This book was tough to read because the content was so bleak—the entire time. There were zero moments of levity. The author tried to give Gita friends, but I didn't feel their friendship was genuine. Gita didn't have anyone to confide in, which made her keeping her secrets to herself all the more devastating.

I would not consider this a ya book even though it is being marketed as such. Gita is a freshman in college and there is so much sexual assault in this story. I felt uncomfortable reading it, but I see value in the story because girls go through this and it was based on the author's experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! What a pleasant surprise this book was. Gita Desai was not an easy character to follow because she had me screaming at the book, but by the end, you get it. Great representation.

This novel is YA but it covers some rough topics. Sonia is just starting college and comes from a really traditional family. As she’s having these college experiences she’s remembering and processing pieces of her past.
The way this book is written has me absolutely glued to it. There are Gujarati terms used throughout the book and they come with definitions and even how to use your face to say which cracks me up every time. We get to see every thought Sonia thinks and it’s gripping. She’s learning to become her own person and to speak for herself and we get to follow her on this journey.
While this book is YA there is some explicit content so read with care!

I have loved every second of reading this book and I highly recommend it!

this is a really important story that tackles heavy topics like sexual assault, dealing with trauma, and complicated family dynamics. the writing is raw and brutal at times. throughout the book gita struggles to fully come to terms with her past and makes some self-destructive decisions—she’s a complex character which makes her story compelling and realistic to me. i would definitely recommend this book to people who are starting college!

What an emotional ride "Gita Desai is Not Here to Shut Up" by Sonia Patel takes you on! Although this novel might technically fall into the Young Adult category, it's anything but a light read. The book dives deep into real and difficult subject matter, dealing with trauma, family dynamics, and the often overwhelming mental health challenges that arise when we don't, or simply can't, confront our past.

The story centers on Gita Desai, a young woman who seems to have it all figured out at Stanford University—until she doesn't. As Gita starts acting out, sabotaging the life she worked so hard to build, her past creeps back, threatening to destroy everything she thought she knew about herself. Sonia Patel doesn't shy away from the messiness of mental health and trauma, and Gita's slow unraveling is painfully relatable in its raw honesty.

I have never read Sonia Patel before, but this book hooked me. Her writing is so visceral and real that it almost feels like reading someone's private journal. Gita's pain and confusion are laid out in a way that makes you squirm, but that's part of the brilliance. It's uncomfortable in all the right ways, forcing readers to sit with the emotional weight of Gita's journey without rushing through it.

If you're looking for a book that challenges you and stays with you long after you've read the final page, "Gita Desai is Not Here to Shut Up" is the one. Trust me, you won't regret diving into this intense and emotionally charged story. Patel has made me a fan, and I'll definitely be picking up more of her work in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I was not expecting such a disturbing read, so I was taken off-guard by the abusive situations Gita repeatedly encountered. She is clearly influenced by her traumatic past that she has not yet processed. You definitely want to scream at her to stop falling into the same destructive behaviors, but ultimately can understand how her low self-worth developed over many years

I kept forgetting that this was set in the 90s and nothing about it screamed 90s to me other than some explicit references to music. Understanding of consent did seem antiquated but the kids seemed like current college kids to me.

The ending felt rushed to me. I would have liked more of the book to take place after she came to terms with her trauma and started to find her self-worth.

⭐️4
SHUT UP. Or, in Gita’s culture, the word is “chupre”. This is what Gita is told all her life. It’s her freshman year and she’s already drinking way too much and feeling shame over most of her decisions.

Gita is an ultra-high achiever, first generation Indian woman in her first year pre-med at the elite Stanford University. But her parents have other ideas…one being an eventual arranged marriage.

Gita is like a hurricane headed for a path of destruction unless, maybe, she can find her still, small voice buried deep inside herself.

A great read about the enduring power of friendships and family to stand beside us as we struggle for our truth.

