The Candid Life of Meena Dave

My full review is here: https://literaryquicksand.com/2022/06/review-the-candid-life-of-meena-dave-by-namrata-patel/

I don't typically pick up cute, romance-y books like this, but the summary of this one pulled me in and I decided to give it a try. I do like lighter reads sometimes, and this one looked like it had some real substance to it.

There were several aspects of this story that I really enjoyed, like the little notes Meera finds all over the apartment after she moves in, the boy next door who's kinda cute, and the aunties that start giving Meera a glimpse into her heritage. That was the best part of this book for me – Meera feeling like she might really belong somewhere, after she hasn't really felt at home since her home was violently destroyed in an explosion. She feels like she needs to keep going and moving after that, to stay busy and never have a real home base. With her history and trauma, I'm not surprised she feels like she can't really settle somewhere. I can't imagine feeling like you have no real home to go to!

The other part that I enjoyed the most was the aunties. I loved the food they make, the way they sort of take Meera under their wing, and how supportive they are of the “boy next door”, Sam. They bring so much culture into the story and it was fun to read.