Kismat Connection - Pacar Eksperimental

by Ananya Devarajan, Barokah Ruziati (Translator)

Bisakah seseorang mengubah takdir?

Tahun terakhir SMA Madhuri Iyer diramalkan akan hancur-hancuran menurut ibunya yang pintar membaca bagan astrologi. Di sisi lain, ia dikutuk akan bahagia selamanya dengan pacar pertamanya.

Madhuri yang membenci ramalan ingin membuktikan diri bahwa Semesta bukanlah penentu nasibnya. Maka ia memulai hubungan eksperimental dengan satu-satunya cowok yang tidak akan pernah membuatnya jatuh cinta: teman masa kecilnya, Arjun Mehta. Sayangnya ia tidak memperhitungkan Arjun yang diam-diam menyimpan perasaan untuknya.

Lambat laun, perasaan Madhuri sendiri berubah. Namun jika ia mengakui perasaannya, bukankah itu berarti ia tunduk pada takdir Semesta?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, India, Contemporary Romance

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 13, 2023

About the author

Ananya Devarajan is the author of KISMAT CONNECTION and SANSKARI SWEETHEART. She is a recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine, where she majored in Neurobiology and Behavioral Sciences, and currently resides as a third-year medical student at the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. Like many of her characters, Ananya is a second-generation Indian American young adult.

Now, Ananya writes young adult romance novels featuring chaotic Desi teenagers, swoon-worthy banter, and lighthearted drama with a speculative twist. In her free time, she can be found watching her favorite Bollywood movies or studying for yet another board exam.

You can reach her on Twitter and Instagram at @ananyad12, and on TikTok at @ananyadevarajan. She is represented by Ann Leslie Tuttle at Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret LLC.

Reviews

[Fanna]

03.06.2021 a girl whose family legacy dictates she will marry her first boyfriend but she wants to prove her free will so she decides to fake date her best friend — not knowing he is already in love with her? sounds like the cutest, most magical friends to lovers!

07.10.2022 the cutest, beautiful desi cover.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book full of cultural pieces that I haven’t seen much of in this genre. I have to say while fake dating is one of my favorite tropes I didn’t think it totally worked here. This book had two best friends, one with unrequited feelings and the other determined she could never have feelings for her best friend. Their fake relationship didn’t even last through their first date. Arjun was a good character and I felt for him, but I still wished he got a bit more development. I liked what we did get of his backstory. Madhuri was a bit more complicated of a character for me. She seemed a bit all over the place and not as well developed as she could be. Overall I thought the story was cute and I loved the part about the astrological mappings of destiny. It was something I didn’t know anything about and was so interesting to me. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up for the fun experience of getting a glimpse of Indian culture.

[rhea ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

➵ “there is no madhuri iyer without arjun mehta.”

first of all. the COVER is SO GORGEOUS, can we just appreciate this for a second. 😮‍💨👩🏼‍🍳💋

i went into this one with zero expectations because it was my first desi romance, but i kinda liked it?!? it wasn't perfect, but it was enjoyable and i was definitely smiling at so many scenes. i haven’t read many “he fell first but she fell harder” tropes, but this one felt so good!!

arjun mehta ⊹ pls tell me where i can find a guy like him❣️ he’s so soft & considerate, and just so in LOVE with madhuri, he looks at her like she hung the stars :”( i was also so suprised at the mother-son subplot, and especially how well it was written. he’s such a supportive son(-in-law), friend, and lover :( mannnn i want an arjun mehta :(

madhuri iyer ⊹ i swear we are the same. madhuri is me and i am her. as a dancer, i rly understood her passion for dance, and the way her performance at the end was written was absolutely gorgeous. i also understand her fear of not being in total control with her life and outcomes, and her emotions felt so reassuring to me as she resolved them. she’s such a strong and confident girl, and i just adore her so much!!

➵ “arjun mehta, i will never leave you. saying goodbye to you would be like ripping out a piece of my own heart. i couldn’t do that in my wildest dreams.”

i love the culture woven into this story. it felt very accurate and relatable, so i feel this book is a good representation of desi romance.
i just feel like their entire relationship was super rushed. arjun has been in love with madhuri since the beginning, but it takes madhuri all of maybe 1 week and a date to realize she’s in love him back.. for a “fake dating” + “friends to lovers” concept that felt super fast. idk i felt like there needed to be more tension/moments between the two before madhuri confessed.

---
pre-read: on a quest for a top tier desi romance.. pls deliver 🤞😔

[Yusra ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars omg ⭐️


first book of the year started off strong!


time spent reading: 1 hour and 38 minutes
that’s right, i finished this in one sitting



✨ quotes ✨

"Arjun, if you don't get to the point right now, I'll murder you."
He smiled at her. "It'd be an honor to be murdered by you."

"Thank you, Arjun. I seriously don't know what I'd do without you."
"I promise you'll never have to find out."

"There is no Madhuri lyer without Arjun Mehta."
He smiled at her, slowly and then all at once. "And there is no Arjun Mehta without you."


