This book reminds me a bit of Slum Dog Millionaire.

We follow Rakhi, a street kid from Mumbai, from the moments she arrives there as a child of seven, until she finds her voice.

The story is engaging as it unfolds.

Would definitely recommend!

Such Big Dreams is The story of Rakhi who has been living on the streets for so long, moving around in Mumbai slums. her life hasn't improved even if thou she was "saved" by a woman for whom she work and who thought she really cared for her.

Rakhi's life wasn't easy I really had a hard time reading what she was going through, people were terrible to her. there was a constant feeling of sadness and loss of hope as people were very unfair over and over again, there was a lot of bullying and betrayals around her "friends"

Rakhi was a very strong person even though it feels like she is not, as people constantly took advantage of her but she was enduring, persistent, and never gave up even though life was always undermining her way.

Alex is a new intern coming from Canada is also not what we all thought, he was very nice wanting to learn all about the culture, asking Rakhi to take him around so he can see the real culture in India in exchange he will pay her so she could save for a good college.

I really wanted to see more happiness in Rakhi's life, after all, she went through I feel like two pages weren't enough to redeem the pain, I felt a constant sadness during most of the book, and I felt angry with Alex, Gauri Ma'am's, and Babloo these people were to be the best friends and the ones who were gonna help and be there for Rakhi but instead, they were the worst, leaving her without a home, a job and totally alone.

Tazim, Delphine, Lorna, and Claire were among the nice people that really saw Rakhi, the hard work and the tears she had to endure to finally be able to be what she wanted.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of Such Big Dreams in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. This was such a compelling and emotional read. Several times I had to pause in order to gather myself emotionally. It is a raw story that I am still thinking about well after reading, as these characters will stay with me for a good while. It also highlights some of the living conditions in that area, as well as some of the injustices in the legal system. Overall I enjoyed this book and will be looking to see what the author does next.

I received a copy of the book via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel is a story built around living in poverty in the Mumbai slums; what happens to people living in such awful conditions, how children run rampant along with hunger, and how these people want a better way of life. There's crime, stealing, poverty, hunger and yet there are friendships and lives lived.. The book is based on a true incident, but I don't want to mention it here and spoil it for any readers. I will say it was a difficult book to get through and I was pleased for the ending. The tragedies and difficulties living in a situation like the Mumbai slums is at best horrid! Finally, I found it a challenging read since I do not know words spoken in that language and was lost many times because of that. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the arc.

Such Big Dreams is a story told by Rakhi, a young woman working as an office assistant at a law office in Mumbai. A former street-child, Rakhi has been taken under the wing of Gauri Ma’am, a famous civil rights lawyer leading the office. Even though Rakhi is doing better than when she was homeless, her past is still influencing her and when a new intern from Canada arrives, he tips Rakhi’s life out of the balance she worked so hard to create.

This book is an impressive debut: sweeping and well-written, with a fascinating atmosphere and vivid descriptions of Mumbai. I did find it to be dragging a bit in the middle, but the ending definitely made up for it. Rakhi is a flawed person whose actions sometimes drove me up the wall, but I rooted for her from the beginning and appreciated seeing the world through her eyes - she’s strong and stubborn, with a unique perspective. I liked what Patel had to say about corruption, poverty, and classism, but what I enjoyed the most was the message about taking charge of one’s own fate.

TLDR: Such Big Dreams is a compelling story that paints a striking picture of Mumbai and shines a light on its less known parts. It’s powerful and explores some hard truths about society in a bold, thought-provoking way.

Rakhi, a young woman growing up in Mumbai, is just barely getting by. She has a job working with lawyers, but is treated poorly by the head lawyer and isn't making enough to get out of the slums where she lives. I found this book to be a fascinating look at a culture and life very different from my own. Rakhi is a loveable character and I was rooting for her the entire way, even when she got herself into trouble! Really enjoyable read!

