Girl Most Likely To

by Poonam Sharma

With meticulous career planning and a couple of dirty martinis, there is very little that New York City investment banker Vina Chopra can't do. And now that sh's decided to get serious about if nding her mate, there is very little that Vina won't try—even if it means letting her parents get involved. After all, what does she have to lose? Her longest-term relationship thus far has been with the ulcer she ultimately named Fred (unless you count the ex-boyfriend who won't go away).

Amid a series of dates with 'the nice Indian doctor' and an office scandal that could permanently end her career, Vina starts to question everything sh's been working for. Who has she been trying to please all these years? Is this the life that she really wants? Can she if nally learn to put aside her family's expectations long enough and become the girl most likely to if nd a happiness all her own?

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Ebooks, India

330 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Vidya Tiru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vina, the girl most likely to, is someone many of us can relate to – her struggles, her need to impress (herself, her family, friends, and colleagues), her aim for perfection, her relationships with her parents and friends.
As she nears thirty and her biological clock is ticking, after various failures of her own to find ‘the one’, she even takes the help of her parents to find a ‘suitable’ boy for her who turns out to be not so ‘suitable’ after all. A scandal at work that could risk her career tops it off, like bitter icing on a badly made cake and she has to face the truth of herself as she sits in a psychiatrist’s office at an appointment made by well meaning friends. She realizes there is no pause button in life. As she recalls her nani’s (maternal grandmother) words of wisdom to listen to her instincts, to what comes from within (jo undher se aatha hain), she comes to the conclusion that she is the only one who can think her way back to herself (her confident, happy 4 year old self). She is the girl most likely to - find herself.
This book has humor and depth intertwined bringing you smiles and giving you thoughts to ponder. The characters are realistic and the many elements of life and especially family that is part of being Indian made me smile. Brought to mind a popular saying we have “you can take the man out of India but you cannot take India out of the man”
A smile - “Some women believe that to compete with a man, you must essentially become one. But then again, some women refuse the epidural…Why would I want to be hairier, lonelier and more confused than I already am?”
A thought - “So I choose to aim for improvement rather than perfection and to appreciate the effort as much as the results”
For more smiles and thoughts, go ahead and read Girl Most Likely To.

[Continualknowledge · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well I picked this book to read as my 12th Chick Lit book and because I realized I hadn't read an Indian author and I wish I wouldn't have done that. Hmmm I'm trying to wonder if there was ever a reason to dislike a main character more and the writing is the reason I disliked her. She had a nervous breakdown over two events that were glossed over and rushed along. She didn't trust herself enough to see what was happening but I was left wondering what really did happen. The storyline was one big cliche with not even enough laughs to make you overlook that it was a bad storyline you've been in before.

[Maurina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find it interesting that I found this hard to put down because the main character is only somewhat compelling. I could identify with her on some level - I'm not very nice to myself either. While reading I found many of her actions immature and baffling - then I would remind myself that the main character is in her 20's. Was I really that stupid in my 20's? Surely not!

Overall I'm not sorry I read the book, it was a nice distraction. I would recommend this book for a beach/ vacation read or while soaking in the tub.

[bumblethunderbeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those modern girl dramas that emerged in the millions after Bridget Jones Diary exploded on the market. The twist here is that the protagonist, Vina, is Indian so she has to balance her usual unfulfilling relationships with the prospect of an arranged marriage. While the text is nothing exceptional, I loved the Postscript which made a lot of Vina's internal growth more explicit. For me that postscript redeemed the book and made it better than average.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chick-lit with a Punjabi flavor. I prefer mine spicier than this.

A little too much OMG and not enough awareness out of the heroine. A lot of faux wisdom, not enough sex. Obvious financial intrigue.

Is it possible for female protagnists NOT to have a circle of friends exactly mimicing the Sex in the City cast? And for nosy gay neighbors to break out of the mold? I guess not.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just didn't do it for me. Characters were exagerrated and unrealistic, timeline was confusing, writing wasn't great.

[Kerith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buyer Beware: When you crack open the spine on Girl Most Likely To, you had better set aside the rest of the day, because you won’t be able to put it down. Either schedule a few delectable hours to read it cover to cover, or face the inevitable consequences (missing subsequent plans, hours of sleep, or even in my case, a couple episodes of our 24 marathon in Costa Rica over spring break…).

Poonam Sharma deftly tackles the highly combustible confluence of Family, Career and Relationships that most women in our late-20s face (and those of us in our mid-30s are vainly trying to put behind us), in her debut novel! If the nonstop giggling and rave reviews from those of us who read it over Spring Break are any indication, this book will be a hit.

Sharma puts a fresh perspective on the conflicting tensions in the life of her multi-dimensional main character, Vina Chopra. Vina is an Equity Research Associate Extraordinaire at nameless New York Investment Bank, who hails from Long Island, has traditional Punjabi parents, and is “thirty months away from turning thirty.”

Sound familiar? With a rare combination of Bridget Jones sensibility, Bend it Like Beckham ambition and a tight-knit group of friends evocative of Sex and the City, Vina vacillates between a series of arranged dates with nice Indian doctors by her well-meaning parents, and her own life filled with enough friends, potential lovers and a night life to put Carrie Bradshaw to shame.

When the book opens, Vina is in a taxi on her way to yet another family wedding where her “parents will be seated where the love of her life ought to be.” Sharma’s description of her parents’ meddling into her love life will ring true to anyone whose family has ever made their future marriage a Family TAP Project, by scouring shaadi.com to set them up with a man whose “bio data” they have already approved.

From there, the book takes us on an engaging tour through topics as wide-ranging as inter-generational conflict, SEC subpoenas, and even firing an intern.

