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Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment
Save the Date meets Never Have I Ever in this sparkling debut rom-com about a high school senior whose life suddenly gets a Bollywood spin when her sister gets engaged.
Shaadi preparations are in full swing, which means lehenga shopping, taste testing, dance rehearsals, and best of all, Arya’s sister Alina is home. The Khannas are together again, finally, and Arya wants to enjoy it. So she stifles her lingering resentment towards Alina, plays mediator during her sister’s fights with their mother, and welcomes her future brother-in-law with open arms. (Okay, maybe enjoy isn't exactly right.)
Meanwhile at school, Arya’s senior year dreams are unraveling. In between class and her part-time gig as a bookshop assistant, Arya struggles to navigate the aftermath of a bad breakup between her two best friends and a tense student council partnership with her rival, the frustratingly attractive Dean Merriweather.
Arya is determined to keep the peace at home and at school, but this shaadi season teaches Arya new realities: Alina won’t always be in the bedroom down the hall, Mamma’s sadness isn’t mendable, friendships must evolve, and life doesn’t always work out like her beloved Bollywood movies. But sometimes, the person you least expect will give you a glimpse of your dream sequence just when you need it most.
Structured like a Bollywood film (entertaining intermission included!) Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment will make you swoon, laugh, cry, think, nod your head in agreement, and quite possibly make you get up and dance.
8 hours and 15 minutes
Shaadi preparations are in full swing, which means lehenga shopping, taste testing, dance rehearsals, and best of all, Arya’s sister Alina is home. The Khannas are together again, finally, and Arya wants to enjoy it. So she stifles her lingering resentment towards Alina, plays mediator during her sister’s fights with their mother, and welcomes her future brother-in-law with open arms. (Okay, maybe enjoy isn't exactly right.)
Meanwhile at school, Arya’s senior year dreams are unraveling. In between class and her part-time gig as a bookshop assistant, Arya struggles to navigate the aftermath of a bad breakup between her two best friends and a tense student council partnership with her rival, the frustratingly attractive Dean Merriweather.
Arya is determined to keep the peace at home and at school, but this shaadi season teaches Arya new realities: Alina won’t always be in the bedroom down the hall, Mamma’s sadness isn’t mendable, friendships must evolve, and life doesn’t always work out like her beloved Bollywood movies. But sometimes, the person you least expect will give you a glimpse of your dream sequence just when you need it most.
Structured like a Bollywood film (entertaining intermission included!) Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment will make you swoon, laugh, cry, think, nod your head in agreement, and quite possibly make you get up and dance.
8 hours and 15 minutes
9 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 9, 2024
About the author
Arushi Avachat
5 books206 followersArushi Avachat is a writer from the Bay Area, California. She studied English, Political Science, and South Asian Studies at UCLA, where she was often found sipping caramel lattes and pretending to be productive at Kerckhoff Coffee House. A 2024 Marshall Scholar, Arushi received her MSt in English and American Studies at Oxford. Arushi loves dark chocolate, Jane Austen books, and California winters. Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment (Wednesday Books) is her first novel. Her second novel, Rani Deshpande Takes the Wheel (Wednesday Books), releases on May 19. She is represented by the lovely Rebecca Rodd and Kerry Sparks at LGR Literary.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 466 reviews
October 16, 2023
Could I write about Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment without mentioning its more complicated cousin, Never Have I Ever?
The resemblance is striking and difficult to miss, also because even the author has said how much she loved Devi and how much she was inspired by her in writing Arya.
Personally, the comparison was the buzz kill: I've loved the show, I've been watching it since its first season, and while reading this story, I couldn't help but compare the two of them and wish Arya could have a tiny bit of Devi’s temper and delusion.
Why, you could ask. Well, this is not just a cute and funny story about an Indian girl’s first love.
Starting with Arya’s relationship with her sister, the latter is such a hypocrite who ends up making things worse than before. She’s the one who's more similar to Devi, making mistakes and never properly apologizing, other than being aware of having a terrible relationship with her mother but still deciding to do nothing about it, and knowing of having hurt her sister and still giving a poor excuse to her.
Then we have Lisa, who we don't know anything about, if not that she doesn't want to be friends with the fmc. Arya doesn't say a single bad word about her, and even if she was in the wrong about all Andy’s stuff, she wasn't the one to shut down and push what was supposed to be her best friend since fourth grade away.
Finally, Dean. I get what the author tried to do with him and their enemies-to-lovers relationship, but we don't get enough of it to properly see that. Also, from her POV, I see why Arya got mad over the years about his comments and his attitude towards her. More than an enemies-to-lovers it felt more of a “If a guy pulls a girl’s ponytail…” type of situation.
Overall, this is what was promised.
But her lack of badassness - if that’s even a word - and her constant need to apologize without biting back made me very frustrated.