This was a very good book. The emotions and scenes were especially vivid. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

In Such Big Dreams, readers read about the strength, persistence, and determination of Rahki while they read. She works for a law firm, Justice for All, and becomes tasked with recognizing that life could be better for her. Personally, the book is a little slow for my taste. It does not appeal to my sense of wanderlust or prove to be enlightening about the spirit and culture of India, but it's a pretty good read.

This another good read for a summer day. I learned a lot from reading this work and I am looking forward to the next book from this author. Always love to read fiction during the summer months and this story kept me interested for the day!

Former street kid Rakhi finds herself living in an Indian slum working as an office girl at a human rights law firm, trying to live normally in Reema Patel's debut novel, Such Big Dreams. Years ago, the main character became involved in an unfortunate incident that led her to live at a home for girls. From that point, she meets the female lawyer who heads the law firm and fights to ensure the firm continues to help others. She's indebted to her boss despite working for very little with no chance to strive for more.

When a new intern Alex arrives from Canada, and the firm gains a partnership with a former Bollywood star, it seems that the firm may be on an upswing. So, too, could this work out for Rakhi who reluctantly befriends the encouraging Alex who resides with his rich aunt and uncle for the duration of the internship. These two events impact the firm and Rakhi in a significant way, and this starts the story.

I was torn about this book. I liked the story and the way it was written. The cultural differences between the characters and life in India are examined well, but it could be depressing and frustrating. Plus, there were Indian slang terms and other words that did not come up when I tried to look them up, so it would have helped to have a key or dictionary to give a quick definition here and there.

Throughout the book, you slowly learn about Rakhi's past and why she ended up as a street kid in Mumbai. You root for her to move past her station to become something more than she and others that she knows expect to be. It's a well-thought out story and surprising. I was very surprised by the ending, and it's bittersweet on all accounts. Well-worth reading if you're looking for something different and a little more serious.

This was a great story. Great for people who love raw heartbreaking stories.

After reading Honor I knew I wanted to read more stories from India and I am glad I got to read this one.

Rakhi is a great character and her development is inspirational.

I liked this one, but didn’t love it. I had hoped to learn more about a culture different to my own but I found it frustrating that I didn’t understand a lot of the language. There wasn’t enough contextual clues for me to go on, and it became tiresome to continually stop reading to look words up. Rakhi had a great story but I didn’t connect with the character.

This debut novel is flying under the radar but is worthy of discussion. It is set in Mumbai and is the story of a former street kid, Rakhi who begins working for a NGO (Non Government Organization) that advocates housing rights for slum dwellers.

Through this novel the author explores class, gender and societal issues of India. The author uses Hindi words to express parts of the story. This may be off putting to some readers. She does give enough context so that English speaking readers can grasp the meaning of the words.
A couple of times in the novel, the author uses phrases that seem more suited to North American conversations rather than South Asian ones.

Since this work is inspired by a real event in Mumbai, this book makes for an interesting read for those who want to read more about India, organizations fighting for equality or people overcoming adversities.

I was sent an electronic copy of this book by the publisher, Random House Publishing Group via Netgalley.

A powerful debut novel from Reema Patel that will open your eyes to the slums in Mumbai. Rakhi is a young woman working as a office assistant for a powerful human rights lawyer. Rakhi ran away from home at a young age after her parents passed. She ends up in Mumbai and lives on the street with her new best friend. When a accident happens Rakhi is sent to the nun to live. She is upset that she is separated from her best friend. The story focuses on her living conditions and her office workers. While at the beach on a holiday Rakhi runs into her best friend that she thought she would never see again. In reconnecting with him she finds that what she thought when she was a young child on the street with him that was not the reality that was. A new tragedy hits the slum where she lives and Rakhi has to reach inside to see what type of person she is going to be. Please pick up this book and dive into a great debut.

Many thanks to Negalley, author and publisher for providing my review copy. If you are a fan of Slumdog Millionaire you'll enjoy this.

