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A review by maecave15
A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Honestly, this book left much to be desired. I got bored halfway through and practically skimmed the rest of the book and finished it quickly. I did notice other reviewers point out that they don't often find books with Indian main characters. Such as it is rare to see a Punjabi Sikh main character. I don't know the difference, Punjabi vs Bengali vs others, but it's something to learn about and was brought to my attention because of this book.
The characters weren't very interesting, rather they had little personality and contributed very little to the overall plot. The main character, Niki, acted much like a 19 year old than the 29 year old she was supposed to be. I found her annoying instead of charming or likeable. She was more like an awkward love sick teenager.
One of the Aunties (Sam's mom) was supposed to be "modern" but it was weird even by American standards that she was pushing for Niki and Sam to sleep in the same bed and have alone time together when they had only known each other for a week at that point. And in her own house at that, with painfully obvious vibes that she wanted them to fall in love and get married.
The romance was weak at best, with little between the two that would support a lasting relationship. There was hot and heavy lust of course, interspersed with weird awkward moments, and it was kind of a secret for some reason. There were strong feelings that are supposed to make it "seem" like love, but no real encounters that made it read as more than a lusty fling. It just didn't have time to develop, which many cutesy romance stories often lack. It was really an insta-love story and I don't usually like those. I especially disliked it when she had the idea to move to London with her brand new boyfriend and was so upset with him for gently pointing out the rashness of it that she broke up with him and left. Mind you they had been together less than a couple weeks and SHE originally thought this would just be a summer fling.
Niki did try to break her shell and pursue things for fun rather than just being the perfect Indian daughter. The book wasn't just a romance novel but also about her finding happiness in her work and life, and learning more about her family's culture.
There were quite a few moments where the author tried to address more serious issues (classism, casteism, sexual assault in India, etc), but they felt kind of thrown in to story. These topics were there without much thought, helpful information, or relation to the plot. If these serious issues had created tension between the main characters, or had disrupted the plot in a meaningful way then it would have made for a more interesting story. Otherwise they were just there to grab your attention for a second before pushing you back into the "romance."
I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the places in India she visited though. And now I have a few things to research such as foods, locations, and differences between Indian subcultures with which I am not familiar at all.
I wish Diwali was a more prominent feature in the book though. It took up very little space at the beginning of the book, so instead of feeling like a romance set during this big celebration (i.e. kind of supposed to be a holiday romance) it just felt like a regular romance novel. Nothing really made it feel like a holiday romance.
Overall, it felt like there was a lot going on in this book so nothing was fleshed out well. The romance was weak, the characters were superficial, Niki's self discovery wasn't interesting, and everything else was just kind of there. Also, there were a lot of pop culture references and text speak during real conversation (characters actually saying LOL or OMFG).
The characters weren't very interesting, rather they had little personality and contributed very little to the overall plot. The main character, Niki, acted much like a 19 year old than the 29 year old she was supposed to be. I found her annoying instead of charming or likeable. She was more like an awkward love sick teenager.
One of the Aunties (Sam's mom) was supposed to be "modern" but it was weird even by American standards that she
The romance was weak at best, with little between the two that would support a lasting relationship. There was hot and heavy lust of course, interspersed with weird awkward moments, and it was kind of a secret for some reason. There were strong feelings that are supposed to make it "seem" like love, but no real encounters that made it read as more than a lusty fling. It just didn't have time to develop, which many cutesy romance stories often lack. It was really an insta-love story and I don't usually like those.
Niki did try to break her shell and pursue things for fun rather than just being the perfect Indian daughter. The book wasn't just a romance novel but also about her finding happiness in her work and life, and learning more about her family's culture.
There were quite a few moments where the author tried to address more serious issues (classism, casteism, sexual assault in India, etc), but they felt kind of thrown in to story. These topics were there without much thought, helpful information, or relation to the plot. If these serious issues had created tension between the main characters, or had disrupted the plot in a meaningful way then it would have made for a more interesting story. Otherwise they were just there to grab your attention for a second before pushing you back into the "romance."
I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the places in India she visited though. And now I have a few things to research such as foods, locations, and differences between Indian subcultures with which I am not familiar at all.
I wish Diwali was a more prominent feature in the book though. It took up very little space at the beginning of the book, so instead of feeling like a romance set during this big celebration (i.e. kind of supposed to be a holiday romance) it just felt like a regular romance novel. Nothing really made it feel like a holiday romance.
Overall, it felt like there was a lot going on in this book so nothing was fleshed out well. The romance was weak, the characters were superficial, Niki's self discovery wasn't interesting, and everything else was just kind of there. Also, there were a lot of pop culture references and text speak during real conversation (characters actually saying LOL or OMFG).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content