book review: year of the chick

In Romi Moondi's Year of the Chick, a young woman must take control of her life, or face having it run by her strict parents.

Like most other women her age, heroine Romi Narindra worries about finding love, meaning to her life and losing the extra pounds that have somehow accumulated in the past year. But unlike all women, Romi comes from a traditional Indian family who, despite living in Canada for years, still want to control her life. That means interfering in her life to ensure she slims down and gets a husband (but only if he meets their high standards).

Hoping to avoid their meddling, Romi gives herself one year to lose the weight and land the guy on her own terms. That journey is often bumpy, and does not always go as planned, but it makes for a good story.

In short, this book is funny. The main character is sometimes ridiculous, but in the most charming way. She's a bit vulgar (when out of earshot of her parents), fights with her siblings and gets a little dramatic when the situation calls for it. As a fellow lover and user of the dramatics, I totally got it. (I like to pretend I'm not dramatic, but who am I kidding. Just don't tell my parents I owned up to it.)

One of my favorite aspects of the story is the relationship Romi has with her sister. It is funny to follow. They're rude and awful to each other, but in another regard they have an unspoken alliance dealing with their common enemy: their parents' plans.

This is the first book I've read with an Indian heroine. I've seen a couple of movies that introduced me to some aspects of the culture (i.e. "Bend it Like Beckham," "Bride and Prejudice," etc.), but otherwise this was a new and welcome experience for me. Moondi did a great job of using humor and storytelling to help out a novice like me, who has no personal experience. That's good work on her part.

Because at the heart of the story, no matter who you are or where you came from, we bitches face the same issues, right?

Aside from that, the story was captivating enough it held my interest through the end. I look forward to reading the next two installments in this series, and recommend this book.

Rating: 4 of 5

Check back tomorrow to read a guest post from the author!

Facebook author page: http://www.facebook.com/RomiMoondi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/romimoondi 

Buy the book!
http://www.amazon.com/Year-of-the-Chick-ebook/dp/B005ZY7DG0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1326240962&sr=8-6

Check out Romi's other stops on her blog tour: http://www.clpblogtours.com/2011/12/year-of-chick-by-romi-moondi.html

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