From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon

Title: From Twinkle, With Love
Author: Sandhya Menon
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: May 22, 2018
Pages: 336
Source/format: e-ARC//Publisher

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy—a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2.

When mystery man “N” begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.

Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she’s got is not the one she’s scripted. But will it be enough?

Told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, with Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you.  

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Twinkle Mehra is an aspiring filmmaker living in Colorado Springs. She has a major crush on swimmer Neil Roy. Neil's twin brother, Sahil Roy, is a film fanatic and is his part of the film club at school. He asks Twinkle to be part of it and to direct a film for Pike Peak Charter's Midsummer Night. Not only is Twinkle ecstatic that she gets to pursue her passion but it's one step closer to getting know Neil. Sahil and Twinkle decide to film a gender bender version of Dracula. During the first part of the novel, Twinkle is very oblivious that Sahil is flirting with her since Twinkle is very into Neil who by chance hasn't really noticed her. The ironic part is that Sahil and Neil are twins and Sahil likes Twinkle. Let's just say that Sahil likes Twinkle a lot.

I noticed that in the novel, Twinkle does not have a cellphone like many of her peers which is nice to see. Because she doesn't have a cell phone, her communication with people is usually in person or via e-mail. Twinkle receives an e-mail from a secure admirer who signs the e-mail with N. Of course Twinkle believes the secret admirer is Neil.

Sandhya Menon weaves in socioeconomics within the novel with how Sahil and Neil live in the affluent part of town compared to Twinkle who lives humbly. Indian culture and family values are important for Twinkle's family. Dadi definitely steals the show though! I love her personality and the interactions she has with Twinkle. Yet Sahil is so charming and is generally a thoughtful guy who likes Twinkle for just being Twinkle.

Throughout the novel, Twinkle's character growth is more apparent than anyone else's even though it's a rollercoaster of a ride. She learns a lot from her actions and the things she says. Menon captures the excitement of high school yet she writes about the gossip and the downright ugly parts of high school life realistically. Teens can be mean and the main reason is that people can't seem to communicate truthfully to one another.

The formatting of the novel is as if Twinkle is writing to female film directors that she admires which I found very unique. On the letters, the dates are carefully listed and the location of where Twinkle is located at. Occasionally there are e-mails, Sahil's text messages to his friend's and random blog posts scattered throughout the book.

From Twinkle, with Love is an engaging contemporary novel that's inspiring for female teens. In a male-dominated industry, Twinkle proves that females can be amazing directors. Her version of Dracula is so well liked, that many prominent schools and figures in the film industry contact her for interviews or to write articles. One place in Mumbai asks her to speak at an event which actually is a way for her to give back to her family. Twinkle has a chance to give her family a gift to visit their homeland.

If you love When Dimple Met Rishi, you will devour From Twinkle, with Love. Trust me, it's pretty grab!