↠ 3 stars
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
The resemblance is striking and difficult to miss, also because even the author has said how much she loved Devi and how much she was inspired by her in writing Arya.
Personally, the comparison was the buzz kill: I've loved the show, I've been watching it since its first season, and while reading this story, I couldn't help but compare the two of them and wish Arya could have a tiny bit of Devi’s temper and delusion.
Why, you could ask. Well, this is not just a cute and funny story about an Indian girl’s first love.
Starting with Arya’s relationship with her sister, the latter is such a hypocrite who ends up making things worse than before. She’s the one who's more similar to Devi, making mistakes and never properly apologizing, other than being aware of having a terrible relationship with her mother but still deciding to do nothing about it, and knowing of having hurt her sister and still giving a poor excuse to her.
Then we have Lisa, who we don't know anything about, if not that she doesn't want to be friends with the fmc. Arya doesn't say a single bad word about her, and even if she was in the wrong about all Andy’s stuff, she wasn't the one to shut down and push what was supposed to be her best friend since fourth grade away.
Finally, Dean. I get what the author tried to do with him and their enemies-to-lovers relationship, but we don't get enough of it to properly see that. Also, from her POV, I see why Arya got mad over the years about his comments and his attitude towards her. More than an enemies-to-lovers it felt more of a “If a guy pulls a girl’s ponytail…” type of situation.
Overall, this is what was promised.
But her lack of badassness - if that’s even a word - and her constant need to apologize without biting back made me very frustrated.
↠ 3 stars
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
July 2, 2023
i wrote this book as a gift to my younger self. it is a love letter to the bollywood dramas of my youth (esp k3g--sorry) and was basically wish fulfillment to write. there's shaadi planning, gossipy aunties, family drama (sisters!), Gilmore Girls style small town charm, a rivals-to-friends-to-lovers romance, and lots of beautiful, glittering clothes. also i named a character Sheila Jawani just for fun!
Arya has been with me since I was 14, and I will be 21 upon publication. I have truly grown up writing this book, and it is such a privilege to share her with you all now. thank you for reading -- i hope you enjoy :-)
here's one of the playlists i wrote ARYA to if you're like me & would like some background music as u read <3 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5EJ...
Arya has been with me since I was 14, and I will be 21 upon publication. I have truly grown up writing this book, and it is such a privilege to share her with you all now. thank you for reading -- i hope you enjoy :-)
here's one of the playlists i wrote ARYA to if you're like me & would like some background music as u read <3 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5EJ...
January 30, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Read this if you like...
✔Enemies to Lovers Romance
✔Imperfect Protagonists who are called on their actions
✔Nods to Jane Austen novels
✔Characters who work in bookstores that readers want to visit
✔ Sister relationships
✔Bollywood Movies
✔Traditional Weddings
✔Books that make you smile continuously
✔ An accurate depiction of mental illness
✔A satisfying ending
All of the above are the reasons that I believe Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment is worth your attention. I got sucked into the story quite fast and just felt the whole experience was enjoyable. There was no insta-love, the author took her time in letting the romance build which was perfect. I also like that Arya's mother's struggle with mental illness is left as something that is ongoing and that isn't 100% miraculously fixed by the end of the story. But rather it is about Arya accepting that it is her mother's struggle and that she can be there and be supportive and it isn't on her to try and fix it.
I felt the story was a great book to add to the classroom library. Familial love, friendships, and romantic love are a great triangle of a novel.
Publication Date: 09/01/24
Goodreads Review 30/01/24
Read this if you like...
✔Enemies to Lovers Romance
✔Imperfect Protagonists who are called on their actions
✔Nods to Jane Austen novels
✔Characters who work in bookstores that readers want to visit
✔ Sister relationships
✔Bollywood Movies
✔Traditional Weddings
✔Books that make you smile continuously
✔ An accurate depiction of mental illness
✔A satisfying ending
All of the above are the reasons that I believe Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment is worth your attention. I got sucked into the story quite fast and just felt the whole experience was enjoyable. There was no insta-love, the author took her time in letting the romance build which was perfect. I also like that Arya's mother's struggle with mental illness is left as something that is ongoing and that isn't 100% miraculously fixed by the end of the story. But rather it is about Arya accepting that it is her mother's struggle and that she can be there and be supportive and it isn't on her to try and fix it.
I felt the story was a great book to add to the classroom library. Familial love, friendships, and romantic love are a great triangle of a novel.
Publication Date: 09/01/24
Goodreads Review 30/01/24
February 11, 2024
4 ⭐️
this book was so cuteeeee I loved dean
and all the side characters were so good overall would recommend as a teeny romance break between heavy fantasy books (❤️❤️❤️❤️🫶🏻🫶🏻😭😭😭) the cover of the book resembles an iconic scene from an iconic Bollywood movie. and I loved that movie even though how cringe it is (♾️❤️♾️❤️🫶🏻).
this book was so cuteeeee I loved dean
and all the side characters were so good overall would recommend as a teeny romance break between heavy fantasy books (❤️❤️❤️❤️🫶🏻🫶🏻😭😭😭) the cover of the book resembles an iconic scene from an iconic Bollywood movie. and I loved that movie even though how cringe it is (♾️❤️♾️❤️🫶🏻).
