Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Movement is like a warm cup of masala chai and a hot latke. This vibrant book is great for anyone who wants a book that has the vibes of high school, young love, familial challenges, coming of age and blending cultures. It broaches these topics in accessible ways, making it a great option for most readers.

I can’t think of trigger warnings for this book and it only briefly talks about kissing making it a great option for younger readers who want to start dabbling in contemporary romance!

I love romance in books, but I always crave platonic and familial relationships. Arushi perfected this in her debut novel so kudos to you! Well, more on that later, first let's discuss the MC- Arya.

Arya is a colorful character and felt as authentic as could be. She's conflicted, passionate, loving, emotional, and thoughtful. Her interactions with people around at any point were fun to read and quite insightful. I loved how Arya is all in, Bollywood style, and when she feels, she makes it obvious, and the best part- she is mature (not always :). Her crush for Dean blossoms during the book, and cute rivals-to-lover arc which I found unexpectedly realistic.

I can't explain how many memories the scenes with the Khannas bought back. Arya's Mamma hold a quiet power, she is reserved, and poised, reminding me in some ways of Neelam Mehra from Dil Dhadakne Do. While I'd love to see some more of Arya's father, I enjoyed Avachat's emphasis on the women in the family, especially with Alina's painting and its description.

In its depth, this novel is story of pride, acceptance, love, friendship, family, and of course- DRAMA. Avachat dealt with some heavy themes and did them perfectly, doing complete justice to all of them.

I'm not a fan of the Bollywood references in the story, definitely most of them are overrated. There are two sides of the spectrum when it comes to movies like K3G. You either love it, or you hate it. And I never understood the hype behind this movie. I got slightly sick with the number of times "You Are My Soniya" was mentioned in the story. Now I can suggest so many underrated movies for non-brown people to watch, but I'll say just this. Shah Rukh Khan is popular yes, but he isn't all there is to Bollywood so please give other celebrities a shot. (And there's more directors than just Karan Johar too)

I'm giving this book 4.5 stars, must read! Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the complimentary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Too cute! Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment pairs classic high school, rivals to lovers vibes with the overall feel of classic romcoms, but make it relevant for YA readers so think Devi and Ben’s dynamic where Ben is more of a softie.

The romance was on the slow burn side, but quite tender and filled with warm fuzzies. I adored how Arya and Dean’s romantic connection blossomed over a buddy read of Pride & Prejudice. And I will forgive Arya for believing the 2005 P&P is the best. While Arya and Dean were rivals for years and bickered often over the results of the student government election, I liked how they weren’t mean to each other. Some verbal sparring, but I really appreciated how Avachat kept the characters civil with each other. Arya and Dean’s conversations about the underlying source of their sparring and decisions to pick fights was also refreshing, and it was wonderful to see them hold space for each other as they processed emotions from parents divorcing, changes in family dynamics, and evolving friendships.

The romance, while so sweet, is secondary as Avachat delves into themes of family, friendship, and mental health. I think this story will resonate with YA readers who are navigating the growing pains within their families and friendships, and who find themselves on the precipice of big life decisions (i.e. college, graduation, complicated family dynamics and rifts, and moving). I appreciated the mature, thoughtful resolution of miscommunication and grudges.

If you love stories with small town settings, classic romcoms, meddling family members, and rivals to lovers, I’m confident you’ll enjoy Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment!

Loved this book! Fun and addicting read. Loved how she incorporated her culture and family. Cute romance book. Hope to read more books from this author in the future! Thank you Netgalley for this arc! I will be purchasing a physical book for my shelf. Love the cover.

I am typically not a big fan of YA romance, but I have been trying to diversify my reading history, so I gave this book a chance. And I am glad I did. The characters were so cute and the story was so wholesome and emotional.

3.5/5

this book was cute, sad and lighthearted. i enjoyed seeing the developments arya's relationship with her sister, her best friends and dean.

dean and arya are so cute oml... i loved the development with him.

i expected more from the ending, however. i wanted to see more from arya's relationship with her mother and lisa. overall, i really enjoyed this book!

thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc !!

This book was sooo good! I loved how the family was written and I even checked out some of the Bollywood movies mentioned. It was a lighthearted read and I can admit I even cried a little towards the end!

I loved this debut novel from Arushi Avachat! Not only does this story have an adorable romance, it also features great coming-of-age themes, and a very accurate depictions of the dynamics of an Indian immigrant family from parental to sibling relationships. I loved all the Bollywood references throughout the book and how so many iconic romantic scenes from Bollywood films were mentioned in the story! I definitely recommend this book for fans of heartfelt South Asian coming-of-age novels. I'd rate this 4.5 stars rounded up.

