ARC Review: 10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon

Hi all my Bookworms!

My name is Chiara and I am a Bookworm

How are you all?

I am very happy to share with you a new book that came out on Tuesday (21st July). 10 Things I Hate About You by Sandhya Menon. I was very lucky indeed to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

This is the second book I have read by Sandhya Menon and I loved it as much as the first.

Disclaimer: The Waterstones link below is an affiliate mean that, at no extra cost to you, I earn a small commission.

10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon

Synopsis

The follow-up to When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something about Sweetie follows Pinky and Samir as they pretend to date—with disastrous and hilarious results.

Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny-tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe.

Samir Jha might have a few . . . quirks remaining from the time he had to take care of his sick mother, like the endless lists he makes in his planner and the way he schedules every minute of every day, but those are good things. They make life predictable and steady.

Pinky loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions (aka boyfriends) she’s made, she hatches a plan. Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy, Samir—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer. As they bicker their way through lighthouses and butterfly habitats, sparks fly, and they both realize this will be a summer they’ll never forget.

My Thoughts

10 Things I Hate About Pinky is the third book in the Dimple and Rishi series, something I didn’t realise when I requested the book and I am probably very fortunate in that you don’t need to read the first two books to read this.

Everyone has to love a good fake dating trope, because we all know that they end in love. All that pretending … eventually it’s going to feel real. In many ways you could say that the tropes is tired and overdone, but even after all the times that I have read this trope I haven’t had enough of it.

You would think by now that people would know not to make lists about potential love interests. Good or bad, it never goes down well. It’s been in sit coms and rom coms and by now people should have learned their lesson, but no, Samir had to go and do it.

As much as I loved the characters, I thought them funny and adorable, at times I thought them slightly stereotyped. The rebellious daughter, the perfect daughter and the perfect son. Our three main characters fit in those boxes so well and I wish there had been more to them. Though I do suppose in a way those stereotypes are what made the story happen. Samir being the ‘perfect son’ is what made Pinky want to pick him to be her fake summer boyfriend.

The progression and growth of the characters, particularly Pinky was brilliant and I wish we could have seen more of her and her mum together, but I expect that Pinky and Samir will pop up in whatever book comes in next in the Dimple and Rishi series.

I highly recommend this book. It’s perfect for lovers of 10 Things I Hate About You and Rom-Com lovers. I hope you enjoy!

About the Author

Sandhya Menon is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels with lots of kissing, girl power, and swoony boys. Her books have been featured in several cool places, including on The Today Show, Teen Vogue, NPR Book Review, Buzzfeed, and Seventeen. A full-time dog servant and part-time writer, she makes her home in the foggy mountains of Colorado.