A Match Made in Mehendi
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
For fans of Brandy Colbert and Jenny Han comes a lighthearted novel about tradition, high school social hierarchy, matchmaking, and swiping right (or left!) Fifteen-year-old Simran "Simi" Sangha comes from a long line of Indian vichole -- matchmakers -- with a rich history for helping parents find good matches for their grown children. When Simi accidentally sets up her cousin and a soon-to-be lawyer, her family is thrilled that she has the "gift."
But Simi is an artist, and she doesn't want to have anything to do with relationships, helicopter parents, and family drama. That is, until she realizes this might be just the thing to improve her and her best friend Noah's social status. Armed with her family's ancient guide to finding love, Simi starts a matchmaking service -- via an app, of course.
But when she helps connect a wallflower of a girl with the star of the boys' soccer team, she turns the high school hierarchy topsy-turvy, soon making herself public enemy number one.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In New Jersey, Indian-American Simi and her best friend, Noah, who is white and gay, have decided that sophomore year is going to be their time to stand out. When Simi's habitual klutziness causes her glamorous cousin to meet a sweet, ambitious future attorney, Simi's mother and aunt both third-generation Indian vicholis, or matchmakers are convinced that she has the matchmaking gift. A passionate artist, Simi wants nothing to with pairing people up, but Noah convinces her that matching the students at school is the best way to leave their mark. With help from Simi's tech-inclined older brother, the friends develop an app, Matched!, which turns their love lives and Mayfield High's social order upside down. In her U.S. debut, Bajpai tells a rousing story that is as enjoyable as it is heartfelt. The central romance abounds with chemistry, and each center-stage friendship is loving and supportive without sacrificing authenticity or conflict. The inclusion of prejudices faced by marginalized people (both Indian and LGBTQ) balanced with loving support from their communities creates additional layers of complexity. And Bajpai creates a memorable character in Simi, who shines at the center of the matchmaking web as she narrates this winning romance. Ages 12 up.
