Sleepless in Dubai
By S. Patel

Photographer wannabe, Nikki, is headed to Dubai to celebrate Diwali with her family. Unfortunately, her ex-best friend, Yash, and his family are going too.


From the very start of the trip, their families scheme to get the pair talking again in the hopes they will mend their broken friendship. Slowly, against the exciting and adventure-filled backdrop of Dubai, Nikki and Yash do indeed find their way back to each other and end up having the vacation of a lifetime.

This is such a sweet friends to enemies to lovers story. Patel does a wonderful job of immersing the reader in the Dubai tourist experience as well as the traditions of Diwali. The characters are charming, memorable, and jump off the page.

Teens will enjoy this one. Highly recommend it!

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Artifacts of an Ex
By J. Chen

This is a sweet story about Chloe, a planning obsessed teen art curator who moves to LA from NYC. Fresh from a break up, she is inspired to create an art exhibit featuring failed relationship mementos. In the process of adjusting to life in LA and making friends with fellow creatives, Chloe meets a cute film maker—Daniel. He’s as sweet as the pineapple cakes Chloe’s ahma used to make but convincing him to date her isn’t easy because of his preconceived ideas about love.

The side characters add additional interest and depth to the story and the way Chloe’s family dynamics were interwoven with the narrative worked beautifully.

This story is a nod to falling in love with LA, finding your artistic tribe, and the ups and downs of all the stages of love. 

A fun read! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: Nov 13, 2023 (St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books)