There's something about Sweetie

Format:

Book

Title:

There's something about Sweetie

Other title(s):

There is something about Sweetie

Author:

Menon, Sandhya author

ISBN:

9781534416789

9781534416796

Edition:

First Simon Pulse hardcover edition.

Publication:

New York : Simon Pulse, 2019.

Physical Description:

378 pages ; 22 cm

General Note:

Companion to: When Dimple met Rishi.

"Companion novel to the bestseller When Dimple met Rishi. New York Times bestselling author"--Dust jacket.

"A Junior Library Guild Selection"--Inside front flap of dust jacket.

Summary:

Told in two voices, disappointed-in-love Ashish Patel and self-proclaimed fat athlete Sweetie Nair begin to find their true selves while dating under contract.

Reading Level:

Ages 12 up.

Subject(s):

Dating (Social customs) -- Juvenile fiction.

East Indian Americans -- Juvenile fiction.

Families -- Juvenile fiction.

Overweight persons -- Juvenile fiction.

High schools -- Juvenile fiction.

Schools -- Juvenile fiction.

Dating (Social customs) -- Fiction.

East Indian Americans -- Fiction.

Family life -- Fiction.

Overweight persons -- Fiction.

High schools -- Fiction.

Schools -- Fiction.

California -- Juvenile fiction.

Geographic Term:

California -- Juvenile fiction.

Genre:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Dallas Public Library	YA Menon, S. There's	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Newberg Public Library	TEEN MENON	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	TEEN Menon, S.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	TEEN Menon, S.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... West Salem Branch Library	TEEN Menon, S.	Searching... Unknown

An NPR Favorite Book of 2019
"Adorable, joyous." -- BuzzFeed
"I'm head-over-heels for this charming, funny, romantic, life-affirming book." --Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Leah on the Offbeat

The irresistible companion novel to the New York Times bestseller When Dimple Met Rishi , which follows Rishi's brother, Ashish, and a confident, self-proclaimed fat athlete named Sweetie as they both discover what love means to them.

Ashish Patel didn't know love could be so...sucky. After being dumped by his ex-girlfriend, his mojo goes AWOL. Even worse, his parents are annoyingly, smugly confident they could find him a better match. So, in a moment of weakness, Ash challenges them to set him up.

The Patels insist that Ashish date an Indian-American girl-- under contract . Per subclause 1(a), he'll be taking his date on "fun" excursions like visiting the Hindu temple and his eccentric Gita Auntie. Kill him now. How is this ever going to work?

Sweetie Nair is many things: a formidable track athlete who can outrun most people in California, a loyal friend, a shower-singing champion. Oh, and she's also fat. To Sweetie's traditional parents, this last detail is the kiss of death.

Sweetie loves her parents, but she's so tired of being told she's lacking because she's fat. She decides it's time to kick off the Sassy Sweetie Project, where she'll show the world (and herself) what she's really made of.

Ashish and Sweetie both have something to prove. But with each date they realize there's an unexpected magic growing between them. Can they find their true selves without losing each other?

Author Notes

Sandhya Menon is the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi , Of Curses and Kisses , and many other novels that also feature lots of kissing, girl power, and swoony boys. Her books have been included in several cool places, including Today , Teen Vogue , NPR, BuzzFeed , and Seventeen . A full-time dog servant and part-time writer, she makes her home in the foggy mountains of Colorado. Visit her online at SandhyaMenon.com.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up-Ashish Patel is the handsome star basketball player who could get any girl he wants, but all of that changes when his girlfriend, Celia, dumps him and he can't seem to find his mojo. Though it's not his usual style, he decides to take matters into his parents' hands and asks them to arrange a suitable date for him. Sweetie Nair is intelligent, beautiful, and an amazing athlete who happens to be fat. She is filled with confidence but is constantly knocked down by her mother who believes that Sweetie can't be happy until she is thin. When Ashish's mother decides that Sweetie is the right girl for him and Sweetie's mother declines the arrangement, Sweetie goes against her mother's wishes and dates Ashish. They both have their reasons for dating each other, but neither expects it to end in love. This is a companion to Menon's popular book When Dimple Met Rishi and is also told in alternating perspectives. Fans of Menon will not be disappointed and will be excited to see cameos of Rishi and Dimple. VERDICT Give this entertaining read to romantic comedy fans everywhere.-Kristyn Dorfman, The Nightingale-Bamford School, New York City © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

When Sweetie Nair embraces her identity as a fat person, the results lead to a Bollywood-style romance.Indian-American Sweetie is fat. She's also a star athlete, a talented singer, and a straight-A student, but somehow, her body always seems to eclipse everything else. So when handsome, wealthy star basketball player Ashish Patel's mother approaches Sweetie's mother to set the two teens up on a date and Sweetie's mother turns her down because of Sweetie's weight, Sweetie decides that it's time to take her life into her own hands. Step No. 1 in the Sassy Sweetie Project: Date Indian-American Ashish behind her parents' backs. At first, Sweetie does this to prove her self-worth, but when the teens begin to fall for each other, she realizes that Ashish's baggage, rather than her own, might be the real obstacle. Although it is refreshing to see a fat person of color as a romantic lead, Sweetie's intuitive wisdom makes her seem almost magical, masking opportunities for nuance in her journey. At times, the prose is pedantic, listing the trials and tribulations of being a fat person rather than weaving it into the action. The contradiction is particularly visible since, by contrast, Ashish's character trajectory delves deeply and believably into his vulnerability. The romantic scenes are a lot of fun to read but are not enough to carry the book.An entertaining romance that could have benefited from more character development. (Romance. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Seventeen-year-old, swoonworthy Ashish Patel is the basketball star of Richmond Academy. Bummed after being dumped by his college girlfriend, he challenges his parents to make good on their constant threat to find him an Indian American girl to date. Their choice is Sweetie Nair, Piedmont High's track star. When Ashish's mother proposes the match, Sweetie's mother adamantly insists that their children aren't compatible namely because Sweetie is fat. Furious with her mother's constant ragging about her weight, Sweetie takes matters into her own hands and agrees to the Patels' four-date contract without telling her parents. Ashish and Sweetie accept the arrangement, each feeling they have something to prove, wondering if this arranged match will work, and not knowing what will happen when Sweetie's parents find out. Ashish and Sweetie share narrative duties, and both are flanked by supportive friends and caring parents even if their approaches to love can be painful at times. Menon, as always, champions teens by allowing them the space and pace to make decisions, succeed or fail, learn, and blossom. This companion book to her successful debut, When Dimple Met Rishi (2017), hits all the right notes and delivers a joyful relationship that discards society's dictates about appearance in favor of loving the whole person. Give this to readers who love a good rom-com with a message.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Menon's debut won readers' hearts, and her fans will turn out in droves for its sequel. An author tour will add to the frenzy.--Jeanne Fredriksen Copyright 2019 Booklist