There's Something about Sweetie by Sandhya Menon (review)

Fans of When Dimple Met Rishi (BCCB 6/17) will remember Rishi's brother Ashish, a cool, athletic player. Now, though, his girlfriend Celia has broken his heart, and his mojo is completely gone. When his nerdy cousin, Samir, suggests that his parents could find someone perfect for him as they did for Rishi, Ashish challenges them to do so. His mother finds Sweetie, a girl who is beautiful, talented, and athletic, but whose mother objects to the match because she believes that Sweetie is too fat to date the über-wealthy, über-hot Ashish. Fed up with her mother's disapproval, Sweetie arranges a meeting with Ashish to test his reaction to her physique (he passes), and the two work with Ashish's parents to arrange formal dates behind Sweetie's mother's back. Ashish is honest with Sweetie that he's not over his old girlfriend, but more is at stake for Sweetie in pursuing the relationship; she has to prove to herself that her mother is wrong and that she can live her best life as a fat girl. This sugary romance will certainly be a taste call, but for those readers who can't get enough syrup on their gulab jamun, it's an unapologetic, wish-fulfilling dessert buffet; in fact, Ashish's question to his mom, "Is this one of those over-thetop Hindi things?" could easily be the tagline for the book's entire ethos. Sweetie not only embodies her name, she's also preternaturally sensitive and wise in matters of the heart, going out of her way to help Ashish regain his confidence in love and basketball. As Ashish falls in lust and then in dreamy love with her and gets over Celia, he rehearses how Sweetie makes him want to be the kind of guy she deserves. And did I mention how rich and beautiful he is? Swoon-prone readers will wish the Patel boys came in six-packs. KC