A Match Made in Mehendi

Simi comes from a long line of matchmakers, but she has no interest in the family business even if her mother thinks she has the gift.  Nevermind she just made an on the spot match between her cousin and a soon-to-be lawyer.  Simi is an artist, and that's where she wants to focus her energy.  She's got a big end of term project to figure out, and she wants to find a way to make her Mehendi designs permanent.

But when her best friend Noah suggests that use a dating app her brother created (and her mother and aunt rejected) to gain some social cache, she's tempted.  Freshman year was supposed to be great, but Noah and Simi ended up flying under the radar thanks to intense bullying by Amanda, the queen of the popular crowd.  Now, they could use the app to help their friends find love and reinvent themselves.

When the app matches the local soccer star and ex-boyfriend of the illustrious Amanda with a quiet new girl, things get sketchy.  Simi also thinks maybe she could find a match for herself.  Will it be the cool art guy she's been crushing on for years or the attractive and sweet new guy?

Will Noah and Simi find love and boost their social standing, or will they crash and burn?

This fun new romance by Nandini Bajpai was a sweet delight and the perfect distraction.  Indian American YA romance is becoming one of my favorite genres, and this is a perfect example of why.  It's romantic, fun, exposes some readers to a different culture, and is a mirror for other readers.  On top of that, they are generally pretty clean, so they are perfectly fine for middle school.  Read on, friends!