A Match Made in Mehendi

July 1, 2019

Gr 7 Up-In this syrupy sweet young adult romance, 15-year-old Simran "Simi" Sangha succumbs to her family's generational matchmaking tradition. Early in the novel, Simi's family realizes she has a gift when she matches her cousin with a successful lawyer, and her best friend Noah soon discovers Simi's skill for bringing lovebirds together. Simi's talent leads her to create a lucrative matchmaking app that finances her passion for art. Things go awry when Simi matches an introvert with the school's soccer star. Themes of bullying, tradition, technology, and love permeate the book. The characters are feisty and fun, combined with a plot that provides enough twists to freshen a familiar story line. VERDICT Fans of Sandhya Menon's When Dimple Met Rishi and Tanuja Desai Hidier's Born Confused will enjoy this feel-good story. A solid addition to any library collection.-Christina Vortia, Hype Lit, Land O'Lakes, FL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
Just because Simran "Simi" Sangha is positive that she doesn't want to pursue her family's tradition of professional matchmaking doesn't mean that she can't use their wisdom to help her peers find love. Punjabi American Simi and her best friend, Noah, are tired of blending into the background. Their sophomore year of high school they create a dating app based on knowledge that Simi's family has gathered for three generations. When the app is a success, Simi and Noah, who is gay, suddenly become extraordinarily popular--and, even better, seem to be on the path to finding love themselves. Everything feels like it's going perfectly until mean girl Amanda doesn't get the match she wanted and, in retaliation, threatens everything that Simi and her family hold dear. It's up to Simi to save their legacy--and decide if she wants to continue it herself. Simi is confident, principled, and unapologetic, and her voice glitters with optimism and honesty. The plot is fast paced and utterly readable, and Simi's family is quirky and lovable without ever being stereotypical. Unfortunately, Simi and Noah's nemesis, Amanda, is a two-dimensional villain, rendering the conflict between these teens an unfortunate distraction from the main story arc of Simi's personal journey, which has a far more rewarding and believable conclusion. Noah and Amanda are white, and secondary characters are realistically diverse. A sweet and quirky romance told by a protagonist who will steal readers' hearts. (Romance. 14-18)

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Starred review from July 15, 2019
In New Jersey, Indian-American Simi and her best friend, Noah, who is white and gay, have decided that sophomore year is going to be their time to stand out. When Simi’s habitual klutziness causes her glamorous cousin to meet a sweet, ambitious future attorney, Simi’s mother and aunt—both third-generation Indian vicholis, or matchmakers—are convinced that she has the matchmaking gift. A passionate artist, Simi wants nothing to with pairing people up, but Noah convinces her that matching the students at school is the best way to leave their mark. With help from Simi’s tech-inclined older brother, the friends develop an app, Matched!, which turns their love lives—and Mayfield High’s social order—upside down. In her U.S. debut, Bajpai tells a rousing story that is as enjoyable as it is heartfelt. The central romance abounds with chemistry, and each center-stage friendship is loving and supportive without sacrificing authenticity or conflict. The inclusion of prejudices faced by marginalized people (both Indian and LGBTQ) balanced with loving support from their communities creates additional layers of complexity. And Bajpai creates a memorable character in Simi, who shines at the center of the matchmaking web as she narrates this winning romance. Ages 12–up.

September 15, 2019
Grades 7-10 Simi comes from a long line of matchmakers in India. As her sophomore year begins, she and her best friend Noah, who is gay, are looking for a way to make their mark at their New Jersey high school. They decide to try out the matchmaking app created by her older brother and use their school's student body as the test group. Initially, all goes well. The app becomes very popular and, on a personal level, Simi soon has two possible love interests. But when a spiteful classmate discovers that her former boyfriend has found someone new, she targets Simi and Noah for vengeance, hurting them both in different ways before getting her comeuppance. While it's sometimes easy to predict what will happen to the main character next, this eventful story rolls along at a good pace. Bajpai, who grew up in India and lives in the U.S., creates a strong, sympathetic portrayal of Simi and her close-knit Indian American family. Many readers will enjoy this engaging first-person narrative, which ends with a promising romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)