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[Copy provided by publisher]

READ IF YOU LIKE...
� Scholarly and academic insightfulness
� Finding your way from rock bottom
� Dating adventures

I THOUGHT IT WAS...
A novel of unexpected depth that I greatly appreciated. Two years after earning her Ph.D., our unnamed Iranian-Indian American protagonist is on the verge of broke, living in L.A. with no teaching or publishing prospects. When her best friend jokingly suggests she just marry rich, she decides to give it an earnest shot, creating a plan, a spreadsheet, and a goal to go on 100 dates before hopefully being engaged by fall.

There are two major parts to this novel and the biggest thing that stuck out to me was how different they are from each other. I think overall I liked the tone and writing shift -- especially since it became a catalyst for the protagonist's character development -- but there's something about it that also nags at me. Perhaps the change was too abrupt, right on the edge of out-of-character for the protagonist we'd gotten to know so far.

The first part reads like what you'd expect for a novel about a girl who decides to date rich people in L.A., with all the usual deprecating humor albeit sometimes elevated through an academic's haughty, critical gaze. While interesting, the second part of the novel is where it truly shines, exploring concepts with more gravitas like cultural identity, Third vs. First World countries, belonging, and family legacy.

Because this section was so rich, the ending felt weak as the author attempted to reconnect it with the dating project in part one. But, among all the novels out there about young women trying to find themselves, I think this one stands out for its depth and uniqueness.