KISMAT is a love letter to communication. Not just in the sense that it was beautifully written and filled with evocative images, but with the honest communication between characters. It was really refreshing to read such clear and honest communication and to read characters who try their best to be as honest as they can with each other. I need more books with clear and honest communication!! Kismat Connection is a cute friend-to-lovers that you can't help but enjoy. It wasn't perfect, but it was enjoyable and I found myself smiling at so many scenes. Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Librarians Group is the official group for requesting additions or updates to the catalog, including: In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world. the weakest plot contrivance was definitely the "kismat experiment" thing. if madjuri truly wanted to prove the family curse wrong, she would've dated someone who she didn't like from the beginning. her "hypothesis" is not a hypothesis and she's supposed to be a stem girlie. arjun and madjuri's astrology readings directly contradict each other so they have "opposing hypotheses" for the experiment, but i don't remember what that means or why it even matters. i think if the author had committed to either the astrology reading bit or the curse/experiment bit, the book would've felt more focused. if you're committing to the experiment bit, then i think it would've been fun to have madhuri write out a classic high school lab report format.

BUT i do like the familial relationships explored (raina would make a good mc) and of course, the tid bits of shenanigans in a desi household. Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -'A warm, feel good read.' -Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis'A gorgeous debut.' -Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling authors of The UnhoneymoonersIn this charming YA debut, a girl who's determined to prove her star chart wrong ropes her longtime best friend into an experimental relationship-not knowing that he has been in love with her for years.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. 304 pp. Englisch.This is a book I wish I read as a teenager. Growing up, I felt like the future I’d envisioned for myself wasn’t mine to take. The astrological prophecy element is fantastic (and important) Indian rep, but it serves as an amazing metaphor for just how uncontrollable life can feel like as a teen. I saw myself in Madhuri’s desperation to confirm her free will, particularly in the way no one seemed to understand that the life people envisioned for her wasn’t the life she wanted. Positive life changes are only as positive as the individual’s desire for it, so her isolation hit home HARD. And Arjun! As the daughter of a workaholic, I wish I could’ve seen representation of his dynamic with his absentee mother much sooner. A

This is a book I wish I read as a teenager. Growing up, I felt like the future I’d envisioned for myself wasn’t mine to take. The astrological prophecy element is fantastic (and important) Indian rep, but it serves as an amazing metaphor for just how uncontrollable life can feel like as a teen. I saw myself in Madhuri’s desperation to confirm her free will, particularly in the way no one seemed to understand that the life people envisioned for her wasn’t the life she wanted. Positive life changes are only as positive as the individual’s desire for it, so her isolation hit home HARD. And Arjun! As the daughter of a workaholic, I wish I could’ve seen representation of his dynamic with his absentee mother much sooner. All I saw on TV and in books was your typical Disney supportive family that showed up for every life moment. My parents were (and still are) supportive, but it would’ve been cathartic to see that support doesn’t look the same in every family. Parents are people too, and people are flawed. Their actions and priorities won’t always align with their children’s desires. It would’ve been a relief to know I wasn’t the only one.I could not help but immediately fall in love with Arjun. The ways it is so clear he loves Madhuri, but doesn’t want to lose their friendship. Or the ways in which when we have a prophecy we think we might know who it is or what might happen, but it’s never entirely that simple. At the same time, Madhuri instantly stole my heart. My heart broke for the ways the bullying convinced her to internalize their racism and change her own passions. Kismat Connection exploring Madjuri’s struggles with her dancing and her own heritage got my heart in knots. I'm gonna be very honest and let y'all know that the only thing i like about this book is the cover. I was so excited to read this, im utterly disappointed. i wanted to love this book so much, i even forced myself to finish it in hopes that it would turn out to be good in the end. sadly, it didn’t. Similarly, Madhuri’s character was spot-on! Devarajan did a stunning job of combining some likeable characteristics with Madhuri’s more abrasive features. I certainly saw myself within her, and watching her grow throughout the story was endearing.

a girl whose family legacy dictates she will marry her first boyfriend but she wants to prove her free will so she decides to fake date her best friend — not knowing he is already in love with her? sounds like the cutest, most magical friends to lovers! experiment will have a deadline of [a date that corresponds with other important high school events] In this charming YA debut, a girl who’s determined to prove her star chart wrong ropes her longtime best friend into an experimental relationship–not knowing that he has been in love with her for years.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. Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan – eBook Details Ananya Devarajan affectionately explores the complexities of the Indian American experience in this wholesome celebration of family, cultural pride, and first love. A heartfelt debut."—Michelle Quach, author of Not Here to Be LikedKISMAT CONNECTION doesn’t release until June 13, 2023. As of December 2022, I have now read this book THREE TIMES. Let me tell you why. Arjun and Madhuri both have the same culture and customs but they handle them very different. Arjun is proud of his culture while Madhuri is ashamed of it. And this makes sense because she was bullied multiple times about it. I just thought she was really rude to her mother when it came to some aspects of her culture. I think Madhuri could have handled it better. I was happy that near the end of the book she started to become more confident and she started to embrace her culture again. I actually started to like Madhuri near the end of the book. I thought that the culture talk throughout the book was very interesting. I loved getting to know more about the Indian culture and I even found myself looking things up after reading it in the book to try to understand more about it. Likewise, Arjun’s character development was a nice foil to Madhuri’s. In fact, his character was exceptionally rare in that he was not simply a prop for Madhuri but had his own trials and adversities to overcome. His complexity added a lot to the overall story. In this charming YA debut, a girl who’s determined to prove her star chart wrong ropes her longtime best friend into a relationship experiment—not knowing that he has been in love with her for years.

it disappoints me to give this such a low rating but… while i loved the representation and appreciated some of the family dynamics, the romance really let me down. i couldn’t connect with either of the main characters. best friends to lovers is one of my favourite developments in a romance, but here, i found it difficult to believe the friendship between arjun and madhuri let alone the romantic development. also, the fake dating/experiment plot confused me and just had me dreading what the fallout might be from the beginning.Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth