Title: Kismat Connection
Author: Ananya Devarajan
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Pages: 304
Release Date: 3 August 2023 (UK) , 13 June 2023 (US)
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Hello fellow booklovers! Today I'm sharing my review for Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan. An endearingly cute and heartfelt YA debut that blends the all too familiar themes of adolescence (such as teen angst, complicated relationships and the bumpy road to self acceptance) with a well written, evocative and relatable exploration into the second generation immigrant experience.
Synopsis
Is it possible to change your fate?
Madhuri Iyer is doomed. Doomed for her upcoming senior year to be a total failure, according to her astrology-obsessed mother, and doomed to a happily ever after with her first boyfriend, according to her family curse.
Determined to prove the existence of her free will, Madhuri devises an experimental relationship with the one boy she knows she’ll never fall for: her childhood best friend, Arjun Mehta. But Arjun’s feelings for her are a variable she didn’t account for.
As Madhuri starts to fall for her experimental boyfriend, she’ll have to decide if charting her own destiny is worth breaking Arjun’s heart—and her own.
Review
I really enjoyed this one and loved how emotional and character driven the writing was. I was impressed with the level of depth we see in our driven and emotionally guarded protagonist, Madhuri, and enjoyed the nuance and realism we explore in her motivations for proving her astrology-loving family wrong.
At first, she does come off as a little indifferent to her family’s love (and celebration) of the culture she has stringently avoided for years. But as Madhuri begins to let down her guard and find the courage to share her vulnerabilities, with we uncover a confident, caring and passionate young woman ready to re-explore her family’s traditions and learn to embrace (and celebrate) her cultural heritage— which was soo heartwarming.
I also liked Arjun, Madhuri’s best friend (and love interest) who was probably my favourite character (besides Madhuri’s younger sister Raina) and I loved how earnestly supportive he is of Madhuri— even whilst dealing with his own complicated personal struggles.
I really enjoyed getting to explore his POV and loved that he wasn’t just merely a two- dimensional love interest but a fully developed character with thoughts, feelings and motivations of his own that spanned beyond his feelings for Madhuri—though those do still make up a huge part of his personal arc.
The only disappointment for me was that the romance aspect was a little too whirlwind, and didn’t have nearly as much build up as I would’ve liked. Though that might just be a me problem as I’m a sucker for a good slow burn romance.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable coming of age YA that’s perfect for fans of fake dating, friends to lovers or the found family trope.
Also, a huge thank you to Harper360YA for the proof.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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