I was inspired to pick up Lovetorn to read more about the Indian culture, and to read about how the family transitions from Bangalore to LA. Seems like quite the culture shock. The forbidden love aspect and how that relates to the arranged marriage also caught my interest.

I liked the story overall. It’s a quick light read with a lot of great ideas. However, I just wished that some of them were explored a little more fully. The length of the book is short, to the expense of some of the character and story development. It didn’t have the depth I was looking for, though the story itself is refreshing.

The protagonist Shalini is really bullied in school for her appearance and manner of dress. Some of the behavior is appallingly mean, so much so that I was impressed that she even made it to school everyday. She has a lot on her plate considering school and picking up the slack at home now that her mother is suffering depression from the move. Only her father and little sister Sangita seem to be thriving in their new life. She does find her place eventually, as her friendships and experiences evolve over the course of the book.

The family dynamics are explored and bring up interesting points about gender equality, culture and traditions, and mental health issues. I liked seeing how the family reacted to their new surroundings in different ways, and how they adjusted over time. Sangita the little sister is a standout character and I would have liked to learn more about her.

The transition to life in LA ended up being more interesting to me than the love triangle. I didn’t feel strongly for one choice over the other, even though Vikram does seem like a great guy and support system to Shalini. It makes sense that she would question her match to him through this forced separation. I wished there was more time in the book devoted to her decision making process, instead of it feeling somewhat rushed.

Even though I’m not head over heels in love with this book, Lovetorn is an enjoyable read. Contemporary fans looking for a refreshing read about Indian culture and family life should give this book a try. ( )

I became interested in reading Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani because of the multicultural aspect. I love reading about other cultures and I think it's important to have more YA books on the market that incorporate diverse characters. For that reason, I was super excited to read Lovetorn. Unfortunately, I wasn't completely satisfied with it. It has some great aspects, but overall, I wanted a little more.

I'll discuss the good points first. The multicultural aspect was very well done. I have basic knowledge of some Indian customs and culture, but this book provided a lot more information without sounding like a tutorial. I thought the storyline itself was an interesting idea. An Indian teenage girl who is already engaged moves to America and begins to wonder about her future and her options. This seems natural and plays out organically. Her relationships with friends, family, and loved ones change at a reasonable pace.

I also appreciated how Daswani describes the reactions to the move of all family members. Each member has a different experience transitioning, and I think they are all reasonable given the circumstances and ages of each person. They all go through a journey which impacts each other. Unlike some other YA novels, each family member is important to the plot and overall story. No Disappearing Parent Syndrome here.

Clearly, there's lots of good stuff in this novel. Unfortunately, there were also aspects I didn't like. First, I thought some of the relationships between the smaller characters developed unrealistically. While changes in the family members were gradual and organic, the friendships, social enemies, and crush relationships did not develop at a natural pace (in my opinion). This might sound strange, but the characters turned out too nice. Even the mean girls, who were really mean, came out sounding too nice by the end. The crush was the most realistic in my view.

Second, I didn't know who to root for. Maybe it's just me, but when there's going to be some kind of love triangle, I like to know who I should be rooting for and the reasons why. I had a sense that maybe I should root for the new guy because he's a new guy, but I really liked what I'd read about Vikram. Part of me really wanted her to stay with him, even though I wasn't sure how that would turn out. This is purely personal preference, so it may not bother other readers.

Third, and this is really, really nitpicky, there was misinformation about the psychologist. Psychologists can't prescribe medications. Psychiatrists can. This very small distinction bothers me purely because it's a common misconception and I'm in the field of psychology. By all means, this did not ruin the book for me, but it is irritating when the facts aren't right.

So, overall, Lovetorn was an enjoyable read. I just wish I'd gotten a little more from the novel. It's definitely worth the read, especially if you're interested in reading about other cultures.

>b?Final thoughts: Borrow. ( )

REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED http://hobbitsies.net/wordpress/2012/01/lovetorn-by-kavita-daswani/

Okay, Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani was basically amazing. I’m a huge fan of Indian culture and contemporary, and reading Lovetorn basically combined this love.

Lovetorn is an eye-opening look at Indian culture, as well as bullying, depression, and the way people are able (or not able as the case may be) to cope with drastic changes in their lives, such as moving from India to California.

I loved Shalini as a protagonist. I’ve never been bullied like she has and Kavita Daswani’s writing really helped me to feel everything she was going through, with the school bullies and the confusion of a first crush. And everything with her mother just broke my heart. Even though her mother drove me crazy and I wanted to slap her at times.

The storyline allowed for amazing character growth and self discovery.

Lovetorn is a stunning and original contemporary. I teared up and laughed and experienced things along with all of the characters, not just Shalini. If you’re a fan of contemporaries and learning about different cultures, I definitely recommend picking up Lovetorn. ( )