A review by michellesantiago
10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon
4.0
10 Things I Hate About Pinky was one of my most anticipated books of 2020. I liked When Dimple Met Rishi and I absolutely LOVED There's Something About Sweetie (it was one of my favorite books of 2019). We met both of our main characters--Pinky Kumar and Samir Jha--in Sweetie and when I heard it's a hate-to-love and a fake dating trope I already knew it was going to be a good one.
And I was right!
Now, I didn't love it as much as I did Sweetie because that book really pulled at my heart and I related to it on a deep level that I haven't had in a long time. BUT, out of all the three books--Dimple, Sweetie, and Pinky--Pinky was the most funny and entertaining one. I was laughing from start to finish! Pinky and Samir were hilarious! They were funny on their own and I absolutely love their banter. And that whole thing about the possum--that was gold!
Pinky was much more light-hearted than the previous novels, but like the other novels, one of the biggest conflicts was Pinky's contentious relationship with her mom. In this case, her mom sees her as a screw-up and always assumes the worst about Pinky. This had Pinky wanting to show her mom that she's wrong, and hence getting good boy Samir to be her fake boyfriend for the summer after his internship fell through. My fake-dating trope loving heart was much amused and very entertained, and the hate-to-love element (because Pinky and Samir were like oil and water) added some fun banter-y friction and got Pinky and Samir into some funny situations.
I'm giving 10 Things I Hate About Pinky 4 stars because while I was much entertained and I love the characters and the trope and plot, I thought the resolution and how everything tied up was kind of surface level--it didn't have that impact that would hit me emotionally and stay with me after I turned the last page. Also, the story is focused on Pinky and her relationship with her mom, but I would've loved to have gotten Samir and his mom's story because they have an interesting dynamic and a complicated relationship too, and we didn't get anything at all about that.
10 Things I Hate About Pinky was an all-around great time! I had a wonderful time reading it and it kept me entertained all the way through. I'm looking forward to more by Ms. Menon. If you're looking for a fun, rom-com-y YA contemporary, or if you need a funny, romance-y read in between your darker books (because we all need those sometimes), 10 Things I Hate About Pinky would be a great choice.
And I was right!
Now, I didn't love it as much as I did Sweetie because that book really pulled at my heart and I related to it on a deep level that I haven't had in a long time. BUT, out of all the three books--Dimple, Sweetie, and Pinky--Pinky was the most funny and entertaining one. I was laughing from start to finish! Pinky and Samir were hilarious! They were funny on their own and I absolutely love their banter. And that whole thing about the possum--that was gold!
Pinky was much more light-hearted than the previous novels, but like the other novels, one of the biggest conflicts was Pinky's contentious relationship with her mom. In this case, her mom sees her as a screw-up and always assumes the worst about Pinky. This had Pinky wanting to show her mom that she's wrong, and hence getting good boy Samir to be her fake boyfriend for the summer after his internship fell through. My fake-dating trope loving heart was much amused and very entertained, and the hate-to-love element (because Pinky and Samir were like oil and water) added some fun banter-y friction and got Pinky and Samir into some funny situations.
I'm giving 10 Things I Hate About Pinky 4 stars because while I was much entertained and I love the characters and the trope and plot, I thought the resolution and how everything tied up was kind of surface level--it didn't have that impact that would hit me emotionally and stay with me after I turned the last page. Also, the story is focused on Pinky and her relationship with her mom, but I would've loved to have gotten Samir and his mom's story because they have an interesting dynamic and a complicated relationship too, and we didn't get anything at all about that.
10 Things I Hate About Pinky was an all-around great time! I had a wonderful time reading it and it kept me entertained all the way through. I'm looking forward to more by Ms. Menon. If you're looking for a fun, rom-com-y YA contemporary, or if you need a funny, romance-y read in between your darker books (because we all need those sometimes), 10 Things I Hate About Pinky would be a great choice.