I didn’t get the chance to fully finish this book before it archived but I read through about 20% of it and loved it! I definitely got the “Never Have I Ever” vibes.

Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment is a young adult novel where Arya is a high senior juggling her sister's upcoming wedding, struggles with her parents, a friendship break-up, and her first love. It's an entertaining coming-of-age novel as colorful as a Bollywood movie.

If I want an escapist read, I often turn to YA, and Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat scratched that itch for me. It's fun and makes be want to dance.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

This was a super cute read. I totally forgot to add my review and I read it a long time ago but I do remember that it was an enemies to lovers cute romance. I really liked the characters which is always a great thing when reading. I also remember liking the ending. I would definitely recommend this one to all my reading friends.

This was a cute book about family and traditions. It was a good read and I enjoyed all of the Indian festivities featured in the book. While I enjoyed it it wasn't a favorite for me. Not that it wouldn't be for someone else.

A solid YA romance and a great addition to the genre with fab and sorely needed representation! This book will mean a lot to a lot of younger readers.

While I don’t really read ya romances anyone I found this one to be enjoyable. It is easier to see where the influences for this book come from. Overall this was a good ya romance.

Cute and silly this was such a fun read. I loved how real the representation was, there was cultural specificity and accuracy that really spoke to authentic understanding and love. The familial relationships were also so honest and loving. Fun!

I needed this book so much. It’s got so much energy and this smart, vibrant voice. I love Arya. She’s fun and thoughtful. Her mom seems to be experiencing some depression, and Arya isn’t sure how to deal with it or even really how to identify it. She thinks her older sister coming home and being nicer to her mom will make her mom’s sadness go away. Her older sister has a different perspective, so when they finally talk about it directly, some sparks fly. Sisters, ha.

Seriously, though, I liked Arya’s relationship with her sister, Alina. It was nuanced and complex—close but with tangles and secrets. I loved the scenes between them as much as any other scene in the book.


I also had a great time reading the scenes with Arya and Dean, her rival and possible new crush. The banter between those two! Whew. So much fun.

This review will post live on October 17, 2024

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I think this book has aspects that any teen can relate to: friend drama, crushes, maybe a frenemy, and of course some family drama. I can see teenagers really enjoying this book because I enjoyed it for the most part. Personally, Arya was a bit immature and while I completely understand why and I remember being immature as a teen, it wasn’t my favorite to read. I think I need to get an away from the high school romance because there is usually parts like the immaturity that I just don’t relate to anymore. I did like that this was centered around her sister’s wedding and the many preparations and activities that came with it because I felt that it gave us multiple views of Arya - the student, the sister, the daughter, etc. I would recommend, but mostly to high schoolers!

Really fun story! I loved all the relationship dynamics: familial, friendship, romantic. Plus all the Hindu wedding and holiday scenes were really interesting, and I definitely want to watch Bollywood movies now.

Weddings always bring out family dysfunction, and Arya’s sister’s wedding is no different. Her life is already complicated by her friends fighting and butting her own head against a rival student councilor. Will she survive the wedding or will all of the drama crash and burn everything.

So much drama! I think if I had been Arya, I would have said “Enough already” and walked away. Family just won’t let you though (chuckle). Arya is in the middle of everyone’s disagreements and not by choice. Arushi Avachat creates realistic scenarios where all of this can be happening at once. Some of it is funny as being an outside observer can make family events funny. Other scenarios are frustrating. The author does a great job of connecting you to the drama.

The romance between Dean and Arya is sweet and just the right counterbalance to all of the other drama. It brings humor when it needs to and heart swoon when you want it. I loved learning about all of the customs involved in an Indian wedding. The blurb says it will make you get up and dance, I don’t know about that but it did make me smile and chuckle a time or two.

In Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment, Arya's family is overwhelmed by planning her sister's Punjabi wedding. Her mother and sister are constantly at odds, and her mother retreats to her room, forcing Arya to act as mediator. In addition her best friends Andy and Lisa have broken up, making her friendship with them awkward, and Dean Merriweather, the white soccer player whom Arya thinks stole the student council presidency from her, is foisting all the event planning on her. Written like a Bollywood movie, complete with intermission, it also has many Desi references, including food, dance and famous movies. The story evolves as Arya's realizes that problems don't always get solved like they do in her beloved Bollywood movies.

Fun, romantic and great rom com. I had fun and I was invested all the time! Thanks to the publisher for the arc!

A fun romcom style story of a girl dealing with her sister moving away her mother mental health as well as a enemies to friend type of love

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this is the best type of romance, I want to keep reading more Bollywood and watch more Bollywood movies because this is amazing and everyone should be reading this book

A fun YA romcom read, with the typical desi family dynamics, a personal journey through our FMC, and some cute as hell Bollywood references! I always feel like YA novels could use with a bit more depth, even if we are dealing with not-adult characters. That led to the docking of my rating, but I really did find this to be a fun and entertaining read!

I really, really enjoyed this book. I liked the descriptions of all of the Bollywood and Hindu traditions. I don't have any personal experience with either, but it was so well written that I didn't feel like I was in the dark or missing something.

I will not be reviewing this title as I am participating in the St. Martin's Press boycott. More information can be found at @readersforaccountability on Instagram.