them, not really. Not until pretty close to the end. And then a subplot around Rishi's brother Ashish comes out of left field, so suddenly, in to time at all, and it just felt like it was added in so that something was happening with someone, even if nothing was happening with Dimple and Rishi. It gave them something else to think about besides each other, I suppose.

Finally, there's Insomnia Con. Where Dimple and Rishi meet, a Summer course in coding that Dimple is over the moon to be going to, as it will help for when she starts at Stanford, and she may get to meet her hero Jenny Lindt. My problem is that I finished the book knowing as much about coding as did when I started - namely, nothing. Dimple is so passionate, but all she talks about is how much she loves it, the app she wants to create, and how she wants it to help her diabetic father. There is absolutely nothing about coding itself. There's nothing about why Dimple loves coding, not even something vaguely poetic about how awesome it is to write a piece of code, stringing characters together in this computer language that will translate into the big, bad boss guy getting closer to you if you haven't tracked your medication or food into the app. Nothing about how she got into coding, nothing about what they actually get taught in their classes, nothing about coding itself. It felt so lazy, like not enough research was done. I'm not expecting Menon to be a coding expert, but there should be something. Yes, this is a romance, but becoming a coder is Dimple's dream, this is what she's fighting for, fighting against her culture. It's so important to the overall plot, yet there's absolutely nothing about it. And while we're talking about Insomnia Con, what was going on with that talent show? Why was it even there? Why, at a convention for learning coding, would you have the students then put on a show for various talents that have nothing to do with coding, and make it a pivotal part of the course (because the winners win points for their overall score, but also a grand, which they can spend on working on their app)? It was so random. I really didn't get it. It broke up the swooning, and gave Ashish something to do while he was there, helping Dimple and Rishi choreograph a Bollywood dance, but it was just confusing and weird, and I didn't get it.

When Dimple Met Rishi was just hugely disappointing. Really just not for me. But there have been a lot of people who loved it, so do read other reviews before deciding whether to read it or not.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for the eProof.

[Joséphine]

July 16, 2017

Full book review is up on Word Revel.

____________

March 27, 2017

Initial thoughts: When Dimple Met Rishi is over 300 pages long and I still managed to finish it in a day! That doesn't happen all too often. It helps that I spent a fair bit in the MRT (subway) and waiting in queues today. Also, I basically ignored my phone because I was so engrossed in the book. It's thoroughly one of those "feel good" type of books that are filled with humour and make you smile. At the same time, it deconstructs misogyny, challenges racism and class discrimination, and considers how cultural traditions can be reconciled with modern ideals. I loved that Dimple is driven by ambition, and that Rishi is fully dedicated to everything he set his heart on too. I think When Dimple Met Rishi should be on top of anyone's list who's looking for a great YA contemporary book, regardless of whether or not they're partial towards romance.

Note: I received a review copy from a local distributor in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Stephanie]

This was pretty dang cute. Some parts were super cheesy for my tastes, but I love Dimple and I love Rishi.

Also, I didn't mind the POV switching, but those chapter breaks felt way off? Was it just me?

[Liz (Bent Bookworm)]

~*This review first appeared here on The Bent Bookworm!*~

Ok, prepare yourself. This review is not the most rational thing I’ve ever written, because I was left in an ooey-gooey pile of feels after finishing this book! I was not. prepared. Modern fiction isn’t generally my thing, but the blurb for WDMR was just too awesome and made me really excited so I had to pick it up. I’m SO GLAD I did!


First off: Dimple. I love her so much! She’s quirky, she’s nerdy, she’s spunky, she’s smart and not embarrassed by it (something I really struggle with). She’s not perfect, and she’s not cookie-cutter. I adored her reaction to Rishi’s first words to her – THAT was perfect. Appropriate? “Nice?” No. But no one is perfect, and we all have different ways of dealing with situations. I’ve seen a little of the mumbo-jumbo i.e., people getting their underpants in a wad over some of the things she does, and my opinion is still that NO, she is NOT perfect, and most readers will love her more for it.

So then, obviously: Rishi! He’s cute. He’s also SUPER traditional. Somehow he manages to be cute at the same time, and I’m still a little confused by that. Hehe. I think Rishi grows as a character the most in the course of the book. He becomes more of his own person, rather than the “good boy” who wants to please his parents so badly he will give up parts of himself to do it.