November 24, 2023
I've heard about Bollywood movies, but didn't know anything about them; that's why I picked this book up - to learn more about Bollywood. Still not sure I know much about it, but this book was a fun party! The book is structured like a Bollywood film (says the description - intermission and everything).
Description:
Shaadi preparations are in full swing, which means lehenga shopping, taste testing, dance rehearsals, and best of all, Arya’s sister Alina is home. The Khannas are together again, finally, and Arya wants to enjoy it. So she stifles her lingering resentment towards Alina, plays mediator during her sister’s fights with their mother, and welcomes her future brother-in-law with open arms. (Okay, maybe enjoy isn't exactly right.)
Meanwhile at school, Arya’s senior year dreams are unraveling. In between class and her part-time gig as a bookshop assistant, Arya struggles to navigate the aftermath of a bad breakup between her two best friends and a tense student council partnership with her rival, the frustratingly attractive Dean Merriweather.
Arya is determined to keep the peace at home and at school, but this shaadi season teaches Arya new realities: Alina won’t always be in the bedroom down the hall, Mamma’s sadness isn’t mendable, friendships must evolve, and life doesn’t always work out like her beloved Bollywood movies. But sometimes, the person you least expect will give you a glimpse of your dream sequence just when you need it most.
My Thoughts:
Indian weddings are full of tradition and are very rich affairs that cover a large span of time. There are many rituals and lots of partying. This book focuses on the Khanna family relationships and how they work through issues all surrounded by the wedding preparations. This is a debut novel and I must say the author did a good job and produced a fun read.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication is January 9, 2024.
Description:
Shaadi preparations are in full swing, which means lehenga shopping, taste testing, dance rehearsals, and best of all, Arya’s sister Alina is home. The Khannas are together again, finally, and Arya wants to enjoy it. So she stifles her lingering resentment towards Alina, plays mediator during her sister’s fights with their mother, and welcomes her future brother-in-law with open arms. (Okay, maybe enjoy isn't exactly right.)
Meanwhile at school, Arya’s senior year dreams are unraveling. In between class and her part-time gig as a bookshop assistant, Arya struggles to navigate the aftermath of a bad breakup between her two best friends and a tense student council partnership with her rival, the frustratingly attractive Dean Merriweather.
Arya is determined to keep the peace at home and at school, but this shaadi season teaches Arya new realities: Alina won’t always be in the bedroom down the hall, Mamma’s sadness isn’t mendable, friendships must evolve, and life doesn’t always work out like her beloved Bollywood movies. But sometimes, the person you least expect will give you a glimpse of your dream sequence just when you need it most.
My Thoughts:
Indian weddings are full of tradition and are very rich affairs that cover a large span of time. There are many rituals and lots of partying. This book focuses on the Khanna family relationships and how they work through issues all surrounded by the wedding preparations. This is a debut novel and I must say the author did a good job and produced a fun read.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication is January 9, 2024.
April 9, 2024
this book is such a comfy ya indian fmc book
PRE-REVIEW: ahhh! love all (well most) my desi girl books with all my heart, and cant wait to add this one to the shelf as well. the author actually made a playlist for this book on spotifiy which I think is so frickn cute!! eehhh hope i like this one. 💗
PRE-REVIEW: ahhh! love all (well most) my desi girl books with all my heart, and cant wait to add this one to the shelf as well. the author actually made a playlist for this book on spotifiy which I think is so frickn cute!! eehhh hope i like this one. 💗
October 23, 2023
2.5 i got really bored idk 😭 it felt like it was trying for academic rivals to lovers but i genuinely did not feel any chemistry at all. and the family/generational trauma personally did not feel fleshed out as it could've been.
January 3, 2023
“An emotional and heartfelt debut, ARYA KHANNA sparkles with a beautifully complex family, the sweetest romance, and laugh-out-loud moments of fun. A wonderful new voice in the contemporary sphere!” the official blurb xx
ok but rivals to lovers where he reads jane austen and watches Bollywood movies for her??? love it sm. also adored the complex sister relationship and arya’s struggles with self, family, and friends. this book has such a wonderful roster of characters and so many amazing, nuanced emotions. can’t wait for this to be out in the world !!!
ok but rivals to lovers where he reads jane austen and watches Bollywood movies for her??? love it sm. also adored the complex sister relationship and arya’s struggles with self, family, and friends. this book has such a wonderful roster of characters and so many amazing, nuanced emotions. can’t wait for this to be out in the world !!!
October 1, 2023
Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
4.5 stars rounded up; full rtc <3
4.5 stars rounded up; full rtc <3
June 18, 2023
3.5 stars
Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment was a fun and addicting read.The romance is super cute but the middlebecame a little bit wobbly, and by the end, I felt like it didn't really deliver completely for me.
Overall, this was a very solid romance book.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment was a fun and addicting read.The romance is super cute but the middlebecame a little bit wobbly, and by the end, I felt like it didn't really deliver completely for me.
Overall, this was a very solid romance book.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2024
Giving me 'I hope this doesn't find you' & 'Never have I ever' vibes.
August 29, 2024
I really enjoyed this fun and enjoyable read.
January 7, 2024
Book 3 of 2024 - ☑️! Thank you to NetGalley, Arushi Avachat, St. Martin’s Press & Wednesday Books for the ARC of Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment in exchange for my honest review!
What an exquisite first novel for Arushi Avachat - this own-voices, YA novel sets a high bar in the genre, as I can confidently say that it’s one of my new favorite young adult rom-coms. It’s marketed as “Save the Date” meets “Never Have I Ever,” and while I can absolutely see the comparison, Avachat beautifully constructs this world and these characters as all her own. Her writing is rich and engaging, and everyone in this world is so three-dimensional. I’ve noticed common traps in which teenage characters can come off as completely insufferable, to the point where it’s distracting to me as a reader or viewer, or there’s the other end of the extreme: they’re so wise beyond their years that they don’t even seem like real teenagers.
Avachat’s characters feel like real, flawed people - despite their faults, you can’t help be root for them. Arya’s family, friends and Dean (which, in the world of YA male main characters, he’ll join my list of great male MCs in YA novels, where Raven from The Raging Quiet has sat for me since the 8th grade) are beautifully diverse in all respects - gender, sexuality/sexual orientation, religion, race. It carefully and honestly deals with familial relationships, and mental health issues. The icing on top of the cake is that this book gave me insight to Desi culture, which I’m mostly familiar with through media depictions, but unfortunately, not deeply familiar on a personal level.
A spice rating is not relevant here. I’m excited to rate this a 5/5 ⭐️ overall. I hope that Avachat ventures into the world of adult rom-coms and rom-drams, because I’ll certainly continue to read her work. This book comes out Tuesday, 1/9/24 - if you’re a fan of YA rom-coms, you won’t want to miss reading this! 🎊 📚 💫 #NetGalley #AryaKhannasBollywoodMoment
What an exquisite first novel for Arushi Avachat - this own-voices, YA novel sets a high bar in the genre, as I can confidently say that it’s one of my new favorite young adult rom-coms. It’s marketed as “Save the Date” meets “Never Have I Ever,” and while I can absolutely see the comparison, Avachat beautifully constructs this world and these characters as all her own. Her writing is rich and engaging, and everyone in this world is so three-dimensional. I’ve noticed common traps in which teenage characters can come off as completely insufferable, to the point where it’s distracting to me as a reader or viewer, or there’s the other end of the extreme: they’re so wise beyond their years that they don’t even seem like real teenagers.
Avachat’s characters feel like real, flawed people - despite their faults, you can’t help be root for them. Arya’s family, friends and Dean (which, in the world of YA male main characters, he’ll join my list of great male MCs in YA novels, where Raven from The Raging Quiet has sat for me since the 8th grade) are beautifully diverse in all respects - gender, sexuality/sexual orientation, religion, race. It carefully and honestly deals with familial relationships, and mental health issues. The icing on top of the cake is that this book gave me insight to Desi culture, which I’m mostly familiar with through media depictions, but unfortunately, not deeply familiar on a personal level.
A spice rating is not relevant here. I’m excited to rate this a 5/5 ⭐️ overall. I hope that Avachat ventures into the world of adult rom-coms and rom-drams, because I’ll certainly continue to read her work. This book comes out Tuesday, 1/9/24 - if you’re a fan of YA rom-coms, you won’t want to miss reading this! 🎊 📚 💫 #NetGalley #AryaKhannasBollywoodMoment
Read
July 29, 2025ugh i miss my bf and need to get married right neow
September 20, 2025
4.5 stars, such a cute romcom 🫶🏽🥹
November 14, 2023
1.5 stars
Contains adult language, LGBT side characters, mentions of depression
I wanted to like this, but this did not work for me.
I need to start off with the writing because it was so distracting. Clunky and awkward and overly expositional, the writing was painful to read at times. Like, I do not need a character's first and last name and occupation/student council title every time someone's introduced. Arya had no real voice, and the overall writing was just dull and dry which made it hard to get into the story.
