Kismat Connection marks a captivating entrance into the world of YA romance, seamlessly intertwining Indian culture into its narrative. The novel boasts a plethora of delightful elements, but what stood out most for me was the central character, Madhuri. The premise, wherein Madhuri enters into a fabricated relationship with her best friend to debunk her astrology-inclined mother's beliefs, is a brilliant twist.

Similarly, Arjun's character development served as a complementary foil to Madhuri's journey. Unlike the typical supporting role, Arjun is not merely a prop for Madhuri; he faces his own trials and adversities, enriching the story with depth and complexity. One of the highlights is Devarajan's adept incorporation of Indian culture. From various subtle touches to the significant role of Bharatanatyam in Madhuri's identity, the cultural elements enhance the overall richness of the narrative.

Kismat Connection is a delightful blend of charm and accomplishment.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but the writing style was hard to get through, I couldn't really connect with it. I'm sad because I love reading books with South Asian rep in it, but I think this particular book just wasn't for me. The only thing I like about this book that I really love is the cover. I was so excited to read this, I'm utterly disappointed. There was no chemistry or connection between the love interests and everything felt very insta lovey. All in all, it just wasn't an enjoyable reading experience for me.

I like the characters, the writing was cool but overall there was stuff lacking.
I enjoyed learning about the different aspects of their culture . The story didn’t wow me and some moments I felt like we could’ve went without

It definitely pains me to give this book a 2 star rating because I can tell that the author is very talented. I think 2.5 is more accurate. It was not bad by any means.

First off, I absolutely LOVE the cover of this book! It was so fun getting to know a little bit about Indian culture.

I usually love a good fake dating trope, but this one didn't really capture my attention like the trope usually does. I'm thinking maybe it was the friends to lovers aspect. I really liked Arjun, but I felt Madhuri could have been a bit more developed.

I'm also not a big fan of the whole destiny/fate thing. But that's a Me issue, not a book issue. The story was handled well, but it just didn't work for me.

As I said before, I can tell the author is incredibly talented. This was the debut, so I'd be interested to see what comes next. This one didn't resonate with *me*, but I think it's still a great book that others will enjoy.

I have mixed feelings about this title. It is a sweet romance that shows passion without sex. Plus I appreciated how Madhuri comes to accept her Indian heritage. But I felt like some of the set-up was overly dramatic, like the bullying Madhuri faced or the way Arjun's mom flitted in and out of his life and left him home alone so often. Those are real issues but they didn't strike me as real within the story. I also don't accept the the underlying premise that the stars determine our fates and that can be good. So a book I recommend with some reservations.

Tired of the enemies-into-lover trope? You can try reading this book.

Kismat Connection follows the story of a girl named Madhuri. Madhuri comes from an Indian family that still upholds Indian principles and culture. Especially about horoscopes (those star reading and all) and everything about good karma and bad karma.

Once day, Madhuri was predicted to have bad luck in her relationship with boys. To prove it wrong and to make her family stop believing in fortune-telling, Madhuri faked a relationship with her childhood friend Arjun-without knowing that Arjun had a crush on her for a long time.

This book is steeped in Indian culture. Represented with all the dishes, language and terms as well as facts about Indian.

It brings up one of my favorite tropes: childhood friends become lovers. I had good expectations for the book.

But after a few pages, that feeling evaporated. For some reason, Madhuri and Arjun's love story didn't connect with me at all. I didn't like the writing style. Plus, I found the conflict quite difficult to measure by logic. None of the characters stood out despite the complex conflicts.

Yeah it is safe to say that the author messed up. But to think that this is her debut novel, I think there is still room for development.

Gonna wait only the good news ahead. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARc in exchange for honest review.

QOTD: tell me your zodiac sign!

#NyunReads

Madhuri's mother just delivered her the worst news. After an astrology reading, she determined that Madhuri's love life and senior year are doomed. Determined to prove her mom and astrology wrong, Madhuri convinces her best friend to fake date her. Little does she know that Arjun has secretly been crushing on Madhuri for a while now.

This book was adorable. The romance between Madhuri and Arjun was subtle but sweet. The desi rep was also a treat. I am definitely recommending this book to any and all desi readers out there.

A lovely debut, Kismat Connection weaves together the traditional and the modern with fun and a bit of humor.

I love diving into different cultures and this YA romance was so fun. I don't typically read friends to lovers because sometimes it's too much for me when one is so oblivous that the other has caught feelings, but I fell in love with these two from the first chapter because Arjun pined so hard. He was simply gone for Madhuri in a way that I was all about.
Madhuri was your typical teen. Wanting to prove her parents wrong and was outspoken and determined. Arjun was so patient with her, even when it pained him. In the end, it was to her detriment, but it was well deserved. She had to grow up and her eyes had to be opened to the fact that she didn't need to rebel to make her life the way she wanted it, she simply had to be true to herself.
Thanks to Netgalley, Ananya Devarajan and Inkyard for an early copy.