Pub date: September 10, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for this Advanced copy. My opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6431455980

Gita Desai Is Not Here to Shut Up by Sonia Patel is a powerful and relatable coming-of-age story that tackles issues of identity, culture, and the struggle to find one’s voice. Gita, a fierce and unapologetic protagonist, grapples with the pressures of her family expectations and societal norms while trying to assert her independence. Patel’s writing is both humorous and poignant, capturing the complexities of adolescence with authenticity. This book is a must-read for anyone looking for a story about empowerment and self-discovery in today’s world.

I. Loved. This. Book. An absolute masterpiece of a story. The way this story handled some incredibly heavy experiences was masterful

(3.5 rounded)

I enjoyed this book once I hit the 30-40% mark. I think the beginning was slow and there was a lot of build up to a climax we can see coming. But it’s not really about the build up, it’s about us understanding more about who Gita is, why she makes the (bad) decisions she makes, etc. It was a coming of age novel where you grow with Gita understanding what happened to her and why it was wrong. (So check your TW: SA)

I did think that a lot of what happened was repetitive and we could have gotten to a lot of the points sooner. But from watching SVU, it’s obvious how this trauma affected her and how she literally erased those memories from childhood until she became an adult trying to grapple with what’s going on in her mind and why her body reacts the way that it does.

I feel like I should have realized from the back cover copy that this book explores trauma and its effect on a young college student. Though I’m not always a fan of young adult literature featuring protagonists in college, I do think this– trauma emerging and demanding to be dealt with in the first semester of college– is something we don’t talk about enough. It seems like something that a lot of people experience as they leave home for the first time and enter a busy, stressful time of life with a lot of academic and social demands.

Anyway, regardless, I kind of went into this book unprepared for its themes, which made it hit really hard. Some of the scenes are hard to read, not because there’s anything wrong with them, but because they explicitly state things that we often shut people up for talking about. We sometimes treat these things like they’re too shameful or complicated to talk about.

Gita is incredibly smart academically. She finds two really great girl friends, both white girls, and feels sidelined by the guys at the events the three of them attend. At one point, a guy Gita sleeps with asks for her friend’s phone number immediately after they’ve had sex. Ugh. Awful.

As the story unfolds, there are more and more hints at past trauma in Gita’s life. The slow reveal of those things was agonizing for me. I suspected where things were headed, and I could feel Gita’s resistance to remembering what happened. The writing is so on point. It was hard to stay on that knife’s edge for as long as the story keeps its readers there, though.

Because the story takes place in the 1990s, there are so many music references that 90s music lovers will enjoy. Gita listens to a broad range of music, and some of the songs were really well-placed in terms of what was happening in the scene as the song played.

Ultimately, I love that Gita’s relationships with Marisol and Jane anchor her and help give her the courage to speak up for herself. I love the arc of her relationships with her family members, too.

Overall, this is a heavy book that won’t be for everyone. It does a good job exploring the transition from home to college life and the role of trauma and shame in choices someone might make during that time.

I was not expecting this one to be so heavy! Once I started this book, I could not put it down. Reading this book was like watching a car accident in slow motion – it was so anxiety inducing, but I couldn't look away. Even though this book gave me some MAJOR secondhand embarassment, I couldn't help but acknowledge the hard truths sewed into the book. Many South Asian girls going to college for the first time grapple with these same feelings of embarrassment and shame around dating. Many South Asian girls grow up in sheltered, conservative families and just don't know any better when it comes to relationships. Gita Desai wasn't naive, she was ill informed. At first, I didn't really understand the significance of this book being set in the 90s. Now, I do. It's because she didn't have other brown girls on the internet to teach her about stuff! That's why she didn't know!

All jokes aside, this is a capital I, Important book. I think all Desi girls would benefit from reading this before going to college, so they go into it with their eyes WIDE open. I think there are still many "Gita Desai's" walking around college campuses today, fraught with shame because they haven't been taught anything else. I hated her family so much, but I think that is unfortunately still a reality for girls today. To make things worse, people in the Desi community continue to sweep issues like rape and sexual assault under the rug, when it should be treated with seriousness and trusting the woman.