The story introduced me to Indian culture more and better than anything else I’ve ever read. I don’t have any friends or even acquaintances from that background, so I was a little lost in the beginning by some of the terms and traditions that were more alluded to than explained. Eventually I figured everything out, but I did end up Googling a couple of things.

I also bawled. At one particular point. I was just so crushed and I couldn’t BELIEVE I felt so strongly about “it” because at first I was all for Dimple just saying EFF THIS to everything…but as I read I realized that completely bucking her family’s traditions is not, actually, what will make her happiest. However she IS a modern American woman and as such…she totally does things her way.

Dimple and Rishi’s relationship and them growing into themselves is obviously the main focus of the story, but there are a couple of side plots as well. The first involves some of the other students at the camp they are attending and how disrespectful (to say the least) the rich, white students are to anyone who is “other,” as Dimple puts it. The second involves Rishi’s brother and Dimple’s roommate and I was intrigued enough to hope for a sequel with them as the major characters.

WDMR was one of the most satisfying books I’ve read this year. While of COURSE I would love to read more of Dimple and Rishi’s story, it is beautiful and amazing just as it is and I closed the book entirely happy. 5 stars!

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I. Need. This. Book!!

[liz089]

This one was so incredible cute and wonderful !! I enjoyed reading it so much !! I LOVED Dimple and Rishi is just the cutest EVER !! I really liked reading their story and I finished it before I knew it.. the writing is very easy to follow and just flows naturally. LOVED IT.

[Chelsea]

**Actual rating - 3.5

This was SUCH an adorable book to read! I loved the mix of all that Indian culture because I love learning about it. I thought that it was interesting the Rishi was more traditional and Dimple less so. It made for some really great interactions between the two characters.

I though the first half of this book was really great. I love that Dimple was so focused on becoming a programmer (yay girl programmers!) and I thought it was hilarious that Rishi was only there to meet Dimple. And the fact that Dimple had no idea about the whole thing only made it that much better. I found I could relate to both characters in certain ways. Dimple is a female programmer, like myself, which is never easy and there's some bullying at the start of the book. Rishi is an artist, also like myself, who is having a hard time turning that passion into a lifelong career. I loved both of those elements though I wished we could have seen more about them.

I found the second half of the book a little boring. We started seeing more of the common YA tropes. There was the whole rich, white, privileged kids as the "bad guys" of a sort which I'm beyond tired of seeing. It's getting to be really unoriginal. Plus the whole plot towards the end has been seen way too many times before. It was a little bit of a disappointment at the ending for me.

I was also a little disappointed with Dimple. She had this really strong view that she didn't need to get married, she wanted a career first. I respected her for that! But then she meets Rishi and it's borderline instalove and all her views change. There was so much talk about how great her personality was, being so independent, and she ended up in exactly the spot she didn't want to be in.

Mostly, this book was interesting. I love learning about other cultures like I did with this book. I'm always really interested in seeing how different people can be and this was exactly that kind of book.

[Kelly]

When Dimple Met Rishi is one of the loveliest contemporary young adult novels I've had the privilege of reading and the epitome of young adult literature. Representative and diverse experiences with an affirming narration.

Dimple Shah is a spirited young woman who is determined to push patriarchal career boundaries. Before she attends Stanford University, Dimple plans to attend an internet development program for aspiring developers, much to the dismay of her traditional Indian mother who believes in the traditional roles of women. To marry and raise children.

Rishi Patel is a quiet and charming young man, a traditionalist that has abandoned his artistic passion to pursue an Engineering degree to placate his parents. Before attending University, Rishi will attend a development program to rendezvous with his intended, unbeknownst to Dimple who is accosted by the enthusiastic Rishi.

The romance was captivating.

And then he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, one hand moving up to cup her cheek, thumb just under her jaw while his fingers tangled in her hair. Rishi kissed her with purpose, with meaning, like he believed this was exactly where they were supposed to be in this moment. He kissed her till she believed it too.

Dimple and Rishi are wonderful individuals. Determined and enterprising but ultimately family orientated. Dimple is comfortable within her Indian American heritage but challenges her traditional parental ideals while Rishi is a traditionalist. Although Dimple opposes the perception of the Ideal Indian Husband she remains faithful to her culture. The eldest of two children, Rishi perceives his younger brother as carefree while abandoning his own aspirations of becoming a comic book illustrator, burdened by parental expectations. Rishi allows Dimple to establish the parameters of their tentative friendship, consistently the gentleman.

