I received an eARC from the publisher and NetGalley. Thank you! This is a spoiler free review.
My So-Called Bollywood Life
Written by Nisha Sharma
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
Publisher: Crown BFYR
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Pages: 304
Source: ebook ARC provided by Crown BFYR and NetGalley
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository
Recommended Age: 13 and up!
Summary:
Winnie Mehta was never really convinced that Raj was her soulmate, but their love was written in the stars. Literally, a pandit predicted Winnie would find the love of her life before her 18th birthday, and Raj meets all of the qualifications. Which is why Winnie is shocked to return from her summer at film camp to find her boyfriend of three years hooking up with Jenny Dickens. Worse, Raj is crowned chair of the student film festival, a spot Winnie was counting on for her film school applications. As a self-proclaimed Bollywood expert, Winnie knows this is not how her perfect ending is scripted.
Then there’s Dev, a fellow film geek, and one of the few people Winnie can count on to help her reclaim control of her story. Dev is smart charming, and challenges Winnie to look beyond her horoscope to find someone she’d pick for herself. But does falling for Dev mean giving up on her prophecy, and her chance to live happily ever after? To get her Bollywood-like life on track, Winnie will need a little bit of help from fate, family, and of course, a Bollywood movie star.
Like an expertly choreographed Bollywood dance scene, Nisha Sharma’s off-beat love story dazzles in the lime light.
Review:
I picked up My So-Called Bollywood Life because of the diversity, even though I don't know very much about Bollywood. I ended up really enjoying it both for the diversity and for the hilarious antics that the characters got up to.
Winnie Mehta was never really convinced that Raj was her soulmate, but their love was written in the stars. Literally, a pandit predicted Winnie would find the love of her life before her 18th birthday, and Raj meets all of the qualifications. Which is why Winnie is shocked to return from her summer at film camp to find her boyfriend of three years hooking up with Jenny Dickens. Worse, Raj is crowned chair of the student film festival, a spot Winnie was counting on for her film school applications. As a self-proclaimed Bollywood expert, Winnie knows this is not how her perfect ending is scripted.
Then there’s Dev, a fellow film geek, and one of the few people Winnie can count on to help her reclaim control of her story. Dev is smart charming, and challenges Winnie to look beyond her horoscope to find someone she’d pick for herself. But does falling for Dev mean giving up on her prophecy, and her chance to live happily ever after? To get her Bollywood-like life on track, Winnie will need a little bit of help from fate, family, and of course, a Bollywood movie star.
Like an expertly choreographed Bollywood dance scene, Nisha Sharma’s off-beat love story dazzles in the lime light.
Review:
I picked up My So-Called Bollywood Life because of the diversity, even though I don't know very much about Bollywood. I ended up really enjoying it both for the diversity and for the hilarious antics that the characters got up to.
COVER
The cover is very cute and I like how it is a drawn girl on the front instead of a weird picture that is supposed to represent the main character. I really like how it is bold and colorful.
The cover is very cute and I like how it is a drawn girl on the front instead of a weird picture that is supposed to represent the main character. I really like how it is bold and colorful.
WORLD-BUILDING
I like the setting but there wasn't really any world-building because it is very modern but we get to learn about her backstory and how her life is lived which is great.
I like the setting but there wasn't really any world-building because it is very modern but we get to learn about her backstory and how her life is lived which is great.
Then there are the characters.
WINNIE
Winnie was a great main character. She was so fierce and feisty (she stole back her DVDs from her ex and then buried them like that takes guts). She had a lot of goals and dreams and she was going to reach them. One thing that I didn't like about her life was that it was very driven around boys and her love life. I didn't like this because that's clearly not what everyone talks about with their friends. I did love how she was obsessed with films and had a film blog which was so great.
DEV
Dev is the love interest of Winnie who has liked her for a long time but pushed it aside because Winnie was with Raj for a very long time. Dev was really supportive for Winnie and knew what she wanted to do with her life and wasn't going to stop her from doing it. Also, Dev did an entire Bollywood dance number for Winnie which is goals.
FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY
Friendship and family are great topics in this book. Winnie's family is big on having her fulfill this prophecy that says that she'll find true love with with Raj and seems to not care that she breaks up with him. However, despite this, they learn to accept what she wants which is great. Friendship is also a big topic in this book. As I mentioned before, Winnie's best friend and her talk a lot about boys and relationships. Despite this, her friends are really supportive of her which I really liked.
Friendship and family are great topics in this book. Winnie's family is big on having her fulfill this prophecy that says that she'll find true love with with Raj and seems to not care that she breaks up with him. However, despite this, they learn to accept what she wants which is great. Friendship is also a big topic in this book. As I mentioned before, Winnie's best friend and her talk a lot about boys and relationships. Despite this, her friends are really supportive of her which I really liked.
PLOT
The plot is cute. I love how they are trying to create a festival so they can bring attention to their films and their love for film. I liked seeing Winnie and her family and friends ups and downs and seeing how they develop throughout the book is great. I also really liked seeing the Bollywood and other movie references sprinkled throughout the book.
The plot is cute. I love how they are trying to create a festival so they can bring attention to their films and their love for film. I liked seeing Winnie and her family and friends ups and downs and seeing how they develop throughout the book is great. I also really liked seeing the Bollywood and other movie references sprinkled throughout the book.
ROMANCE
The romance was so cute and was honestly one of my favorite parts of the whole book because Dev and Winnie were really cute. I also liked how there was so much Indian culture thrown into their relationship and the book as a whole.
WRITING
This was basically a rom-com in book format and I honestly have to say I liked how it was written. It was very cute and sweet. I also like how it was an own voices book which explains why Nisha Sharma was so well versed in Indian culture.
The romance was so cute and was honestly one of my favorite parts of the whole book because Dev and Winnie were really cute. I also liked how there was so much Indian culture thrown into their relationship and the book as a whole.
WRITING
This was basically a rom-com in book format and I honestly have to say I liked how it was written. It was very cute and sweet. I also like how it was an own voices book which explains why Nisha Sharma was so well versed in Indian culture.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It did take me awhile to read which explains why I finished the ARC in June instead of in May. I liked the whole concept of it and how there were so many film references within the book. I recommend it especially if you are looking for some diverse/own voices books.
Quotes from the Book:
“Destiny needs to be believed in for it to come true.”
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It did take me awhile to read which explains why I finished the ARC in June instead of in May. I liked the whole concept of it and how there were so many film references within the book. I recommend it especially if you are looking for some diverse/own voices books.
Quotes from the Book:
“Destiny needs to be believed in for it to come true.”
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns
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