RANI DESHPANDE TAKES THE WHEEL
Rani's summer checklist didn't include falling in love in this sparkling romance for fans of The Summer of Broken Rules and Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute.
Nineteen-year-old Rani Deshpande is on a mission to reinvent herself the summer before transferring to her new university. After a challenging freshman year, Rani can’t help but feel like she’s playing catch up. To that end, she’s crafted a packed summer to get back on track: a dream internship, adventures with her hometown best friend, and regular driving lessons so that she can finally lose her passenger princess reputation - even if it means learning from her aggravating family friend (and childhood crush), Kush Khanna.
Kush and Rani grew up together, but they couldn’t be less alike. Within their close-knit Desi community - a Jane Austen style cast of ridiculous, meddlesome families - Kush is the beloved model son; Rani is more the black sheep. Kush is pre-med; Rani plans to teach elementary school. Kush is cool and collected, bordering on reticent; Rani couldn’t keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. So when their mothers first force the pair to drive together, the arrangement feels like a recipe for disaster. As the lessons progress, however, Rani discovers there’s more to the boy she’s known her whole life than meets the eye.
In Arushi Avachat's Rani Deshpande Takes the Wheel, Rani must learn to course-correct, no matter how bumpy or windy the road – and even if it includes a detour right into love.
ARYA KHANNA'S BOLLYWOOD MOMENT
Save the Date meets Never Have I Ever in this sparkling debut rom-com about a high school senior whose life suddenly gets a Bollywood spin when her sister gets engaged.
Shaadi preparations are in full swing, which means lehenga shopping, taste testing, dance rehearsals, and best of all, Arya’s sister Alina is home. The Khannas are together again, finally, and Arya wants to enjoy it. So she stifles her lingering resentment towards Alina, plays mediator during her sister’s fights with their mother, and welcomes her future brother-in-law with open arms. (Okay, maybe enjoy isn't exactly right.)
Meanwhile at school, Arya’s senior year dreams are unraveling. In between class and her part-time gig as a bookshop assistant, Arya struggles to navigate the aftermath of a bad breakup between her two best friends and a tense student council partnership with her rival, the frustratingly attractive Dean Merriweather.
Arya is determined to keep the peace at home and at school, but this shaadi season teaches Arya new realities: Alina won’t always be in the bedroom down the hall, Mamma’s sadness isn’t mendable, friendships must evolve, and life doesn’t always work out like her beloved Bollywood movies. But sometimes, the person you least expect will give you a glimpse of your dream sequence just when you need it most.
Structured like a Bollywood film (entertaining intermission included!) Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment will make you swoon, laugh, cry, think, nod your head in agreement, and quite possibly make you get up and dance.
Audiobook narrated by Nikhaar Kishnani; excerpt available to read now.
PRAISE FOR ARYA
"A tender coming-of-age story that navigates fraught friendships, first loves and the thorny love of family. Avachat is a fresh and sparkling voice, and sure to be a star on the rise." — Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves
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"Arushi Avachat's debut is a sparkling love story for anyone who's ever had to juggle real life responsibilities and relationships while enduring an epic family wedding. A joy to read." — Nisha Sharma, award-winning author of My So-Called Bollylwood Life and The Karma Map
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"Bubbly and endlessly charming, Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment is a cozy contemporary to warm the soul." — Jesmeen Kaur Deo, author of TJ Powar Has Something to Prove
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"Avachat’s endearing slice of life contemporary nails the energy of a classic teen coming of age story while still feeling delightfully fresh.” — Racquel Marie, author of Ophelia After All
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"An emotional and heartfelt debut, Arya Khanna sparkles with a complex family, the sweetest romance, and laugh-out-loud moments of fun. A wonderful new voice in the contemporary sphere!" — Aamna Qureshi, award-winning author of The Lady or the Lion
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"A sweet, culturally rich story about first love, forgiveness, and realizing people aren’t always what they seem." — Lillie Vale, author of Beauty and the Besharam, The Decoy Girlfriend, and The Shaadi Set-Up
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"Desi references are woven naturally throughout, the romance is adorable, and the story is well paced . . . Lovable, frothy, and happy-making." — Kirkus Reviews
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"Avachat’s fun, atmospheric debut admirably joins the ranks of YA romance . . . This rich Bollywood-esque tale is filled to the brim with Punjabi culture and unadulterated familial love." — Booklist
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*Junior Library Guild Selection
*Elle Magazine Best Romance Books of 2024
*Teen Vogue Top Ten South Asian YA Novels of 2024