Book Review: Born Confused

Book: Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

Cross-cultural comedy about finding your place in America . . . and finding your heart wherever, from an amazing new young author.

Dimple Lala doesn't know what to think. She's spent her whole life resisting her parents' traditions. But now she's turning seventeen and things are more complicated than ever. She's still recovering from a year-old break-up and her best friend isn't around the way she used to be. Then, to make matters worse, her parents arrange for her to meet a "suitable boy." Of course, it doesn't go well . . . until Dimple goes to a club and finds him spinning a magical web of words and music. Suddenly the suitable boy is suitable because of his sheer unsuitability. Complications ensue.

This is a story about finding yourself, finding your friends, finding love, and finding your culture -- sometimes where you least expect it.



Rating: 1 star (Did Not Finish)

Review:

This was another Did Not Finish for me because I found the story to be far too tedious. The writing was boring, too long winded and jumped around a lot. This story felt longer than it should have been and it could have benefited from being shortened by a hundred pages or more.

The story is about Dimple Lala who recently turned 17 and is having a hard time trying to figure out who she is. She feels like she just doesn't fit in with the rest of the students at her school because she's Indian. She tries everything she can to make herself seem less "ethnic" such as getting a perm to turn her straight brown hair curly.

Dimple also suffers from a lack of self-esteem and she's far too envious of her friend Gwyn whom she think is exactly how she would like to be: Pretty, Popular and Blonde.

What made this book so tedious (besides the writing) was the way Dimple was portrayed. I get that she wanted to fit in but why did she have be written as such a doormat and so embarrassed with her culture. She pretty much did whatever her friend Gwyn said or wanted to do, no questions asked just so she could fit in. I didn't really think Gwyn was really a good friend but I didn't feel like sticking around to see if Dimple finally got a back bone and started to appreciate her culture as well as herself.

I have read other books that had a similar plot but they were done in a much better way. It makes me wish this wasn't another cliché young adult book because I think it could have been so much better if the story had a more likeable main character and the story had more heart and emotion. This was a dull and boring story with a paper thin plot.

I'm willing to give the author another chance if the next book is more thought out and less long winded. But for this one I just didn't enjoy it.