From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon
“When I’m with you, I feel I can breathe.”
– Sandhya Menon
Specifics:
Book: From Twinkle, With Love
Author: Sandhya Menon
Published: 22nd May’18
Genre: Romance Novel, Fiction
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton (Hachette UK)
Pages: 330
My rating: 4/5
Blurb:
Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories to tell and universes to explore – if only the world would listen. So when nerdy classmate and fellow film-obsessive Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a film for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle can’t wait.
The chance to showcase her artistic voice?
Dream come true.
The opportunity to get closer to longtime crush, Neil Roy – aka Sahil’s twin brother?
Dream come even truer.
When Twinkle receives an email from a secret admirer –the mysterious ‘N’ – she is sure it’s Neil, finally ready for their happy ending.
The only problem is that, in the course of their movie-making, she has found herself falling for Sahil – the wrong brother.
Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: the romance she’s got isn’t the one she scripted…
But will it be enough?
“Geeks are smart and talented and passionate. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
– Sandhya Menon
Review:
CUTE… ADORABLE… REAL… If I had to use three words to describe the book, these will be it.
Okay, first things first, Twinkle is an adorable young lady on a path to become a strong and opinionated woman. She is still a teenager though. And the author ensures to make this character feel like a regular teenager and not some perfect girl that could only exist in another dimension. But, that is also, according to me the strongest point of Sandhya Menon’s storytelling – to write characters so real and down to Earth that you can see their life and growth unfolding before your eyes.
Did you understand that I fangirl over the mere mention of Sandhya Menon already? Let’s jump into the review, now that I’ve made that clear.
The story is very well constructed. It feels real. (I know I’m using this word too many times but it’s just the truth) It keeps you hooked with its very casual twists and interesting plot points. It is also a quick read with its smooth writing and comfortable use of language. The premise is well set. The whole idea of how things work at PPC is gonna be stuck in my mind for quite some time now.
Menon also successfully touches your heart with some parts of her story. Did I cry? Maybe just thrice! But, it isn’t too often that I cry at books. It’s a rare quality that very few authors have and I find it absolutely amazing. (There I go, fangirling over Sandhya Menon again)
The characters are very well built. Their strengths and weaknesses are detailed out and the way they blossom into better human beings at the end of the story is commendable. I would definitely recommend this book to teens because not only does it have good and strong characters but those characters are regular teenagers who make regular teenager mistakes and are faced with the challenge to choose between trying to make things right or lose it and continue making the mistakes. This is something that every teenager goes through and a little guidance with books like these will help them a lot.
Being an Indian, I absolutely loved the little bits of Indian parenting in-fusion with parenting abroad. It was very relatable and funny. I thoroughly enjoyed my read and also finished the book in under 4 hours (not at a stretch though but in 2 days because of duties).
I rate the book 4/5 stars.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Where do I start? Well, the story has a very good flow. I can see a Twinkle Mehra who has always been under the shadow of others (Groundling, in her terms), growing arrogant and entitled with a little attention. I can see how she, being a teenager, demands people to treat her like royalty. I love that she is faced with a challenge where she chooses to correct herself and do right by everyone. Her jealousy, her tantrums, her zeal and her passion make her a completely normal teen and a good role model to other teens because of her choices.
The sacrifices that Twinkle’s parents and grandparents made to give her a better life is beyond beautiful. The little backstories that we got about her maternal grandmother and her mother’s childhood were strong additions to the plot. I cried my heart out when Twinkle’s mother couldn’t go back home to take care of her mother due to financial instability. This was heartbreaking.
“Sometimes I worry I don’t know who I really am. Sometimes I’m afraid nothing I do will ever be enough to set me apart.”
– Sandhya Menon
Coming to the characters:
TWINKLE: I have already given a picture of what she is. Something I loved about her is that though she was under-confident in the beginning, she still had dreams and she somehow felt that she will accomplish them. Her relationships with her parents, Dadi and friends (especially Maddie) are all complicated and she manages to resolve them by the end and that was a good way to conclude the story.
Dadi: The cutest in the world!! She loved Twinkle. She loved her with everything that she had and I think is also responsible for shaping her character and keeping her from breaking down. I love the addition of the dog that dadi thinks is her late husband. The addition of the friendships with the firemen because of the fire accidents caused by her candle-burning is hilarious.
Sahil Roy: If someone had a crush on me, I will want him/her to be a Sahil Roy. Actually, can I have a real-life incarnation of a Sahil Roy with a crush on me, please? He is also so cute and adorable. He is a freaking feminist and doesn’t care about people judging him for working towards his goals and future-girlfriend. He is hella supportive but doesn’t come off too strong, so that’s an amazing quality. Dear real-life incarnation of Sahil Roy, will you marry me?
Maddie: I thought I hated her but then I started to fall for her because this is me. I cannot shower you with love by being loud about it. It is all about the small gestures. And Maddie, badass, all-rounder, to-be scientist-doctor Maddie, torn apart with her love for Twinkle and her new friends, though had a struggle, ended up managing everything pretty well.
What are you waiting for? Go and pick this book up!
Reason’s to pick this book:
- Fast read
- Relatable story line
- Has the right type of feminists – the best part is that it has them in both genders
- Will be a great influence on teens
- LGBTQ plus
- Well constructed characters that show a growth towards positive side
- A cute romance that had me teary eyed
- Representation of various cultures and nationalities while not sounding even a single bit racist.
Cons:
- Honestly, I cannot really think of any except for the fact that it was over too soon.
- If I stress my brain too much to add to the column, maybe I would really love to have insights on the feminist version of Dracula remake and not just the interviews.
“I watched Papa’s hands as he talked about his work, and I realized something: He cared about his at-risk youth just as much as Sahil’s mom and dad cared about the state of higher education in our country. The difference was, because of their education and fancy degrees, they could afford to pay money to contribute to their cause. Papa’s work had to be in person; his donation was his time, his family, and himself.”
– Sandhya Menon
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