Book Review: Kismat Connection

By Ananya Devarajan 

3 Stars 

Ananya Devarajan shares a story of two childhood best friends who fall in love in their last year of high school, as predicted by fate in Kismat Connection. Madhuri is a straight-A student who has big dreams. She doesn’t usually bother to listen to her mother predicting her fate, but when her mother says that she will fall in love with someone in her senior year, Madhuri wants to prove her wrong. So she decides to “fake date” her childhood best friend, Arjun. She initially started this fake-dating scheme to prove her parents wrong, but she finds herself questioning if she can go against her own fate as her situation with Arjun progresses. This book revolves around more than the story of Madhuri and Arjun, as it also explores Madhuri’s newfound appreciation for her Indian culture, Arjun dealing with his difficult relationship with his mother, and Madhuri finding self-worth outside of her academic success. This book is a great read for teens and is suitable for readers 12 and up. This book has sprinkled Indian culture in a beautiful way that will be exciting and easy to understand for all audiences. I admire how, even though the book was centered around Indian families, it didn’t conform to the stereotypical Indian family dynamics. I specifically appreciated how they showed Madhuri regaining love for her culture throughout the book. I like how the book didn’t only highlight parts of Indian culture that are typically romanticized, as it will leave a great impact on young readers and help them feel more inspired to embrace their culture entirely. I don’t think this book was very memorable, but I would say it is worth the read if you are looking for a fun teen desi romance novel. 

Reviewed by Amiesha 

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