Speaking of Arya, let's talk about the characters. They were so disappointingly flat. The Never Have I Ever comp is an insult to the Netflix series which, despite its weaknesses, never had a problem with its characters arcs or development. Both the main and supporting characters had distinct personalities in Never Have I Ever and Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment...didn't. Arya's was probably the most distinct, but she's the title character. Also, her biggest personality trait was that she was kinda annoying, so I don't know that that's necessarily a win. What I remember about everyone else can be described in a few words: her mom was sad all the time, her dad was "a good man but maybe not a good husband," and her sister was the flaky, artsy, selfish, rebellious one who made Arya's life oh-so-difficult (more on that later.) I don't even know what to say about her best friends other than one was a science nerd and the other was MIA for half the book so 🤷🏻♀️
As for the romance, I was ready to love it. Maybe it's because I was coming off a reread of the book that dethroned Anne and Gilbert as my favorite academic-rivals-to-lovers ship, but this was not it. Something was just off about it; it was like the imitation version of academic-rivals-to-lovers but not the actual thing. I felt like there were consistency issues that made it hard for me to define their actual dynamic, let alone believe it. Dean was fine, I guess. Like in a generic cute-but-forgettable love interest kind of a way. I guess his one distinguishing factor was supposed to be that he's kinda Jewish? But he's definitely not a character I'm going to remember by the end of the month.
For the actual story, it was, like, not there? The plot was sort of chopped up and jumbled, and even if I had the mental energy to go back and string it all together, I don't know that it'd be a particularly strong one. The various subplots (which basically just chronicled Arya's relational angst with everyone in her life) never came together as a full story. If writing is interweaving various plot lines to make a coherent story, Avachat gave us three strings knotted at the top and bottom and called it a braid.
One of the pitches for Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment is that it's "structured like a Bollywood film (entertaining intermission included!)." I have never in my life watched a Bollywood movie, but if introducing a bunch of random episodes separately and then revisiting them individually at a later time is how they do storytelling, the story structure did not translate well in this particular case. The storytelling was choppy and piecemeal, making it incredibly difficult to get emotionally invested as a reader (as if boring writing and bland characters weren't enough of an obstacle.) It didn't help that the pacing was off, either.
The story essentially went like this: 1) Arya has issues with Dean, 2) Arya has issues with her sister, 3) Arya's best friend has issues with her (maybe). Then, one-by-one, we watched these get better or worse until they each reached their resolution which weren't even all that satisfying, to be honest.
Throughout the story, Arya came across as lacking self-awareness and a little self-absorbed. Look, totally understandable if you're writing a story about teenagers. That's what the whole "coming-of-age" bit is about, right? Like yes, make childish decisions and do dumb stuff! Your frontal lobes are still developing. But do so in a way that's interesting and believable; otherwise, I can go watch the teenagers in my own life make poor life choices. (If anyone I know is reading this, please know that I love you and don't actually mean that.)
But watching Arya navigate her self-induced problems wasn't the least bit enjoyable. Because she wasn't really developed as a character otherwise, Arya came off as, well, kind of annoying--and not even in an interesting, complex "unlikable heroine" kind of a way which I can totally be on board with. She was just kind of a grating, slightly cringe wah, life is so hard kind of narrator which got old real quick. The worst part is, she didn't really have a strong enough arc to make sitting through 320 pages of her whining worth it.
I'm getting tired of all this ranting, so I'll make this part brief. Most of the conflicts in the book were interesting but not nearly developed enough. Being caught in the middle of your two best friends' break-up? Love it. Having your sister back home after she essentially ghosted you for three years? Fascinating. Deaing with the stress of trying to keep your family from imploding? Give me more.
Except Avachat barely skimmed the surface, so instead of an interesting story full of complexity and nuance, we got...not that. I personally think the biggest miss was the way Arya's mom's depression was handled like an afterthought. It like "oh we should include something about how Asians don't talk about mental health" but not actually engage with the idea in any kind of meaningful way. Avachat just kind of dropped it in the story and left it there.
Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment did not, as advertised, make me swoon, laugh, cry, think, nod my head in agreement, and definitely didn't make me get up and dance. I am, once again, in the small minority of early reviewers who didn't enjoy Arushi Avachat's debut, so if you see the other reviewers or feel particularly invested in the synopsis, by all means, read it for yourself. Otherwise, there are plenty of other Bollywood-inspired YA contemporary romances--and Desi-wedding ones--out there.
I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Contains adult language, LGBT side characters, mentions of depression
I wanted to like this, but this did not work for me.
I need to start off with the writing because it was so distracting. Clunky and awkward and overly expositional, the writing was painful to read at times. Like, I do not need a character's first and last name and occupation/student council title every time someone's introduced. Arya had no real voice, and the overall writing was just dull and dry which made it hard to get into the story.
