This definitely is a book that I read. It's not bad, I think I just didn't vibe with the writing style. I also think I needed more to decide if they should stay in a relationship or not.

I received an arc through netgalley.

3.5 Stars
One Liner: Depends on your expectations

Raina wants to win the National Bollywood Dance Circuit Scholarship to prove that dance is a stable career choice. She also wants to show that she and her boyfriend, Aditya, are still the perfect couple despite the current differences between them. However, Aditya breaks up with her, and the choreography for the event is a mess.
Raina’s hopes for a do-over put her in a time loop where she repeats the same day again and again. Raina has to figure out what went wrong and fix it to fix the issues in her real life. But perfection may not be the only thing required!
The story comes in Raina’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
Before I start the review, I have to confess to laughing at the title. I like alliterations, but this one is so cheesy! Anyhoo!
Though the book is presented as a standalone, it is the story of Raina, Madhuri’s younger sister, from Kismet Connection, the author’s debut novel. Reading book one might help familiarize oneself with her character arc and the family dynamics.
In Kismet Connection, Raina and Aditya are the perfect couple (though they are teenagers). Raina was one of my favorite characters (I liked her more than Madhuri). Here, we see the actual Raina, whose zeal for perfection comes with a ton of insecurities and relationship disasters.
We get straight to the conflict. The time loop starts early, which means there are eight of them before real life resumes. Luckily, the pacing is quite good. However, this is an advantage and a disadvantage.
You will like the book more if your focus is on the time loop or Groundhog Day trope, where Raina tries to figure out how to fix the situation. However, you are likely to be disappointed if you want more elements about Indian American communities, families, or even the trending Bollywood dancing trope. That’s because the book is laser-focused on Raina’s character growth, and the other elements take a back seat. They are used only when necessary and discarded afterward.
Raina’s arc is actually good. She learns a lot thanks to the time loop and understands how and where she went wrong. Aditya shows promise, but since he has been made the perfect boyfriend, there isn’t a chance for much growth. He is easy to like, so no complaints.
I can also see an improvement in the writing style. This book is less clunky and has a smoother flow. Raina is flawed but not a red flag; something that didn’t work as it was supposed to in Kismet Connection.
Now, my issue is with the rest of the details. Though it’s a dance competition, we don’t see a lot of it except for some formations and a couple of moves. Given how dance is integral to Raina’s life, using it as more than a foundation would have helped. Then, there’s that competitor who never got exposed for what she did. It doesn’t seem right that she gets away. Then, the roles of Raina’s mother and sister are severely limited when their presence could have enhanced the plot and added another layer to it. I’m rather disappointed, especially since Kismet Connection stood out for the lovely family dynamics. We still don’t know what’s troubling Madhuri.
Though we get some typical competition between aunties and the ‘sanskari’ standards Raina has to deal with, they don’t add much to the plot. It feels superficial and stereotypical.
While there are a few desi emotions and moments, the book doesn’t, as such, stand out among many others that ride the same wave. It’s just another Western book with Indian characters using a few known tropes. It could have been with any characters from a slightly conservative background, and would have read the same.
To summarize, Sanskari Sweetheart is a decent sophomore novel dealing with YA romance. It has improved upon certain elements from the previous book, but it has a few issues of its own. Of course, I’d read more by the author. She shows promise and is a work in progress, just as she should be at this stage of her writing career.
Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***

PS: While the cover is cute, I don’t think it is accurate. Raina has long black curly hair (to her waist), and Aditya has thick black waves framing his face.

DNF at 18%

This is on me for having just read another time loop story at the same time, and the other one did it better. I love the premise, but Raina just seemed to get in her own way by manufacturing the extremity of why Nationals was so important when legit NO ONE was pressuring her to quit dancing if she didn't win the scholarship. Hopefully she grew from having to repeat the day, but I just didn't connect with her.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins for the arc of this book! To start out, Sanskari Sweetheart was a wonderful love letter to the South Asian community and the Bollywood lovers out there. I really appreciated the representation of the culture and the struggles of the people part of the South Asian diaspora. This book was an interesting concept with a mix of romance and magical realism.

In my opinion, this book was too repetitive when it came to the magical realism element. It was tough to find the reasoning behind the repetitions and why it was happening. I didn't agree with the fmc and her reasoning for a lot of decisions in the book. This made it hard for me to root for the love story without that connection to the fmc. I also noticed the mmc had little to no flaws and would have liked to see more depth to the character.

The grand reveal of why they magical realism was happening came out of nowhere for me. I wish there would have been some hints as to where the story was going. Because of this surprise, the reveal felt unsatisfying after these scenes. The plot seemed to keep on shifting throughout the book which left me confused on whether it was a love story, a story about the bollywood competition, or something else entirely. Without spoiling the ending, I was left dissatisfied with a character getting away with something that affected the results of the competition. I wish that would have been addressed in the end.

All in all, I appreciated this unique story and the representation it provided.