🌙 messages i loved


🪭 family connections (madhuri and her parents, arjun with her family, raina and madhuri)
🪭 close ride-or-die friendship (josie and madhuri)
🪭 unconditional love
🪭 a beautiful sense of community


madhuri is me, i am madhuri. we are the same person and istg i don’t think i’ve ever related to another main character the way i relate to her like i’m not even JOKING. the bullying, the conflict between her self and her culture, the overachiever in her, the heartbreak after not getting accepted by her dream, everything. i love her and arjun sm ugh i can’t even put it into words


i love this book sm that idk what to even do with myself no that it’s over, what other book can ever follow this one 😔💔

[Ananya Devarajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

five stars for the book of my heart <3

[Ann Zhao · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love fictional boys who simp for their girlfriends from page 1

[renee ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and inkyard press for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

blog | twitter

2⭐️

i wanted to love this book so much, i even forced myself to finish it in hopes that it would turn out to be good in the end. sadly, it didn’t.

kismat connection> tells a story about a family curse and a girl determined to break it. according to her curse, madhuri iyer is doomed to a happily ever after with her FIRST boyfriend and also her upcoming senior year is set to be a complete failure. to prove everyone wrong madhuri starts a relationship with one person she knows she’ll never fall in love with: arjun mehta, her childhood best friend. what could go wrong?

the answer is everything. throughout the whole book we are only being told about what’s happening but it’s never shown. there was no development, neither in the characters nor in the plot. the fake dating lasted five seconds, i swear. madhuri and arjun are friends and arjun has feelings for madhuri that are unrequited. but, we get an insta love out of nowhere. their dialogue was so unnatural and something that no teen would say nowadays. it felt strained and i cringed the whole time. it’s obvious that the author tried a little too hard. i just couldn’t find one likeable character in this book and at that point i should’ve just given up on it completely.

the one good part and the one i actually enjoyed is the exploration of culture and astrology. literally the only thing that held my attention.

this book tried to address important issues and topics but then again i didn’t care enough for it to make a difference.

to conclude, this book was not my cup of tea but some people might like it more than i did. my advice is to read for yourself and decide.

[Tiyas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Things a guy will do to fill the 'Never Have I Ever' shaped hole in his chest.

As a young adult romantic comedy, 'Kismat Connection' brims with potential. That's a fact in itself. One can not take it away from Ananya Devarajan. From the preppy, colourful cover art to the premise in itself. Childhood best friends, embroiled in an uneasy fake dating scheme just to spite stars and prophecies in the world, all while falling for each other gradually. This had legs to run a marathon around the Garden of Eden.

Add in the firsthand representation of the South Asian experience in modern-day America. Alongside the turmoils of being a brown girl in a closely-knit, homogeneous society that more often picks on its minorities. And you had something that promised so much more than it ended up delivering in its light-hearted confines.

It hurts me to spell this out so bluntly. I was rooting for the author so much. It is evident from the get-go that she wrote the book in her teenage years. Conceptualised it while transitioning from Wattpad to traditional publishing. Genuinely, good for her. More goodwill towards Ananya in the longer run. But the book showcases every single marker of aching inexperience in all caps.

Be it the wobbly writing. The erratic, misplaced characterisation of our main leads. The inability to conjure tension or chemistry in between interactions. Or a repeated failure in allowing important scenes to breathe for added emphasis. The book has it all. Devarajan gallops from one situation to another. Relying on extreme generalisations. Wallowing way too much in circular inner monologues. While being too eager to tell a story that probably deserved to be told in an entirely different manner.

Despite the infrequent moments of cute dialogues, the usage of Gen-Z lingo that I quite enjoyed, and the raciness of it all, the book gets repeatedly annoying owing to all the aforementioned reasons. And that's the last thing you want out of a book of such making.

'Before Arjun could thank her, Auntie Iyer moved on to her next thought. Her mind churned out ideas faster than most, and her verbal execution was even quicker.'

This interaction right here unironically sums up the feeling of reading this thing. Let scenes breathe for a change. Let moments simmer in the pot that is the reader's mind. Otherwise, it simply undercuts the preemptive effect of an important exchange, the way the author might have originally wished for.

Thus, what 'Kismat Connection' desperately needed was someone on the editorial board guiding Devarajan. Making those tough decisions for her, while helping to shape this thing in a more comprehensive, well-rounded manner. But maybe that's a dream in modern-day publishing.

You can almost hear the obnoxious drawling accents of people in corporate. The way they'd have probably licked their lips at the mere prospect of marketing this 'exotic little thing'. It's always about marketing anyway. Just look at the lovely artwork upfront. Prepared just for BookTok to lap it like mediaeval missionaries on a zealous roll. Sparkle some tropey denominations for added support. Push the desi pzazz to garnish it all. And the rest will be taken care of by the mandatory quotes by Ali Hazlewood and Christina Lauren adorning the covers.

Voila!

