Back with another book review, besties! The book team at THP loves supporting diverse authors and books, no matter the occasion. So today, we’re reviewing Preeti Chhibber’s debut romance novel, Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot!
Meet seventeen-year-old Payal Mehta, who’s had a longtime crush on Jonathan Slate since freshman year. But when Payal finally gets to hang out one-on-one with Jon, he ends up trying to set her up with his Indian friends. In Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot, we find Payal working with her nemesis Phillip Kim to try to make Jon fall for her (and be aware of his microaggressions).
But how long will it be before Payal faces reality? We’ve fallen for this debut romance, so let’s talk about our three favorite things about Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot by Preeti Chhibber!
Book Overview: Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot
Content Warnings: racism and microaggressions
Summary: Payal Mehta has had a crush on popular, athletic, all-around perfect Jonathan Slate ever since he smiled at her in freshman–year Spanish class. At a party during spring break of her junior year, Payal finally works up the courage to ask Jon to hang out. However, her romantic plans are derailed when he vomits on her Keds. Twice. But when Jon offers to take her out to lunch as an apology, Payal is convinced this is the start of their love story.
Over chalupas and burritos at Taco Bell, Payal’s best jokes are landing as planned. Jon is basically choking on his Coke—and then it happens. “Do you have a boyfriend?” Payal is (finally) about to get the guy. And then he tries to set her up with his Indian friend. Payal’s best friends, Neil Patel and Divya Bhatt, are just as mad about the microaggression as Payal is, but they think she’s a little too hung up on him.
Determined to teach Jon a lesson by making him fall for her, Payal ropes in her archnemesis, Philip Kim, to help. It’s the perfect plan. Minus Philip’s snarky, annoying quips and lack of faith in its success. But as Payal lies to the people she loves, hides the too-Indian parts of herself in front of her crush, and learns that maybe Philip isn’t the worst, she starts to wonder if what she’s been looking for has been scowling at her all along…
Rivals To Lovers
There are few things we love more than academic rivals to lovers. So, we’re glad to see it happen in Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot! Payal and Phillip are forced to work on their AP Psychology project together, giving them a reason to spend time together and grow closer. And, of course, plan a way for Payal to make Jon see her for more than an Indian girl while they’re at it. But we didn’t miss the subtle cues for Payal and Phillip’s budding feelings for each other. The more Payal made progress with Jon, the more Phillip pulled away. And the ending fit together perfectly, if you asked us!
Payal’s Friendships
Another thing we love about Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot is the development of Payal’s friendships with Neil and Divya. However, when Payal pursues her crush on Jon after his initial microaggression, she distances herself from her two best friends. She was worried that they wouldn’t support her, leading to a lot of miscommunication among the friend group. But when the three of them finally agree to sit down and talk through their problems, the friendship grows stronger. No character is without their flaws, which is comforting to read.
We Relate To This Heavy
There is something so earth-shattering about having a high school crush. And honestly, real. Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot takes the angle of a YA romantic comedy using the lens of microaggressions. And it’s something we can always appreciate about diverse books like this one. It’s not up to us to fix people who don’t see a problem in what they say. We feel so validated knowing it’s not overreacting when someone calls you “cool/normal for a [insert identifying adjective here] person.” And if you know, you know.
A delightful and nuanced read, Preeti Chhibber’s Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot really hits home on our teenage selves starting to learn what love looks like.
Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot by Preeti Chhibber comes out September 24th, and you can preorder a copy of it here!
What do you think about Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot by Preeti Chhibber? Can you relate to the main character? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PREETI CHHIBBER:
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