I was invested in what Raina was going through as a main character, she was realistic and enjoyed the overall feel of this storyline. It was a really well done young adult romance and was engaged with what was going on in this world. Ananya Devarajan has a strong writing style and was able to weave a strong tale that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall package. I was hooked from the cover and the first page really brought it in.

Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC!

As someone who is of Indian origin, this book was very relatable to read about. Ananya Devarajan did a fantastic job dealing with he stereotypical behaviour of the society in this book.

Aditya and Raina are wholly relatable characters. Their relationship was wonderful to see through the cracks and crevices of their problems and dates.

The magical realism aspect was perfectly captured and despite the repetitiveness due to the time loop, it still managed to keep me hooked the entire time.

4.5⭐

Thank you Ananya Devarajan, HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Sanskari Sweetheart was a fun magical-realism rom-com. It dealt with themes that are not normally explored in th romance genre --- the communication and miscommunication. Raina and Aditya had sizzling chemistry that complemented eachother seamlessly. I love how romantic Aditya was and his sweet gestures to Raina.
I also enjoyed the Bollywood Dance Competition setting that is set up outside India.


Overall, this was an emotional rom-com the further you dive into the story!

3.5 🌟
The main characters had some really adorable and romantic moments between them. Wish we had gotten to know more about their four year long relationship, since the whole story occurs in the span of a weekend (with Saturday occurring over and over). There were some elements that felt disjointed, like her issues with her family members. They would be brought up suddenly and then not addressed for a couple chapters and that occurred multiple times, to the point I didn’t remember what the problem was in the first place. I enjoyed her new friendship with Simran, and I liked how Raina’s relationship with her mom was portrayed, and her and her sister coming to terms with how their relationship was changing.

THIS. IS. YA. This isn’t just a fun time loop romance. It’s a simulation of what it’s like to be emotionally avoidant (aka a teenager!) and face situations where you need to confront hard conversations with not only people you love, but people whose opinions ultimately don’t matter. As usual, Devarajan excels at articulating character relationships well beyond the central romance. The dynamics between Raina’s family and social circle are complex and varied; I especially loved the auntie gossip mill and how their children avoided, defied, or even enabled it. Teenagers would benefit so much from dissecting the themes in a classroom (while actually enjoying the reading experience!). This is the perfect transition book from middle grade to young adult, and I don’t know why I haven’t been seeing this pushed everywhere.

Don't really like the overuse of Bollywood and the cringe I got while reading this book. I get that it is an romance based on Indian characters but this is not the way you represent it.

This was a great YA romance book. If you love Bollywood then you will love this book! The romance was so sweet! I would highly recommend reading this book!

3.5 stars!!

A huge thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a cppy of this book! I had a fun time with it!

Firstly, I would say that it has been a while since I read a YA novel, and I was really fascinated by the concept of a time loop with a dancer. I had to pick this up!! While I enjoyed the first half of this book - it gave me the perfect escape I needed from my busy and hectic life. But as it progressed, I found it to be slightly dragged and slow. Raina and Aditya are both great characters, but I just couldn't connect with them for some reason - I feel like I needed more establishment before we plundged into the time loop... Maybe these are different expectations, but I kind of wanted the book to explore her relationships beyond Aditya - like when her sister came in the time loop, or her mother too - I wish there was more depth in those interactions and not felt like an afterthought.

Overall, it is a fun book, and I wish all the luck to the author!

This book has the trope of 'stuck in a time loop' with repeating do-overs which is a theme that I've read before, but this was for sure a first where there is an existing romantic relationship from the beginning. On page, Aditya and Raina are the perfect couple and are also co-captains of their National Bollywood Dance Circuit group. They seem to be made for each other but the cracks in their relationship start showing in their last competition for the scholarship.

I read Kismat Connection over a year back and have read so many books since, I don't remember the book very well. There are obviously characters shared with both the novels with the FMCs in both being sisters. I think this book is readable as a standalone, but I recommend reading both for context and I wish I remembered the first one better.

Pacing wise, the book wasn't too bad but as with books using this trope, the repetition bored me after a while. I found the character development with Raina and just the way her character was crafted to be fascinating. Her relationships with people were so nuanced and are food for thought. The writing style though didn't sit great with me. It's either that or I was in a reading slumpish state when I picked it up. These are my thoughts on the book for now but may change with possible rereads.

PS- I would comment on the cultural aspects of this but I don't find anything that really separates this book from any book with white characters and maybe a few POC side characters. The only examples I can think of would be the entire cast being Indian with Indian names (to my memory) and a little bit of the 'aunties' stereotype. Saying this as an Indian who tries to pick up and support books from Indian/Indian origin authors.

thank you so much to ananya and her team for an ARC copy of this book!!

this was my first dabble into reading a southeastern asian romance and it was so fun, i loved the aspect of the dancing competition and the culture that was interwoven into the story, but i just did not enjoy raina as a main character, im all for a women who knows what she wants and is willing to be whatever it takes to do it but she was just so unaware of the feeling of the people around her and she did not treat aditya well and my heart hurt for him bc he deserved better

overall the vibes were there and i want to give this author another chance!❤️

4.75 stars rounded up to 5

Being trapped in a time loop sounds like my own personal hell, but man I love reading about time loops in books, specifically in romance books. When Sanskari Sweetheart was first announced, I instantly knew that I would enjoy reading this book. A book with desi characters, gossiping aunties, dance and a tinge of magical realism in the form of a timeline? That's a recipe for success, I tell you.