I don't want to sound like a cranky, awful hater, trust me. But the book tests your patience big time. Instead of serving up a cutesy storyline featuring Indo-American teenagers trying to figure out life, identity, and messy relationships as they grow up. What we have rather is a flimsy, misguided mess that depends way too much on frivolity and tries to mask its shortcomings with dumb desi references.

I get it, to be honest. There's no problem in being clichéd. I love cliches so much. Even more so when it comes with the right dose of cuteness. But how do you end up botching the only couple's dance in a rom-com like this? The author absolutely blows the mandatory 'Ajab Si' performance by rushing it within the first quarter of her story. And we remain stranded, feeling little to nothing in terms of sympathy or adoration for our primary duo.

It's frustrating, is what it is!

Although I can forgive that if I try hard enough. But who the fuck says 'for the love of Krishna' in the middle of an argument? And who on earth eats parathas in the middle of a date, that too in a fancy space observatory? 

I wish I was joking here.

'Arjun had already set up a picnic blanket and a steaming plate of parathas for them.'

Just parathas. Plain old parathas. Raw-dogging those oily darlings, with nothing but teenage puppy love at the side. To make things worse, the author even calls it 'Indian comfort food' in the same paragraph, which inadvertently feels performative. I guess there's merit to the argument, though. We all love ourselves a bit of 'paronthas' at the end of the day. But why does it feel so forced and contrived here? As if someone had forcefully interjected it into the act of making the book sound more desi and cultural.

It's not the same with the Bharatanatyam bits, however. That I genuinely liked. Especially the way the author wrote about Madhuri and her final showcase. That was endearing in all the right ways. Something that you can't really say about Madhuri in general. That girl is effortlessly annoying, despite being so haphazardly written. You want to give it a pass because she's seventeen at the end of the day. But the amount of see-sawing, bickering and overreacting she partakes in throughout the narrative tests one's penchant for kindness.

It doesn't help that Arjun himself has little to no personality other than being the golden retriever, dependent on every woman around him. His life revolves around gaining validation, nurturing his crush and being led on repeatedly. There's nothing admirable about the way he's drawn. Utterly underwritten. Just a template to bounce off against Madhuri's never-ending tantrums. This is unfortunately something that can be said about every male character in the book.

The worst receptor of it being Madhuri (and Raina's) father, who is restricted to being a complete non-entity throughout. I personally found it to be an absolute missed opportunity in the world of desi girl-dad lore that could have built up to a very solid, wholesome story arc. And that's the point at the end of it all. The book lacks these moments and characters that could have made it stand out amidst the jungle of contemporary rom-coms.

As such, Devarajan could have really used a few more characters to tinker with. A few more girlfriends. Some more cliched high school drama. A bunch of characters hovering in and out, who'd serve some purpose in filling up an almost three hundred page exercise. Because, as sad as it sounds, Madhuri and Arjun aren't a duo to carry a book on their own. They are as exciting as bland, cardboard cutouts left to stand outside a desi hardware shop. That too with minimal chemistry and little to no sparks.

It's a shame, because I'd have really liked to read about Madhuri dealing with the tug of war of being the Indian kid who also happens to be a second-gen American citizen. We get a bit of that in the book. The high-school bullying and all. But one can not help but think about the possibilities of the lost elder child archetype if handled by someone with the ability to write nuanced characters. There was such potential for legitimate angst and anxiety in here, but all of that is merely translated to annoyance, bickering and finger-pointing on paper.

And that is such a waste.

Nevertheless, it did make me laugh out loud.
Mostly, by mistake. Case in point, when Madhuri captures Arjun's scent in an intimate way.

'It smelt like him, the unmistakable aroma of freshly squeezed lemon and chaat masala.'

'Cackled' would be the perfect word to use here. The description took me by surprise. Made me wheeze my bearings off. And conveniently scared my family to death.

It also tickled my funny bone when Arjun has his own moment with Madhuri's odour in one of the earlier chapters.

'She leaned in so close that Arjun could smell the Orbit gum on her breath, the brand she used to cover up the remains of her garlic-infused meals.'

Because, of course, Indians always chew gum to cover up their disgusting eating habits. And our partners adore it nonetheless. Because they love us. Stink, or no stink.

But, wait, there's one more.

'Auntie Iyer, with her warm hugs that smelt like mirchi and maternal wisdom, was a gift from God.'

Mirchi I understand. But maternal wisdom? What brand of cologne sells that one?

Beats me, really.

(1.5/5 || 2025)

[anushka ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐
I'm gonna be very honest and let y'all know that the only thing i like about this book is the cover. I was so excited to read this, im utterly disappointed.

I felt no connection between the main characters.
There was too much annoyance and cribbing.
The writing style didn't sit right with me either.

[p ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was cute and all but they didn't have much chemistry, it was also very insta lovey. and i get that arjun sees madhuri's family as his own but i felt like he had a better relationship with madhuri's mother than madhuri herself.

[gauri]

oh i absolutely hate to be doing this to a book with desi rep, but i could not flow with the writing at all because it didn't have any emotions (or chemistry between the leads) whatsoever. and the fake dating plot lost me if i have to be honest.

