Kismat Connection is a wonderful debut YA romance novel with Indian culture woven into the story. I absolutely adored this book, and I can’t wait to read more by Devarajan. The novel was impressive in general, but especially so because it is the author’s first book (published at age 21 I might add). I was so excited to hear that she has more projects in the works as well!
There were so many enjoyable features of this novel, but my favorite was definitely the protagonist, Madhuri. The premise behind the story, that Madhuri decides to enter a fake relationship with her best friend in order to prove her astrology-loving mother wrong, was perfect. I am a sucker for the fake dating trope, and I appreciated how Devarajan combined it with the friends-to-lovers trope. Madhuri’s plight to prove fate wrong and end her family curse was fun and brought out both the best and the worst within her character.
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.
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.
Finally, I really enjoyed the way Devarajan incorporated Indian culture. She did so in many ways, and I particularly loved that Bharatanatyam was such a huge part of Madhuri’s identity.
As a whole, this book was both cute and impressive. I highly recommend it, and I’m looking forward to reading more stories from Devarajan in the future!
There were so many enjoyable features of this novel, but my favorite was definitely the protagonist, Madhuri. The premise behind the story, that Madhuri decides to enter a fake relationship with her best friend in order to prove her astrology-loving mother wrong, was perfect. I am a sucker for the fake dating trope, and I appreciated how Devarajan combined it with the friends-to-lovers trope. Madhuri’s plight to prove fate wrong and end her family curse was fun and brought out both the best and the worst within her character.
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.
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.
Finally, I really enjoyed the way Devarajan incorporated Indian culture. She did so in many ways, and I particularly loved that Bharatanatyam was such a huge part of Madhuri’s identity.
As a whole, this book was both cute and impressive. I highly recommend it, and I’m looking forward to reading more stories from Devarajan in the future!