I want to start by saying that the author of this book is only 20 years old! I noticed that in her author’s note and thar just amazes me that someone so young has a book out already. In addition, what a cute cover and fun storyline.

Madhuri’s mom reads charts for her and her friend Arjun every year. While Madhuri bristles at having her future predicted, Arjun loves it. In addition to these yearly predictions, Madhuri also has a family “curse”. Madhuri calls it a curse anyway. In Madhuri’s family, every woman’s first relationship results in true love and marriage. Well, Madhuri is absolutely not having that. She wants more free will in her choices.

This year, Madhuri’s chart shows a few things that majorly upset her and Arjun’s chart makes him very happy.
Madhuri’s chart predicts an especially bad school year. This is her senior year and she’s bound and determined that she will be going to an Ivy so she can’t allow a bad school year.
Because of this, Madhuri wants to fight against her fate to prove it wrong. She decides the best way to do this is to babe her first relationship and make sue it has an end date. She asks Arjun to be her boyfriend, she wants him to agree to date and breakup. But she doesn’t know he’s been in love with her for years.
Arjun’s chart predicts that he will be given an opportunity with someone who has rejected him multiple times and will continue to hurt him until she realizes her feelings for him.
So, based on that, I assumed Arjun entered the deal with Madhuri because he thought this was what fate was predicting. But it turns out that Arjun thought the prediction was about his mom! This part of the story broke my heart. I’m going to dig into it a bit more so I’m going to mark the rest of my review with a spoiler warning.

****spoiler warning*****
**Arjun’s mom has been letting him down since he was a child. She made work her first priority after Arjun’s dad left and this resulted in Arjun being left home alone a lot. It started with a night alone with Arjun was in 6th grade and by his senior year his mom is gone for weeks or months at a time. It’s awful. And I’m not sure it’s totally believable that no one turned his mom in for leaving a kid home alone like this. But I’ll continue on here and say that Madhuri’s family became Arjun’s non official family. If Arjun needed fed, Madhuri’s mom fed him. If he needed a place to sleep or a ride to school, Madhuri’s family took care of it. Madhuri’s family is definitely Arjun’s real, non blood related family.
And it honestly kind of bothered me to see how Madhuri and Arjun’s mom treated him in similar ways. Poor Arjun had some serious issues with his mom and was looking for love, maybe with Madhuri but he needed Madhuri’s mom’s love even more I think.
I wanted poor Arjun to have a family more even than I wanted him to end up with Madhuri. Of course you’ll root for both, I did. **

I received an early ebook edition from NetGalley and then won a physical arc from BookishFirst.

Thanks to NetGalley for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely adorable! I thought it was such a fun read. I also think it would make a great, inclusive and diverse choice for a YA audience. There's nothing explicit or even remotely sexual, but I thought it was very romantic. I love how important the characters' culture is to the story, but readers are never made to feel like outsiders who could never 'get it'. The female protagonist's best friend is white and she's her biggest ally in a world that feels like it doesn't try to understand her, a world full of bullies who hurt sensitive Madhuri. (We can see she's sensitive, but we probably shouldn't let her know that.) Her other best friend since childhood, Arjun, is always there for her, and is practically a member of her family.

When we begin the book, Arjun and Madhuri are having their star charts read for the upcoming year. What some may consider a blessing, Madhuri considers a curse, in that she's been told every woman in her family has been 'doomed' to a happily ever after with their first boyfriend. (Having lived the other side of that coin, I couldn't quite commiserate with her on that, although I can empathize with feeling like you don't have control over your own future.) She thinks that to claim her own free will, she should choose a first boyfriend she couldn't possibly fall for, her childhood best friend, Arjun. Arjun, however, felt a little differently about things.

This is a coming-of-age tale that is full of sweetness and innocence, growing pains and growth.

The book is told in what I would call a "close third-person" perspective, alternating between Arjun and Madhuri.

Arjun is often upbeat and positive, despite a rough home life. He finds home and family under Madhuri's roof more often than his own, and her parents view him as one of their own.

I know other reviewers have taken issue with this, but I feel it's really important to offer the following counterpoint. The main characters are not perfect. Madhuri, especially. She's a bit of an acquired taste. She's headstrong, sometimes to the detriment of those around her. Some may call her selfish, but I think this is because she's stuck in her own head, something that a lot of introspective young girls experience; it doesn't necessarily make her selfish. But they're kids! Kids are never perfect! I think this is a great story for a YA audience because it shows the pressures and stresses placed on youth today, especially young achievers of color. Madhuri feels so much pressure to perform that she loses sense of her why - why keep going, why do this at all? She stops doing things she genuinely enjoyed, things that were part of her life, part of her personality, because of how her peers made her feel, allowing them to rip that away from her. And I think that's something a lot of second- and third-generation Americans can understand. How many kids give up culturally rich practices just to save face in front of their "friends".

Friends should accept you for who you are, and that includes who you are with your family.

And I think that's something everyone can benefit from as a takeaway from this novel.

