There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: May 14, 2019
Ashish Patel didn’t know love could be so…sucky. After he’s dumped by his ex-girlfriend, his mojo goes AWOL. Even worse, his parents are annoyingly, smugly confident they could find him a better match. So, in a moment of weakness, Ash challenges them to set him up.
The Patels insist that Ashish date an Indian-American girl—under contract. Per subclause 1(a), he’ll be taking his date on “fun” excursions like visiting the Hindu temple and his eccentric Gita Auntie. Kill him now. How is this ever going to work?
Sweetie Nair is many things: a formidable track athlete who can outrun most people in California, a loyal friend, a shower-singing champion. Oh, and she’s also fat. To Sweetie’s traditional parents, this last detail is the kiss of death.
Sweetie loves her parents, but she’s so tired of being told she’s lacking because she’s fat. She decides it’s time to kick off the Sassy Sweetie Project, where she’ll show the world (and herself) what she’s really made of.
Ashish and Sweetie both have something to prove. But with each date they realize there’s an unexpected magic growing between them. Can they find their true selves without losing each other?
THIS WAS THE CUTEST BOOK AND I WILL FIGHT YOU FOR MY FAVES ASHISH AND SWEETIE OKAY?!
I literally finished this in a few hours because it was absolutely adorable and perfect. I’ve been anticipating this one since I heard about it and I am just SUPER HAPPY ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK.
As a desi person, I entirely related to the gossiping and way-too-judgy aunties that seem to care way too much about other people rather than themselves. While I am not fat, I have been called that by aunties. It’s funny that they notice that, but as soon as I lose weight, they worry about me being “too weak”… anyway, rant aside… this book IS EVERYTHING.
When I read Dimple , I immediately knew Sandhya Menon would be an auto buy author for me! And Ashish was definitely a stand out character so I was extremely excited about seeing more of him in this one (plus the cute cameos by Dimple and Rishi!).
But the real show stopper of this story was SWEETIE. She’s fierce, funny, adorable, and so frikkin awesome. I loved her character arc and seeing her become even more confident and comfortable with herself. I loved how sassy and smart she was. And I absolutely loved how she wouldn’t let anyone tell her she couldn’t run even if she’s fat!
I think it was so adorable the way Sweetie and Ashish met and get to know each other. It introduced me to Indian culture and Hinduism in a fun, lighthearted way (plus it kind of took a trope I love and made it unique and fun!). There were so many moments when I laughed out loud (ask my sister, she kept giving me funny looks) because of the overall cuteness and perfection of these two.
Aside from the love story, I liked the family drama between Sweetie and her mother. I think it added an extra layer to the overall experience (I was SUPER frustrated with Mrs. Nair, just saying) and I really liked how it brought the whole story together. Mrs. Nair wasn’t EVIL per se, but oof she really got me riled up at times!
I also enjoyed the side story with Ashish and his group of friends. It added this side to Ashish we didn’t really get to see in Dimple and I really appreciated the friendships (and drama haha). I think it would be pretty cool to see some of these characters get their own book (hint hint)!
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsI’d wear a t shirt that says SASSY SWEETIE PROJECT any day @smenonbooks
— we’reSTARStonight (@starshynebrite) May 24, 2019
Anyway, I had an amazing time reading this book and I’m sure you would too! You don’t have to have read When Dimple Met Rishi to read this one (though it does add an extra bit of fun if you have), so pick this up ASAP. Sweetie and Ashish are honestly my favorite characters by Sandhya Menon!
If you love great desi rep, fat rep, or just super awesome funny witty and confident characters, you should definitely pick this up! If you enjoy boys in awe of girls, dating under a funny contract, parrots that are probably a part of a huge pyramid scheme, friendship and love, and standing up to stereotypes pick this up ASAP! And if you love Bollywood style meet cutes and absolutely adorable OTP’s, There’s Something About Sweetie is PERFECT FOR YOU!
Star is All Booked Up 
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