Ok so the minute I saw the cover of this book I was sold. I added it to my TBR. I didn’t read about it at all. And then it was sent my way from the publisher, so I knew it was written in the stars that it was meant for me to read it.

But once I did, I realized I was struck by the beautiful cover again smh It wasn’t that it was bad, it was more so the main character. I did not like her. She was dead set on not listening to anyone or anything. And the whole time she was inviting in all the things she was trying to avoid. AND I think I was annoyed because he was pining for her since the beginning and she acted like she didn’t care about him. It was bad enough for me to feel bad for him. I’m super glad that it was dual POV because I’m a character driven reader and I think I would have DNFed it if it was just her. He saved this for me.

The plot was so good tho. I don’t know what it is about astrology and the signs, but I was so into this. I’m talking I started looking up my own charts and some Numerology stuff. It was a lot. I had no idea what I was looking at, but I was really trying to figure out. However, I did feel like it was a little too much of them not being together. It was a slow burn, that turned into a no burn. They realized it at the epilogue. Like I get trying to prove your free will was true, but at the expense of him and his feelings? Because she knew that he liked her. She used him and I was hella mad about it.

The writing style was good tho. Like I said I was enthralled enough to start studying more about it. It wasn’t as emotional as I would have liked tho. Especially with his mom and her trying to make all these decisions for him. I thought I would at least cry a little bit, but I didn’t even get misty eyed. I DID learn more about the Indian culture tho. I looked up the dance she did and I thought it was amazing. i was sad that those idiot kids took that joy from her. She had a lot of healing to do.

This book was a little hard to review. There wasn’t much from the synopsis I wanted to talk about for fear of spoilers. Although this wasn’t exactly geared towards my taste, it still might be for you. I hope you all still pick it up!

This book wasn’t for me, I DNFed at 25%. I feel that the characters fell flat and the plot wasn’t moving forward enough for me.

This way full of culture and love. The relationship between Arjun and the family was beautiful And heart warming.

Enjoyable read! Recommend to all! Main character was relatable. Enjoyed watching her progression through the novel.

Love all the South Asian elements, it was tastefully done. Devarajan does a great job of showcasing rather than pursuing exotification of culture.

Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan
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This book is about Madhuri, who is determined to prove her star chart wrong. She is determined to choose her own fate, and enlists her best friend to fake date her. What she does not know is that he has been in love with her for years.
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What I liked:
-I loved Arjun. His back story was sad and my heart went out to him.
-Madhuri’s family were pretty awesome. The love and support they showed to one another was so beautiful. And her sister was pretty funny.
-I did the audio and it was really easy to follow along.
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3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I liked this one, it was a good YA story. Review posted to instagran handle @staciathebookworm on 7/17/23

What a fun YA romance, centering around Indian American teens trying to escape their destiny. This book will draw inevitable comparisons to When Dimple Met Rishi, but it has a charm all its own. Very sweet storyline with relatable characters.

A cute, sweet, fated and fluffy desi friends to lovers book⁉️ A story about not just our TWO desi mcs slow burn love story but the even slower burn love story between a first gen desi girl and her culture⁉️ A double love story in my opinion and full of all the feel good moments of falling in love the whole way through ◡̈

*3.5⭐️
Poor Arjun. He was so cute and sweet and no one seemed to appreciate that until the very end of the book. I really liked the cultural representation, especially the discussion of the racism experienced by Madhuri. I also thought the inclusion of the complex relationship between Arjun and his mother was both sad and interesting to read about.
My main issue with this story was how Madhuri treated Arjun. While that is discussed a lot, as basically every other character says she’s awful for toying with his heart, it was still kind of annoying to read about.

I will be revisiting this book! I love the concept and the premise with friends to lover and fake dating. However, the pacing at the beginning and the way the relationships shift and unfold just weren't working for me, I found myself stopping quite often and losing interest with the characters quickly. This is a YA romance and perhaps the intended audience is better as primarily high school students!

The premise of this book looked really cute. I love fake dating stories, and I love plucky heroines who are stubbornly opposed to fate. Unfortunately, I'm not the right reader for this book—I struggle sometimes with contemporary YA romances. I've been out of high school a little too long to connect with the stakes. The characters are cute, and the premise is enticingly chaotic. I just didn't connect with the writing style. YA romance readers will love it.

A charming #ownvoices YA friends to lovers/fake dating debut that sees to Desi best friends agreeing to fake date in order to help disprove a family legend. The only problem is Arjun has been secretly in love with Madhuri for years and his heart just might not survive the deception. A cute, feel-good story perfect for fans of Sajni Patel and good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately I really didn't...... Wasn't a fan of the characters at all, so their relationship didn't really interest me. I am glad to see more brown rep though!

A light, fun read if you’re looking for a predictable YA romcom. Cute and sweet, though I think a couple things could have been fleshed out a little more.

