My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding

MY SISTER'S BIG FAT INDIAN WEDDING is a moving YA contemporary about family, parental expectations, following your passion, and romance. Zurika (Zuri) is happy to celebrate her sister's wedding with a traditional Indian wedding. However, an important audition for a music school is happening at the same time as the leading events to the ceremony. Zuri dreams of playing her violin professionally - it is her passion. However, her family expects her to become a lawyer.

In the midst of college applications, she sees this contest and auditions as her big chance to find a way into the field she loves. However, participating comes with risks of disappearing during the events of her sister's wedding week. At the same time, her mother has a matchmaking scheme with a distant cousin on the groom's side, Naveen, who is coming from South Africa. Things become more complicated when it turns out that Naveen is competing against Zuri in the musical contest. As they have similar, albeit opposing, goals, they begin to spend time together and find that they might be compatible if the contest does not get in the way.

What I loved: This story has some great themes around following your passion, dealing with family expectations, and defining yourself. Zuri is at a pivotal moment in her life with college looming, trying to balance her family's expectations for her future with her own passions. This is a theme that will resonate with readers, as they may be considering their own future paths. Zuri's music means a lot to her, but her family does not fully understand. As she begins to follow this passion, she begins to redefine her life and come into her own. At the same time, she must balance her relationships with family and her responsibilities/commitments, as represented by the wedding.

The wedding remains an element throughout the story amidst the decisions around how Zuri will balance these elements, but it brings a lot of joy and shows all the love of her family and culture. Naveen is another really fantastic character who we get to know through the telling, and the romance that grows between them is filled with friendship and growing feelings. It was so easy to cheer for the two of them - and the matchmaking meddling of family was really sweet. They were really better together, providing emotional support and some deeper conversations that get to the bottom of feelings/reactions in important ways.

Final verdict: A beautiful story of being true to yourself and love, MY SISTER'S BIG FAT INDIAN WEDDING is an evocative and delightful YA contemporary that combines family, romance, and music into a highly devourable read. Highly recommend for fans of COUNTING DOWN WITH YOU, WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI, and MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE.