Secure A Holly Jolly Diwali Originated By Sonya Lalli Edition

representation in this book made me super happy, Could it have been better Yes, but Ill take what I can get cause I never see Punjabi Sikh characters in a main lead.
I get happy seeing South Asian representation in books, but theyre mostly Hindu, Muslim, Bengali or Gujarati characters, So to see all these Punjabi characters, warmed my heart, it made me genuinely happy, It was a little weird at first seeing all those familiar names just because they were barely there for any book Ive read before.
So for this, thank you Sonya,

In terms of the book, it doesnt have a major plot honestly, So if youre looking to read something that wont overwhelm you with the plot but still be a good cute read, this is for you.
I loved the issues raised in this book from colourism to casteism, which are all important, I loved how the author brought light to the meaning of Diwali and its celebrations in different religions,

Based on some reviews I saw some people didnt like Niki, and thats okay, I liked her enough because in a sense to me, she was realistic, She was how I view myself and the daughter I wanted to be for my parents, But itll be different for everyone, And Sam from the band, where does someone find a desi guy like you Gosh I love the characters in this book! And the title of this book OH MY GOSH.
When it finally clicked I was like so this is why its called this! It couldnt have had a better name.


The only thing I didnt like about this book was that there was a lot of filler, I wish we had more dialogue between Niki and Sam so we could see their relationship build more, But other than that I really liked it,

If you liked the movie “Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani” you need to try reading this book!


A bollywood playlist for the book: sitelink spotify. com/playlist/nU I'm so here for more holiday romcoms that are not Christmas!

A Holly Jolly Diwali is aboutyear old data analyst Niki Randhawa.
Niki has always made rational and logical decisions, But when she's laid off, she decides to embrace the spontaneous and books a ticket to India for her best friend's wedding.
She doesn't expect to hit it off with Sam, but as the two are thrown together during a group honeymoon, they see where the sparks could lead to.


This was such a feel good story! I really enjoyed Niki as a character and I was rooting for her the whole time.
I also shipped her and Sameer the whole time, what can I say I am a sap, I really loved exploring the little bit of India through this book, Also I need someone to make Diya's wedding into a movie because it sounded absolutely beautiful in my head,

This book had it all for me: a great MC, a good romance and strong friendships and familial bonds.
I need more romances like this one!

Rep: IndianAmerican female MC, IndianBritish male love interest, various Indian and IndianAmerican side characters.


CWs: Alcohol consumption, racism more so classism, MC is condescended to for her caste, Moderate: Discussion of possible infertility never confirmed, vomit, such a cute, light read, i really loved the representation in modern times,

i meannnnnnnn

its a different kind of irk when an author tells the reader instead of shows the reader.


and the characters weren't BAD, they were just surface level, kind of superficial

and the Diwali stopped afterpages

but whyyyyyyyy WHYYYYY was the relationship between Niki and Sam so fReAkInG aWkWaRd they were so passive and their relationship was kind of sort of a secret but not really so no one had to know about them idkk it was all just so weird!!!!!

I kind of knew going in that this book would be mid but i gave it the benefit of the doubt and i cant say im not surprised : I was so surprised by how much I ADORED THIS BOOK!! it follows a plotline we know.
A fling turned into something more but it was so fun to visit India with our characters and her to find herself /learn more about her culture! Mediocre.
The main couple, Niki and Sam, think, sound, and act like immature teenagers rather than theyearolds they supposedly are.
Sonya Lalli does, to her credit, try to address some serious issues about what it's like to be the child of immigrants and feel disconnected from your roots.
But the romance is unconvincing we're told a lot that Niki and Sam fall headoverheels in love, almost instantly, but why At least from Niki's POV, the answer seems to be "Sam's hot, he plays guitar, and he has a bit of an English accent"see what I mean about her sounding like a teenager, the secondary characters flat, and some of the things that happen in the part of the novel set in India were so A Very Special Episode that I found myself cringing in vicarious embarrassment.


