My So-Called Bollywood Life

March 26, 2018
Winnie (Vaneeta) Mehta and her family are obsessed with a prophecy from an Indian priest about the New Jersey teen’s romantic future. They believe she’s destined to marry Raj, her longtime boyfriend and childhood friend. But over the summer, Raj hooked up with another girl, and he no longer shares her Bollywood filmmaking dreams either—even more of a betrayal to Winnie than the cheating. The fallout from their breakup is vast: not only does Winnie get pushed out from helping with the school’s annual film festival, but she has to get a job to pay back Raj after a misguided, post-breakup stealing incident. Winnie’s new position at a local art house puts her in the orbit of Dev, a classmate who loves the cinema as much as Winnie. Sharma’s YA debut is filled with upbeat, third-person prose, and quirky, Bollywood-focused details: in recurring dreams, Winnie is visited by actor Shah Rukh Khan, who gives her life and love advice, and each chapter begins with a Bollywood movie review and rating written from Winnie’s review blog. The romance that blossoms between Winnie and Dev is sweet, if predictable, creating a satisfying story with a layer of dramatic intrigue offered through Winnie’s genuine concern over whether her fate is predetermined or of her own design. Ages 14–up. Agent: Antonella Iannarino, David Black Literary Agency.

April 15, 2018
Grades 7-10 Winnie Mehta loves film, especially Bollywood movies. She's determined to get into NYU film school and is sure that fellow movie buff Raj is the guy predicted in her birth prophecy. But when Raj finds a new girlfriend, Winnie's world is turned upside down. After Raj takes over the film festival that was to be her key to NYU, she has to figure out a new way to showcase her love of movies. More unsettling, she must decide if she believes in destiny, and if so, what is hers? Sharma's debut mirrors her own passions, so there's plenty of Bollywood allusions. Even the chapter headings reference Bollywood films, which are detailed in the back matter. Those less familiar with the genre may be a little overwhelmed by the movie details that sprinkle the text. But there's lots of big-�picture elements to appreciate here: a strong, winsome heroine; a solid supporting cast, including family; and a romantic triangle that rivals any Bollywood plot. And, of course, for some readers, this will be just the ticket to Bollywood.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
Bollywood-obsessed Winnie Mehta, from an Indian Hindu family living in Princeton, New Jersey, wants it all: admission into NYU's film program and the right boyfriend. But is that Raj, the now-cheating boyfriend who's always fit her astrological prophesy, or budding filmmaker Dev, who's becoming more attractive to her by the day? A funny, breezy romance filled with Bollywood film references (a guide to which is appended).

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from March 1, 2018
A fresh, madcap rom-com in which a Princeton, New Jersey, high school senior, aspiring film school student, and Bollywood junkie navigates the dramas of real life.Vaneeta "Winnie" Mehta is digging a grave for her ex-boyfriend Raj's entire film collection. She'd believed that Raj was destined to be with her; their match was fated in her janampatri (natal star chart) after all, so she was devastated to find out via social media that he was hooking up with another classmate. To add insult to injury, she's stripped of her role as school film festival chair because of an administrative snafu, and Raj has secured Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha--Winnie's idol--as the festival's guest of honor. But when Winnie reconnects with classmate and fellow film geek Dev Khanna and falls for him hard, she is forced to question all that has been prophesied: Is Raj really her destiny, and if she chooses Dev, will she be giving up her chance to live happily ever after? With the help of family and friends, Winnie navigates these ups and downs in order to find her own perfectly scripted Bollywood ending. Bollywood fans will appreciate the high-drama tropes and self-referential jokes, and newcomers will be tempted to explore the genre for themselvesA delightful and humorous debut. (Romance. 14-18)

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