Speaking of Arya, let's talk about the characters. They were so disappointingly flat. The Never Have I Ever comp is an insult to the Netflix series which, despite its weaknesses, never had a problem with its characters arcs or development. Both the main and supporting characters had distinct personalities in Never Have I Ever and Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment...didn't. Arya's was probably the most distinct, but she's the title character. Also, her biggest personality trait was that she was kinda annoying, so I don't know that that's necessarily a win. What I remember about everyone else can be described in a few words: her mom was sad all the time, her dad was "a good man but maybe not a good husband," and her sister was the flaky, artsy, selfish, rebellious one who made Arya's life oh-so-difficult (more on that later.) I don't even know what to say about her best friends other than one was a science nerd and the other was MIA for half the book so 🤷🏻♀️
As for the romance, I was ready to love it. Maybe it's because I was coming off a reread of the book that dethroned Anne and Gilbert as my favorite academic-rivals-to-lovers ship, but this was not it. Something was just off about it; it was like the imitation version of academic-rivals-to-lovers but not the actual thing. I felt like there were consistency issues that made it hard for me to define their actual dynamic, let alone believe it. Dean was fine, I guess. Like in a generic cute-but-forgettable love interest kind of a way. I guess his one distinguishing factor was supposed to be that he's kinda Jewish? But he's definitely not a character I'm going to remember by the end of the month.
For the actual story, it was, like, not there? The plot was sort of chopped up and jumbled, and even if I had the mental energy to go back and string it all together, I don't know that it'd be a particularly strong one. The various subplots (which basically just chronicled Arya's relational angst with everyone in her life) never came together as a full story. If writing is interweaving various plot lines to make a coherent story, Avachat gave us three strings knotted at the top and bottom and called it a braid.
One of the pitches for Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment is that it's "structured like a Bollywood film (entertaining intermission included!)." I have never in my life watched a Bollywood movie, but if introducing a bunch of random episodes separately and then revisiting them individually at a later time is how they do storytelling, the story structure did not translate well in this particular case. The storytelling was choppy and piecemeal, making it incredibly difficult to get emotionally invested as a reader (as if boring writing and bland characters weren't enough of an obstacle.) It didn't help that the pacing was off, either.
The story essentially went like this: 1) Arya has issues with Dean, 2) Arya has issues with her sister, 3) Arya's best friend has issues with her (maybe). Then, one-by-one, we watched these get better or worse until they each reached their resolution which weren't even all that satisfying, to be honest.
Throughout the story, Arya came across as lacking self-awareness and a little self-absorbed. Look, totally understandable if you're writing a story about teenagers. That's what the whole "coming-of-age" bit is about, right? Like yes, make childish decisions and do dumb stuff! Your frontal lobes are still developing. But do so in a way that's interesting and believable; otherwise, I can go watch the teenagers in my own life make poor life choices. (If anyone I know is reading this, please know that I love you and don't actually mean that.)
But watching Arya navigate her self-induced problems wasn't the least bit enjoyable. Because she wasn't really developed as a character otherwise, Arya came off as, well, kind of annoying--and not even in an interesting, complex "unlikable heroine" kind of a way which I can totally be on board with. She was just kind of a grating, slightly cringe wah, life is so hard kind of narrator which got old real quick. The worst part is, she didn't really have a strong enough arc to make sitting through 320 pages of her whining worth it.
I'm getting tired of all this ranting, so I'll make this part brief. Most of the conflicts in the book were interesting but not nearly developed enough. Being caught in the middle of your two best friends' break-up? Love it. Having your sister back home after she essentially ghosted you for three years? Fascinating. Deaing with the stress of trying to keep your family from imploding? Give me more.
Except Avachat barely skimmed the surface, so instead of an interesting story full of complexity and nuance, we got...not that. I personally think the biggest miss was the way Arya's mom's depression was handled like an afterthought. It like "oh we should include something about how Asians don't talk about mental health" but not actually engage with the idea in any kind of meaningful way. Avachat just kind of dropped it in the story and left it there.
Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment did not, as advertised, make me swoon, laugh, cry, think, nod my head in agreement, and definitely didn't make me get up and dance. I am, once again, in the small minority of early reviewers who didn't enjoy Arushi Avachat's debut, so if you see the other reviewers or feel particularly invested in the synopsis, by all means, read it for yourself. Otherwise, there are plenty of other Bollywood-inspired YA contemporary romances--and Desi-wedding ones--out there.
I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
May 9, 2025
If K3G and Never Have I Ever had a baby
December 12, 2023
This was a cute YA read featuring a Desi teen who spends a year helping with her sister's wedding. Lots of parties, lots of cultural celebrations, lots of family drama and a swoony romance side story. Good on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Sajni Patel or Farah Heron. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!
January 10, 2024
I love a good South Asian bollywood inspired romance story and with a wedding? incredible. Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment follows Arya dealing with losing the student council president position to her rival - Dean. Her stress levels are only lifted when her two best friends break up and she's stuck in the middle when her ex best friend starts pushing away from her.