BUT i do like the familial relationships explored (raina would make a good mc) and of course, the tid bits of shenanigans in a desi household.

thank you inkyard press & netgalley for the arc!

[alaska · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book. THIS BOOK!! rtc!

[Emily higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows the story of two Indian American teens named Madhuri and Arjun. Essentially they get their fates read and they can either choose to accept their fate or fight against it. Madhuri chooses to fight against her fate at first, while Arjun accepts it. This book definitely did a great job of demonstrating what it’s like to be a teen, especially one who grew up with Indian culture. Though Madhuri annoyed me at times with her constant fight against fate, I understand where she was coming from. With Arjun, honestly I was just mostly sad for everything he had to go through with his parents and his relationship with Madhuri. But overall he was a great character. This book did some romance, but it was not super heavy on it . It definitely leaned more towards a coming of age story than anything else, which is perfectly fine. If you want a cute, coming-of-age Desi romance, then this book is for you!

[jessica]

i wanted this to be good soooo badly. dnf at 64%

thank you netgalley, inkyard press, and anaya devarajan for the arc. <3 -

i think there's too many plot contrivances too early. within 2 chapters we have arjun's astrology reading and madhuri's astrology reading, but also madhuri's family "curse" and madhuri's "kismat experiment" to combat the family curse. it's too much. i knew what the author was going for and i still found myself confused on the intentions of everyone involved. (and it really was not that complicated. he loves her. she wants to break the family curse. it's not complicated.)

arjun gets a very positive astrology reading, madhuri gets a very negative astrology reading. and then separately, madjuri has a family curse where the women always marry the first man they date. and to combat the curse, madjuri wants to not-fake-date arjun. it's real dating. but there is a deadline for when the relationship ends. it feels fake; she doesn't have feelings for him until she does, which is a normal trope for fake dating. but arjun has loved her for like, a decade. so it's not fake dating, it's not a fling where they're both into it until the deadline. it's this third weird gray area where i am not interested in what's happening because i know that arjun loves her and i know that madjuri needs to get over herself before they can be happy. but i am not interested in madhuri coming to terms with the family "curse".

the two main characters: arjun has been in love with madjuri forever. they're best friends. it's a classic! love it! he has his own family trauma and he had to grow up quickly and it's good. i like him. i sort of like madhuri. she definitely suffers from "teen girl is embarrassed about her own culture" that is so present in these stories. i get it, when you're a teen girl everything is embarrassing, and i can't even imagine how difficult it is to face the racism that goes along with that. but this is all i know about her? she's insecure and wants to go to stanford. apparently she's good at school (we are never shown anything to indicate this) and apparently her ex friends made a racist comment about her dancing (we maybe met them? i don't even remember, they're not written throughout the story. maybe they pop up at the end. but i don't think that would feel organic.)

the weakest plot contrivance was definitely the "kismat experiment" thing. if madjuri truly wanted to prove the family curse wrong, she would've dated someone who she didn't like from the beginning. her "hypothesis" is not a hypothesis and she's supposed to be a stem girlie. arjun and madjuri's astrology readings directly contradict each other so they have "opposing hypotheses" for the experiment, but i don't remember what that means or why it even matters. i think if the author had committed to either the astrology reading bit or the curse/experiment bit, the book would've felt more focused. if you're committing to the experiment bit, then i think it would've been fun to have madhuri write out a classic high school lab report format.

title: the kismat experiment

purpose: the purpose of this lab report is to prove the family curse incorrect. i will not marry the first man i date.

introduction and background:
- [her mother's name] married her first boyfriend
- [her grandmother's name] married her first boyfriend
- other background info that could've been revealed here instead of an info dump
- experiment will have a deadline of [a date that corresponds with other important high school events]

materials:
- madhuri
- boy of madhuri's choosing
- list of cute date items

procedure:
1. select a boy to attempt to date. boy needs to have the following requirements: is not racist, is not popular, has some common interests, understands the deadline, will not fall in love with me, i will not fall in love with him
2. go on 1 date per week. if no actual dating occurs, then the relationship was not a real attempt. both parties must converse at least once a day.
3. etc etc

do you see my vision? in the book, she just writes out like, a hypothesis and a deadline. commit to the bit!

so the writing style. it felt like the book was being explained to me. i didn't feel anything. i don't really like madhuri, and not in a fun way. she's unlikable but i think we are supposed to find her insecure. there's words on the page but they are not making sense to my dumb brain. i have been sick all week, but i think this book is just not for me.

[Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

everyone in madhuri iyer’s family is destined to find a happily-ever-after with their first loves, but madhuri has long rejected her indian culture and her mother’s astrological fortune telling. she abhors the idea of not being in control of her life and she has the perfect plan to defy her destiny: the kismat experiment, in which she will drag her best friend—the one person she knows she’ll never fall for—into a fake relationship that will end before they leave for college. then, madhuri will be free. the only problem? arjun mehta has been in love with madhuri for years.

kismat connection is a sweet, charming story of self-discovery, family, embracing your culture, and accepting the love given to you in your life, even if it comes from unexpected places. while i adored the main characters (especially arjun), the shining light of this novel for me was the iyer family as a whole, whose love and acceptance knew no bounds or exceptions. although the characters in kismat connection experienced many various hardships, none of them did so alone, and throughout the story, ananya devarajan worked continuously to paint a warm, beautiful, and memorable portrait of love, family, and connection in all its forms.

i can’t wait to see what she writes next.

[Souhaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐
I feel like Kismat Connection is directed to a younger audience because even tho I can see so much potential, it wasn't for me.

Sadly, I couldn't connect with either one of the characters. I didn't particularly like Arjun and I didn't like Madhuri. Her stubbornness and the way she kept changing her mind about her relationship with Arjun was so annoying I honestly couldn't stand her most of the time.

On the bright side, I liked the way the author deals with Madhuri's struggle to embrace her culture in a foreign country and loved all the references to the Indian culture; the food, the costumes and dances, it's like a desi fairytale.

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own.

[nitya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oooof it pains me to say this since Kismat Connection was so highly anticipated for me

I normally love friends to lovers trope but the way it was done here.. Ehhh. It could have been way better.

This is the author's debut so I am hopeful the next one she writes is an improvement!

Content warning: bullying, parental abandonment, hospitalization of a loved one

[kashvi]

YES I AM SO EXCITED

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's give the cover the moment it deserves.

I say this with every YA book I read but it becomes so difficult to go back and forth between YA and NA romance. So, I'm always worried.

Kismat Connection is a cute friend-to-lovers that you can't help but enjoy. It wasn't perfect, but it was enjoyable and I found myself smiling at so many scenes.

Arjun and Madhuri’s relationship as friends and how it grew into something more, or even just learning that it could, looks like it's the focus of this story but there is so much self-acceptance you get to watch happen. Our two characters may be self-assured in some aspects of their life but this story just shows how much you have to learn about yourself in your senior year of high school.

Madhuri is determined to break the prophecy of her mother's reading before time is up and when she creates an experiment of sorts with Arjun, she's sure she has the leg up here. Unfortunately for her, the universe has ways of following through with its plans even when you try your damnedest to get ahead. Arjun agrees to the experiment because he has only ever had eyes for Madhuri, and maybe this is his shot to make her see things the same as him but her determination has the power to get in between them if he's not careful.

The one issue I have here is pacing. I felt like we steamrolled through the plot of this book and actually would've done pretty well with some fillers to show their connection growing. The two have been friends since they were little so to just flip the switch and have everything happen so quickly felt kind of off? Like if it was so easy, why did it come to this? I know it was like lighting a fire under their ass but still. I just needed more here.

I loved how much culture was woven into the story. You get to see Madhuri's insecurity of where she comes from either crumble or succeed and how that kind of insecurity can create such a personal and internal disconnect in a person. Our last pages are filled with so many different forms of acceptance and it was a great way to close out the book.

Overall, I liked it a lot.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and Edelweiss+ for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. I just don’t even have the words for it and for the talent this author has and the beauty she creates with her words. KISMAT CONNECTION has everything you could dream of: destiny, childhood-best-friends-to-lovers, ambitious girls, soft boys, amazing friends, gorgeous prose, and the family that shapes you both the one you’re born into and the one you find along the way.

Madhuri and Arjun are a couple to root for with their nuanced love for and history with each other and I spent half the book crying for them, half internally yelling at them to just be together for real already while simultaneously swooning, and all of the book loving them with my entire heart.

The side cast is wonderful with amazing depth and each character enhances the story even more. Personal favorite side character is Raina 😌 We love sister dynamics here.

The DIALOGUE is amazing (more Gen Z authors writing what Gen Z NEEDS pls). The descriptions lush and evocative. The story heart-healing and life-affirming and so beyond remarkable and memorable.

KISMAT CONNECTION is not a book you just read and mark as finished. It’s one that burrows under your skin and into your heart and stays with you long past that final page because you just can’t say goodbye.

I’d rate it more than five stars if I could. I can’t recommend it enough. I love this book and author beyond words but gave it my best in this review. 💖

[eve.lyn._.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

         Kismat Connection is one of the best romance books I have read this year. Ananya Devarajan is an excellent writer whose story focuses on different types of love: familial romance, friendship, and romantic love. Despite Kismat Connection's cute and seemingly lighthearted cover, there is a lot of power within the pages. In a way, the two characters, Madhuri and Arjun, have loved each other in their own way for a long time. Arjun has unrequited feelings for Madhuri, and Madhuri has constantly reminded herself that she will never fall in love with her best friend. The story doesn't utilize the "fake-dating trope" as well as it could because it soon became clear that Madhuri had growing feelings for Arjun early on.

