ForeverNakhrewaalis ❤️‍🔥 August 2025 Book Buddies - Page 3

Originally posted by: foreverlazy

I might start either today or tomorrow, but I'm definitely good with 3-4 chapters a day. I think discussion-wise, one of us can just ask if the other has finished the chapter yet, and then we can discuss. Do you want to do every five chapters or maybe ten? Or like, whenever there's something we want to talk about in the book, we can just get on here?

I think we can do the 10 chapter bit, so that we are atleast talking (coz I don't unless I am immensely impacted by something and need to discuss it desperately 😅)

Originally posted by: oh_nakhrewaali

I think we can do the 10 chapter bit, so that we are atleast talking (coz I don't unless I am immensely impacted by something and need to discuss it desperately 😅)

Okay good, cuz I'm the same way!

Originally posted by: foreverlazy

Okay good, cuz I'm the same way!

I'll try to start the book (well behaved...) on Monday Nd drop my thoughts on the first ten chapter (whenever I finish those 😅)

Lols, I was flipping through the book (Well-Behaved Indian Women) just to see how many chapters there are (21), and there are honest-to-goodness discussion questions at the end.

So I am 10 pages in and I love reading Nandini's bits but Simran's are blah. It's kinda like me being hooked with Radhe's parents history but not giving two hoota about Radhe while watching Bandish Bandits.

I actually like the book, Simran is a little annoying, but I get her, at times, then she makes stupid discussions and it's a cycle.

That said, I am continuing this one, so it won't be DNFed from my side.

But did you notice how everything is stretched to a matter that affects women. Like the scene where Simran overheats the fair and lovely as and despite having so much emotionally going for her has the time to think about colorism in India. I just feel it's not really how women actually think, atleast I don't, so that felt a bit buggy to me.

Also, the author didn't follow the show, don't tell rule for important plot points so it could have been better.

Does the author hate Simran? Like what's with her jumping to conclusion and not giving her OWN mother benefit of doubt.

And I finished it, because ofcourse I did. I wish the author showed Nandnini and Simran's journey in Baltimore and India more, bht otherwise it's was a satisfactory end. Thank you for suggesting this one, it was a real good feminist read for an Indian woman.

I also wished more for grandmother's story, tbf, she was the most interesting character out of the three.

I'd rate it 7.6/10

Originally posted by: oh_nakhrewaali

So I am 10 pages in and I love reading Nandini's bits but Simran's are blah. It's kinda like me being hooked with Radhe's parents history but not giving two hoota about Radhe while watching Bandish Bandits.

Sorry, didn't have my laptop with me, but I finished the book earlier today!

I'm just still pretty upset about not getting Mimi's POV. Given the way that the book was marketed and the summary, I was expecting to see her story as well. (We did not get nearly enough of her in the book, she seemed so cool. I really wanted to know what she was like as a young girl, then as a mother and finally at present day, as a grandmother.)

I actually like the book, Simran is a little annoying, but I get her, at times, then she makes stupid discussions and it's a cycle.

I also preferred Nandini's POV most of the time. Simran was so self-destructive, and there were some aspects of her character that I could relate to (more in terms of habits, hobbies, preferences, etc., than personality and values), but she was just so frustrating for 90% of the book. I somewhat understand where she's coming from in terms of feeling stuck and lost, desperately trying to find her true purpose. But the way she went about it was so tone-deaf! Dropping out of a graduate program when you're only one semester away from completion, that too from a prestigious and expensive university such as Columbia, was insane behaviour. She really showed her privilege with that decision because I was getting heart palpitations when I read it. I fully support the idea of doing what makes you happy, but going about it in such an impulsive way is truly my worst nightmare. I had such a hard time sympathizing with her because she had no plan, no source of income, and she didn't even have a true goal in mind. I've been in a situation where I was unsure about my future, and it was the worst time of my life, so to see Simran have such a blasé attitude at times made me so angry.

It took me 300 pages to finally connect to her. When she and her mom met up after she was back from India, and she told her mom about how she found out her secret... I thought that scene was really well done, and it was the first truly genuine moment from Simran.

