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literatehedgehog's review against another edition
3.0
Desi magical realism, where a girl's repressed feelings about her parents' fights and friend jealousy come out as Bollywood songs. I liked the premise and clear love for Bollywood movies, but the middle drags out too long.
whatstarareading's review against another edition
2.0
I thought I would really enjoy this book but I dnf at 45%. Maybe will try to read it a different time. :)
afro8921's review against another edition
4.0
That Thing about Bollywood takes a young girl who always suppresses her true feelings and makes her act them out. I loved the bollywood theme and also the vulnerability of the characters in the story. Great realistic fiction read.
lprongs's review against another edition
3.0
Sonali's parents are separating and she hides those emotions under a mask. When her feelings start putting on Bollywood performances, she has to find out how to stop it before it changes everything.
renuka__'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I think the concept behind this book was fun, but I thought it was executed in such a repetitive and dry way. Even for a middle grade book, I really couldn’t believe how obviously everything was stated and how the main character’s growth/pain points took so long to overcome (in terms of chapters). It felt like all of her trauma had stemmed from this singular experience as a child and the author beat that point home over and over again. I think this book might actually make for a good movie adaptation where the movie was better.
thenovelbook's review against another edition
2.0
This middle-grade book is a jumbo-sized metaphor to teach younger readers about the benefits of expressing their feelings instead of bottling them up.
Sonali has always loved her Bollywood movie nights with family, but she herself couldn't be further from the singing, dancing, overacting, emotional expression of the movies. Tension and fighting between her parents has wounded her so deeply over the years that she thinks the only way to cope is not to feel. Then her family starts to split up for real.
In a fantastical, magical twist, suddenly Sonali's world is turned into a Bollywood extravaganza, where everyone has their own soundtrack and everyone sings or dances their feelings at the drop of a hat. Including Sonali herself. She's horrified at the way her feelings are starting to escape her. The longer it goes on, the more Bollywood her life becomes. Will she ever get out of this absurdity? The only hope is if she can learn to genuinely speak her feelings to the people around her.
The message is a truly worthy one, and I really liked the discussion that Sonali finally has with her best friend Zara about how friends aren't mind readers and that they have to tell each other what they're feeling.
But the device of a magically-Bollywood-infused world goes on rather too long and could have been more effective in a somewhat shorter book. Also, different readers may have different reactions to the supposedly inevitable split-up of Sonali's family, which to me was the most regrettable part of the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for this advance review copy.
Sonali has always loved her Bollywood movie nights with family, but she herself couldn't be further from the singing, dancing, overacting, emotional expression of the movies. Tension and fighting between her parents has wounded her so deeply over the years that she thinks the only way to cope is not to feel. Then her family starts to split up for real.
In a fantastical, magical twist, suddenly Sonali's world is turned into a Bollywood extravaganza, where everyone has their own soundtrack and everyone sings or dances their feelings at the drop of a hat. Including Sonali herself. She's horrified at the way her feelings are starting to escape her. The longer it goes on, the more Bollywood her life becomes. Will she ever get out of this absurdity? The only hope is if she can learn to genuinely speak her feelings to the people around her.
The message is a truly worthy one, and I really liked the discussion that Sonali finally has with her best friend Zara about how friends aren't mind readers and that they have to tell each other what they're feeling.
But the device of a magically-Bollywood-infused world goes on rather too long and could have been more effective in a somewhat shorter book. Also, different readers may have different reactions to the supposedly inevitable split-up of Sonali's family, which to me was the most regrettable part of the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for this advance review copy.
i_will_papercut_a_bish's review against another edition
5.0
Supriya Kelkar has created such a fascinating and unique magical world, in which 11-year-old Sonali wakes up one day to find all her hard-suppressed feelings have transformed her world into a Bollywood movie. She couldn't hide her true emotions, even if she wanted to!
This story is a beautiful, humorous exploration of the importance of processing your feelings with others and reaching out for help from your support network. The topic of divorce and family difficulty is handled with equal parts brutal honesty and tender empathy, in a way that's relevant and deeply accessible to young readers. I was rooting for Sonali all the way through! This book is a unique treasure on any family or classroom bookshelf, and I'm so excited to read the author's next book!
This story is a beautiful, humorous exploration of the importance of processing your feelings with others and reaching out for help from your support network. The topic of divorce and family difficulty is handled with equal parts brutal honesty and tender empathy, in a way that's relevant and deeply accessible to young readers. I was rooting for Sonali all the way through! This book is a unique treasure on any family or classroom bookshelf, and I'm so excited to read the author's next book!
ila_mae's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
Sonali loves Bollywood movies. In fact, Sunday night is her favorite night of the week as she, her parents, and her younger brother watch a movie together. But that doesn't mean she actually wants to live in one! Unfortunately, that seems to be exactly what has happened. After receiving some upsetting news about her parents, Sonali's entire world has shifted into a Bollywood movie complete with bright colors, dancing, and songs about feelings. Which is the worst for Sonali since she hates talking about her feelings. All of a sudden she is telling her parents and her best friend how she really feels, all while singing and dancing. No one else around her remembers the world in any other way. Can Sonali figure out how to get things back to normal? Or will she be living in a Bollywood movie forever? Highly recommended for grades 4 & up. Some familiarity with Bollywood movies would help appreciate the book more.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss