Winnie’s Senior year begins in upheaval. Her long-time boyfriend and seemingly-fated soulmate (like, for real - her family’s astrologer predicted it) started dating her arch-enemy while she was away at film camp. Raj!! How could you?? Winnie only said she wanted you two to take a break, not break up! Have you never watched Friends? You are clearly not allowed to date someone else while on a break from your longtime girlfriend. Duh. Anyway, now that she and Raj are estranged, film club is gonna be hella awkward. They are co-presidents. And Film Club means EVERYTHING to Winnie. Organizing the annual film festival is what’s going to get Winnie into NYU. But because this is the way Winnie’s senior year is going, Film Club’s new faculty advisor won’t allow both Raj and Winnie to organize the festival. Raj gets the nod. What will Winnie do? She’s gonna need to get creative. Her new crush, Dav, and her new job at the local indie movie house will play a role in this creativity. Now, if she could only forget about that astrologer’s prediction . . .
My favorite thing author, Nisha Sharma, does in the writing of this book is title each chapter after a Bollywood movie. She then includes Winnie’s rating and review of that movie before continuing on with the chapter. The chapter then has some kind of relation to the movie’s plot. Clever! In the back of the book, Sharma includes all of Winnie’s titles, ratings, and reviews, listed in one spot. Handy! She also includes a quick list of titles Winnie rates 4 stars or higher. I’ve got my to-watch list!
Holy baby Shah Rukh Khan (Winnie’s favorite exclamation)! My So-Called Bollywood Life is super cute even though it’s super predictable (like a Bollywood movie) and I had fun reading (listening to) it.
On a related note, reading books like this one, When Dimple Met Rishi, From Twinkle With Love, and You Bring the Distant Near has definitely created in me an interest in Indian culture. Author, Nisha Sharma, has the most beautiful website and I enjoyed pouring over it - especially her blog where she documents her sister’s wedding. Check it out!