That said, I am continuing this one, so it won't be DNFed from my side.

But did you notice how everything is stretched to a matter that affects women. Like the scene where Simran overheats the fair and lovely as and despite having so much emotionally going for her has the time to think about colorism in India. I just feel it's not really how women actually think, atleast I don't, so that felt a bit buggy to me.

I agree! Some of the messaging was too heavy-handed; it felt almost preachy at times, which takes you out of the story because it ruins the flow of the story because of how unnatural it sounds. There was a scene with Nandini and Greg where, while explaining some of her frustrations with her new colleagues, she randomly just rattled off these statistics about women in medicine, and I was like, who adds that to a conversation? I already feel for Nandini as a character and understand her struggles; I don't need statistics to back it up.

Or like, (and this is kind of unrelated and only happened a few times, but it still pissed me off), when the author would explain some very common things that the target audience probably already knows. Like, I know what a puri is, you don't need to tell me! I don't know why that sets me off, but I had this issue with Nisha Sharma's writing as well, where there were textbook-like definitions for anything that non-Desis reading the book wouldn't know. I understand why Desi writers cater to that part of their audience as well, but it's just one of those pet peeves of mine that I can't explain. Like when I hear the term "henna tattoo" and it just sets me off like a sleeper agent. (k, getting off my soapbox now )

Also, the author didn't follow the show, don't tell rule for important plot points so it could have been better.

Does the author hate Simran? Like what's with her jumping to conclusion and not giving her OWN mother benefit of doubt.

Every time she would take her father's side or worry about him when her mom was clearly also struggling, I had to close the book and make myself calm down. I get her relationship with her dad, believe me, my relationship with my own father is also a lot simpler than the one I have with my mom. But that doesn't mean I'm not gonna care about my mom.

I was so happy when she told Ranjit off, kind of giving him a reality check, I just wish she'd been a little firmer, and that we got to see the scene where she convinces Ranjit to go seek out Nandini.

Originally posted by: oh_nakhrewaali

And I finished it, because ofcourse I did. I wish the author showed Nandnini and Simran's journey in Baltimore and India more, bht otherwise it's was a satisfactory end. Thank you for suggesting this one, it was a real good feminist read for an Indian woman.

I also wished more for grandmother's story, tbf, she was the most interesting character out of the three.

I'd rate it 7.6/10

I thought the ending was pretty great, too. I think it's oddly refreshing to see the way Nandini and Ranjit were trying to fix their relationship; they were a really endearing couple towards the end. And I'm so happy Simran stayed single! I didn't want her with Neil, and I definitely didn't want her with Kunal. (I also hate how much weight was given to how Neil contributed to her finding herself and her voice. I would've preferred if he simply provided her with some perspective and she got there on her own, or with what she's learned from her Nani and her mom.)

I really wish we saw the scene where Nandini learns that her mother is sick. I wanted to see how that conversation would've played out. I wanted to see her speak at the conference as well, but I guess there wasn't really any time for that.

One thing that I wish we could've focused on more was female friendships, or more specifically, Simran's friendship with Sheila vs. the different friends that Nandini's made (women in her community vs Yuwa in Baltimore). I personally really liked Sheila and would've loved to see more of her. I think there was a lot that I appreciated about her friendship with Simran, and it was especially highlighted in that big fight they had in the salon. That feeling of growing apart when your opinions suddenly seem to clash on core values, and it's harder and harder to understand each other's perspectives. And then on the opposite spectrum, you have Yuwa and Nandini, who became friends as adults because of their similar personalities, values and careers. They have more in common, and I do think they get close despite not having the history that Simran and Sheila have. (I also just think that the idea of being able to make friends when you're so far in your life is rather heartwarming, especially because everyone talks about how hard it is to make friends as an adult.)

3.5/5 stars for me. Glad you liked it!

How long did it take for you to finish? For me it was 1.5 days.

Also also, what's the kindle page count? 397?