It's always tough being in the middle of a breakup but Arya handles it with the kindness and grace that I would wish for anyone. Even when tensions are high, Arya shows nothing but love for her friends - the type that's built on years of mutual bonding. You can tell these 3 are going to be friends forever.
Alongside her older sister finally being back in town after 3 years for her wedding. She's stuck in the middle there as well, as her sister and mother aren't on speaking terms after Alina was kicked out for dropping out of college to pursue her fashion dreams. But in classic brown girl fashion, Arya knows that while these aren't her burden's to carry, she feels the innate urge to fix them.
This book is set like a Bollywood movie, and I could feel the parts of it seeping thru the page. The places for dance numbers, the dramatics, the gossip and the highs and lows of the climax. It was just such a comforting book and I loved that there was no 3rd act breakup between her and Dean. Speaking of Dean - I adored him. He was such a supportive and kind partner - and I loved how her would pay attention to her and showed how much he cared, like reading her favorite books and writing her letters after she mentioned how poetic it was.
The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is because I felt like nothing was resolved with the family drama, and it felt unfinished.
rep// Indian MC
cw// depression, divorce
Find me on: instagram | tiktok
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It's always tough being in the middle of a breakup but Arya handles it with the kindness and grace that I would wish for anyone. Even when tensions are high, Arya shows nothing but love for her friends - the type that's built on years of mutual bonding. You can tell these 3 are going to be friends forever.
Alongside her older sister finally being back in town after 3 years for her wedding. She's stuck in the middle there as well, as her sister and mother aren't on speaking terms after Alina was kicked out for dropping out of college to pursue her fashion dreams. But in classic brown girl fashion, Arya knows that while these aren't her burden's to carry, she feels the innate urge to fix them.
This book is set like a Bollywood movie, and I could feel the parts of it seeping thru the page. The places for dance numbers, the dramatics, the gossip and the highs and lows of the climax. It was just such a comforting book and I loved that there was no 3rd act breakup between her and Dean. Speaking of Dean - I adored him. He was such a supportive and kind partner - and I loved how her would pay attention to her and showed how much he cared, like reading her favorite books and writing her letters after she mentioned how poetic it was.
The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is because I felt like nothing was resolved with the family drama, and it felt unfinished.
rep// Indian MC
cw// depression, divorce
Find me on: instagram | tiktok
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 8, 2023
This was cute and fun, and exactly what I was in the mood for today, but ultimately I'm not sure it'll be very memorable for me. There was a lot about this to enjoy, and I liked that aside from the romance, there was a focus on Arya's life as a whole, including her friends, family and work at the bookstore. I feel like for a book centered around a wedding, it could have had even more wedding vibes. All in all I had a good time, but I don't think this will really stay with me.
July 27, 2024
⊹ ݁ ˖
”it isn’t your job to make mamma better. or to make papa a better husband. or even to hold that pain at all. that isn’t your burden to carry.”
this book had me feeling so emotional. everything going on with her sister and her mom was so relatable. also the romance is adorable!! they are just so cutie patootie 🤍
this book had me feeling so emotional. everything going on with her sister and her mom was so relatable. also the romance is adorable!! they are just so cutie patootie 🤍
October 11, 2023
I LOVED this book. It was such a sweet coming of age story!
January 5, 2025
this was everything i want in a romcom. academic rivals to lovers is always my fav <3
April 24, 2024
several braincells dead, neural pathways deteriorated.
i feel like it was trying to be academic rivals to lovers but there was.. nothing there. no chemistry. dean had the personality of a cardboard box most of the time. arya was kind of annoying too
the generational trauma and family issues were half baked too. and i don't believe for one second that this girl's strict parents would be like "oh! ok! does he make you happy?" in response to her having a boyfriend in high school. more likeeeeee back to india for you bae. pack your bags rn. all girls boarding school. jailed.
this is the kind of book i would have eaten up when i was 12
~2.5 stars?
i feel like it was trying to be academic rivals to lovers but there was.. nothing there. no chemistry. dean had the personality of a cardboard box most of the time. arya was kind of annoying too
the generational trauma and family issues were half baked too. and i don't believe for one second that this girl's strict parents would be like "oh! ok! does he make you happy?" in response to her having a boyfriend in high school. more likeeeeee back to india for you bae. pack your bags rn. all girls boarding school. jailed.
this is the kind of book i would have eaten up when i was 12
~2.5 stars?
January 9, 2024
Reading YA novels reminds why I am so glad I am not in high school anymore. I love them but I am so glad I don’t have to deal with all the teen angst anymore (now, it’s adult angst). Arya was a breath of fresh air: a teen who is really focused on student government, school, friends, and family and not so much romance, although that eventually ends up on her radar. I learned so much about Indian wedding customs and food that I need to find and try. This book showcases how messy families can be but how crucial it is to muddle through and reach out to those that are important to you. This started out a little slow but blossomed into an incredible coming of age story.
