The Henna Startup
MY THOUGHTS
When The Henna Startup released it instantly went viral and I began seeing multiple reviews of the book. I had to see what it was all about and you know I am always eager to pick up the next Young Adult read! This book won the Neev Book Award 2024, was on Parag’s Honour List, and got a special mention at the BK awards!
Like most of author Andaleeb Wajid’s books, this is a teenage romance but the heroine is as spunky as they come. Abir has big dreams for herself that does not include her parent’s dreams of getting her married right after college. She stumbles upon this neat idea to create an app for her mother’s small business where she works as a henna artist for weddings and events. An app that will help small business owners to not be cheated off their wages by clients. As she works on it, she is constantly distracted by the advances of the college heartthrob Arsalan and Sahil, a family friend and relative who Abir’s sister Amal is convinced likes Abir and wants to propose. Now Abir needs to find a way to work on the app with her friend Keerti, Arsalan and Sahil all while resisting her feelings for Arsalan. She also needs to convince her Abbu and Ammi that the app is a good idea and will make a huge difference to her Ammi’s business. Will she be able to do it?
The Henna Startup brings up the important issue of women being financially independent while showcasing the roadblocks women face in conservative and traditional families. It draws the reader’s attention to the differences in society. There is a healthy dose of Bollywood and has all the right notes and lines to make the romantic in you feel all tingly and mushy. You will find yourself daydreaming about Sahil or Arsalan and catch yourself rooting for Abir’s success.
This is an amazing read for young adults with a healthy side of feminism and a chance to look at the kind of pressure women from various backgrounds face. I love that Andaleeb’s heroine has a background in STEM and that she gets an opportunity to develop an app from a college competition. The story is set in Bangalore and Andaleeb makes sure to give you all the feels if you are an OG Bangalorean!
If you think your child would enjoy this book, you can buy it here →
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