This was a hard book to read, but it was 100% worth it.

So I didn't love this book but didn't hate it either; I feel very neutral about this book. Some people may really love it, others may really hate it so I consider this a read at your own risk book.

This is a YA coming-of-age book that takes place in 1992. Gita Desai is a first generation born Gujarati Indian and attends Stanford University. She has a set plan for her life and that is becoming a doctor, even though her parents are pushing her to get married (in an arranged marriage).
Gita's plan only involves studying, going to class and taking small breaks to exercise and eat. This all goes out the window when she meets Jane on move in day. They become instant friends, becoming a trio with Jane's friend Marisol. The 3 begin to go out partying and drinking, with Gita drinking to excess. Every time she drinks, she does things that she would not normally do and instantly regrets her actions. However, this brings up dormant memories from her childhood.

The dormant memories will tug at your heartstrings and you just want to hug Gita. There were other times that present-day Gita made me want to just hug her and tell her things will be okay. She is a typical 18 year old and just trying to find herself.
There were also times that I got secondhand embarrassment from Gita. But overall, she is a sheltered 18 year old finding herself and newfound independence.

I think this would be a great book for kids 16-18, right before they enter college. It could be used as a learning tool to show how alcohol impairs your judgement and that if something is bothering you, you shouldn't hold it in.
The book is written very realistically is that is a plus; and was written well enough to keep your interest but like I said this book is not for everyone.

If you are a sensitive reader, please look at the trigger warnings as there is talk of SA and suicidal ideation so just double check!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book. This book has my whole heart. I absolutely adored this! From the incredible characters, to the plot, to falling in love with everything so quickly- I couldn’t put this down. I highly recommend this! It really just sucks you in and makes you never want to leave. In my opinion, those are the best books and I couldn't get enough.

Gita Desai will forever have a place in my heart. I knew this book would be one I’d enjoy, but I was completely unprepared for it to take hold of me as much as it did. Reading it reminded me of the first times I read The Way I Used To Be and The Perks of Being A Wallflower and how much those books have stuck with me through the years. It is not an easy book to read. It deals with so many heavy topics from harmful views of women to rape and childhood trauma. It will make you mad, it will make you cry. And it’s supposed to. All of her life, Gita has been told to chup-re (to shut up), but after a traumatic sexual encounter triggers old memories to resurface, she finds that she can’t anymore and she shouldn’t have to. I loved seeing Gita find her strength in herself and also in her new friendships. I’m so blown away by this book and I’m very thankful to have read it.
CW: rape, sexual harassment, child abuse, underage drinking, racism, classism, pedophilia

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers and Dial Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This was such a powerful and emotional read.

I love that it was set in the 90's. Although it was a YA book, it dealt with some heavy topics as Gita navigates her first year of college, shedding her good girl image in a downward spiral kind of way, and examines her past trauma.

It did have some parts that may be triggering to some people, and at times was difficult to read, but it navigated those topics in a meaningful and appropriately relatable way.

I need to start off with, I know Gita has dealt with and is dealing with trauma that has happened to her and she’s dealing with it in her own way. However, what I just can’t wrap my head around is a girl who has worked her butt off to do what she wanted, not listen to her parents, pushed off an arranged marriage to become a doctor, who studies and does what she can to be best in her class ends up in the situations she ends up in. Who gets into Stanford pre-med and ends up getting sucked into “peer pressure” situations this easily? I can see why she works her butt off to get the life she wants and that’s also another way she deals with her trauma but to automatically flip a switch, especially when she doesn’t feel good enough just seems so out of character in my mind. It feels a little fake to me. Like if this was going to happen I feel like this would have happened in high school, not college, especially Stanford.

Of course, I feel bad for Gita and everything she had and has to deal with, especially having conservative traditional parents but something just didn’t feel authentic about this story.

