Hello! I’m here to talk about a new YA story that’s coming out in just a few days. **And every day we are reminded that discrimination against marginalized communities is still a serious problem, so click here to find a compilation of resources where you can donate your time, money, or whatever you can to support these communities. I still encourage you to research these causes on your own to educate yourself and find the best way to lend your support.**
When I was still reviewing books as a reading representative, I requested various YA and adult titles on NetGalley whose covers looked and synopses sounded interested. Most of my requests have either been denied or the books have released with no answer, but there have been a few which were approved which I have read and reviewed as necessary. So when I received an email from NetGalley saying I’d been approved to read Radha & Jai’s Recipe for Romance, a YA contemporary by Nisha Sharma, I had to refresh my memory as to what the book was about. I wanted to make sure I had my review out before release day, and I’m glad I gave this book a chance because it was such a pleasant surprise.
After a family betrayal costs Radha the biggest Kathak competition of her life, she leaves Chicago to live with her mom in New Jersey. There she decides to leave dancing in her past, reinvent her life from scratch, and discover more about her culture (and in turn become closer to her dad) through food. She also meets Jai, captain of the Bollywood Beats dance team, and someone who has decided to make the most of high school and all it has to offer considering his dreams of medical school are unattainable. Jai is in desperate need of a choreographer his team to compete in the Winter Showcase, and when Radha learns she’ll need to perform in order to pass her class, she’ll find a way to help out Jai while maybe, just maybe, rediscovering her passion for dance she’s lost over the years.
I had no idea what to expect going into this contemporary, and was surprised at how much I enjoyed the family dynamics and romance it explored. Radha is known to be one of the best Kathak dancers, but when she overhears her competitors talking, details come to life that make her world come crashing down and cast doubt on all her prior victories. Her parents separate and she moves to New Jersey, refusing to perform in front of an audience again, much to the disdain of her mother (also a former dancer). The book explores her anxiety she has developed as a result, and explores therapy and medication she uses to help her live with it. Radha’s father also sends her cooking supplies and a recipe book her dadaji (paternal grandfather) used when opening his dhaba (roadside restaurant in India) and has since been passed on after his death. Her chapters start off with a translated Punjabi recipe and Radha’s notes / conversations with her father and/or cousin about how to improve her skills. What Radha has to eventually discover is if her cooking has truly been a way to reconnect with her culture, or if she has been using it as a distraction and a way to avoid confronting her complicated feelings about performing. On the other hand, Jai is slated to graduate as valedictorian of his high school class. He’s captain of the Bollywood Beats dance team and has dreamed to attend Columbia to study medicine and become a doctor. But ever since his father father was injured in an accident, he knows that after high school he will be working full time in his family’s convenience store to help out, and not burden anyone with the cost of schooling. While others think he may be foolish, Jai knows that his brothers’ dreams of expanding the store will be delayed if they have to hire more help to take his place, and he refuses to see his family struggle with any financial responsibilities. When his team’s choreographer moves back to India, and Jai recruits Radha in a deal to have her fulfill a class requirement without fully participating, he knows he finally has a chance to win at the senior showcase and potentially win a regionals, which comes with a substantial cash prize. But the one thing that can ensure everyone’s victory is Radha getting back on stage to perform, which she has established will not happen. Radha and Jai truly grapple with determining if their actions will be for their own benefit, or for the benefit of others, and whether they are willing to listen to their hearts and take a chance.
I absolutely loved the layers of culture that Nisha Sharma decided to incorporate. The first chapter begins at a Kathak competition, which is something I had never heard of before. After further research, I found that Kathak is one of the eight major forms of classical dance, and the name is derived from Vedic Sanskrit words “Katha” and “Kathakar,” which mean “story” and “the one who tells a story / to do with stories” respectively. I found this video which is a great introduction to the dance form if you’d like to watch. Radha is also tasked with choreographing a Bollywood routine for Jai’s team to perform at the school’s winter showcase, and her knowledge of the Kathak dance form, and her eye for assessing the talent and skill of her peers, allows her to craft an intricate performance piece capturing the essence and stages of an Indian wedding. The recipes at the beginning of Radha’s chapters will also have you itching to prepare them yourself, or at least have others more skilled prepare them for you – some of my favorites include Suji Ka Halwa and Paneer. There is also a Diwali celebration that the characters attend in the book – Diwali is one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists. It is a festival of lights celebrated between mid-October and mid-November lasting five days and symbolizing the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Sometimes fiction novels set out to teach people about cultures different than their own, and other times authors are simply writing within their own culture so others can see themselves in books. It isn’t solely the responsibility of the author to educate on the intricacies of an entire culture in less than 400 pages, and that leaves it up to us as readers to do the work and fill in any gaps if we want to learn more.
Overall, Meg Cabot’s words on the cover ring true – this was an absolute delight to read. I know this is not Nisha Sharma’s debut novel, so I’ll have to check out her other work soon. Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance (which I constantly have to correct myself, thinking it’s recipe for ‘love’ instead of ‘romance’) is set to be released on July 13th, 2021 – which is the day after this post goes live since I had trouble getting it out earlier, so please give it a look and pick up a copy if you’re at all interested! *Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Crown Books for Young Readers, for the e-copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*
Where to find Radha & Jai’s Recipe for Romance:
Bookshop
Amazon
Goodreads
Nisha Sharma’s site
Penguin Random House
Thoughts About Things 