If I were to describe Sleepless in Dubai by Sajni Patel in only one word, the word would be “effervescent.” This is a cute rom-com about two former besties who had a fallout and have had difficulty mending fences in the year since.
Author: Sajni Patel
Publication Date: 24 Oct 2023
Genre: romance, rom-com
Setting: starts and ends in Austin, Texas, USA, but is mostly set in Dubai; just before and during Diwali
Recommended for: Grades 8-11 (though I would say Grades 6-7 are also fine)
Themes: enemies-to-lovers, former friends, male-female friendships, international travel, food, Diwali, East Asian culture, large extended families, sisters, secrets
Protagonist: female, age 17, Indian
Starred reviews: no starred reviews
Pages: 288
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
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?
THE SHORT VERSION
I loved the Dubai setting and the food descriptions; the rest was just okay.
WHAT I LIKED
I love any book set outside the US! This one is mainly set in Dubai, a city I’ve never visited but really want to now. I love the descriptions of Dubai’s grandiosity and excesses. I always say American teens (and adults) need to get out into the world more–this is a great book to help trigger their wanderlust.
The food descriptions made me hungry! Indian food is among my favorite cuisines, and Sleepless in Dubai has Indian food in abundance. I also loved the descriptions of unfamiliar treats the characters tried in the book. Big fat YUM.
I read this book alongside All Alone With You by Amelia Diane Coombs. One of my complaints about that book was how awful the older sister treated her 11-year old sister. Sleepless in Dubai also features a 17-year old sister and a younger one who is around 11 years old.
These two books were night and day with the sister relationships, and I much preferred this one. Nikki treats her younger sister as a big sister should. It was refreshing to read this sister relationship after that one. Big sisters can be annoyed by little sisters and still not be so ugly to them.
There aren’t many YA novels that feature Diwali prominently, so for that, this book gets extra recognition from me!
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The word I used to describe this book was effervescent. This is a happy book, and I definitely enjoyed that. Some readers will love that about it. But it’s honestly not all that interesting beyond the setting and food descriptions.
This is a story about a family that travels to another country, but outside that, it’s still just a slice of very normal life. It could have happened anywhere. Dubai’s culture and history – beyond the tourist destinations and luxury – don’t play heavily in the story.
As so often happens in YA romance, Yash is just way too perfect and mature to be a normal teen boy.
Nikki is appropriately awkward and goofy, but she’s not really that interesting. What do we know about her beyond her love of photography and her friendship with Yash? Not a whole lot. She texts with a friend in the US occasionally, but that friend seems only there to be a peer soundboard for Nikki’s feelings about Yash. I don’t even remember the friend’s name or anything about her.
DIVERSITY
Most characters are Indian.
ARTWORK/ILLUSTRATIONS
No illustrations in the book, but I like the colorful cover’s inclusion of the Burj Khalifa in the window and rangoli and diyas on the floor.
LIBRARIANS WILL WANT TO KNOW
Would adults like this book? It’s a solidly YA book, so I’d only recommend it to adults who like YA romance. I’d also recommend it to anyone getting ready to travel to Dubai! It will give plenty of ideas of things to do and eat there.
Would I buy this for my high school library? Yes. The Diwali representation alone is huge. I think plenty of teen readers will love it.
Would I buy this for my middle school library? Yes, but please note that professional reviewers recommend Grades 8+ for this title. I personally think it’s fine for most seventh graders and even mature sixth graders.
Would I buy this for my elementary school library? No. It’s a YA book.
MATURE CONTENT
Language: a few damns, craps, and hells
Sexuality: very mild; some chaste kissing at the very end
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none
Other: none