I received a copy from #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for an honest review.
I received a copy from #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for an honest review.
March 7, 2024
It was good cause I'm indian.
February 7, 2024
this was such a fun read. the bollywood references were amazing!!!! it was literally all the movies i grew up with, so that made it so much better. the recommendations as well during the intermission, but the ending credits omg. everyone should watch the movies listed in the book and listen to the songs. your lives will be changed for the better i promise.
spoilers now:
i loved the character development of arya and see her relationship with dean play out. seeing their relationship develop throughout the book was done so well. dean is such a great guy and so attentive and caring. he listens to her every time, he understands that when she’s picking a fight when it’s unwarranted means she is upset about something else, he puts in the effort, he got nervous, he is so thoughtful, he LISTENS… it really raised my standards for love, i mean, i need someone who will watch 4-hour long bollywood movies too :’).
i liked the complexity of arya’s family dynamic, but wished they fleshed nandani’s mental health issues a bit more. we see everything from arya’s perspective, so it makes sense she doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, but just a little more. i really liked that she advocated for alina and told arya to forgive her, because they are sisters forever. alina and arya’s relationship was a lot. it started out with a lot of unresolved feelings of resentment and abandonment, so obviously that strained their relationship. i wish they talked about it sooner than they actually did, but that is in true bollywood fashion. speaking of, i loved the little intermission!
spoilers now:
i loved the character development of arya and see her relationship with dean play out. seeing their relationship develop throughout the book was done so well. dean is such a great guy and so attentive and caring. he listens to her every time, he understands that when she’s picking a fight when it’s unwarranted means she is upset about something else, he puts in the effort, he got nervous, he is so thoughtful, he LISTENS… it really raised my standards for love, i mean, i need someone who will watch 4-hour long bollywood movies too :’).
i liked the complexity of arya’s family dynamic, but wished they fleshed nandani’s mental health issues a bit more. we see everything from arya’s perspective, so it makes sense she doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, but just a little more. i really liked that she advocated for alina and told arya to forgive her, because they are sisters forever. alina and arya’s relationship was a lot. it started out with a lot of unresolved feelings of resentment and abandonment, so obviously that strained their relationship. i wish they talked about it sooner than they actually did, but that is in true bollywood fashion. speaking of, i loved the little intermission!
November 20, 2023
Actual Rating 3.5
RTC
RTC
October 6, 2022
rating this 5 starts bc i alr know it will be.
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finally binged on flight from edi to boston!!! ty arushi for (hopefully) breaking my reading slump & making me cry ab 4 times- we <3 arya
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finally binged on flight from edi to boston!!! ty arushi for (hopefully) breaking my reading slump & making me cry ab 4 times- we <3 arya
January 28, 2024
Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment is a great story that does a great job of capturing the perspective of a teenager. It has funny moments but also deals with more difficult topics like family dynamics and friendship difficulties.
In a lot of ways this book reversed the usual plot structure of a romance book (even a YA one). Arya had drama with her family and friends but on the romantic side things developed without a lot of conflict after some initial misunderstandings. I thought this was really interesting because there are times when romantic partners are supporting someone through family drama instead of the other way around and I think we see that less often as the conflict driving a book than the other way around.
I also liked that Arya made teenage mistakes. She saw most problems from her perspective and didn't think about how her actions might affect other people at times. Her problems were all-consuming and she sometimes wasn't able to see when other people were also struggling. I think this is much more accurate than portraying teenagers as tiny adults.
I recommend this one for anyone who likes a story about family and teen drama with some romance thrown in. I think this is one that could be enjoyed by adults or teens but the primary audience is teens (as it should be for a YA book).
🌶️ - Completely closed door only a few chaste kisses.
Thanks to Wednesday book and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this title. All opinions are my own.
In a lot of ways this book reversed the usual plot structure of a romance book (even a YA one). Arya had drama with her family and friends but on the romantic side things developed without a lot of conflict after some initial misunderstandings. I thought this was really interesting because there are times when romantic partners are supporting someone through family drama instead of the other way around and I think we see that less often as the conflict driving a book than the other way around.
I also liked that Arya made teenage mistakes. She saw most problems from her perspective and didn't think about how her actions might affect other people at times. Her problems were all-consuming and she sometimes wasn't able to see when other people were also struggling. I think this is much more accurate than portraying teenagers as tiny adults.
I recommend this one for anyone who likes a story about family and teen drama with some romance thrown in. I think this is one that could be enjoyed by adults or teens but the primary audience is teens (as it should be for a YA book).
🌶️ - Completely closed door only a few chaste kisses.
Thanks to Wednesday book and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this title. All opinions are my own.
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