Mini Reviews: The Names They Gave Us & When Dimple Met Rishi

It’s been quite a while since I posted some mini-reviews, so here are my shorter reviews that I was frankly too lazy to write full-length ones for. Let’s get started!

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord
Publication: April 11th, 2017 by HarperTeen
Rating: 2.5/5 stars

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THE NAMES THEY GAVE US was my first Emery Lord novel, and honestly… it was okay. Not mind-blowing and overly profound as I thought it would be. This novel focuses on Lucy as she deals with her mother’s returning cancer and being a camp counselor for a new summer camp, truly testing her faith.

I enjoyed Lucy’s character development—she goes from this perfect, all-American girl to someone who becomes more understanding and seeing of the problems in her world, which is ultimately tough but really added a profound theme to this novel. This book truly explores and challenges Lucy’s Christian faith, which was quite interesting to read. However, I felt that besides the first quarter of the novel, the plot was quite lackluster and slow. As many of you know, I tend to read at night before bed, so reading through this was, at times, boring and vapid.

Would I recommend? Maybe. I enjoyed the romance and the ultimate theme of the novel, but some parts were just so slow and boring.

Thank you to Bloomsbury  for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.

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When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Publication: May 30, 2017 by SimonTeen
Rating: 4/5 stars

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 WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI was one of my most anticipated novels of 2017. It follows Dimple, who wants to break free from the expectations that her parents place upon her, in regards to the Ideal Indian Husband.  Enter Rishi, who brings out the conflict and eventual romance between them both. 

I loved the Indian-American representation, and while I am not Indian, I found their dialogue and experience in America relatable as well. Menon deftly discusses parental expectations in comparison to passion and develops a strong, genuine romance that made me feel warm inside. The only reservation I have is that I found some of the beginning world-building to be bland and slow. Other than that, I appreciated this diverse debut.

Do I recommends? Definitely! I’m loving this diverse addition to YA, and I hope you do too.

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Thank you to SimonTeen  for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.