Book Review Genre: YA Sports Romance

Disclaimer: Reading is all about exploring new worlds, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.

The Analysis:

This book was a bingo pick from a book blogger on youtube. If you’re interested in joining, check it out here. So, let’s book review the second book. But first, follow me on Goodreads.

Here’s The Blurb:

A rising star in Muay Thai figures out what (and who) is worth fighting for in this YA debut full of heart.

If seventeen-year-old Kareena Thakkar is going to alienate herself from the entire Indian community, she might as well do it gloriously. She’s landed the chance of a lifetime, an invitation to the US Muay Thai Open, which could lead to a spot on the first-ever Olympic team. If only her sport weren’t seen as something too rough for girls, something she’s afraid to share with anyone outside of her family. Despite pleasing her parents, excelling at school, and making plans to get her family out of debt, Kareena’s never felt quite Indian enough, and her training is only making it worse.

Which is inconvenient, since she’s starting to fall for Amit Patel, who just might be the world’s most perfect Indian. Admitting her feelings for Amit will cost Kareena more than just her pride—she’ll have to face his parents’ disapproval, battle her own insecurities, and remain focused for the big fight. Kareena’s bid for the Olympics could very well make history—if she has the courage to go for it.

Cover Critique:

I like it. I’m normally not a fan of illustrations, but there are exceptions to every rule. This one movement perfectly encompasses the heroine and the sport she loves as well as her heritage.

Now The Story:

Book Info:
Pages: 360
Author: Sajni Patel
Available: Google Play

A story about a female Muay Thai fighter, straight to my heart.

The relationship the heroine has with her parents are the best. They are supportive, real, and down-to-earth. It sucks that her father is battling a life-threatening disease. Yet, you see the influence that has on her, among other things, and they are really doing right by her the best way they can.

Also the hero and heroine, separately, are great people. Amit, the hero, is the nerdy guy. Not the buff jock with all the muscles. He’s thoughtful and does his best to try to understand the heroine. The heroine, is badass, for lack of a better word. She’s taken on a sport as a female that’s extremely difficult. And she’s fighting for her spot in the ring. But she knows how to balance that with her love for her family. She also doesn’t look like a little dream pixie, so prevalent in the genre. She’s got muscles and thighs, and I’m here for it.

Any POC that’s fallen outside the stereotype or cultural norms associated with their race will find themselves identifying with the main female character here. A large part of her identity crisis is trying to figure out who she is and who that person is in relation to the larger Indian community.

And the hero is navigating this minefield, pretty well as a guy more confident in himself and where he stands. Eventually, she drops the hammer that she’s seeing someone named MT. The abbreviations for her sport. I should be feeling all kinds of angst and rooting for the titular couple. While I’m interested in how this plays out. I can’t say I feel one way or another for the pair. An unfortunate symptom of the last book I read. I took a point off.

It’s pretty clear that Muay Thai is her stress reliever, but when it becomes a source of angst I end up desperate for her to find another outlet. So, when the hero steps in, I’m breathing a sigh of relief. Like, yes, let’s get to the bottom of this. And she lets the hero in, but its never far enough for her to trust him. I took a point off for the unnecessary hoops she always had Amit jumping through to the very end. It just didn’t seem fair to him. Men have to worry about trust too and he wasn’t questioning her the way she was always interrogating him.

I have to admit too, as a side note, it was a little strange that Travis was practically acting like her boyfriend and she didn’t notice. Yes, she can fight and take care of herself. Still, that scene was (potentially) dangerous and I was shocked that she could be so lost that a man could put his hands on her even in the friendliest way without her notice. She didn’t even consider that a possibility. Any perceived judgment was, you hate me because I’m Indian dating a non-POC. It just indicated to me that she had some serious hang-ups about her race (deserved or undeserved), and it was showing up in places it shouldn’t.

I did feel bad for her though when her worse thoughts were confirmed. She overheard some Indian girls talking about her badly. Personally, I got the impression that it was more about superiority than really believing the rumors they were spreading. As a teen, you so rarely see any introspection to dissect someone’s motive and it all looks like shades of red when it might be blue or green. In this case, the girl is insecure and unfortunately, our brave, unique heroine is the outlet for this random girl’s fear.

And that girl is everything that’s wrong with the heroine’s ability to accept herself. Almost like a physical representation. This part was interesting to see. How familiar social issues I’m used to seeing in black culture also appears in Indian culture. But her self-doubt was frustrating, to say the least.

I also thought she could be a tad harsh at times. For example, it seemed like she was lecturing Amits parents during the reveal of her sport. I’m like girl, give them a chance to process and then let them respond first. Was all that necessary? I guess will never know. As a parent, I’m not sure I’d agree with them being friends either. Not because of her sport, but because she was too abrupt and cold. She has many moments like this with Amit. But that didn’t stop me from feeling bad when she learned of Amit’s secrets. One was that his parents weren’t all-forgiving and progressive and he had lied to protect her feelings. Yes, I understood the parents, but I know it still hurt her, and I wish she had better.

Moments like these are when you really root for her. It was uplifting to see her join a student support group for female athletes. They instantly rallied to help her without question. It reminded me of my book, Game of Admirers. There is a moment similar to that with a sorority when the heroine asks the group for help. It might rub some black females the wrong way because of past/and sometimes current trauma. But it wasn’t about the man, per se, and more of a look into what black female unity can accomplish.

But back to the story, this was a three star read with really intriguing and important elements. However, I’m giving a half-point for Amit alone. When the reader learns right along with the heroine how saintly this man is, I could not be bogus and deny all the warm feels he gave me. The way he told off his mother, respectfully, that boy is a man. And he holds his owns, gentlemanly, against the heroines more sharp edges.

Not to disregard the heroine, her strength really shines through when she’s fighting or talking about Muay Thai. It does make you wish for more fight scenes, but i enjoyed the way things played out as is. I cheered for her change of fortune when students started to support her aim for the Olympics. This is certainly a happy read.

Book Review At A Glance:

Recommendation:  3.75* out of 5

Book Cover Appeal:

🍓🍓🍓🍓

Story & Narration:

🍓🍓🍓🍓

Romance:

🍓🍓🍓

Character/(s) Personality:

🍓🍓🍓🍓

Read one of my books and leave your own book review. *I normally don’t give half points but it seemed accurate here. By my rating system, this book was not a 4-star read for me. But there are so many good elements to this book that can’t be denied. Amit being one of them. So, 0.75 for that guy. I will gladly round up on goodreads.