Sleepless in Dubai

by Sajni Patel

Overview

From Sajni Patel, the author of My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding, comes this hilarious, smart, and swoon-worthy rom-com about two teens traveling to Dubai for Diwali.
 
In this hate-to-love teen rom-com, Nikki, an aspiring photographer, accompanies her family on a trip to Dubai to celebrate the five days of Diwali in style. It would be the trip of a lifetime, if Yash, the boy next door—with whom Nikki has a rocky history—wasn’t also on the flight.
 
Oblivious to the tension, Nikki’s matchmaking family encourages Nikki to get better acquainted with Yash. It turns out a lot can change on a 12-hour flight beyond just continents. But can betrayals and conflicting ambitions be set aside long enough for the two teens to discover the true meaning of the Festival of Lights?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647009472
Publisher:	Abrams
Publication date:	10/24/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	964,616
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Sajni Patel is the author of adult and YA fiction. The Trouble with Hating You is the first of two women’s fiction titles to be published with Grand Central/Forever. My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding, Patel’s first book with Abrams, was published in 2022 to praise from reviewers, who called it “a warm hug of a novel” (Booklist) and “a sweet and entertaining romp” (Kirkus). Patel currently lives in Hawaii.

Editorial Reviews

2023-08-11
Patel’s friends-to-lovers romance takes readers on a journey of friendship, love, and celebrating Indian culture set between Austin and Dubai.

High school senior and aspiring photographer Nikki finds herself pushed to repair her relationship with neighbor and former best friend Yash during a weeklong trip to Dubai to celebrate Diwali with their families. The teens’ parents are incredibly close, and Nikki’s mother and father urge her to do the right thing: “there is light in forgiveness, and only darkness by holding grudges.” As the trip goes on, the two do mend their rift, but complicating matters, Nikki realizes she’s developing romantic feelings for the boy she grew up with. She fears that this revelation would ruin their still-fragile rapport but fails to stop herself from impulsively confessing that she likes him. As it turns out, Yash has a confession of his own, one related to a complicated secret he’s been hiding from her that threatens their newly rebuilt trust. The book is humorous and full of sharp wit. It touches lightly on topics of otherness, feminism, extended family and community, and cultural differences in ways that will speak to teens from many backgrounds. Patel’s Gujarati characters move through lovingly described surroundings, but the setting is at times overdeveloped, slowing the pace of the narrative. Food and joyous all-out Diwali celebrations also feature heavily, adding to the festive mood.

An endearing, feel-good rom-com celebrating love, heritage, and friendship. (Romance. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews