When Dimple met Rishi

 

Bibliography

Menon, S. (2017). When Dimple met Rishi. First Simon Pulse hardcover edition. Simon Pulse.

ISBN: 9781481478687

Plot Summary

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With high school graduation behind her, she's more than ready for a break from her family. Mamma's inexplicable obsession with finding the "Ideal Indian Husband" goes against everything Dimple has planned for her future.  Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. Even though money is tight, her parents paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers with a secret plan.

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic who is a believer in tradition. His parents tell him about his future wife and that she will be attending the same summer program as him. Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

Critical Analysis

When Dimple meets Rishi, is a beautiful story about two recently graduated high schoolers trying to figure out how to balance their true selves and cultural expectations. This story is a young adult book because it features characters between 15-19 years old, themes of self-discovery and identity, first love, and emotional growth. We watch the progress of slowly growing up in their actions and decisions. Both Dimple and Rishi are facing parental expectations, cultural identity, gender roles, ambition, love, and fitting in. These are all real challenges teens deal with. 

          Throughout the story, it was written from their point of view, which is easily relatable to teen readers. The dialogue sounds like real teenage conversations because it has those moments of awkwardness, humor, and honesty. When reading about their cultural expectations from their parents, the reader could feel the frustrations and emotional side, especially from Dimple. Dimple was not a typical Indian girl. She is bold, rational, and extremely passionate about coding. She challenges the stereotype of her Indian culture; she is career-driven, and marriage is not something she is looking for. Rishi is a traditional romantic, and he believes in arranged marriage because he loves the story of his own parents. I loved the growth that Dimple made in the story, particularly in honoring her cultural heritage and maintaining her individual identity. Rishi, I loved his growth too. Even though he was the opposite of Dimple in the end, he found that he could still be traditional but keep true to who he is on the inside.

I connected with this story because I’ve known friends who faced similar cultural pressures in high school. While their experiences weren’t the same, the idea of family expectations shaping young people’s futures felt very real. Books like When Dimple Met Rishi are important for teens because they remind readers that they’re not alone in these struggles. I truly enjoyed this story and have already recommended it to friends. I even have the next two books in the series on hold at the library.

Review Excerpts

• “Full of warm characters and sweet romance, fans of contemporary young adult novels will want to pull up a chair and read all about When Dimple Met Rishi.” –Entertainment Weekly

• “The arranged marriage YA rom-com we’ve been waiting for.” –Bustle Magazine

Awards and Recognitions

• Instant New York Times Bestseller!

• Instant National Indie Bestseller!

• A Top 10 Indie Next Pick!

• A Junior Library Guild Selection!

• Starred Review from Kirkus!

• Starred Review from VOYA!

• A 2017 Goodreads Choice Award Finalist!

• An Amazon Best Book of the Year!

• A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year!

• An NPR Books Best Book of the Year!

• A Target Best Book of the Year!

• An ALA BFYA (American Library Association Best Fiction for Young Adults) 2018 pick!

• An ALA Amelia Bloomer List pick for feminist YA fiction!

• An Indies Choice Award Finalist!

• 2018 South Asia Award Honor Book!

• Winner of the 2018 Colorado Book Award in Young Adult Literature!

• One of Book Riot’s Must Read Contemporary YA Novels of the 2010s!

Connections

• Students can create a cultural collage showing different parts of who they are. This can include family, culture, interests, and goals. Let them think about if any of it makes it hard to balance, like Dimple and Rishi.

• Have students look into coding, and if time allows, students can partner up to come up with their own app.