While You Were Dreaming. Alisha Rai. 2023. 432 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: The main character? Not me, not in real life. That's what my daydreams were for. At some point, the disappointment of crashing back to earth might teach me to stop engaging in said daydreams.
Premise/plot: Long story short...While You Were Dreaming is a YA spin on the classic film While You Were Sleeping. Sonia Patil, our protagonist, is seriously crushing on James, a classmate, and when she witnesses him falling into the canal, she jumps in to save him. (She just happens to be cosplaying at the time.) She doesn't stay on the scene--reasons, reasons, more reasons--but she does care what happens to him. She's mistaken as James' girlfriend when she drops by his house--she's there to deliver notes/homework as they share class(es). His family loves her because she is not James' normal 'type' (mean, and, well, b*tch*y). Liam, James' brother, finds himself drawn to her...and it's mutual. The misunderstanding is cleared up much, much, much earlier in this one. But essentially, it's a spin on that story. Sonia's reasons for not wanting to be KNOWN or seen is that her mom was recently deported and her sister who is undocumented risks deportation as well.
My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. While You Were Sleeping is a favorite of mine. I'm not sure if it's equally beloved by the book's target audience. But regardless of how much you love/like the movie...this one offers a twist on the traditional love triangle. I like how Sonia realizes the dangers of insta-love, or, putting too much faith in insta-lust or insta-attraction. Just because she daydreams about James non-stop doesn't mean that she knows him at all--like at all at all. I also like that this one doesn't stay strictly focused on romance. Other relationships matter too.
I LOVED James and Liam's family.
© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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