What a Desi girl wants

Title:

Author:

Khan, Sabina, 1968- author.

Summary:

Mehar hasn't been back to India since she and her mother moved away when she was six. Her father made it clear that she was not his priority when he chose not to come to the United States with them. But when her father announces his engagement to socialite Naz, Mehar reluctantly agrees to return for the wedding. Maybe she and her father can finally heal their broken relationship. And either way, her father is Indian royalty, and the famil home is a palace--the wedding is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime affair. Once she arrives in India, Mehar meets Sufiya, her grandmother's assistant. Though they come from totally different worlds, their friendship slowly starts to blossom into something more . . . Mehar thinks. Meanwhile, Mehar's dislike for Naz and her social media influencer daughter, Aleena, deepens. She can tell the two of them are just using her father for his money. Mehar's starting to think that putting a stop to this wedding might be the best thing for everyone involved. But what happens when telling her father the truth about Naz and Aleena means putting her relationship with Sufiya at risk? Mehar knows what she wants. Making it happen is a whole other story. -- Amazon.

Audience:

Ages 12 and up. Scholastic Inc.

Grades 7-9. Scholastic Inc.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

276 pages ; 22 cm

Genre:

Romance fiction.

Subject Term:

East Indian Americans -- Fiction.

Fathers and daughters -- Fiction.

Children of divorced parents -- Fiction

East Indians -- Fiction.

Lesbian youth -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Agra (India) -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Scholastic Press,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9781338749335

9780702330230

Publication Information:

New York : Scholastic Press, 2023.

Call Number:

YA KHAN

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003667097	New Young Adult	KHAN	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

The romance of Becky Albertalli meets the nuanced family dynamics of Darius the Great is Not Oka y in this YA novel from acclaimed author Sabina Khan.

Mehar hasn't been back to India since she and her mother moved away when she was only four. Hasn't visited her father, her grandmother, her family, or the home where she grew up. Why would she? Her father made it clear that she's not his priority when he chose not to come to the US with them.

But when her father announces his engagement to socialite Naz, Mehar reluctantly agrees to return for the wedding. Maybe she and her father can heal their broken relationship. And after all, her father is Indian royalty, and his home is a palace -- the wedding is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime affair.

While her father still doesn't make the time for her, Mehar barely cares once she meets Sufiya, her grandmother's assistant, and one of the most grounded, thoughtful, kind people she's ever met! Though they come from totally different worlds, their friendship slowly starts to blossom into something more . . . Mehar thinks.

Meanwhile, Mehar's dislike for Naz and her social media influencer daughter, Aleena, deepens. She can tell that the two of them are just using her father for his money. Mehar's starting to think that putting a stop to this wedding might be the best thing for everyone involved.

But what happens when telling her father the truth about Naz and Aleena means putting her relationship with Sufiya at risk . . .

Author Notes

Sabina Khan writes about Muslim teens who straddle cultures. She was born in Germany, spent her teens in Bangladesh, and lived in Macao, Illinois, and Texas before settling down in British Columbia with her husband, two daughters, and the best puppy in the world. Visit her online at sabina-khan.com.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

A queer teen travels from Kansas to attend the wedding of her estranged father, a famous polo player treated like Indian royalty, in this madcap romance by Khan (Meet Me in Mumbai). Ever since queer 18-year-old Mehar Rabbani and her mother emigrated from India to the U.S. without Mehar's father when she was four, her relationship with him has been strained. When he invites Mehar to attend his wedding, she agrees, hoping to rebuild their relationship. Once she's in India, however, her father has little time for her; it turns out that planning a wedding between a beloved athlete and a well-known socialite is a lot more involved than Mehar expected. While he's preoccupied navigating press and media junkets with his fiancé and her social media influencer daughter, Aleena, Mehar is thrust into a world of opulence and grandeur previously unknown to her, all the while growing closer to her extended family and finding friendship--and budding first love--with her grandmother's assistant, Sufiya. A convoluted plot that feels reminiscent of The Reluctant Debutante sometimes moves in fits and starts. Khan nevertheless depicts Mehar's trip to India--including a romantic midnight visit to the Taj Mahal--in dazzling detail that elucidates a lush and inviting atmosphere. Ages 12--up. (July)