Title: My So-Called Bollywood Life
Author: Nisha Sharma
Publisher: Stripes
Publication Date: May 2nd 2019
Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Goodreads | Amazon UK | Book Depository
Bollywood film fanatic Winnie has grown up believing the future is written in the stars. Her family’s pandit predicted she would find the love of her life before her eighteenth birthday. So when her relationship with Raj collapses, despite him meeting all the criteria, Winnie is lost. This is not how her perfect ending is scripted.
Then fellow film geek Dev challenges Winnie to look beyond her horoscope: is taking the future into her own hands the way to find her happily ever after? To get the perfect ending, Winnie will need a little bit of help from fate, family and, of course, a Bollywood movie star.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review!
My So-Called Bollywood Life is such a feel-good romantic comedy unlike anything else I’ve ever read, complete with all the elements of a classic Bollywood movie. Cheesy romance, love triangles, dancing and dreamy Shah Rukh Khan. Like in the literal sense. He literally appears in Winnie’s dreams.
I adored this book so much more than I thought I would. I cried with laughter; I swooned at the romance; and I geeked out at all of the film references even though I haven’t watched a Bollywood movie in forever. I loved the one-line movie reviews at the beginning of each chapter and how they were integrated into the story, as well as the way Winnie used Bollywood film plots to describe specific moments in her life. Parts of the book were over-the-top dramatic to the point where they were unrealistic but that’s exactly how I remember the classic Bollywood movies.
“THE ONLY THING SHE LOVED TO DO MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD WASN’T WORTHY OF A CAREER.”
This book is so unapologetically Indian and I related to it so much as a fellow Desi. Especially when it came to Winnie’s family life and the way everyone in the community knew about her prophecy. But despite what her star chart has destined for her, Winnie is still this headstrong heroine who knows exactly what she wants and who she wants to be with. The romantic storyline didn’t take away from her strength or independence in any way and I really loved that.
I also loved the supportive cast of characters in this film book, like Winnie’s best friend Bridget, Dev and even Raj. It was so great to see the friendship they were able to have despite everything that happened and how there was no toxicity towards each other because of something in their past.
Overall, I adored this book! One of the major plot points was really predictable and Winnie’s reaction to it seemed rather dramatic, even for a Bollywood movie. But otherwise, the cast was everything and the execution was just brilliant. I have a deep appreciation for novels that make me feel like I’m reading the book but also watching the movie at the exact same time. This is one of them.
headscarves & hardbacks 