11 Oct / There’s Something about Sweetie by Sandhya Menon [in Booklist]
Vikas Adam has deservedly earned the title of Sandhya Menon’s male voice of choice, assuming hero status in all her titles thus far. He affably returns here as Ashish, the younger brother of Rishi from When Dimple Met Rishi (2017), and he’s about to get a Bollywood-worthy romance of his own. His love interest is the eponymous Sweetie, smoothly voiced by Soneela Nankani, who also voiced Menon’s Twinkle in From Twinkle, with Love (2018).
Adam dexterously assumes heartbroken Ash, who’s been so distractedly dumped by his girlfriend that he’s willing to let his parents arrange his next date. Their solution is Sweetie – track star, smart, gorgeous, confident – but when his mother approaches Sweetie’s mother about this potentially perfect pairing, the latter declines. Why? Because Sweetie is fat – and Nankani couldn’t be more chillingly effective as Sweetie’s own worst enemy Amma.
Despite initial obstacles, the lovebirds’ connection is instant. Let the “Sassy Sweetie Project” begin! Menon has written another delicious rom-com with bite, making sure Very Important Issues including body image, cultural respect, and parental expectations get as much attention as the charming delights.
Review: “Media,” Booklist, September 15, 2019
Readers: Young Adult
Published: 2019