Scan barcode
A review by lisaluvsliterature
Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book! And it only cemented the fact that I NEED to watch some Bollywood movies! I loved all the characters, even if I got upset with Arya for her stubbornness, once again, she was a teenager, so it made sense for her to behave and feel the way she did.
Honestly this is so much more than just a romance, there are tests of friendship, family issues, societal/cultural issues, and just being a senior and figuring out where your life is going. All the different aspects of the story were very well fleshed out and fit like puzzle pieces to make a complete picture for the story.
While her family wasn’t perfect, a mother and father that for sure loved her, but had their own issues, and a sister that had left her and was back, but was she really back for good? Arya felt so much that things were on her to fix her family, since she was the one that had been left behind when her sister left. That was something she needed to learn wasn’t her responsibility.
Her frenemy/love interest was Dean, who had won her coveted Student Council president position. It was easy to see he was interested in her by how he acted. One thing I loved about him though, was once they started attempting to be friends or more, he was able to stop and call her on her behavior, even if it did make him angry. I thought that was very mature of him, and kind of real, definitely kept it from going into drama for drama’s sake like romances tend to do. I mean, Arya was creating enough drama on her own.
Then there was the break-up of her two best friends who had been dating. I was so mad at her friend Lisa for acting that way. I mean I get it, heartbreak is hard as a teenager, but for her to not even give Arya a chance to be her friend. That sucked. It added to the drama of the story for sure, and I’m glad she at least had Andy.
There were moments that reminded me of one of my favorite recent shows, Never Have I Ever, but it was still a story all on its own. And like I said at the beginning of my review, I really need to watch some Bollywood and I was given many many suggestions of things I need to try throughout the story. I highly recommend this one, and can’t wait to purchase it for my school library!
Honestly this is so much more than just a romance, there are tests of friendship, family issues, societal/cultural issues, and just being a senior and figuring out where your life is going. All the different aspects of the story were very well fleshed out and fit like puzzle pieces to make a complete picture for the story.
While her family wasn’t perfect, a mother and father that for sure loved her, but had their own issues, and a sister that had left her and was back, but was she really back for good? Arya felt so much that things were on her to fix her family, since she was the one that had been left behind when her sister left. That was something she needed to learn wasn’t her responsibility.
Her frenemy/love interest was Dean, who had won her coveted Student Council president position. It was easy to see he was interested in her by how he acted. One thing I loved about him though, was once they started attempting to be friends or more, he was able to stop and call her on her behavior, even if it did make him angry. I thought that was very mature of him, and kind of real, definitely kept it from going into drama for drama’s sake like romances tend to do. I mean, Arya was creating enough drama on her own.
Then there was the break-up of her two best friends who had been dating. I was so mad at her friend Lisa for acting that way. I mean I get it, heartbreak is hard as a teenager, but for her to not even give Arya a chance to be her friend. That sucked. It added to the drama of the story for sure, and I’m glad she at least had Andy.
There were moments that reminded me of one of my favorite recent shows, Never Have I Ever, but it was still a story all on its own. And like I said at the beginning of my review, I really need to watch some Bollywood and I was given many many suggestions of things I need to try throughout the story. I highly recommend this one, and can’t wait to purchase it for my school library!