I finally got a chance to read this title and I am so glad it did! It was a very sweet play on the "fake dating" situation while the main character is attempting to thwart her destiny and not fall in love with her best friend and fake boyfriend - we ALL know how this was going to turn out. So in that respect it was predictable and the plot moved a bit too fast for me to really get grounded in the character's backstory & friendship. However, I think the strength in this title is in how the characters make mistakes, reflect on why they made the choices, realizing they were wrong and apologizing, and having the ability to save their friendship without ruining it over something small and often emotional. It was a very mature take on the YA fake dating tope and that makes this 100% worthwhile.

"Kismat Connection" by Ananya Devarajan is a captivating exploration of fate, love, and the interconnectedness of lives. Devarajan's storytelling shines as she weaves a tale that intricately weaves together the destinies of its characters. The book's well-crafted plot and engaging narrative create an immersive reading experience that keeps readers eagerly turning pages. Devarajan's ability to convey emotions and portray relationships adds depth to the story, making it a compelling read for those who enjoy stories that celebrate the magic of human connections. "Kismat Connection" is a heartfelt reminder that our lives are often guided by the invisible threads of destiny, leaving readers with a sense of wonder and appreciation for the intricacies of life's journey.

This was a new author for me, and this book was such a joy to read! I loved all the culture elements to it! Epically ones I get to learn more about! I adored the fake dating best friends and how Arjun had real feeling for Madhuri. These two both have a date they must choose or fight against it. This was a great coming of age book with some romance as well! I thought it was such a cute story!

So cute! Teaching has taught me many things and I totally see students vibing with this. Especially happy to see young people of color experiencing romantic relationships. I wasn't as heavily weighed by the language but it definitely wasn't the worst I've ever read. I did really love learning about and engaging with Madhuri specifically because (FABULOUS) and Arjun.

This YA romance was good, and I liked all the characters and family, the family situations of both the leads were meaningful and moving and sad for Arjun

This book was such a pleasant surprise! It had a lot of the adorable tropes I enjoy in YA romance but the characters had a lot more depth than usual & I really enjoyed how much of the family took part in the story. One of my favorite aspects of the book was having side characters that were more than just background characters. :)

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did! Kismat Connection drew me in from the cover and I was interested in reading a YA Indian love story. This book did not disappoint.

Madhuri Iyer and Arjun Mehta have been friends all of their lives. Madhuri comes up with a scheme to change her fate. Her mother reads her astrology chart and it's not good, which sends Madhuri into a tailspin. Of course, Arjun has been in love with Madhuri their whole lives and she only sees him as her best friend. He agrees to be her fake boyfriend to please her. I wasn't a fan of Madhuri at all. It rubbed me the wrong way that she wanted to erase her culture to fit in with her "white" classmates. I understand she was bullied but after a while, I didn't believe that was a good enough reason to "assimilate". Arjun and her family were so supportive.

Arjun is the ultimate boyfriend. I wanted to date him! My heart broke for him because he didn't receive the love from his immediate family he was in desperate need of. His mother was trash. The way Madhuri's family, especially Madhuri's mom embraced him made my heart smile. The bond Mehta shared with the woman he affectionately called Auntie was beautiful to experience.

I appreciated the way the author exposed the reader to Indian culture. As a Black woman, I appreciated reading about their culture and history so authentically. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

It hurts me to write this but this was one of the biggest disappointments of the year for me. As an Indian-American, I felt as if the conversations around identity were extremely forced, stereotypical, and surface-level. For example, no one says "for the love of Krishna" as far as I know. I also felt like Madhuri was not great at all. I was more invested in Arjun's story, and personally, was unsure what Arjun saw in Madhuri considering how condescending Madhuri was to Arjun. I didn't really resonate with their love story and the whole "experiment" concept.

As a Tamil person, while I appreciated some inclusion of Tamil words/ideas, again it felt extremely surface-level and thrown in there just because.

I liked the conversations around found family and the representation of a divorced parent, and of course, Arjun's characterization. This concept had a lot of potential, but instead, it fell flat for me.

I will give grace since the author is young and I am looking forward to seeing her develop her writing style.

I really enjoyed this interesting and charming read. Kismat Connection is a sweet story, with two best friends, unrequited love , fake dating, self-discovery, embracing your culture and accepting the love you have. Arjun was a lovely character and I really felt for him, with every thing he went through with his parents and Madhuri. Madhuri was a difficult one for me, she annoyed me at times, her behaviour could be erratic, although I think she’s a really good example of a teenager, but I could always understand her point of view even if she was annoying me.

This story is definitely more of a coming of age/self discovery story instead of romance, I mean romance is definitely involved but just not the main focus I’d usually expect. I also really enjoyed learning and experiencing through the characters, Indian culture. Ananya Devarajan manages to create a wonderful family portrait of love, embracing your culture and accepting the love that’s provided in your life. Overall, this is an enjoyable and cute, coming-of-age Desi romance anyone I thoroughly recommend

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.