"Such Big Dreams" by Reema Patel was a wonderful tale of an ambitions, clever, fierce, and resilient young woman, with very difficult circumstances, living in the slums of India. Painted a sadly vivid picture of a hard and hopeless life, yet, with an empowering light of moving up and forward, despite the challenges. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the copy for review. All opinions are my own.

An entertaining debut, I enjoyed reading this novel set in modern India featuring characters from different backgrounds working in a human rights law firm in Bombay. The main character is a former street child, and there are also foreign interns experiencing India, the boss set on achieving human rights wins at all cost, as well as various other side characters from the law firm and slums where the main character lives.

The only critique I have is that the main character isn't as fully realized as she could be, with her backstory touched on, but not emphasized. This made it hard to understand why she made many of her choices.

Overall, this is definitely for readers who love novels about modern India, and it's also quite a lighter read than earlier this year's Honor by Thirty Umrigar.

This is Reema Patel’s debut novel and based on her clarity in describing human nature alone, I see a bright future for this author.
Rakhi grew up a street kid in the slums of Mumbai. The flashbacks to her childhood are sad and difficult to read, so imagine how the kids feel that live this life every day while we sit and read our books. It’s that moving. Ms. Patel has devoted years of her life working in Mumbai, so her depiction of the children’s daily struggle to live is brought to life in her words.
After a petty crime goes horribly wrong, Rakhi is saved from the orphanage and certain death in prison when she catches the eye of her benefactor, the executive director of a human rights law firm, Gauri Ma’am. Rakhi does well in school and begins working as an intern at Gauri Ma’am’s establishment.
The stark difference between Rakhi and other employees at the firm is as vast as night and day. They enjoy meals, a roof over their head that doesn’t leak, and nice clothing that is always clean. Rakhi struggles to keep up the facade. This aspect alone insinuates the point, that once homeless and expendable, always that way in India. When a new intern takes a job at the law firm, these differences are suddenly smeared in Rakhi’s face. As she struggles to trust those who want to help her, she sees cracks in their facade that are reminiscent of lessons she painfully learned as a child on the streets.
Full of colorful descriptions of Indian food, habits, and social lives, and what living in a city the size of Mumbai entails (think transportation, restaurants, sanitation), Reema Patel’s first novel is a must-read for anyone who appreciates sincere human drams stories.
Sincere thanks to Random House- Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is now available.

I picked up Such Big Dreams because once in a while, I like to read something outside my comfort zone. I always tend to reach for the same type of book and this one really sounded good (and gave me all the Slumdog Millionaire vibes.) Such Big Dreams didn't disappoint!

Rahki is a spitfire. She's part street kid, part blossoming entrepreneur. She's definitely dealing with some imposter syndrome, but throughout the book she really learns a lot via the school of hard knocks. She came to work for the law firm through the charity of the owner, and is basically her right hand gal. But it comes at a price. She's never seen as someone who can actually be successful and rise above. Although she's come a long way, she still lives in the slums and can't rise above her current station.

Throughout the book, Rahki goes through a transformation. Although she was street smart before, she didn't realize that often times, the people who don't live on the street, can be just as sneaky and underhanded. Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advanced readers copy. This one is out now!

I felt a tremendous amount of sadness after reading Patel’s book. Sadness for the improvised, heartbreak for the street children with their afflictive misfortunes. Corruption, callousness, and selfishness described left me angry, stunned, and shaking my head - where is the regard for our fellow contemporaries.

I enjoyed the descriptions of India, the struggles, and the general overall feeling of the county and its people. I appreciated the many Indian vocabulary words used, however, a glossary would be helpful it was frustrating to continuously pause and search for definitions on my own - slowed reading journey which I didn’t welcome.

I would recommend this book to others, especially those with an interest or curiosity regarding India. The book has a slow pace and its characters are outlined as opposed to being filled in with color, regardless it is penetrative.