I so loved this author’s writing style but more so how she gives us strong, caring, and compassionate heroines, who didn't need a man to make them and their life feel complete. This is where the author excelled. A win read, in my opinion!!

Cute YA romance with family and friend issues. Big Never Have I Ever vibes! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat was funny and poignant. At times it had me kicking my feet in giddy delight and at other times sobbing. In other words, I had the absolute best time with it! Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC.
Arya’s juggling a lot of plates—her mom’s depression, her sister’s upcoming wedding, a best friend fallout, and having to work with Dean after losing the student council presidency to him—but it turns out she’s really bad at juggling and plates are crashing all around her.
According to Arya, she and Dean are always at each other’s throats. And yes, they do get into a lot of fights. Like, so many fights. But it’s pretty apparent that only one person is instigating all of them and it’s not Dean. They’re forced to work together to save the fall formal, and the banter and tension and her absolute unwillingness to take anything he says at face value is absolutely delightful.
Amidst the lighthearted banter and falling in love with your rival, is a deeper message about how relationships change throughout your life—parent and child, sisters, and even friends. And that while it hurts, this is a natural part of life.
Warning, do not pick this book up before bed if you’re incapable of holding yourself to “just one more chapter” otherwise, like me, you will be staring down the wrong side of midnight and making tough choices about how much sleep you really need to survive the next day.

This was such a good debut!

Arya was such an interesting character and getting to step into this story was so much fun! I loved that the main narrative and conflict revolved around her sister and the friend split, it created a unique environment for the romance in this book to blossom.

My only issue is that the pacing felt just a little off in places and the resolution came a bit too quickly for me. Otherwise, this was so lovely and I look forward to reading what Avachat puts out next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t put it down and I’d recommend it to anyone. It was so witty and I loved the writing. I hope to read more from the author in the future. If you enjoyed this book and haven’t seen “Never Have I Ever” on Netflix, I definitely think you should check it out!!

Premise:

Arya Khanna's senior year of high school is shaping up to be busier than she expected: she's helping plan her sister's big wedding, playing mediator between her sister and mother, working a part-time job, and is student council vice president, meaning she has to learn to work with the president and her rival, Dean Merriweather.

My review:

I like to dip my toe into YA occasionally because I love to support writers of color and I was especially excited because Arushi Avachat is a fellow Indian-American who wrote a loving portrayal of an Indian-American heroine and her family in this book. Arya and her older sister Alina's relationship is the focal point of the story. Alina is getting married and Arya is her chief source of support because their mother is somewhat estranged from Alina after Alina dropped out of college and decided to take a non-traditional career path. I was reminded of Nisha Sharma's author's note in Tastes Like Shakkar where she wrote about the concept of "family managers", namely when children feel like their value to the family is conflated with the help they provide. This fits Arya to a tee: she is trying to keep the peace between her mother and sister and take care of her mother all while feeling like this is her duty, a carryover from when Alina was at college and living abroad. And that feeling hasn't entirely gone away, even with Alina living at home once again, and it only gets stronger until Arya confronts it head-on at the climax.

I liked how Arushi portrayed Indian-American culture in the book; it's not a monolith, as shown in the way she contrasts her family's Punjabi customs with Alina's fiancé Nikhil's Marathi customs. You also get a good sense of everyday desi culture, like the food we eat, being bilingual, the love for Bollywood films and songs, and religious observances like festivals and pujas. Plus, there's plenty of insight into the sheer magnitude of planning that goes into desi weddings.

Speaking of Bollywood, I thought the book's structure was cute— it was broken into acts much like Arya's beloved Bollywood films, complete with a soundtrack at the end.

I think my one note regarding the familial aspect is that I did not feel Arya's conflict with her mom was entirely resolved. Obviously her mom's depression isn't something I expected to be magically cured by the end of the book, and to be fair to Arya, she does learn to be more empathetic towards her mom during the course of the story, however, her mother does not communicate with Arya much better by the end of the book than she did in the beginning. I feel like this was a missed opportunity to hear from the point of view of a woman who got married and moved abroad at a fairly young age, barely has any physical contact with her loved ones who still live in India, and suffers from a mental illness that is still stigmatized within the community.