If you’re looking something light and fun (and kind of a contemporary version of the Fated Mates trope), give this one a try!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley, all opinions are my own and a review was not required.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐- 3.5

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard publishing for this eARC. All thoughts in this review are unbiased, and completely my own.

Main Points:

Fake dating!!
Childhood best friends to lovers
Lots of cultural goodness
Accurate desi rep
Pacing was a little off
Dual POV
Neighbors
Found family!!
Cute read, but not a favorite
This book was warm. It was familiar, in a way, and reminded me of growing up again. Filled with vivid descriptions, wonderful representation, and a sweet feel overall, I did enjoy this read for the most part.

The pacing in this book was off for me. Some events transpired too quickly, while others progressed much too slow. The characters didn’t seem fully fleshed out, and were flat at times. At some points, the relationship between Madhuri and Arjun felt a little forced (even for the fake dating trope) but it gave off a sweet feeling by the end of it.

I loved watching the characters grow. Over anything, this was probably one of my favorite parts of the book. The development did not disappoint, and I ended up more and more attached to the characters as the story progressed. I do feel that Arjun was developed much better than Madhuri was, however. I love found family in books, it’s one of my favorite tropes, and this was no exception. I ended up enjoying the familial love aspect more than the romance, and it was really well done.

While the beginning was stronger than the end for me, the plot was twisty and dramatic overall, giving it a bollywood-esque feel. The dual POV was wonderful, because I always love seeing characters from multiple perspectives, however the way Arjun portrayed Madhuri did seem a little unfair at times. I loved the representation, feeling connected to it, and sweetness of it overall, and did end up really enjoying this read!!

DNF at 50%. The premise of this book is great: best friends decide to fake date each other to spite a curse. One friend has an unrequited crush, one friend is stoic. What will happen as time goes on and things start to get real?

Unfortunately, for me, I felt no connection to either character (except for Arjun when his mother chooses to leave him again-that kid deserved more) and didn't feel a chemistry between the two main characters either. The writing style was not my favorite and possibly is geared for a younger audience? (It's YA so I was prepared for that, but there is a lot of over-explaining, clunkiness, and things that leave the reader with questions.)

The culture is the most interesting part of the book, and Madhuri's conflict with it. I almost wonder if that was the main focus of the story, with her relationship with Arjun being a side-plot, rather than the inverse, if the story would be more solid. Madhuri needs a lot more developing, because I have no idea what her actual personality is after 50% of the book.

However, I definitely think this book could be worth a read if you like fake dating, Indian American culture, grappling with fitting in, or the idea of a dating experiment!

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the e-ARC.

this was really cute!! i love arjun and madhuri, both as a couple and individually. i’m a sucker for friends to lovers and arjun and madhuri’s was just that, even through an experiment. i lovee how easy the romance was too, although sometimes it does feel like whiplash of how quickly they switch up🥲. i also really loved arjun’s character arc with his mom and how he’s not afraid to stand up for himself and realize he deserves better, and also madhuri with her finally being brave enough to embrace her own culture again with the support of her friends, family and arjun. i also just love madhuri’s mom🥹

thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Quick Summary: A beautiful experiment in love

My Review: Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan was such a precious love story. It charmed me with its simplicity and with its complexity.

What I Appreciated About This Book:

- I loved how the story spoke life into what family and kinship are really all about.

- The hardships that each individual faced were unusually peculiar. Some of the issues related to identity, the measure of success, family communication, dysfunctional relationships, divorce, goal realization, and overcoming obstacles.

- I loved the grace that the leads demonstrated as they each faced their challenges. By the end of the novel, their responses revealed a growth and a strength of character that can only come from specific experiences and from working through challenging struggles.

- I thought that the author did a magnificent job of celebrating S.A. culture.

- I really liked how honest the author was about what Madhuri and Arjun faced in their social and familial settings. The hateful and hurtful words and actions of others were toxic. Also, the detached, disconnected in-actions of the maternal figure was heartbreaking. The realness of what was communicated in both situations was true to life.

My Final Say: This novel gets a hidden treasure acknowledgement. I highly recommend this book. It would make a fantastic YA or NA book club read.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: YA/T/NA
Status: G
Level: 🍬💎

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Inkyard Press), and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to review this title in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Four stars!

Kismat Connection is a super cute story! I love the dual POV, the fake dating trope, and the way that the two MCs are just made for each other.

I love Madhuri’s relationships with her sister, best friend, and parents. They are everything they should be and I love it. I do wish we got the same thing for Arjun and his POV, more of his friend Liam and more with his father. I do love the found family aspect for him at the end of the books though.

All in all, LOVED THIS. Would be great to see a spin-off in their world and get to see what these two are up to in the future. Can’t wait to see what Devarajan writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the idea of this book: the plot seemed intriguing and Lord knows I love a good fake dating plot. But this one just feel really flat for me. The characters were pretty one-dimensional, the pacing was off, and I just felt disconnected from the text.

I did like the themes of embracing your culture, and finding your own family, though. I’m a huge fan of both of those things and love seeing them in books.