           There is an interesting exploration of how Madhuri and Arjun are treated differently despite having the same culture and how both view their culture as a part of their identity. Arjun's character was developed well with an exploration of his relationship with his mother and how it shapes some of his fears in life. Madhuri and Arjun's arguments were something I found to be realistic because I could see where each person was coming from. The focus on the protagonists relationships with their other friends and family added some heartwarming and intriguing dynamics to the story. I really loved how the story progressed and would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and sweet read.
☑️PLOT
☑️CHARACTERS

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one as a choice for the Diverse Baseline Challenge read along and it's not something I would usually pick up (YA and high school themed, as well as contemporary).

I liked some elements of this one! Really loved both characters and the heroine's family. Lots of sweetness and depth brought in with the family elements.

The actual relationship was rather fun. Fake relationship aspects with unrequited love from the hero. I did get caught up a bit in the back and forth of their relationship in regards to 'I can't love you' and the hero's family drama and it made some parts drag a bit for me.

Steam: kisses

Content warnings: light mention of teenage drinking, neglectful parenting, bullying

[skye (cardan’s ver.) ꩜ .ᐟ [hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

— ”the stars are absolutely in your favour.” ⊹₊ ⋆


rating : ★★★★★


— ”arjun had spent most of his life feeling like a burden, and it didn’t come naturally to him to accept those invites, as genuine as they might be.” ⊹₊ ⋆


༘⋆ madhuri iyer. my confident and beautiful queen <3 I strive everyday to have her confidence from this moment on, and can only hope to find my person like she did. her story is so inspiring and amazing, and so so beautiful. as a girl who also only believes in science and logic, reading her character was a rollercoaster — the good kind.

༘⋆ arjun mehta. dear god, send me an arjun mehta, and i’ll forever be happy <3 he’s so gentle, considerate, deliberately sarcastic only with madhuri, and so. cute. his entire personality is goals <3 and his relationship with his mother? I live to read books with this representation. I hope we get many more books that don’t normalise toxic parenting ):

༘⋆ arjun & madhuri. y’all hearing those wedding bells?? they’re literally soulmates. soulmatism at its finest. childhood best friends to lovers at its peak. second chance? he fell first, but she fell harder?? perfection. no words can describe how in love I am, with their love. newest otp found <3


— ”forever and always.” ⊹₊ ⋆


༘⋆ the plot was so so lovely. I could relate so much to madhuri’s sudden change in her life with respect to her grades. I absolutely hate when I let my grades and academic goals & hopes just slip through my fingers too.

indian relations are usually almost always screwed (in my experience). I know this because my best friend is indian (also a tamilian, so I could bother her while reading this book) and i’m sort of mixed, myself. toxic parenting is literally the biggest problem in the community, and books with such representation deserve awards.

other different representations include anxiety, psychological and verbal bullying, toxicity, etc. the better kind includes south-indians-who-speak-hindi rep (my friend loved this on such a spiritual level oh my god) <3


— ”there is no madhuri iyer without arjun mehta.” ⊹₊ ⋆


༘⋆ my favourite part of the book was… well, the entire book. I really don’t think I could pick a singular scene/chapter and label it my favourite.

a huge part of me is so happy to learn more about indian cultures through madhuri, and this book only made me want to visit india once again, a lot more.


— ”i’m saying that I love you, madhuri iyer. I always have and I always will.” | “I love you too, arjun. always have, always will.” ⊹₊ ⋆


༘⋆ ananya devarajan. oh, how you’ve healed my inner child with every iyer family moment in this book. I was ugly crying at odd hours of the night because of you (in the best and happiest way possible) <3

༘⋆ I started this book with no expectations, but it was such a blast! if you haven’t read this yet, what are you waiting for?? it’s quite literally perfect <3


— ”in that moment, arjun knew that the universe had been on his side all along.” ⊹₊ ⋆

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

KISMAT CONNECTION is love if it were somehow squished down and turned into a book. This love and passion is seen throughout so many elements of the book, right from the beginning.

To begin, this book is a love letter to Devarajan’s Indian-American identity. The female lead, Madhuri, wrestles with her identity throughout much of the book. Having been bullied for it in the past, and now faced with her culture now becoming a “trend”, Madhuri both yearns to embrace her identity and fears it. Devarajan beautifully crafts this tale of accepting your roots and learning to love yourself and your culture. Though breathtaking descriptions of dancing and food, and the entire astrological/Destiny element, Madhuri grows closer to a part of herself that she had shunned. As I read Madhuri’s journey of self-acceptance, I felt such immense pride for her as she found her way back to herself.

KISMAT is also a love letter to family. I adored the way Devarajan wrote her family relationships, especially the found-family relationship between Arjun and Auntie Iyer. Family is depicted as something you can lean on and trust, always knowing it is there if you need help. KISMAT also emphasizes that family can also be made, and is so much more than what you are born into. This message was such a comfort to read, and I really enjoyed the hug-like feeling I got every time I saw characters comfort each other, as families do.

KISMAT is a love letter to communication. Not just in the sense that it was beautifully written and filled with evocative images, but with the honest communication between characters. It was really refreshing to read such clear and honest communication and to read characters who try their best to be as honest as they can with each other. I need more books with clear and honest communication!!

