A review by thereadinghammock
A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli

adventurous funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

As someone relatively unfamiliar with south Asian cultural and religious celebrations, I was looking forward to maybe learning a few things about Diwali and its celebrations through the story. And while it gave a bit of insight into a celebration, I still feel about as lost as Nicki did as she asked several people early in the book as to what the Diwali holiday and celebrations meant. I suppose much like many other western holidays, the meaning can change from person to person, but I was expecting a bit more cultural context on that front. I also thought the holiday might have been a bigger part of the story, given the title, but really Diya's wedding was the star of the show on that plot front too.

I enjoyed Nicki and Sam--I loved Diya and kind of wished we'd gotten a bit more of her, btu totally understand why she was off page a bit more. Weddings are hard enough--let along a wedding with 1,500 guests!!! Nicki's struggle to be the "perfect Indian daughter" was relatable enough (again, not speaking as a south Asian person, but as a woman who was raised with high expectations even when your parents didn't actually enforce those kinds of expectations). It's like holding the weight of the world on your shoulders and when you finally start dismantling the yoke you've given yourself, the weightlessness is freeing, but the freedom is overwhelming too. 

Nicki still has a lot of growing up to do, and by the end she was starting to come down from her head in the clouds a bit, but she still felt a bit immature for being almost 30. I'm glad she and Sam were able to work it out and were seeing where things led. 
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