Reviews

The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel

alivaster's review

5.0

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! Well-written and intriguing, it kept me hooked from the first page. Not only did I fall in love with the main character, Meena, but I also really liked the fact that the book really focused on her path to finding out her past, her culture, and where she feels like she belongs. The book handles the finding off identity well, and the aunties and the love interest just made the book so much better.

While a friend told me it was predictable, I didn't really expect anything other than that if romance is involved and a decently big factor because at the end you want a happy ending. However, I should note that this is NOT a romance book. It also isn't a mystery book, but it has a mystery that she has to solve (aka what was her birth mother like?).

Would definitely recommend. 5/5 Stars.

POV and Tense: Third person POV in past tense.

hetzjani's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

sophie_jean601's review

emotional inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

ordwayhomebody's review

hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

cduu's review

1.0

Do not waste your time. I honestly don’t know how this book has such high ratings. The writing lacks soul, the characters are not worth investing in. This story idea has such good potential and it just feels like a series of sentence fragments that were part of a first draft.

mrsginthelibrary's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

lisakerd's review

1.0

DNF 70% I tried so hard to finish this one but the plot just kept going in circles. I wanted more development, more progress. I also kept wondering why Meena didn’t just do a DNA ancestry test if she wanted so badly to know who she was.

socorrobaptista's review

medium-paced

4.0

Acho que o principal tema deste livro é a busca da protagonista por pertencimento, por uma comunidade, por um lugar para chamar de seu, ao mesmo tempo em que busca conhecer a si mesma, entender sua própria história, seu passado. São várias as perguntas que vêm à minha mente: afinal, o que constitui uma identidade? por que precisamos entender nossas origens para nos entendermos melhor? Gostei muito deste narrativa, aprendi bastante.

booksheart_hnicole's review

4.0

This book was ok. Meena had some great character growth. Meena had been alone for a long time and once she inherited the apartment started to learn about where she came from. She learned to accept happinesss and love and to have people who she truly cared about in her life.

glencoco's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5