2.5 stars

I wanted so badly to enjoy From Twinkle, With Love, but unfortunately I did not. While there were some elements I liked, those were outweighed by many that I wasn’t fond of.

My biggest issue was with Twinkle herself. She’s an Indian teen and aspiring filmmaker, and I liked that she allowed herself to dream big. I also liked her advocacy against the patriarchy, and general feminist attitude. However, the list ends there. Twinkle is introduced as a shy character that avoids confrontation at all costs, but as the story progresses, she becomes self-centered and rather annoying. She believes that being the director makes her superior — at least, that’s how I interpreted it. She’s prone to ridiculous outbursts, and tries to do cruel things, thinking it will help people, but lashes out at those who say otherwise. It takes way too long for her to realize the error of her ways. There’s character development, and then there’s this.

A common occurrence in this novel is Twinkle acting rashly in the moment, then looking back later and feeling guilty. Some reviewers have said they appreciate Menon writing Twinkle in this manner, as it’s representative of many modern teens. I agree with that. Many teens, myself included, learn from mistakes like these. My problems lie with other aspects of Twinkle’s character.

I come from a middle-class family, and thus am not qualified to discuss the financial struggles mentioned throughout the novel. However, I applaud Menon for writing openly about the way Twinkle felt having no phone or car isolated her from classmates and the strain it put on her familial relationships. The latter is in addition to the existing strain that comes from Twinkle wanting to be a filmmaker. This is a complex discussion, and I’ve yet to see any complaints.

While Twinkle and Sahil’s relationship is cute in the end, I’m not fond of the path they went down to get to that stage. Twinkle has a crush on his twin brother Neil, though he likely doesn’t have a clue who she is. She doesn’t even want to be in a relationship with him for him, but because he could elevate her status from “groundling”, as she calls herself, to “silk feathered hat”, her name for the popular clique. First, that’s not a good reason for a relationship, and second, while those nicknames are unique, they felt silly.

In relation to my last point, Twinkle can’t decide if she wants to wait for Neil to come around or follow her heart and date Sahil. This results in her unfairly stringing Sahil along, with several kisses and then various excuses as to why she can’t commit to him: maintaining professionalism while filming, figuring out what she wants, etc. Sahil might not be my favorite, but he deserves better than that. No one deserves that sort of treatment.

Now, about Sahil. I appreciated his unrelenting support of Twinkle and their movie, and his feminist nature. He agreed with Twinkle’s comments about the patriarchy and didn’t mind her ranting. However, I feel like I don’t really know who Sahil is. Sure, he’s a passionate movie lover that wants to work in the industry, a brother in his twin’s shadow, a sweet, dorky guy. But what about deep down?

Another significant issue I had was the subplot regarding Twinkle’s friendship with Maddie, and how it fell apart as Maddie integrated herself into a group of popular girls that wanted nothing to do with Twinkle. The entire thing felt melodramatic and cliché, though I know from somewhat similar personal experiences that this does, unfortunately, happen in real life. In middle school, I tried to hold on to a friendship with my best friend of almost ten years and ultimately it didn’t work out. I understand what Twinkle went through and I’m glad things mostly did work out, but I kept wishing that she would find new friends. No one needs that kind of drama in their daily life.

The one bonus from the aforementioned storyline was a lovely new friendship between Twinkle and a girl from the popular posse. They didn’t have many moments together, but I could tell she was genuinely nice and inclusive. I liked her and I think she’s the kind of friend Twinkle needs.

While we’re on the subject of characters I liked in the novel, let me say that I loved Dadi and her dog Oso. She was my favorite member of Twinkle’s family, even my favorite in the book as a whole. I also liked that Oso had a star-crossed romance with the dog across the fence. It was a minute detail, but it made me smile.

On the other hand, I had one more major issue with this novel: the writing. It felt very juvenile and the dialogue was often cheesy, and it just didn’t work for me. Similarly, Twinkle and many side characters came off as rather young; they’re all 16-17, but spoke and acted as if they were 13-14. I’m not lowering my rating because of this, as teens are young and not all of them are as mature as I am and others are. I have nothing against teens like that. However, the two combined were off-putting.

Lastly, the plot was a bit lacking and relied on many tropes I’ve read so many times. This wouldn’t have been a negative aspect if I cared more for the characters, but I did not. I know that some people argue that marginalized teens deserve to see themselves in stories such as this, in cheesy high-school rom-coms, and I wholeheartedly agree. I hope any teens that need this story find it and enjoy it. But it’s not for me.

I think I’ve covered all of my bases. I truly hope my review doesn’t seem harsh, as that was not my intention. From Twinkle, With Love is a fluffy story with some deeper meanings, and I think I would’ve enjoyed it more had I read it when I was a bit younger. Unfortunately, the few elements I did like were overpowered by the many I did not. But I still plan to read Menon’s upcoming novel and future releases, and hopefully enjoy them more.

Representation:
• Sahil is half-Indian, and though I don’t recall it being stated outright, I imagine Neil is too. They’re twins, after all.
• Sahil’s friend Aaron is gay and black.
• Brij, a side character, is also Indian.
• Matthew, another side character, is bi.
• Maddie is Japanese-American.
• There’s a very minor m/m romance between two side characters.

CW: sexism, financial struggles, slut-shaming