In addition to the deft raconteur and satisfying character development, Sharma sneaks in some snappy one-line zingers bound to be quotable beyond this review:

*In describing her relationship to her inner child and her I-Bank she says, “The firm doesn’t pay me to get in touch with my inner child. They pay me well enough to hire a sitter.”

*After being groped by a stranger on the street in the middle of a late night blackout she explains: “New Yorkers cannot be trusted in the dark…They’re almost as mischievous as Australians are in the light.”

*In contemplating changing herself to be able to compete in a male-dominated world: “Some women believe that to compete with a man, you must essentially become one. But then again, some women refuse the epidural…Why would I want to be hairier, lonelier and more confused than I already am?”

So what I’m trying to say here is, yes, do BUY the book. Even yours truly, a tree hugging hippie, refuses to loan out her copy to anyone…

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book feels like the author started it, put it aside for a few years, and then the last third was written. It feels like she patched it together; the book is choppy at times, preachy at others, and warm and funny at others. More could have been done with the plot and characters. The side characters were too underdeveloped to really get into. The writing style is competent. She didn't really need to add the gay neighbor, which has become such a cliche in chick-lit books; again, it seems like she was trying too hard to make the book commercial.

I read this (an autographed copy!) because I got it at a book swap and I need to clear my shelves!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the writing and pacing were occasionally uneven, this was a satisfying but unique take on the usual chick-lit novel. Rather than pursue the standard happily-ever-after ending between an everyday woman and the too-good-to-be-true guy, the author instead chose to follow the more likely route of a woman finding herself at a place in life where she can be stable and successful emotionally and professionally, and if happily-ever-after follows, it's a side benefit, not the goal. It feels like a first novel, but it also feels very personal.

[Yolibear · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how light and airy it appeared in the beginning. It would have been better if the book had remained that way. It seemed to get deep and quickly which wasn't what I had in mind when I rented from the library. But nonetheless it was a good read. I just think I would have enjoyed it more had I been aware how deep and serious it was going to be. Was slightly disappointed by the ending as well (not terribly so, just slightly).

[Charity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vina Chopra wants what everyone else wants out of life...a career she is passionate about (which is not her current career), a healthy relationship (which she has never had), and her parents' approval (which seems will only happen if she relinquishes all control over her life to them). If Vina only had good instincts to rely on, this would be much easier. Good, fast read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vina Chopra has has it with men and dating, and has decided to go the traditional route and allow her parents to arrange her marriage for her. The problem with this idea is that Vina was raised a Manhattan girl, well-educated and used to making her own decisions.

Better than much of the chick lit on the market.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly good book considering it's one of the Harlequin lines. There is a considerable amount of depth in the characters and the concepts of cultural clashes was done with humour and grace. This book could easily have found a literary publisher, IMO. The writing is crisp and clear, and the characters shine through.

[Arpitha Upd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off with a lot of wit, humor and interesting. Half way through, the storyline became more forced and typical expected twists. As others have mentioned, the end left me thinking I read through the entire book to see story end like this???

All in all I give 3 out of 5, for the banging start and numerous witty lines, which shadows on how modern Indian woman thinks and behaves.

[Geetanjali Chitnis · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters don't inspire any emotion or any sort of connection. I don't find any one distinguishing characteristic of either Vina or anybody else that I can take away with me. The storyline seems to be a mishmash of regular 'chick-lit' situations, which Vina seems to awkwardly navigate through without anything cathartic happening. Forgettable.

[Esmeralda Klagkos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book in Barnes and novel, while searching for something witty fast pace to read on a rainy Friday night.

I totally enjoyed my weekend, read it in three days.
It quickly became my number one favorite.

I can't wait for this author to publish her next book.
I enjoyed her writing style.

This book is a definite page turner.

[Rajnish Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read, venturing into the minds of newyork women is a real revealer, layers of fragility are enconsoned under the mask of brave, robust, I -know-all facade of upper middle class representatives ,,, their fears, insecurities, and theirs menifesto of life are as simple or as complicated like robin cube.

[Marisol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, it started off so strongly with large doses of sarcasm, humor, and wit. Towards the end, sections seemed disjointed as others readers advised. The ending seemed rushed and ultimately unsatisfying.

[Jenny Hawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was engaging enough, and I generally enjoy reading anything with Indian characters, but overall it wqas a little more "chick lit-y" than I prefer to read. The main character just had too much drama

[Sarah Youde · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know how I managed to actually finish this book. Mainly because I could not be bothered to get out of bed to put something else on my kindle. It was OK but I wouldn't say I enjoyed it. Most of the characters and plot lines just annoyed me.

[Sonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay. I couldn't connect w/ the character at first..but the second half was a lot more deep.

[Isha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I took this on vacation with me, expecting it to be light, but the writing was so bad I moved on to other things

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this. Expected something more on the clash of cultures, instead it was just chick lit with a tiny bit of Indian flavor.

[Vipal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book. Very similar to Opal mehta......but about an eligible bachlor Indian girl in her 30ties.......

[Razmina · Rating 5 out of 5]

full of humor, insight, and raw reality of life. Beautifully written...

[Tyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book and actually found myself laughing out loud during parts of it. It was a cute bit of fluff.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed in what started out as an interesting Indian Chic lit book. It took a weird turn about 2/3 and then never recovered. By the end of the book I was just glad to be done reading it.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of a careerminded 1st generation India/American woman trying to please her family and hopefully herself.
Actually a light read. Enjoyed her character

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not altogether well-written. For every passage or insight I really liked or could relate to, there was something else that didn't appeal to me.

[Sherri Bryant]

Couldn't hold my interest