These are things that can be laid at Lalli's feet as an author, but there are also many aspects of A Holly Jolly Diwali that are squarely the responsibility of the publisher, Berkley.
I used to think of them as an imprint that turned out readable, escapist fiction of a certain qualityperhaps not great literature, but the romance equivalent of a warm bath and a mug of tea.
But their quality control standards seem to be slipping quite a bit, At least the ebook version of this book is riddled with typos and grammatical mistakes, not to mention bizarre sentences that any editor worth their salt should have flagged "He clutched his palm to his lip.
" "I popped a mouthful of creamy curry, delaying, ". The cover design is lovely, but the editor was MIA, One typeA data analyst discovers her freespirited side on an impulsive journey from bustling Mumbai to the gorgeous beaches of Goa and finds love waiting for her on Christmas morning.


Twentynineyearold Niki Randhawa has always made practical decisions, Despite her love for music and art, she became an analyst for the stability, She's always stuck close to home, in case her family needed her, And she's always dated guys that seem good on paper, rather than the ones who give her butterflies, When she's laid off, Niki realizes that practical hasn't exactly paid off for her, So for the first time ever, she throws caution to the wind and books a lastminute flight for her friend Diya's wedding.


Niki arrives in India just in time to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, where she meets London musician Sameer Mukherji.
Maybe it's the splendor of Mumbai or the magic of the holiday season, but Niki is immediately drawn to Sam.
At the wedding, the champagne flows and their flirtatious banter makes it clear that the attraction is mutual,

When Niki and Sam join Diya, her husband and their friends on a group honeymoon, their connection grows deeper.
Freespirited Sam helps Niki get in touch with her passionate and creative side, and with her Indian roots, When she gets a new job offer back home, Niki must decide what she wants out of the next chapter of her lifeto cling to the straight and narrow like always, or to take a leap of faith and live the kind of bold life the old Niki never would have dreamed of.
I was really excited to pick this one up, The heroine is unexpectedly fired from her job and decides to attend her friend's wedding in India, There, she meets a musician and has a whirlwind romance, This one turned into a very instalove relationship and I wasn't really into it, I enjoyed the heroine finally taking time for herself and not being the perfect daughter while her sister got to do everything she always wanted to do.
But the romance was instalove and she was literally ready to give up her life in Seattle for him, A guy she met a week ago, Without talking to him about it, I also would have loved even more Diwali, This more focused on her friend's wedding and their group honeymoon they took their friends on, Overall, this was just an okay read, this was sweet! i will admit the romance wasn't the most swoon worthy or developed but i really loved learning more about Diwali and seeing Niki's growth over the course of the story! definitely a feel good holiday romance ehhh cute but I cared about everything more than the romance storyline.
.

Niki wasnt planning to attend her best friend, Diyas, wedding Niki lives in Seattle and the wedding is in Mumbai but when shes unceremoniously laid off from her IT job, a change in scenery and time with a friend looks very good.
At a prewedding Diwali party, Niki is strongly attracted to Sam, a musician, But Sam lives in London, and Niki isnt looking for a fling, Theres no way anything can happen between them, Is there

Everyone who knows me in real life knows that I cannot stand the song Holly Jolly Christmas, and if you call me Holly Jolly, you will get no response.
And yet I grabbed this book, Somehow, adding Diwali to the mix made it cute and not annoying,

And Im glad I did, I really enjoyed this. It was lighthearted and fun, with welldrawn, interesting characters and believable situations, Sam was entirely likable, with no alpholeness or red flags I was consistently rooting for Niki and Sam, I appreciated the realistic approach to romance in this story, as well, Are Niki and Sam “perfect” for each other Who knows, and it doesnt matter, Theyre clearly good together, and come across as people who would be friends even if they never became lovers, I have all faith that they will handle whatever comes their way, I also really liked that the Epilogue did not show a saccharine perfect happy ending Im such a sourpuss about those but only showed Niki and Sam actively planning their future.


This book was a good time, Ive given itonly because I was never intensely invested in it, but that did not detract from

my enjoyment.
I plan to read Sonia Lallis other books in the near future this definitely won her a new fan, .