Ten Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon
Publication Date: July 21st, 2020
Rating: 5/5
Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny-tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe.
Samir Jha might have a few . . . quirks remaining from the time he had to take care of his sick mother, like the endless lists he makes in his planner and the way he schedules every minute of every day, but those are good things. They make life predictable and steady.
Pinky loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions (aka boyfriends) she’s made, she hatches a plan. Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy, Samir—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer. As they bicker their way through lighthouses and butterfly habitats, sparks fly, and they both realize this will be a summer they’ll never forget.
I received this ARC from the author in exchange for a review but this review is unbiased and honest!
Sandhya Menon is an auto-buy author for me because she never fails to make me laugh and swoon with her fun characters and the great romance! Plus, this has two of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers AND fake dating!) and takes place in a perfect summer lake environment! It’s the perfect time to read this!
Also, I just love how the Dimpleverse books are all desi twists of popular rom-com titles/movies! I could see the Ten Things I hate About You parallels though it wasn’t super obvious and very unique!
Not gonna lie, when I first met Pinky in Sweetie’s book, I wasn’t sure if I would really love her because she was always sort of negative and always ready for a fight (and I kind of felt attacked haha). I was scared I wasn’t going to enjoy her character because of that but this book really showed her full character in a complete way and I really ended up liking her!
In Sweetie’s book Samir was also previewed as this nerdy and kind of annoying mama’s boy. And BOY WAS I SURPRISED WHEN I SAW HIM IN THIS BOOK. My whole view of these two characters changed as I read this book and that was just super fun!
On top of the romance (because obviously, I adored this new couple), I really loved the family relationships brought to light. I always love Sandhya Menon’s way of bringing mother-daughter relationships in different ways. I think it was nice to see the whole “teenage rebellion” storyline play out with a protective and strict mother take a different turn. Plus, we get to see Pinky in action when she tries to fight and use her voice to save the butterfly sanctuary in the town!
I really enjoyed the really wholesome scenes when Samir and Pinky really get to know each other. There was one scene in particular that has to do with coloring that might not be super spotlighted but was one of my favorite scenes in the book!
If you enjoy passionate brown girls that fight for justice, rebellious teenagers, fake dating and summer romances, you should definitely check out this book! If you like possums that play dead at the most opportune moments, butterflies, romantic lighthouse adventures, boggle tournaments, and amazing summer rom-coms, you’ll love this book!
Star is All Booked Up 
I love seeing little Desi romances – how cool is that?!
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ikr?! it’s SO FUN
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I loved this book so much! It’s actually my favourite in the Dimpleverse 🙂
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I think I’m biased with Sweetie but this definitely was my fave too!
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