Arushi Avachat | Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment

The Book: 

Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat
Published: January 9, 2024 by Wednesday Books
Date read: December 1, 2023

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Characters: 

Arya and Dean

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The Plot (from Goodreads):

Shaadi preparations are in full swing, which means lehenga shopping, taste testing, dance rehearsals, and best of all, Arya’s sister Alina is home. The Khannas are together again, finally, and Arya wants to enjoy it. So she stifles her lingering resentment towards Alina, plays mediator during her sister’s fights with their mother, and welcomes her future brother-in-law with open arms. (Okay, maybe enjoy isn’t exactly right.)

Meanwhile at school, Arya’s senior year dreams are unraveling. In between class and her part-time gig as a bookshop assistant, Arya struggles to navigate the aftermath of a bad breakup between her two best friends and a tense student council partnership with her rival, the frustratingly attractive Dean Merriweather.

Arya is determined to keep the peace at home and at school, but this shaadi season teaches Arya new realities: Alina won’t always be in the bedroom down the hall, Mamma’s sadness isn’t mendable, friendships must evolve, and life doesn’t always work out like her beloved Bollywood movies. But sometimes, the person you least expect will give you a glimpse of your dream sequence just when you need it most.

Structured like a Bollywood film (entertaining intermission included!) Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment will make you swoon, laugh, cry, think, nod your head in agreement, and quite possibly make you get up and dance.

My Review:

Arya Khanna's Bollywood MomentArya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This YA romance was such a cute read! I love a wedding story, and this one was made even better by the fact that it was the MC’s big sister getting married. I enjoyed the South Asian rep and Bollywood film structure (and that Arya explained the Bollywood connections along the way for those of us not too familiar with them).

The love interest is an academic rival. I was more interested in the family dynamics than in the romance, but there’s also some friendship drama to carry things along. If you liked Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea, you’re sure to enjoy this debut–the student government aspect felt very similar.

I enjoyed this YA debut and look forward to reading more by this author!

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