katiez624's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of a typical immigrant family, one filled with unmet expectations, resentment, secrets, and definitely no talking about feelings. Even though Natasha's father and sister are both psychiatrists, mental health is still stigmatized within the family walls. When Natasha ventures out to pursue comedy full-time, her whole life turns upside down and nothing goes as planned. The other members of the Joshi family are also going through troubles of their own, but no one is willing to share or ask for help. An unexpected event forces the family to face their fears head on and deal with their issues in a way they've never felt comfortable doing before.
It is evident this is an Own Voices story. Saumya Dave is very familiar with the familial relations within a Desi family and community and uses the Joshi family to convey how even the most fragmented household can unite and support each other in the most important ways.
It is evident this is an Own Voices story. Saumya Dave is very familiar with the familial relations within a Desi family and community and uses the Joshi family to convey how even the most fragmented household can unite and support each other in the most important ways.
afox98's review against another edition
4.0
Great read about an Indian immigrant family adjusting to life in America while still dealing with deep-seated Indian expectations. I didn't like Natasha's character at all - understood her desire to do what she liked, but she took it too far and had no consideration of others' feelings. Otherwise, I appreciated the various characters' viewpoints and the overarching theme of mental health awareness and treatment. Solid characterizations and representation of the Indian families I have met in my years of working with and knowing them both in India and the U.S. I also really liked how the author destigmatized the in-patient treatment of those who need it.
iillsss's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse
alex_johnson_2021's review against another edition
5.0
I wanna read more stories like this! Intergenerational stories about people of color trying to figure out whether they want to go with the expectations that their families have placed on them or whether they want to go their own route.
My favorite character out of this entire novel is Natasha. She went from having a boyfriend, working at an ad agency, and her parents expected her to marry her boyfriend and settle down with her decision. Her boyfriend was ready to propose to her in front of both of their families and she said no, despite the pressure that she was put under. Despite the feelings of other people, she put herself first. I don't think it was selfish at all. Natasha's boyfriend didn't really talk about in detail what their future plans would look like, instead he just proposed, assuming that she would say yes, and I didn't like that. I think his name is Karan, but I could be wrong.
Suhani is the model daughter but she's hiding a big secret from her husband. They are married and they have talked about kids. Her husband wants to have them, but she's a bit apprehensive about it, because she wants to focus on her career. She works in the medical field, and her husband works at a tech startup so you can say that they definitely have the money to support a kid for sure. Suhani wants to reach a big accomplishment at her job, but she comes to find out that her ex-boyfriend is standing in the way of that. Long story short, she needs his approval in order to be recommended for the position, and the only person that knows the big secret is Natasha.
Anuj keeps to himself and for very good reason. He doesn't want to have the spotlight on him. He got into Cornell, specifically to major in architecture, and his parents don't know why.
You start to learn why everyone does the things that they do, and there were certain moments that definitely got to me, when they came together and revealed their secrets to each other. This author did a great job of interweaving all of their stories together and each chapter you get to go inside a different POV and see how they're feeling at a given point in time.
My favorite character out of this entire novel is Natasha. She went from having a boyfriend, working at an ad agency, and her parents expected her to marry her boyfriend and settle down with her decision. Her boyfriend was ready to propose to her in front of both of their families and she said no, despite the pressure that she was put under. Despite the feelings of other people, she put herself first. I don't think it was selfish at all. Natasha's boyfriend didn't really talk about in detail what their future plans would look like, instead he just proposed, assuming that she would say yes, and I didn't like that. I think his name is Karan, but I could be wrong.
Suhani is the model daughter but she's hiding a big secret from her husband. They are married and they have talked about kids. Her husband wants to have them, but she's a bit apprehensive about it, because she wants to focus on her career. She works in the medical field, and her husband works at a tech startup so you can say that they definitely have the money to support a kid for sure. Suhani wants to reach a big accomplishment at her job, but she comes to find out that her ex-boyfriend is standing in the way of that. Long story short, she needs his approval in order to be recommended for the position, and the only person that knows the big secret is Natasha.
Anuj keeps to himself and for very good reason. He doesn't want to have the spotlight on him. He got into Cornell, specifically to major in architecture, and his parents don't know why.
You start to learn why everyone does the things that they do, and there were certain moments that definitely got to me, when they came together and revealed their secrets to each other. This author did a great job of interweaving all of their stories together and each chapter you get to go inside a different POV and see how they're feeling at a given point in time.
enewman312's review against another edition
2.0
A fun read, but the archetypal characters are very cliche. The “perfect” high-achieving kid vs. the creative rebellious one etc. The book lacks depth overall.
madhurimas's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
yuyuv's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fatphobia, and Abortion
Minor: Abandonment, Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Racism
bookish_calirican's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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