There's Something About Sweetie (Dimple and Rishi, #2) by Sandhya Menon

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Ashish Patel didn’t know love could be so…sucky. After he’s dumped by his ex-girlfriend, his mojo goes AWOL. Even worse, his parents are annoyingly, smugly confident they could find him a better match. So, in a moment of weakness, Ash challenges them to set him up.

The Patels insist that Ashish date an Indian-American girl—under contract. Per subclause 1(a), he’ll be taking his date on “fun” excursions like visiting the Hindu temple and his eccentric Gita Auntie. Kill him now. How is this ever going to work?

Sweetie Nair is many things: a formidable track athlete who can outrun most people in California, a loyal friend, a shower-singing champion. Oh, and she’s also fat. To Sweetie’s traditional parents, this last detail is the kiss of death.

Sweetie loves her parents, but she’s so tired of being told she’s lacking because she’s fat. She decides it’s time to kick off the Sassy Sweetie Project, where she’ll show the world (and herself) what she’s really made of.

Ashish and Sweetie both have something to prove. But with each date they realize there’s an unexpected magic growing between them. Can they find their true selves without losing each other?

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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I haven't read When Dimple Met Rishi, but now I really want to! They were mentioned a few times throughout this book, and now I'm curious about their story. There's Something About Sweetie was an impactful read that left me questioning myself as well as society. Sweetie is totally right, because "fat" isn't a bad word. Like she says, it's just the opposite of thin, and there's nothing wrong with that. 

I've struggled with my body and how it looks in the past, and my parents were a part of the problem. My mom would criticize me if I wore a shirt that showed my "pooch," and my dad would yell during softball games, "You could run faster if you unhitched that caboose!" In retrospect, I don't think my parents meant any harm, but their words were damaging. They made me question my weight and appearance, instead of being happy with the person I was. I could totally relate to Sweetie and her Sassy Sweetie Project. I wish I'd had her confidence in high school! 

Sweetie's relationship with her mother broke my heart. I wish her father had realized sooner that his daughter was hurting and stepped in, but more than that, I wish her mother would have defended her against verbal attacks and digs about her daughter's weight. She wanted to protect her daughter (usually by telling her not to eat this or wear that), but she would also let people say whatever they wanted about Sweetie's appearance and eating habits. 

Ashish was cocky and he knew it. Smoldering Ash? Hah! I really liked his group of friends and how supportive they were. Their friendship was easy and the result of many years spent together. I'm curious if Samir will get a book after this, because I think there needs to be a story about him and Pinky! Sweetie had great friends, too. They were encouraging and maybe a little too eager to fight on her behalf. 

Actually, that's my one quibble with this book... Sweetie's reaction to a perceived wrongdoing. I felt like she and her friends acted impulsively and out of character. I can understand why they would have been upset, but Sweetie jumped to conclusions without giving someone she trusted the benefit of the doubt. Instead, they did something completely unnecessary and over-the-top, and accomplished nothing. If anything, in that moment they were the ones being judgmental bullies. 

I really liked both Ashish and Sweetie's families! They wanted to be involved in their children's lives (maybe a little too much in some instances), but it was obvious they cared. The Patel's wanted Ashish to understand his culture, and the Nair's wanted their daughter to be accepted and not ridiculed (this was more her mother than her father). Parents do things out of love, but it doesn't always come across the right way.

There's Something About Sweetie was an encouraging story that will stick with me. Sweetie proved to everyone and herself, that she was perfect exactly the way she was. She loved herself and the life that she had, despite the ignorance of others. I think there were a lot of lessons to take away from this story, and believe a lot of people will be able to relate to the characters.