Regarding the romance between Arya and Dean, I do think it was very much a secondary plot. The book's blurb does a good job of putting into perspective what the main focus of the book is, namely, Arya's relationship with Alina, Alina's upcoming wedding, and Arya's family. What we do see of Dean and Arya is cute, if fairly low conflict— they're initially rivals who slowly learn to communicate better until they finally admit their feelings for one another near the end. I feel like even the subplot concerning Arya's evolving friendship with Lisa was given equal, if greater importance.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute young adult story about the complexities of family relationships and friendships that evolve as we grow older, and first brushes with romance.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I am a huge fan of Never Have I Ever so I was super excited to read this book but there were 2 reasons this wasn't a 5 star read.

1. Arya is so immature about her sisters life. Not everyone wants to live at home and stay in the same place they grow up. No one is responisble for someone else's mental health nor should they sacrifice their life for someone else.

2. What was that ending? She could have at least done a "One Year Later" and shown Arya at college. I was not a fan of where the book ended timeline wise.

Arya Khanna is trying to make the most of her senior year, and nothing is going to plan. Her best friends broke up, her family is busy planning her sister's wedding, and she has to team up with her nemisis, Dean Merriweather, to save the autumn formal. But through it all, Arya learns to adapt and embrace the changes in her life.

I loved everything about this book! The writing is witty and engaging, the characters are complex and relatable, and the plot is full of heart and humor. I especially enjoyed the Bollywood elements, such as the intermission and the colorful cast of characters.

Arya is a wonderful protagonist. She's smart, funny, and fiercely independent. I rooted for her from the start. Dean is also a great character. He's initially portrayed as the antagonist, but as the story progresses, we learn more about his backstory and his motivations. I loved watching Arya and Dean's relationship develop from enemies to friends to lovers.

The supporting cast is also excellent. Arya's family and friends are all unique and well-developed characters. I especially loved the relationship between Arya and her sister, Alina.

Overall, Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment is a delightful read. It's the perfect book to pick up if you're looking for a heartwarming rom-com with a diverse cast and a swoon-worthy romance.

Here are some of the things I loved most about the book:

The writing is witty and engaging.
The characters are complex and relatable.
The plot is full of heart and humor.
I especially enjoyed the Bollywood elements.
Arya is a wonderful protagonist.
Dean is also a great character.
The supporting cast is also excellent.

I highly recommend Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment to anyone looking for a fun and heartwarming read.

A sweet story about a high school senior working through her day-to-day struggles at school and home while her sister's wedding approaches. The book read like a diary to me, as Arya encounters the various challenges that face her--estranged friends, a rivalry with the (cute) student council president, a sister keeping a secret from her, a mother with depression--blended with lots of small moments like picking out movies to watch, clothes to wear, colleges to apply to, and food to make. As one problem resolves, another arises, giving this a slice-of-life structure that will likely appeal most to readers who enjoy quieter, character-focused stories. The celebration of Bollywood comes through so clearly, readers might finish the book eager to check out some of the films referenced in the pages, or even get up and dance.

This book is marketed for those who loved the hit Netflix TV show, “Never Have I Ever.” As soon as I saw that line, I knew I had to request this ARC. I absolutely loved that show and likewise absolutely loved this book.

The characters are well developed and the plot moves along at a pace that kept me engaged the entire time. The book itself covered some tougher topics, but in a lighter way. I love when authors can do this and create a book that deals with tough topics, but in a lighter way that doesn’t instantly make you want to put the book down because it’s too tough to read. I love to read as a form of escapism.

If you enjoyed this book and haven’t seen “Never Have I Ever” on Netflix, I definitely think you should check it out!

This was such a sweet, fun read! I really enjoyed the Bollywood style romance and the references to Bollywood movies. Plus any book that mentions Bend It Like Beckham is already a book I want to read! :)

The romance was definitely not the primary relationship that the story focuses on which surprised me given how the book was marketed, so I was a little disappointed we didn’t get more of Dean and Arya’s love story. But the scenes with the two of them were so very Pride and Prejudice- like that I soaked it all up anyway.

I did really enjoy the story of Arya’s relationship with her family- particularly her sister and mother. There was a lot of emotional depth to this story, and it made this YA rom com stand out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for this ARC to review! :)

This was a BEAUTIFULLY told tale of family going through changes and challenges together. Told through an immigrant daughters' eyes, details the struggles of growing up and navigating the intricacies of love and high school politics. I'd love to see another novel featuring Arya's college journey and how she and her family continues. 100/10 stars!