When we first meet Raina, she's the stubborn captain of a Bollywood dance team, whose mind is on winning a scholarship to convince her mom that dance is what she wants to make her career in. Around the same time, we meet Aditya, the co-captain of the same dance team, her long-term boyfriend. Their relationship is on the rocks, and all due to the lack of communication between them. There are chapters in the book that surround their arguments - Raina's stubbornness in not opening up, Aditya not listening to her - and all of this comes while Raina is trapped in a time loop. It makes for a very dramatic and interesting situation, which is almost reminiscent of Bollywood movies and Indian serials.

This is a sweet YA romance where the star of the show is honest communication. Raina, through the time loops, learns both how much she loves Aditya, and how much she’s hurting him. The two of them have been inseparable for so long, first as best friends and now as boyfriend and girlfriend. The biggest problem is that since they started dating, Raina has stopped seeing him as her best friend and has been closing part of herself off, leaving Aditya feeling hurt and uncertain.

The first time loop starts after their first breakup, and continues resetting every time they separate. Raina tries to dismiss it, to accept it, to focus on anything and everything else but the problem … until she realizes how much she loves Aditya and starts fighting. Fighting herself, fighting bad habits, doing the work of opening herself up to be vulnerable, to tell her boyfriend what she wants and needs, and finally asking him what it is he needs.

It’s a fast read, well put together and decently written, and is more of a 3.5 than a three. Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

4.75 stars rounded up to 5

Being trapped in a time loop sounds like my own personal hell, but man I love reading about time loops in books, specifically in romance books. When Sanskari Sweetheart was first announced, I instantly knew that I would enjoy reading this book. A book with desi characters, gossiping aunties, dance and a tinge of magical realism in the form of a timeline? That's a recipe for success, I tell you.

When we first meet Raina, she's the stubborn captain of a Bollywood dance team, whose mind is on winning a scholarship to convince her mom that dance is what she wants to make her career in. Around the same time, we meet Aditya, the co-captain of the same dance team, her long-term boyfriend. Their relationship is on the rocks, and all due to the lack of communication between them. There are chapters in the book that surround their arguments - Raina's stubbornness in not opening up, Aditya not listening to her - and all of this comes while Raina is trapped in a time loop. It makes for a very dramatic and interesting situation, which is almost reminiscent of Bollywood movies and Indian serials.

While I am not a big fan of the miscommunication trope, I do like how it was done in this book. It was masterful, and in the overall context of the story, makes complete sense for the way the characters are. Time loops also provide a way to pack in character development, and while to the characters, the changes seem sudden, to us readers, it is the perfect way to show people can change. I loved the climax of the book and the actual conclusion of the competition. Raina really grew, and her character development is one of the best parts of the book. Plus the way her and Aditya's relationship ends is a delight in its own way. It's the start of a new journey that the two are about to undertake together.

All in all, Sanskari Sweetheart was a delightful romcom and I cannot wait to read more of what Ananya Devarajan writes!

I would like to thank Ananya and HarperCollins for providing a digital arc. Sadly, I have some conflicting feelings about the book and have decided to not review publicly. However, I will say Bollywood dance troupes have become an important part of the South Asian diaspora experience for many. By mixing genres of music, choreography and becoming social pillars Ananya really captures the cultural experience in Sanksari Sweetheart.

Sanskari Sweetheart by Ananya Devarajan is a delightful and heartfelt contemporary romance that masterfully weaves tradition with modernity. The story follows a charming yet conflicted protagonist navigating cultural expectations, familial bonds, and the challenges of finding love on their own terms. Devarajan’s vibrant prose and nuanced character development bring depth and authenticity to this witty and heartwarming tale. A perfect read for fans of romance that celebrates identity and individuality

When I heard that there was a new YA Desi romance coming out, I was really excited. However, I didn't realize this was a groundhog day style book. Raina wakes up again and again, only to relive the same day. Instead of being a compelling YA novel about herself and her family, this was a repetitive, and at times, boring, novel. I couldn't really understand why she liked her boyfriend so much, and there wasn't much explanation given for the groundhog day style of storytelling. Raina was a flat character, and it was hard to understand her ambitions during the repetitive storytelling. I also started this book under the pretense that it was a story about falling in love. However, the love interest is already her boyfriend. I think this is partly an issue of me not enjoying the book, and partly a marketing issue on the part of the author and publisher. Why say this is a YA romance set within the competitive Desi dancing outlet, when it is actually, in fact, a groundhog day living-the-same-day-again-and-again story about a girl having relationship issues with her boyfriend? There is very little actual dancing going on in the story, as well as barely any context about her dance team. I wish this story was what I was promised, but it wasn't. A sore sore disappointment in my opinion.