And finally, KISMAT is a love letter to love. Reading Arjun and Madhuri’s journeys to each other was such a treat. I could not stop rooting for them as Devarajan explored their nuanced histories and relationships for one another. Watching them grow to be the Best Possible Person for one another was a real joy.

This book is a must read for anyone looking for stories with positive Indian American representation, teens battling Destiny, and childhood-friends-to-loves. I absolutely adore this book and this author and I am so extremely excited to watch the journey this book goes on :)

[Anushka Devarajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never really been one to read but MY GOD THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. I was continuously captivated by the unconditional love shown by Madhuri and Arjun, whether it be towards themselves or their families. In addition to the wonderful writing, the South Asian representation is above and beyond and it doesn’t take away from the fact that these characters are in fact American as well as Indian. DEFINITELY READ THIS BOOK YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED !!!

[Thya (wiltedpages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

i would die for this book and i haven’t even read it


okay update i did read it and obviously i'm going to be biased because ananya is my bestie but this book is genuinely good! if you believe in kismat or fate and want an adorable soulmates book with an element of Hindu astrology being borderline magical, pick up this book lol.

[Morgan J. Watchorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

KISMAT CONNECTION doesn’t release until June 13, 2023. As of December 2022, I have now read this book THREE TIMES. Let me tell you why.

This is a book I wish I read as a teenager. Growing up, I felt like the future I’d envisioned for myself wasn’t mine to take. The astrological prophecy element is fantastic (and important) Indian rep, but it serves as an amazing metaphor for just how uncontrollable life can feel like as a teen. I saw myself in Madhuri’s desperation to confirm her free will, particularly in the way no one seemed to understand that the life people envisioned for her wasn’t the life she wanted. Positive life changes are only as positive as the individual’s desire for it, so her isolation hit home HARD. And Arjun! As the daughter of a workaholic, I wish I could’ve seen representation of his dynamic with his absentee mother much sooner. All I saw on TV and in books was your typical Disney supportive family that showed up for every life moment. My parents were (and still are) supportive, but it would’ve been cathartic to see that support doesn’t look the same in every family. Parents are people too, and people are flawed. Their actions and priorities won’t always align with their children’s desires. It would’ve been a relief to know I wasn’t the only one.

The experimental spin on Madhuri and Arjun’s slow-burn romance is SO refreshing. Every time I read this book, I pick out a new line that demonstrates Madhuri’s tip-toeing into romantic possibilities. Their friendship provides a strong basis of trust and vulnerability that turns the awkward, not-so-perfect, true-to-life romantic moments into low-pressure, humorous events that do nothing to harm the chemistry. They face challenges and rifts, of course, from discomfort to jealousy. The emotions are dynamic. Following them as they navigate cultural and societal pressures with distinctly different views makes for wonderful, anxiety-inducing fractures that beg to be mended.

As much as I love the friends-to-lovers trope, my favorite aspect of this book is how developed the characters are in relation to characters outside their romance. This book reminds me of The Hate U Give not in tone, but in the way that Devarajan dedicates time and care to the full, complex matrix of human interaction and how one relationship affects a person’s interactions with another. The characters don’t feel like dolls that smooch at Devarajan’s command. They feel independent and alive.

In short, Devarajan baked potent human truths into her book. Desperation for control, fear of the future, the desire to be loved—themes that, once I read the first draft, made me feel seen in a way I wish I’d experienced much sooner in life. I think anyone who picks up this book will feel as if they’ve found catharsis and solace enough to take control of their destiny.

---(Old review after my first and second read, both pre-published drafts)---

HELLO THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLE AND YOU MUST PREORDER IT!!!!!! ANANYA'S WORK IS A MASTERCLASS IN CHARACTERIZATION AND I PROMISE YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH MADHURI AND ARJUN!!!!

[Readingwiththeroberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madhuri gets her astrological chart read and finds out her year is going to suck, in all aspects of her life. Throw in her family curse of marrying the first man you ever date and this young scientist decides to make a little experiment. A dating experiment. Her and her best friend Arjun will date the rest of their senior year and then breakup when they graduate. They are best friends, only friends, so no hearts will be heart during the experiment… right?

We really don’t get a buildup of Madhuri and Arjun’s relationship. They start out as best friends with Arjun secretly in love Madhuri for years. Madhuri is constantly denying that she even likes him then like a switch she all of a sudden is in love with him. I also felt like a lot of the relationship building was done behind scenes. This could also be because it was hard to tell how much time went by between the scenes. We didn’t really get to see them grow their relationship, just them constantly having arguments about different things.

It is so important for the reader to get connected with the characters and while I did feel somewhat connected with Arjun, I just could not stand Madhuri. I was constantly wondering why Arjun would want to be with her. She was very selfish, and she whined about so many things. Arjun even said that he was nervous to talk to her about somethings because he was scared that she would just leave him. That’s just toxic. Arjun is also having to deal with his mother who is never home and constantly abandons Arjun. It’s really sad watching him have to go through this and watching him get his hopes up when his mother comes back.

