There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon - HIGH

There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon, 376 pages.  Simon Pulse, 2019.  $19.  

Content: Language: R (63 swears; 1 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: G.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  

Sweetie is an amazing track athlete, but for some reason nobody can get past her bigger size.  Sweetie’s mother tries to protect Sweetie and tells her to lose weight, but it just makes Sweetie angry.  When a cute boy, named Ashish, and his parents try to set up a date with Sweetie, Sweetie’s mother turns it down because she thinks Sweetie’s size is a factor.  Sweetie goes behind her mother and dates Ashish and they develop strong feelings for each other.  

What a great book about self-image, family, culture and romance.  I loved Sweetie’s spunk and belief in herself.  I liked the portrayal of Ashish and his kind heart.  I think this is more than a sweet romance but a book about believing in yourself that would be great in any library.  I read From Twinkle, With Love by the same author and am surprised by the amount of swearing in this book in comparison.  Also, there are sexual references that make this PG-13.  At times the romance can be cheesy and melodramatic, but overall it’s a fun read.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson.