DNF p81 (38% through)

eBook provided via NetGalley by the author and Henry Roi PR! Thanks for reaching out and providing a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

2/5⭐️
One because I didn’t finish it and can’t fully comment on the storyline and one because the idea is there, but the execution is not.

Note: I am not Indian (I am in fact as white as you could probably get), so some of the language and slang required Google searches and pieces of the culture sprinkled throughout went over my head a bit, as did the locations and pop culture references. Because of this, it was a little difficult to get into and follow sometimes but I still gave it a fair shot.

Summary: 17 year old Ila is a *little* obsessed with a teen pop idol, and her mother Veena doesn’t like it. Veena tries her best to keep Ila from focusing too much on said teen idol, so to appease her mother (and simultaneously get her off her back) Ila decides to take her attention off her teen heartthrob and on to getting her mom a man.
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Cover is honestly kinda terrible (coming from both reader and graphic designer). I pick up books first if their cover is good/interesting and this is definitely not a book I would’ve picked up otherwise.

Not a fan of the body shaming of the mom. Like at all. Really of just the body shaming overall. Some descriptive paragraphs felt unnecessary (i.e. the description of the vegetable seller at the market meeting with Deepali and Vik…why did I need to know where each vegetable sat? Why, just why?).

I was bored at 70 pages in, patiently waiting for the setting up to actually start happening, so I finished my chapter and called it off.

The summary I was provided made it seem like it would be more about the mother/daughter relationship and the romcom aspect of a daughter seeking out dates for her mother, but instead it was more about Ila and Deepali and Boyfriend #3, Dev. Had there been more focus on the romcom blind dating then I would understand the title and premise more, unfortunately it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

The idea is there, the execution could use work.

A fun and quirky coming of age and a mother-daughter bonding story.

Ila feels her mom is so obsessed and protective of her for not allowing her to follow his favorite celebrity crush in the summer. It turns out that her mom has a fair share history of being the infamous obsessed famous groupie from India in her teenage years. Ila and Deepali--her brainiac and pretty bestfriend--conspired to distract Ila's mom by setting up an online dating profile account with the help of Dev--a guy, whom Ila thought as one of Deepali's boyfriend but she has a crush on. Will she able to distract her mother and follow his dream or get distracted by the boy in real life?

This is so fun to read. I love that there's so many mirroring things between Ila and Deepali and Veena --Ila's mom-- and aunty Maleeka. I thought it'd follow the story of the mom being set up on numerous date, but it turns out we get along with the preparation of Operation Mom, that seems like maturing and changing Ila's self.

A heartwarming and inspiring story about the power of a mother's love. The novel follows the journey of Anjali, a successful businesswoman who is forced to confront the unresolved issues in her relationship with her mother when she receives a devastating diagnosis.

The writing is engaging and emotionally resonant, with vivid descriptions of both the Indian and American settings. Hora does an excellent job of exploring the complex dynamics of family relationships, particularly between mothers and daughters, and the impact that past traumas can have on these relationships.

Operation Mom has all the comedy and charm of a 90s/00s teen drama.

It felt nostalgic in all the best ways.

The intergenerational family dynamics were beautiful and entertaining, and had me wishing I had a closer relationship with my own family.

Reenita Malhotra Hora has done a wonderful job at capturing the teenage spirit and the hijinks one will go to in order to gain a little more freedom and independance.

Wow so I just got transferred back to my teenage years thanks to @reenita_storyteller !! This book is absolutely age appropriate for the targeted audience. One thing I absolutely adored was the prominent and important female relationships that were displayed. There are mother/daughter, bestfriend and aunty dynamics all referenced throughout this book. It's quite charming, really. Overall I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting a light, heartfelt read. Thank you to netgalley and @reenita_storyteller for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest feedback.

I dnf'd this book early on as I really couldn't connect with the characters and really wanted to get into the main plot of the book which is getting the mum a partner. I struggled with the miscommunication trope and the interactions with the characters. The book felt very young and slightly immature but that's not a criticism but more personal opinion based on my age therefore I don't believe I was the books demographic. Also as a south asian I found how much freedom these youngsters have to be incredible cause no way would I be able to do the stuff they do in this book.

The story line was different and interesting then what I had read before. I had been looking for something which showed up the children finding partner for their parents in order to break through stereotypes and helping their parents to have a life partner! This was just what I needed!

As someone who is comfortable with Indian language, the sentences weren't difficult to be understood at all but for someone who is unfamiliar, that may become a hindrance. Maybe a glossary with the meanings of these books or footer notes with same could've helped a lot!

Thanks a lot to the publisher and author for the copy!

If you aren't familiar with Indian culture and terminology, have Google handy as it will provide a depth and richness to a sweet, funny, coming of age story that teens and parents alike can enjoy. As for Dev... He's goals for the kind of young man I would love for my own daughter to bring home. I want to know what Aunt Maleeka told them over lunch! I want mom and pops to have their story. I'm utterly in love with these characters and the world created for them. I'm humbly appreciative for the glimpse into a beautiful culture and the universal experiences and emotions of growing up. Also, Ali Zafar's music really is amazing and he seems like an incredible person. Thanks for introducing me to him.

This is a book that took me a bit to get through as I kept looking things up but it's also a rare book that I will be rereading many times in the future. It's on my recommended reads for teachers (literary, history, geography, civics, etc). This is a feel good, must read for sure.