The narrative traverses a six week period of the development program and over the course of the duration, Dimple establishes a friendship with a girl who she shared an internet friendship with prior to arriving. It also explores casual racism and stereotypes associated with socioeconomically prestige. It was incredibly sex positive and touches upon the choice of sex before marriage and faith, something I've yet to find within young adult.

The infusion of Indian culture was magnificent. Arranged marriage is often viewed as negative and often oppressive by western societal ideals, ignorant perceptions of forced unions and the lovely Mishma addresses the wonderful representation of Indian culture within her review and the concept of positively depicting arranged marriage.

Debut author Sandhya Menon has woven an incredibly endearing narrative, an affluent and opulent diverse narration that is inspiring and delightful.

[girlinthepages]

When Dimple Met Rishi has pretty much been THE book on most bloggers' radars for the spring of 2017. With the continual push for more diversity in YA literature, coupled with the adorable concept and gorgeous cover, I know it snagged my attention months and months ago. When I was lucky enough to be gifted an ARC by a wonderful fellow blogging friend, I was ecstatic. One of my goals for 2017 is to read more diversely, and upon starting the story I was thrilled to see that it not only featured a diverse cast of characters, but was set in the Bay Area (I cannot believe I didn't know this prior to reading!) So I settled in for a story that was sure to capture my heart for a multitude of reasons.

When Dimple Met Rishi reads like a rom-com in the best way. A hilarious "meet-cute," an anything-can-happen-summer setting, and a colorful cast of family characters who are always hovering around the periphery of the story made it a joy to read. It really captured the essence of Bay Area culture right NOW, from the local references (hey, Karl) to the ever-present technology industry that's top of mind no matter what part of the Bay you reside in. I loved catching all of the San Francisco references and soaking up the SFSU setting, and reading about InsomniaCon, a completely normal and plausible seeming event that no one in the Bay Area would question. Seeing Dimple as a female character involved in the STEM field and wielding such a desire to design and code was also seriously cool, and her interest in such topics never felt forced or insincere.

What really drew me to the novel, however, was the cultural aspects of Dimple and Rishi's Indian heritage and how it impacted the plot of the story. The huge, overarching conflict is driven by both Rishi and Dimple's families hoping to facilitate an arranged marriage between the two of them (a fact that Rishi is aware of, but that Dimple is not). However, there are many more day to day interactions between Dimple, Rishi, and their families that showcase their culture and family dynamics in smaller ways, but that are still really interesting to consider and learn about. Despite their differing attitudes toward their parents and Indian culture (Dimple is restless and resentful, Rishi embraces and encourages tradition), they both are able to bond over their similar upbringing and the notion that their parents and even extended families are ALWAYS involved in every aspect of their lives and their decisions, a concept that is foreign and hard to fathom to their friends and peers outside of their culture. I also loved that over the course of the novel they were able to see each other's viewpoints, and Dimple was able to acknowledge the positive aspects of her family and upbringing while Rishi eventually realizes that he has been confined and restricted in certain aspects of his life due to his.

While the diversity represented in this novel was my favorite aspect, however I do wish that it hadn't been juxtaposed against secondary characters who at times lacked complexity and depth to serve the purpose of an antagonist and broad sweeping stereotypes ("Aberzombies," negative references to Greek life, etc.) I also would have loved to see Celia's character focus a bit more on her Latin background, rather than her constant friendship dramas with the "popular"/bad crowd (by the end of the book she felt like a caricature of someone trying too hard).

Perhaps what really makes When Dimple Met Rishi stand out is its portrayal of a healthy, respectful relationship in YA. I am always SO excited to come across relationships that can be used as role models, while still portraying challenges and obstacles to the characters being together. While Dimple and Rishi have their fair share of differences, I enjoyed the joy and mutual respect throughout the course of their courtship, the introduction and integration of physical intimacy in an open and rational way, and the message of making relationship decisions for yourself. While the book did at times feel a little "insta-lovey" to me toward the end, I appreciate the overall messages the story sends about what a relationship between two young adults can be.

Overall: When Dimple Met Rishi is a book that will put a smile on your face. It's a fun and fluffy love story with a diverse twist, wonderfully exploring and depicting Indian-American culture. While I did have a few issues with it, I think it's a novel that's needed in the YA contemporary genre that will appeal to many, many readers. I can't wait to read the author's future works, and hope that she continues to bring her culture into her YA novels!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages