While You Were Dreaming

I Picked Up This Book Because: 24 in 24 read.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: CC Public Library
Dates Read: 3/6/24 - 3/9/24
Stars: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Soneela Nankani

The Characters:

Sonia Patil
Niam Cooper
James Cooper, Kareena Patil, Hana, Sonia/Kareena’ mom, James/Niam’s Parents

The Story:

Navigating family, friends, romantic relationships and keeping secrets isn’t easy. Sonia knows this first hand. While this wasn’t a thriller I was shocked at several turns. This was a great story, complex but not overly dependent on teen angst. I would love to see another from this world. ( )

No good deed goes unpunished. Sonia has a crush on the boy working in the book store beside the cafe where she works, but hesitates to act on it. In fact, her life circumstances stop her from doing many things. When she impulsively acts to rescue him while she's wearing the costume she made in hopes of attracting his attention, it's the beginning of a most interesting series of events. Reading along as they unfold is fascinating, frustrating at times, and ultimately extremely satisfying. The rest of the characters are very well crafted, even the one who's particularly nasty. I hope the author writes more young adult fiction because she certainly has a flair for it. ( )

While You Were Dreaming by Alisha Rai
Contemporary YA romance. A bit of family drama. Own voice.
Sonia Patil would love to do more cosplay when she’s not in school or working. She’s handy with a needle and thread and created a costume for a local book event but ended up working instead. On the way home, she spots a boy she has a crush on accidentally fall into a river. She doesn’t hesitate. She jumps in and pulls him out with the help of a bystander. Sonia doesn’t want any attention to her home situation so she runs from the spotlight. Sonia goes to check on the boy and ends up working at his family restaurant where she is welcomed with open arms. Sonia can’t resist the family feeling of love and support.

A bit of melodrama as Sonia’s mother has been deported and with only her older sister as informal guardian, Sonia is feeling lost and on her own. Sonia can’t tell anyone or she might lose her sister too. She feels loved at the restaurant and getting to know them leads to her crush expanding. A smidge of teen angst as she needs to decide which brother is the friend and which might be more.

It’s sweet and romantic and heartwarming from multiple levels. Innocent closed doors, as in kissing only for the sweet 16 year old girl. Delightful.

I received a copy of this from the publisher. ( )

First sentence: The main character? Not me, not in real life. That's what my daydreams were for. At some point, the disappointment of crashing back to earth might teach me to stop engaging in said daydreams.

Premise/plot: Long story short...While You Were Dreaming is a YA spin on the classic film While You Were Sleeping. Sonia Patil, our protagonist, is seriously crushing on James, a classmate, and when she witnesses him falling into the canal, she jumps in to save him. (She just happens to be cosplaying at the time.) She doesn't stay on the scene--reasons, reasons, more reasons--but she does care what happens to him. She's mistaken as James' girlfriend when she drops by his house--she's there to deliver notes/homework as they share class(es). His family loves her because she is not James' normal 'type' (mean, and, well, b*tch*y). Liam, James' brother, finds himself drawn to her...and it's mutual. The misunderstanding is cleared up much, much, much earlier in this one. But essentially, it's a spin on that story. Sonia's reasons for not wanting to be KNOWN or seen is that her mom was recently deported and her sister who is undocumented risks deportation as well.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. While You Were Sleeping is a favorite of mine. I'm not sure if it's equally beloved by the book's target audience. But regardless of how much you love/like the movie...this one offers a twist on the traditional love triangle. I like how Sonia realizes the dangers of insta-love, or, putting too much faith in insta-lust or insta-attraction. Just because she daydreams about James non-stop doesn't mean that she knows him at all--like at all at all. I also like that this one doesn't stay strictly focused on romance. Other relationships matter too.

I LOVED James and Liam's family. ( )