I did receive a free copy of this book but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Many thanks to Reenita M. Hora for providing me with an ARC of OPERATION MOM in exchange for an honest review :)

The story is about Ila, a teenager who lives in Mumbai, who is a super fan of a pop idol, Ali Zafar. It’s getting a bit out of hand, so her mom, Veena, encourages her to date real boys. What Ila ends up doing is creating a fake dating profile for her mom, together with her best friend Deepali. It’s a bit of an unusual story, but a really fun one! I also like that it was set in India, so I could dive into another culture and learn some new things/words.

I recommend this book if you are looking for something light-hearted and fun!

This was a cute fake dating rom-com, it had some funny moments, great puns. But overall I was not able to really connect with these characters. Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy.

Review

Operation Mom: My plan to get my mom a life...... and a man.

By Reenita Malhotra Hora

I gave this book ⭐⭐⭐



Blurb

Ila a teenager living in Mumbai (India) who has a controlling single mother, Veena. Her mother doesn’t approve of her stalking “Pop idol” Ali Zafar. Instead, she wants her daughter with a real boyfriend and then later husband.

Ila decides the only way to get her mother off her back is by finding her a boyfriend.



The things I enjoyed about this story:

The plot was unique and different to what I've previously read.

Strong female characters

Female friendships

Character development



The things I didn’t enjoy:

It was hard to get into at the story at the start.

I spent time googling words as there was Indian words and phrases which made the reading process a bit slower.

Overall, I think it’s a good book and maybe for someone who has more background knowledge in Indian culture or doesn’t mind googling the words and phrases.



Also, thanks to Henry Roi PR and Rennita Malhorta Hora for giving this book to read.

This book had me cracking up with its witty banter and was a delight to read. It reminded me of the lighthearted, parent-trap romcoms I watched as a teenager and I loved it. I also enjoyed learning new things about Indian culture. I found myself pausing in the middle of reading to search the meaning of different phrases and places, which was fun. It was like taking a mini trip to Mumbai! Recommended for a quick, fast-paced comedy to lighten your mood and brighten your day.

Wow, I really enjoyed this book. It was a very entertaining and easy read. It was a Mumbai-based coming of age tale with a daughter who seemed a little over dramatic at times. But I loved how she planned out ways to find a man for her mom. The book kept me guessing and wanting to know what happens next! The only thing that drew me out, if that’s even the phrase I should use, was some of the language used. That being, I’m American and this is set in India. Did that stop me from reading? No. I really enjoyed hearing about the different culture and the relationships between the characters.

Title: Operation Mom
Author: Reenita M Hora
Pages: 220
Genre: YA RomCom
Format: Kindle via NetGalley
Goodreads Rating: 4.04 ⭐️
Amazon Rating: 4.60 ⭐️
My Rating: 3.0 ⭐️

Thank you @reenita_storyteller and @netgalley for sending me a copy of Operation Mom in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t the YA RomCom I envisioned going into it. I really struggled with the cultural / language barriers and for that I couldn’t get fully engrossed in the story from the start. I found myself on Google often looking up terms to try my best to follow along. For that and that alone I gave Operation Mom three stars. Honestly, I believe the plot was there and the storyline was cute and relatable and had I been able to understand much of it, I do think this had potential to be a four (plus) star review.

Don’t let my lack of Mumbai knowledge deter you from reading Operation Mom and coming to your own conclusions! Happy Reading! ❤️

This was fun and light hearted rom com read. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments as Ila tried to set her mum up. There was lots of funny puns through the novel. Full of fake dating, real dating and musical references. enjoyed the way the author wove in Indian culture throughout the story and the Mumbai setting. You could feel the vibrancy of the city. But overall I enjoyed seeing the mother- daughter relationship.

this book is about Ila and her besfriend Deepali, they have an idea to set up a fake dating profiles to get a date for Ila's mother. All because Ila has a pop idol crush namee Ali Zafar. she want to spend her holidays following him. But Ila's mom (of course) rejected Ila's idea to follow her pop idol crush.

Anyways, i really enjoyed this romcom book. fast, short, and easy to read!🥰 If you want to experience a mother-daughter relationship, you must read this book;)

I was gifted a copy of this book in return for an honest review, here are my thoughts:

This was a sweet, witty and a feel good kinda read.
I’ve given it 3 stars because I didn’t LOVE it and didn’t have that feeling of being unable to put it down, but when I did pick it up I enjoyed it.

The relationship between Ila and her mum gave me Loralei and Rory Gilmore vibes, and the storyline had me feeling nostalgic for the old Mary Kate and Ashley days with their movie Billboard Dad, trying to find a date for their dad.

It was a lighthearted, easy going read full of relatable little tidbits that made me feel a little more connected to the characters.
It’s set in Mumbai and there’s a lot of references, phrases and words that belong to a culture I don’t have a strong understanding of, so it made a few parts of the book difficult to follow.

Overall I enjoyed the storyline, definitely a YA read and maybe younger readers will enjoy it more than I did, not a book I’ll be rushing to read again, but that doesn’t mean others won’t love it!

This was a very good plot but I feel the execution fell flat. If you enjoy cheesy banter and puns this would be a great read. I also couldn’t connect to the characters

Help got mom a date. Operation mom was a charming delightful read that anybody would enjoy. I recommend this to any romcom lovers.

Cute fast paced YA story about a daughter and mother. It was fun seeing them interact in a sort role reversal situation. And I love the family!