From Twinkle, with Love

The first word that I think of to describe this book is “sparkling” - it definitely addresses some serious stuff (family conflict, growing apart from longtime friends), but never gets bleak or depressing to read, which was exactly what I needed right now. Twinkle is a fun character to spend time with, and I really enjoyed the little glimpses into Sahil's head as well via blog posts and texts with his friends. The supporting cast wasn't quite as well-drawn to me; in particular, I would've liked a little more development for Maddie and Hannah, since the friend-triangle is such a big part of this book. The pacing was a little off as well, with a big rush of plot development and resolution in the last third, but that's not unusual for romances/romcoms, in my experience. Those are both pretty minor quibbles, however - overall, this book is delightful and perfect summer reading.

You know what I have concluded after reading this book – Sandhya Menon is an expert in bringing smiles on our faces. I was just so happy while reading this one and didn't put it down until I finishing the whole thing.

Twinkle is an aspiring filmmaker but has always felt invisible in life and is quite scared to standup for herself. Things get worse when her BFF Maddie seems to be drifting away towards a popular clique of girls. When Sahil, the twin brother of her long term crush Neil offers her a chance to direct a film for the school festival and Maddie agrees to be the main lead, Twinkle believes this would solve her friendship and love life problems. But she also has to fight her connection with Sahil and her secret email admirer, N.

Twinkle goes through a lot in this book. She is scared initially and doesn't know how to be more assertive, but as she gets into the groove of being a director, we see how the power affects her. The idea of everyone listening to her definitely changes her a lot because it's something that has never happened to her before. We see her go through different stages of confusion, first love, arrogance, heartbreak and realization and it was great to explore all these facets of her personality.

Sahil is the most precious, sweetest, cinnamon roll ever. He has his own insecurities about always being in the shadow of his super successful brother but he doesn't let that affect his pursuit of Twinkle. He truly sees her for the kind hearted, ambitious artist that she is and is always there to support her in whatever way she needs him to. Even when she is in the wrong, he doesn't condescend to her and just tries to nudge her to realize her follies herself. I was rooting for them since their first cutest interaction because they were just perfect for each other.

The side characters in this book are amazing. Dadi is quirky and eccentric and was always there for Twinkle even when her parents couldn't be. I loved seeing Twinkle come out of her shell and become friends with Sahil's buddies Aaron and Skid. All of their conversations felt very sweet and effortless. I also loved her budding friendship with Victoria, who didn't really turn out to be the mean girl. We also get to see Maddie struggling to manage her new friendship with popular Hannah while not alienating Twinkle but it doesn't always work out.

The writing of Sandhya is super funny and so easy to read. Though this book doesn't explore the Indianness of the characters as much as When Dimple Met Rishi, there is this desi feel to the writing style that I totally dig. The idea of writing the book in the form of letters to Twinkle's favorite female filmmakers was wonderful and I could see how there was a little change in the type of content of the letters based on it's recipient (and their filmography).

Overall, I enjoyed reading this a lot and after months of waiting for it, I'm so glad I wasn't let down. Definitely recommend to all lovers of romcoms. Read and fall in love with Twinkle and Sahil.