Arjun and Madhuri both have the same culture and customs but they handle them very different. Arjun is proud of his culture while Madhuri is ashamed of it. And this makes sense because she was bullied multiple times about it. I just thought she was really rude to her mother when it came to some aspects of her culture. I think Madhuri could have handled it better. I was happy that near the end of the book she started to become more confident and she started to embrace her culture again. I actually started to like Madhuri near the end of the book. I thought that the culture talk throughout the book was very interesting. I loved getting to know more about the Indian culture and I even found myself looking things up after reading it in the book to try to understand more about it.

Overall I think this book would be really good for a younger audience. I’m not the biggest fan of just YA romance, but if YA romance is what you love then this book would be great for you. It’s a really cute book that talks about the pressure of being in high school and trying to get into college, as well as figuring out your first relationship (even if it’s a fake relationship with a contract) and throwing in cultural differences.

[Kaley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cultural and religion aspects of this book were phenomenal. It’s the kind of representation that has the potential to be life changing for someone.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book was giving nothing.

Everything was so surface level and very sterile. There was no character development or plot or stakes. A book needs strong characters or strong action—or both, but at least one—and this had neither.
Kismat Connection is told in dual POVs, following best friends turned fake couple Madhuri and Arjun. Neither character had a personality. Arjun was fine, he was just boring, but I really disliked Madhuri for most of the book. She was constantly lashing out and biting off Arjun’s head, but it’s fine she doesn’t mean it, she’s just stressed. She really just used and abused* him the whole book, and he was this doting lovesick little puppy the whole time. He deserved better. I really don’t like them together.
I think the character relationships and interactions were the weakest part of this book. Every singly interaction was so sterile, even the ones that were supposed to be messy. Every conversation was just people saying the perfect things and articulating their emotions verbatim. It felt like a scripted conversation you have in group therapy to practice using different skills. Like when you practice your “I Feels”. No one talks like that, and its so ingenuine and honestly boring to read. A book needs drama, and almost every argument in this book ended with a too-perfect apology within a paragraph. There was no emotions. It was robotic.
The book was also very surface level in the general narration and plot. It’s 300 pages, but it spans an entire year with no real time skipping or anything. It’s just all telling instead of showing. There’s no depth to anything at all. The plot points are rushed, and so many things like interactions with friends (especially everything with Olivia and Brynn) are written as if they’re supposed to hold emotional weight, but they don’t because none of those emotions or dynamics are actually explored on page. We’re just told this happens and that happens and it makes Madhuri or Arjun feel like this. We don’t get to experience any of it with them. We rush from plot point to plot point with no scenes showing processing, no time to let it sink in or to let the characters react and feel their feelings. Typically there’s like a paragraph at most before the next thing happens.
This reads like a really detailed outline, and it just needs so much more fleshing out.
I honestly had to force myself through this, because I was really bored, and Madhuri really pissed me off with the way she treated Arjun—and kind of everyone else, but especially him.

[Starr ❇✌❇ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Inkyard Press
TW: internalized racism, racist bullying, parental issues/child abandonment
3

I think this is a romance fans of fake dating, friends to lovers, and fate are going to enjoy.
For me, it was a concept I enjoyed more than an actual story I enjoyed, but there were still some moments I had fun with.

I did love getting to see Midhuri reembrace her culture. I think getting to see someone remember or realize how special their own culture is is such an amazing thing, and the pay off is great in this one.
I do also think it's a good time for this story- as it says in the text, we're at a point where Indian culture has become more "mainstream", and I appreciated how this book talks about how that commercialization effects Indian-American kids.

Again, I did think the concept was fun. I like the idea of a will strong girl determined to prove astrology/fate wrong, and accidentally falling right into the universe's plans. I also liked that this is not actually meant to be "fake dating", but is instead temporary, controlled dating. It might not sound like that much, but having that first barrier taken away really allowed the story to function differently, quicker, than a standard fake dating romance.

However, though I liked that idea, it really felt like a stretch in execution. Midhuri, too, worked for me as a headstrong teen in the synopsis, but in reality wasn't one I could ever understand, connect to, or truly root for. This book wound up feelings less like an experiment to take destiny into her own hands and more like a petty plan to prove her mom wrong no matter what. Even when it makes no sense at all for her to want to go through with the "termination", she clings to it in ways that prove that that primary plot point has gotten lost.

I also wasn't a fan of this romance. I guess it's always a bit uncertain when the fake dating is done in the hopes of it becoming real, but there are ways to do this without it feeling creepy or predatory, and those are not the ways this is approached. Arjun is painted as nice and loyal, but his actual thought process, the way he repeatedly lies to her, and his pushiness all just come across as aggressive and slimy to me. There is no reason for him to lie to her when asked point blank if he likes her, and no reason for him to immediately try to push her into a real relationship when she starts showing him some affection. It just really rubbed me the wrong way.

There were some cute moments in this, and some truly heavy ones leading to good conversations, but for me the characters and romance both fell flat.