Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rockstars, 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 - who is a total Harvard-bound Mama's boy - to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer.
When Samir's internship falls through, leaving him with an unplanned summer, he gets a text from Pinky asking if he'll be her fake boyfriend in exchange for a new internship. He jumps at the opportunity; Pinky's a freak, but he can survive a summer with her if there's light at the end of the tunnel.
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.
Review: Ahhh I love a Sandhya Menon novel and it was so wonderful being back in the Dimpleverse again. I loved seeing old characters raise their heads and explore some side characters we had only heard mention in previous books. You don't need to have read the other novels to enjoy this one but you might just get a couple of spoilers for some plot points in 'There's Something About Sweetie' just be warned.
I have to admit that this book got off to a slightly slow start for me, but once I had got past the initial couple of chapters and really got these characters established I couldn't put this story down. It was just so sweet and so fun it gave me butterflies and I was just excited to keep turning the pages.
I really loved the setting of this book, which I really didn't expect, I don't think I have read anything else like this set in and around cape cod. It meant for excellent settings with the sunset and the water and lots of drinking of lemonade around family game nights-so fun. I also really love the 'green' aspect of this novel. Pinky is very into conservation and recycling as well as looking out for the nature around her. I really loved this aspect of her character and it also means that we got to meet the wonderful opossum named Drama Queen-what could be better than that?
Pinky is just a great character all round. I loved how mature she was in her own mind but she turned into your classic stroppy teenager when she was around her parents. We also get to see her FOMO in action on every page, something else that all young people, and those of us who should know better, have to deal with. I love his intelligent she is, I feel like everyone in this novel was educated and also cared about bettering themselves. I think these characters would make good role model.
This book also explores what happens when we place certain expectations on ourselves and others. This includes things like ingrained racism within communities and even within families. I like the idea of turning those expectations on their heads and really pulling out why they are there in the first place. Sandhya Menon always does this is subtle and nuanced way whilst still riving the plot forwards and also creating these characters who are so easy to like and so easy to identify with.
This is the perfect summer read and I highly recommend adding this one to your summer TBR.
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