Also, I could not stand how many times the word “Chup-re” was used in this story. If I never see that word ever again I would be so happy! It was wayyyyyyyy over used and honestly quite annoying and made me hate the story a little bit more. This has nothing to do with what the word means or anything. It just felt like it was over used and took away from the story.

I really wanted to like this story, especially because a lot of things young women go through are brought up and not sugar coated, but it just didn’t grab my attention the way I hoped it would.

This book was difficult to read. It's written by a child and adolescent psychiatrist who also notes that it draws on her own experiences, so it has a good heart, but maybe needed a different execution. It's set in 1992 at Stanford, where first-year student Gita has to untangle, with MUCH difficulty, how much she's been conditioned to see her self-worth in her desirability to men and her willingness to, well, shut up. There are content warnings, but somehow they feel insufficient for the sheer number of times Gita is sexually assaulted, and the detail with which Patel renders these scenes. I felt like I needed a lot less of the assault scenes and a lot more of Gita talking to her family and friends, who were interesting characters but didn't get enough development. There's a point to all the intense stuff in this book, but I felt like the same point could have been made better with different choices that would allow the book to reach and connect with more readers.

This story based off the author's true life is so heart breaking yet inspiring. This story is definitely recommended for older teens as there are many cases of sexual assault/abuse through out the story. The main character is an Indian American and the first in her very traditional family to attend college. She struggles with fitting in and trying to do all the things needed in her pre-med classes while having preconceived notions from her family. She also has flashbacks from sexual abuse when she was a child. This story is dark and sad but I enjoyed reading about another girl's culture as it helped to understand why things sometimes happens

(Note: While this is categories as young adult, I think it better fits the sub-age group of new adult.)

I had such high hopes for this book. As a Guju woman who has also fought through her own internalized chup re (shut up!), I was looking forward to reading an exploration of how this internalization can lead to the burying of trauma, past and present. While the book has a lot of potential, it just lacks some of the nuance needed to delve into the very important issues the book covers.

First the good: I enjoyed the relationship between Gita and her brother, Sai, and lab leader, Sora. I so wanted more of both of them in the book! I also really appreciate that the book tackles a topic that gets covered up and ignored in many Indian households and attempts to tackle the impacts of childhood sexual assault on adults. Unfortunately, I’m not sure it quite succeeds in this attempt.

The biggest issue is the repetitive nature of the plot. Specifically, the number of times Gita is assaulted and how similarly each one occurred became so predictable that as soon as I noted Gita was in a particular place or showing uncertainty about a situation, I would skim through the rest of the chapter until I was past the assault because it was so obvious that’s what would happen.

While there are ways this repetitive plot point could have worked, in this case, it takes away from what could have been an interesting exploration of how traumatic childhood events and memories impacts Gita in the present day. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear how what happened in her childhood impacts Gita in the present. But this was only clear to me because I was able to put the pieces together, not because we see Gita process this or even attempt to process it, and I’m not sure younger audiences would necessarily make the connection without seeing Gita explore that link for herself. That said, I think it the way the connection is currently written would have worked just as well without so many incidents.

And with fewer incidents, there would have been room to explore how Gita comes to understand each assault as an assault. She spends so much of the book calling them “hook ups” when all of them were rape. Only one gets acknowledged as such by others, one sort of gets acknowledge by Gita, but the others barely at all. And Gita is only encouraged to report one when she should have reported all of them. With so many assaults happening so quickly, there just wasn’t room to engage with how Gita might have come to grips with what actually happened.

There would have also been room to explore other aspects of Gita’s life, such as how the assaults impacted her education and her friendship with Marisol and Jane. We could have also learned more about Jane and Marisol, especially Marisol, which would have made their stories make far more sense. There would have also been more exploration of Gita’s relationship with her parents. Instead, the impact of all the assaults on Gita’s relationships with Marisol, Jane, and her parents get wrapped up far too neatly and too quickly.

Altogether, while I’m glad a book like exists, I wish it was a more nuanced story than the one we got.