e-Audio, 08:27:49
Narrated by: Mayuri Bhandari
Release Date: September 24, 2024
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: January 6-10, 2025
Stand-alone
Source: PRH Audio App (I received a copy of this e-ALC from the publisher and their app in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Racism, Vomit, Alcohol
For Readers Interested In: Contemporary Romance, Sparkly Covers, LOL, Racial/Ethnic Diversity (South Asian-Indian- Desi), Realistic Fiction, Rivals to Loves, Romance, YAThis laugh-out-loud debut romance introduces perfectly imperfect Payal Mehta, whose plan to get her long-time crush to finally notice her is destined for success, but only if she ignores her budding feelings for her archnemesis…
Payal Mehta has had a crush on popular, athletic, all-around perfect Jonathan Slate ever since he smiled at her in freshman–year Spanish class. At a party during spring break of her junior year, Payal finally works up the courage to ask Jon to hang out. However, her romantic plans are derailed when he vomits on her Keds. Twice. But when Jon offers to take her out to lunch as an apology, Payal is convinced this is the start of their love story.
Over chalupas and burritos at Taco Bell, Payal’s best jokes are landing as planned. Jon is basically choking on his Coke—and then it happens. “Do you have a boyfriend?” Payal is (finally) about to get the guy. And then he tries to set her up with his Indian friend. Payal’s best friends, Neil Patel and Divya Bhatt, are just as mad about the microaggression as Payal is, but they think she’s a little too hung up on him.
Determined to teach Jon a lesson by making him fall for her, Payal ropes in her archnemesis, Philip Kim, to help by ceding creative control over their psych project. It’s the perfect plan. Minus Philip’s snarky, annoying quips and lack of faith in its success. But as Payal lies to the people she loves, hides the too-Indian parts of herself in front of her crush, and learns that maybe Philip isn’t the worst, she starts to wonder if what she’s been looking for has been scowling at her all along…
*MY THOUGHTS*
I had this on my TBR since before I knew it was being released. Then I heard it was actually hilarious and I knew I had to bump it back up the list. But by then it was already out and i didn’t think a review mattered anymore. So when Emma (or Miss Print) mentioned that she wanted to read it soon, I knew it was time. I offered to buddy read with her and the rest was history.
So this was hilarious. The end. lol No for real I laughed so much at this book. Payal was wonderful. She said so many of the same things I was thinking and that just resonated with me. It’s not usual when I relate so much to a main character. Especially a teen. But I think I really related to her because her parents were a lot like mine when I was younger. I knew what she was going through a tiny bit. At least in that regard.
HOWEVER, the other side of that was driving me crazy. She was so smart, but she was acting like she knew nothing because that one person was involved. And I don’t think I have to tell you what this means. I was so annoyed with her. It’s one thing for it to happen and you’re not expecting it. So the first time I gave her a pass. But that second time? Oh no baby what is you doing?! She gave him permission to be a spouting all those micro-aggressions. And I don’t think she even realized that she was giving him permission to do or say this to someone else. Just like the first dude he tried it with. It was so cringe-worthy and I’m not going to lie it made me not really trust her. I liked Philip more than her by this point. It just didn’t make any sense with who her character was.
The romance was not great tho. Honestly I think it may just be me being a little salty, but like we spent all this time listening to her excuse racism and then when she finally realized who the real one was, they didn’t REALLY get together until the very end. We hardly get to see them together. And the way she acted when he was originally trying to tell her was TRYING me. And then when she finally figured it out, it was the end of the book. I know it’s YA and it’s supposed to be happy for now, but this is still a romance. And I just spent this whole book reading about vomit and everything else and you won’t even tell me how she is with the dude who actually likes her?! I am annoyed lmao
This was fun. Would i write home about it? No. But it was still fun. I hope teens read this and realize what he was doing was not ok and I hope they realize that her condoning it doesn’t have to happen either. This book may not have been the best romance, but it sure did turn out to be a good teaching tool.
Overall, I give this
