A review by martw4e
10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon
4.0
So I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC of this book in exchange for a review, and I enjoyed it! I've loved all of Sandhya Menon's work, and if I'm being completely honest I didn't fall in love with this one this the way I have with the others, but there's something so honest about it that you can't help but like it.
When I heard that we were getting a desi fake dating story, I was immediately intrigued. Of all the tropes, fake dating is probably my favorite. Seeing characters I'd be able to relate to just sweetened the deal.
Samir and Pinky know they don't like each other. But by some twist of fate, Pinky needs a "boyfriend" that her parents will approve of, and Samir needs to convince his helicopter mom that he's actually going to the internship he was planning on doing before his boss disappears before the internship can even start. Obviously, it's convenient for both of them to be fake dating. Pinky gets her parents' approval, Samir gets a place to stay.
Soon though, they start realizing that maybe they actually like each other? The romance aspect of their story has its ups and downs, especially because Pinky's really confused about what she wants. Also they have a butterfly habitat to save. It gets a little wild.
A big part of the story is about Pinky's relationship with her mom. They always seem to butt heads, and Pinky's a bit deadset on the idea that her mother will never approve of anything she does. Which is, again, a large part of the reason she needs Samir to agree to her fake dating plot. But Samir also serves as a buffer. He's willing to call her out when she's being unreasonable, and tries to get her to see her mom's perspective, even if it doesn't always work.
All in all, this was a book that, like all of Menon's books, had a lot of sides to it, and they all arc pretty well. This book may not have had the zing for me, but it was a really fun read and I'm sure it will resonate with others. So if you want to read a book filled with dramatic opossums, dreamy beach houses, and some toe-curling tree scenes, I definitely recommend [b:10 Things I Hate About Pinky|46216773|10 Things I Hate About Pinky (Dimple and Rishi, #3)|Sandhya Menon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571935198l/46216773._SY75_.jpg|71187474]!
When I heard that we were getting a desi fake dating story, I was immediately intrigued. Of all the tropes, fake dating is probably my favorite. Seeing characters I'd be able to relate to just sweetened the deal.
Samir and Pinky know they don't like each other. But by some twist of fate, Pinky needs a "boyfriend" that her parents will approve of, and Samir needs to convince his helicopter mom that he's actually going to the internship he was planning on doing before his boss disappears before the internship can even start. Obviously, it's convenient for both of them to be fake dating. Pinky gets her parents' approval, Samir gets a place to stay.
Soon though, they start realizing that maybe they actually like each other? The romance aspect of their story has its ups and downs, especially because Pinky's really confused about what she wants. Also they have a butterfly habitat to save. It gets a little wild.
A big part of the story is about Pinky's relationship with her mom. They always seem to butt heads, and Pinky's a bit deadset on the idea that her mother will never approve of anything she does. Which is, again, a large part of the reason she needs Samir to agree to her fake dating plot. But Samir also serves as a buffer. He's willing to call her out when she's being unreasonable, and tries to get her to see her mom's perspective, even if it doesn't always work.
All in all, this was a book that, like all of Menon's books, had a lot of sides to it, and they all arc pretty well. This book may not have had the zing for me, but it was a really fun read and I'm sure it will resonate with others. So if you want to read a book filled with dramatic opossums, dreamy beach houses, and some toe-curling tree scenes, I definitely recommend [b:10 Things I Hate About Pinky|46216773|10 Things I Hate About Pinky (Dimple and Rishi, #3)|Sandhya Menon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571935198l/46216773._SY75_.jpg|71187474]!